God Will Be With You

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. — Joshua 1:9 

God commanded Joshua to be strong in the Lord.

And to have courage.

Not to be afraid.

Or discouraged.

When I remember that God is with me wherever I go, I can take on these traits too.

Not to be discouraged.

But to be strong in the Lord, even when friends are struggling.

When their loved ones are dying.

The Lord our God is with us wherever we go.

A Savior Has Been Born to You

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. — Luke 2:10-11 

The angel told the shepherds not to be afraid.

The good news he proclaimed was joyful.

And it would bring joy to all people.

Our Savior was born in the town of David.

And He is the Messiah, the Lord, the anointed one.

Born for me!

To pay the price for my sin.

With His ultimate sacrifice.

You Are Worth More Than Many Sparrows

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. — Luke 12:6-7 

Even the smallest of creatures are noticed by God.

Not one of them is forgotten by Him.

The very hairs of our heads are all numbered.

We have no reason to be afraid.

God has stated that we are worth more than a little sparrow.

In fact, we are worth more than many sparrows!

In God I Trust

In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? — Psalm 56:4 

I praise God's Word.

He is omipotent and the Creator of all things.

I trust in Him.

Therefore, I am not afraid.

No matter what mortals can do, God is all-powerful.

He takes good care of me.

Last week, we had a photographer come to our company to take photos of our executives.

They had time left, so everyone on my team got headshots taken, too.

They did a great job making us look good.

Be Strong

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9 

God has commanded us to be strong.

Just as He commanded Joshua.

To be strong and courageous.

Not to be afraid or discouraged.

God was with Joshua wherever he went.

And God is with me.

What a huge relief.

Here we are at Mean Girls last night.

They offered us signature cocktails that were created to go with the musical theme.

Very fun.

Good News of Great Joy

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people." — Luke 2:10 

Mary was fearful and startled to see an angel appear before her.

But the angel Gabriel brought her good news.

He announced the coming of Jesus!

News that would cause great joy for all people.

Not the worldly temporal joy that we often celebrate this time of year.

But the deep-seated, everlasting joy of God coming to earth as a man.

And saving us from our sins.

How great our joy!

Be Strong and Courageous

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. — Joshua 1:9

God has commanded us to be strong.

And courageous.

Just as He commanded Joshua.

God also told him not to be afraid.

I'm no always good a listening to His Word.

The Lord tells me not to be afraid.

And not to be discouraged.

But I often get discouraged, which doesn't say much for my trust in God.

He reassures me that He will be with me wherever I go.

Here we are at Carmines in Las Vegas for an Italian dinner with friends two weeks ago.

Now we are praying that God will be with the citizens of Ukraine, protecting them from the bombs and warfare in their cities and towns.

The Lord Is With Me

When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? — Psalm 118:5-6

When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord.

When I was diagnosed with cancer, I cried to Him.

Especially when I discovered I would have to go through chemo and lose my hair.

He brought me into a spacious place.

He restored my hair and my health.

Through it all, He gave me strength.

I felt His presence.

The Lord is with me still!

I will not be afraid.

I will not worry.
 

He will give me His peace.

You Have Found Favor With God

But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God." — Luke 1:30

God sent His Son Jesus to earth.

Mary obeyed God and agreed to follow His plan for her life.

Last night was our company party at Punch Bowl Social.

We bowled, ate great food, chatted with my coworkers, and had a fun time.

Kirk got to meet the people I work with.

During this Advent season, we are thankful for the people God used when Jesus was born.

We are thankful for the people He uses today to do His will.

Don't Be Afraid

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. — Luke 12:6-7

Friday I joined the women's Bible study at our church.

We were studying Romans 7.

It was a great discussion with lots of great perspectives.

God cares about us.

There is no need to be afraid.

I am worth more than many sparrows.

The hairs on my head are numbered.

For a while I had no hairs on my head while I was going through chemo.

Now I have my hair back, and the hairs on my head are very precious.

 

You Will Fish for People

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” — Luke 5:10

Jesus taught Simon to share the Gospel story with others.

Simon obeyed and followed Jesus.

He spread the word about Jesus' teachings.

And he tried to obey His words.

Even when it was scary.

Jesus told him not to be afraid.

Help me to obey you, too, Lord.

God Appeared to Joseph

An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. — Matthew 1:20

And angel appeared to Joseph.

What a strange dream.

The first thing the angel says is that Joseph should not be afraid.

Then Joseph is told to take Mary as his wife, even though she is already expecting.

What a leap of faith!

Yet he obeys God without question.

Dear Lord, help me to obey without question, too.

God Is With Us

I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. — Genesis 26:24

God is with me.

He is the God of our fathers and forefathers.

He is with me all of the time.

He loves and cares for me.

The mint in our garden has taken off with all of the rain we've been having.

So have the weeds.

Fortunately, I was able to pull lots of the weeds today.

God is with us.

God Will Never Leave You

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” — Deuteronomy 31:8

God helps comfort us during these discouraging times.

In the evenings, Abby and I will often play a game of scrabble.

Here's our board from one evening last week.

We can find comfort in the company of loved ones.

God is with us.

What a reassuring Scripture.

He will never leave us.

There is no need for me to be afraid or discouraged.