I cannot think of anything more thrilling, more encouraging, and more joyful than Jesus Christ saying to me, “John, I am always with you—always! And I promise that I will never leave you.”
Wow!
Our call as Christians has to do with how we are to walk and to live by faith.
When Jesus tells me that He is always with me, it can be hard to believe because I cannot touch Him, see Him, or talk face-to-face with Him. But the reality of what Christ says is just as real and trustworthy as if I could do those things.
Somewhere in our growth in Christ Jesus, we must decide if we will believe Jesus and act according to the truth He speaks. The alternative belief is that He actually will not do what He says, making us think that He is lying.
Jesus cannot do anything more than tell us the truth and see if we will believe Him.
"But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.’ And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith." -Matthew 13:57b-58
Living by faith is risky. But as you look at the heroes of the faith, somewhere along the line, God asked them to step up and trust Him. Each faced the crossroads where they had to choose to believe and step into what God said or to not believe Him and live in mediocrity.
Success in life is never what we do or accomplish. It’s what we do vs. what we could have done. Moses is our best illustration.
Moses was fearful of the task God gave him to do, but He also had a promise from God. In Exodus 3:12, God said, “‘I will be with you.’” Moses had no idea what God planned to do in and through him in that situation. He had no strategy, no speech prepared, and no expectation that even his people would believe him. But he went.
All of a sudden, Moses found himself in front of the most powerful man on Earth—humanly speaking—and God went to work.
The issue of believing God is related to the promise that the psalmist clings to in Psalm 118:
“The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” -Psalm 118:6
God says we are His ambassadors. We are to do everything we can to persuade people around us to trust Jesus as Lord and Savior. Yes, open our mouths and go public with Jesus. We must let God go to work in the unseen reality—turning people to His Son, Jesus.
Please pray that God will use you in the lives of the lost. Please just step out and identify publicly with Jesus this week. God stands ready to do His great part if we are faithful to do our bit part.
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