Numbers 14:6-9 NIV
”Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”
INSIGHT
–Faith and courage in the Lord are indispensable in the life of a believer. A Christian cannot claim to have faith in God but live in fear. The Lord instructed Moses to send twelve spies to the land of Canaan according to the tribes of Israel. As they explored the land, the spies found fortified cities and giants from the tribe of Anak, the Nephilim, and they seem like grasshoppers to them. They also found grape fruits and professed that the land was flowing with milk and honey. The ten spies brought a negative report but Joshua and Caleb brought a good report. They did not focus in the giants but on the faithfulness of the Lord and therefore God did not destroy them but granted them access to the promised land. We are called to have faith in God even though we are surrounded by giants. For us to take new territories and be victorious this year, we need to have courage and faith in God. Even though we are faced with circumstances that look like giants in our lives, families and nation, let us always remember that we did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15), and we shall be triumphant over all by the grace of God.
PRAYER
Abba Father we love You. You are Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Nissi, Jehovah Shalom, Jehovah Adonai, the One we trust, the One we praise. You are the Creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. You have created us in Your Own image and likeness, thank You for loving us first. Holy are You Lord God Almighty Who was, Who is and Who is to come. You are our all in all, we have no other God but You. Lord You are Holy and have called us to be holy, may You forgive us all our sins, tresspases and transgressions and wash us with Your precious blood. Jesus You have called us to have faith saying that, the just shall live by faith. We call on You Holy Spirit to instill Your gift of faith unto us, our loved us and all people. May Your salvation power reach the unreached so that we may all believe in You Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, and enter the pronised land. May You release Your grace of courage unto us and deliver us from fear and anxiety as we venture into new territories. We break every form of demonic altars working against us, our families, marriages, children, businesses, jobs, churches, purposes, nation and our progress. We break every spirit of delay and declare breakthrough after breakthrough in all spheres of our lives this year. May You go ahead of us and destroy every giant working against us in Jesus mighty name. We ask for Your supernatural blessings and grace this entire year Almghty God. May You bless our children and protect them as they go back to school. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives and we shall dwell in Your house Lord, forever and ever. Amen
Further reading: Hebrews 10:38, 2 Corinthians 4:8-12
Joshua 1:5-9 NIV
”No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 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.”
INSIGHT
–The Lord commands Joshua His chosen replacement for Moses to lead the children of Israel across the Jordan and take possession of the promised land (Deuteronomy 31:1-8). Ths comes after the death of Moses and God is assuring the Israelites through their new leader that He will surely give them their inheritance. For this mission to be successful, the Lord orders Joshua to be strong and courageous, and to observe everything that is written in the Book of law. The Lord also encourages him by cemeting their relationship and communion promising that He will be with him always. The Lord is giving the same command today, that we need to be strong and couragious so that we may accomplish the tasks and mandate ahead of us in this year. We need to be strong in faith and couragious in our walk of faith, for we have not received the spirit of fear, but of power, love and sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). Our Lord Jesus has also called us to have faith in Him and He will release into our spirits the Holy Spirit, our Helper to help us and guide us in everything. He will never leave us nor forsake us now and forever more.
PRAYER
Almighty Father we come boldly before Your throne of grace and mercy today with thanksgiving in our hearts, honoring You and exalting You for all You have done unto us and continue to do. We thank You for Your Holy Spirit and for Your gift of eternal life. Lord You are Great and greatly to be praised. Dear Lord we humbly ask You to forgive us all our iniquities and shortcomings and cleanse us by Your precious blood of Jesus. Father may You forgive us where we have been timid and fearful in any kind of way. We pray that You shall pour Your Holy Spirit upon us and fill us afresh. May You give us Your Spirit of boldness, complete soundness of mind and liberty. May You release us from every chains of the devil that may be holding us, our children, families, society and nation captive. We break lose from every plan of the enemy to kill, steal and destroy us or the blessings of God in our lives by the power of the blood of Jesus. May You help us and guide us Holy Spirit so that we may accomplish every task and plan that You have designed and promised us. We thank You for You have heard us and have already done it for You are a faithful God. We know and believe that You will never leave us nor forsake us now and forevermore. Amen
Further reading: Deuteronomy 11:23-25, John 14:16-18
1 John 4:18-19 NIV
”There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us.“
INSIGHT
–Perfect love is the antidote to fear and releases the grace of courage in the Lord. Love empowers us to move mountains by faith. God is love and He has called to love Him with all our hearts, soul, strength and might, and to love others as ourselves. Love for others begins with love of God and love for self. God has called us to one another deeply, and we cannot claim to love God when we do not love our neighbor whom we see. Love consistently inspires us in God’s goodness and mercy, and we are empowered to act with compassion towards the weak and less fortunate. Love begins with having faith in Christ and accepting His love. It also entails knowing and believing that it is not by our works but by the finished work of Christ done on cross of Calvary and the grace of God released to us. Therefore, perfect love cast out all fear, even the fear of death. Perfect love gives us courage and faith to step into the unknown and trusting God for the unseen.
PRAYER
Oh loving Father this day we bow before Your throne of grace and mercy. We thank You for all You have done for us and for Your uncommon, unconditional, indescribable, perfect love. Thank You for loving us and giving us Your begotten Son Jesus Christ to come and die on the cross for each one of us. Thank You for Your blood that You shed all because of Your love for us. Thank You Lord for loving us first. Almighty Father, we receive and accept Your love. We declare that all fear and chains of fear placed into our lives by the enemy are broken and cast out in Jesus mighty name. May You forgive us for the times we have not accepted Your love and have condemned ourselves and others. Forgive us for the times we have not loved other thus going against Your will. Forgive and cleanse us by Your precious blood of Jesus. May You teach us to help the needy and less fortunate. May You enable us to become kingdom financiers even to the less fortunate including the street children. Help us to be bold in You Christ for You are the most powerful and You have overcome the evil one more than 2000 years ago. What a wonderful God You are. Dear Father we pray that Your Holy Spirit of love and of truth shall fill us afresh guiding us and revealing all things in the name of Jesus. We put our confidence and trust in You Oh Lord for You are for us and will never put us to shame. We thank You Lord and pray all this in Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.
Further reading: 1 Corinthians 13:13, 1 Peter 1:22
1 Chronicles 28:20 NIV
”David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.“
INSIGHT
–King David delivered parental advice to his son Solomon. David having accomplished his purpose (Acts 13:36), he knew the formulae of leaving a legacy. He exhorted Solomon to be strong and courageous, and be delivered from fear and discouragement that he may be able to build the temple successfully. Many great men and women fail to accomplish their purposes due to disillusionment and anxiety. When the going gets tough, not all are touch to keep going and they drop off down the way. Forced by life circumstances including lack of education, expertise, support, finances, good health, morale and some people become too demotivated to pursue their purposes. It is critical to keep moving having faith in God that He will make every crooked path straight. Let us be encouraged in the Lord that we may accomplish our God given purposes which was assigned to us before the foundations of the world.
PRAYER
How great is Your name Oh Lord and most worthy of praise. Your greatness no one can fathom. We exalt You our Lord and King. We praise Your name forever and ever. We speak of Your glorious splendor and majesty and meditate on Your wonderful works. Great is Your faithfulness dear Lord God Almighty. May You open our dream and vision gates and cover them with Your precious blood. May You sanctify us body, soul and body, and make us holy dear Jesus together with our children. May You guide and protect all children even as they go back to school. May You bless all the youth and deliver them from all evil and tribulation. Thank You dear Jesus for You have made us a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and Your special possession. We trust You Jesus and in all things we know that You work for the good of those who love You, and have been called according to Your purpose. May You enable us dear Lord Jesus to accomplish the purpose that You have given us and to leave a worthwhile legacy. We honor You Lord and exult Your name, and it is in Jesus mighty name we pray believing and trusting. Amen
Further reading: Romans 8:28, Ephesians 2:10
Galatians 3:11 NIV
”Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”
INSIGHT
–Jesus the Righteous One has released unto us His grace that we may be saved and not by our own work or the law lest anyone should boast. Jesus has made us righteous by redeeming us with His precious blood and resurrection, and if we have faith in Him, we possess eternal life. We should then approach God’s throne of grace with courage and boldness so that we may obtain mercy and grace to help us during our time of need. Since God has adopted us into sonship, we are His children, and should come to Him with an attitude of a child completed submitted by faith in Him and He will guide us in all things during this year.
SUMMARY
Moses was the meekest man and he walked with God. He requested God that He may go before him and if He does not go, then Moses would not proceed. In the same attitude, Moses instructed Joshua to be strong and courageous for the Lord would never leave him nor forsake him. God gave Joshua the same instructions in Joshua 1:5-9 and reassured him of His companionship. Joshua had displayed attributes of faith and courage even when he was sent as a spy in the land of Canaan together with the twelve spies. Joshua and Caleb brought a good report to Moses and the Israelites, and God promised that they would enter Canaan even as the ten spies perished (Numbers 14:6-9). They did not consider the giants in the land but looked at the goodness of God. Joshua was able to enter Canaan with the Israelites and subdivided the land to the twelve tribes. King David also instructed Solomon his son to be strong and courageous in the Lord for He will never fail him nor forsake him, but he would successfully complete the construction of the temple (1 Chronicles 28:20). God has given us a new year and He is calling us to be strong and courageous as we put our trust in Him in our personal lives, work, ministries, families, economy and nation. When we are faced by shortcoming we need to be stronger and more courageous, and we shall overcome. It is by God’s grace that we have made it this far and we need to keep the attitude of thanksgiving having courage for God will never leave us nor forsake us. It is by the grace of God that we are who we are in the Lord, children of God and heirs with Christ, and therefore have the promise and gift of everlasting life.
PRAYER
Almighty Heavenly Father, how great and holy are You Oh God. There is truly none like You. You are glorious in holiness, fearful in praises and a wonder-working God. Thank You for the sacrifice You gave us when You hang and died on the cross. Thank You for Your precious blood that cleanses us and purifies us, making us whiter than snow. Thank You for Your blood that speaks better things than that of Abel in our lives, families, circumstances, nation and future. May Your precious blood sanctify us from all our sins, unbelief and complains and continue speaking for us great things than any other blood out there. Oh Lord we thank You for all You have done and the great plans You have for us. Thank You for You have great plans in our lives, to give us a hope and future. Father may You go before us in this walk of faith for without You we can do nothing. Teach us to look to You always with the eyes of faith that we may see clearly. May You teach us to have the correct mindset and to look at the positive side of life always. May You remove every fear, anxiety, complain, worry in our lives and situations. May You make every impossibility possible in this year that we may never fail or be put to shame, for Your great pleasures and will. May You make us like little children having complete trust and faith in You in all things that we may enter into Your kingdom. We pray that in all situations of our lives, You shall take over and reign in everything. We surrender all unto You and put all our trust in You. We pray this believing and trusting in Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.
Further reading: Hebrews 11:6, Ephesians 2:8-9