The Israelites came out of captivity after suffering God delivered them and promised a land flowing with milk and honey. God chose a leader Moses, to lead them. Everything was going smooth till they faced the Red Sea. Behind them was the Pharoah’s army pursuing them and before them stood the Red Sea. They were not able to get the blessings, problems followed them. They grumble to Moses. Moses asks the Lord who tells him, “ Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on” Exo 14: 15.

Do you keep thinking and talking about the problem? God is telling us to stop thinking and go forward.

When we see the story of David and Goliath, we see that David faced the giant, he did not run away. He spoke to him face to face, and challenged him for a fight. Though Goliath laughed at the little boy, he was floored to death by a single stone.

So lets see the steps that helps us to move forward.

1. Face the enemy – don’t run!
2. Talk to the problem and see it as the One who is in you sees it
3. The problem wont come again
4. The problem will become a testimony for you! God can turn a mess into a message and a test into testimony.

Lets look into our Bible. Deut 31: 6,7

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you”. Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel. “ Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their forefathers to give them as their inheritance”.

We can draw up life lessons from this very small passage from God’s word.

1. Presence: Abide in the presence of God. The presence of the Lord is with you always. Have you seen the sunflower? Have you ever wondered why the flower got its name? The flowers always look up to the direction of the Sun and draw its life’s strength through the rays.

In the same way when we abide in the presence of the Lord, we draw the strength from Him. God also reveals unseen enemies by opening our eyes. In 2 Kings 6 (8- 20) we see the King of Aram was at the war with Israel. In verses 16 and 17, the prophet Elisha who goes to encourage the army tells his servant that “ those who are with us are more than those who are with them” . The Lord with you is greater than anything in this world.

2. Powerful: Our power comes from God. So be strong and of good courage. Zechariah 4: 6,7 says “ Not by might nor by power but by my spirit” says the Lord Almighty. The disciples of Jesus were promised in Acts 1: 8, that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on them. Further in 2Tim 1:7, God has given us a spirit of power.

3. Purpose: if we have the above two, then it is very easy to fulfil to purpose of God. God has promised that He would give the nations at our feet, if we fulfil the purpose of God.

Trust God’s Wisdom

 “I am God — I only — and there is no other like me who can tell you what is going to happen. All I say will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.” (Isaiah 46:9-10)

Many people pray very seriously for things that never happen and even be depressed —then they realize later what a blessing it was that God did not answer their prayer! We can only see today, one day at a time, but God knows beyond, how today’s situations will impact us tomorrow, next week, or even ten years from now! So many people have told us, “I’m so thankful God didn’t answer my prayer. He knew what is best for me, now and for my future. When I look back I can see how all things have worked for my good.  Sometimes the best thing that can happen to us is the exact opposite of what we want to happen. God knows the past and the future, and He always has the control of every event in your life. As God said in Isaiah, everything He says will come to pass, so make sure that you’re following Him.

Nothing just happens for a believer but everything Happends for him,

I was brought up in a good Christian discipline, but in my college life I forgot Jesus and started pleasing my bad friends. I was hooked up with several bad habits and I felt guilty, lost peace.
In this meeting I gave my life to the Lord, He gave me joy and peace not only that, he gave me assurance that I am His Disciple. Thanks YFT for the Discipleship Camp.
Cynthiya

Great Bible characters are not extraordinary people.

They lived most of their lives the same way you do, taking care of the daily routine but their Faith made them extraordinary. Take the life of Noah, for instance. One day, God intervened with Noah and asked him to build an ark which he and his people had never seen or heard before. God gave him the plan, programme and reason for doing so. Noah, as an ordinary man had never seen rain or flood before, but he put his trust in God and His words completely and built an ark which took 120 long years. Facing the ridicule of the people, he still built the ark and finally when the rain and flood came, all those who ridiculed him perished expect Noah and his family. We find that when God wanted to do something great through Noah, he yielded to Him completely.
What does God want to do through you? Being faithful today is another step towards His Best plan.
Ordinary but Faith and Obedience made him extraordinary.

WHY FRIENDSHIP?
Proverbs 27:17 says, ” Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” A real friend has a sanctifying influence on your life. He will make you a better person.
Ask yourself this question, “Am I a better person because of this friend?”
I am not with my friends two or three minutes before they have given me a new thought, blessing, or idea. Whether we are at my home, in an automobile, having dinner at a restaurant, or attending a convention – instantly my life is built up and my countenance is sharpened when I am with them. These people are adding to my life because they are a friend.
Why do we prize friendship? Why do we take the risk for friendship? Because a friend, a real friend, is something far beyond the worth of gold. A friend will make you a better person.

THE DEFINITION OF A FRIEND An English publication had a contest for the definition of a friend. Here are some that won honorable mention:
A friend is somebody who multiplies your joys and divides your griefs.
A friend is someone who believes in you when you have ceased to believe in yourself.
A friend is someone who is there when you call and sometimes even before you call.
A friend is someone who understands your silence.
Now, let me tell you the one that won the prize: “A real friend is someone who comes in when the whole world has gone out.”
Proverbs 17:17 says, ” A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” It doesn’t matter what you have done, a true friend is going to be there.