Dear friend, we are so happy to meet you once again in February through this email.
This month, we will discuss the two traits that we should have to be fruitful and prosperous.
We will not dwell on how to be rich and get more money. Prosperity in God’s kingdom is being fruitful for the expansion of His kingdom so that we will glorify Him.
A tree that gives fruit will always be protected by its gardener. Similarly, God protects and cares for the one who leads a fruitful life. We discussed this last month. You can read or listen to our last month’s message by clicking the links.
You can listen to this message through the YouTube video below.
Now, how can we be fruitful and prosperous? Let’s look at what the Bible says.
Key verse :
So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” – Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT
Be Strong and Courageous:
Moses led the Israelites from Egypt to the Jordan River. Now, it was time to transfer the mantle to Joshua, who had to lead the Israelites and conquer the promised land. Joshua had a job in his hands. He had fought many wars against many physical enemies.
God is calling us to fight the battle today. We do not have physical enemy but spiritual enemies. He is calling us to be bold and courageous to fight the battle.
The world we live is in a broken state. This is not how God created the world. At the end of His creation, He found everything to be Good.
But today, the newspaper carries daily news about crimes, war, accidents, and destruction. Wealth lies with few people, and poverty exists across many countries. There have been tremendous medical advances, yet diseases have no cure.
While the kingdom of God is righteous and full of joy and peace, the kingdom of the world is full of selfishness, bitterness, anger, sickness, and obsession.
Many suffer depression and anxiety because of the life situation they are going through. The broken world causes many heartaches.
The Bible says, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8 NLT.
Satan is always looking to deceive someone. He wants to bind someone in obsession so they can not yield fruit. He wants to fill our hearts and minds with worry and fear about the future day and night.
Many young people waste all their time on mobile phones. The deceiver creates an illusion in their mind and gives them an identity in the imaginary world.
Jesus wants us to be bold and courageous, to fight the battles against the deceiving powers first for ourselves so that we will not be deceived, then for family members and the community around us.
Many want to break away and seek freedom, deliverance, and healing.
The Bible says, “The Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” – 1 John 4:4 NLT.
The Holy Spirit who is with us is greater than the spirit that is creating the broken world. Every obsession has an evil spirit behind it. If we know and identify the decieving spirit causing the destruction, we can pray and ask Jesus to break the power of evil. We all have a battle to fight, which is not physical but spiritual.
We all have a battle to fight.
When Moses transferred His mantle to Joshua, he said, “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Joshua knew he had a difficult job on his hands. He had to lead many battles. He applied different strategies for different enemies.
Today’s generation also has many battles. We can fight our battles well only if we identify the unseen evil behind our problems. It can be revealed only in the light of God’s truth, which is His word.
Dear friend, we, as children of God, must fight spiritual battles in our lives. Anyone who says I do not have any spiritual battles to fight is already being deceived.
God asks us to be strong and courageous. He promises to go ahead of us and not abandon us at any time in our spiritual battle. The same God who helped Joshua will also help us.
Dear friend, are you afraid and discouraged today? Jesus wants to help you. Will you allow Him into your life so He can go ahead of you and destroy every barrier?
Jesus said, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” – John 13:33 NLT.
Yes. Jesus had overcome all the powers of the world. He is with you right now. He wants to help you in all your battles.
Jesus did not ask us to be bold and courageous using our own strength, confidence, and intelligence. We can not defeat the enemy before us with our capabilities. Only the power of God can help us untangle Satan’s deceiving web. We will overcome through the power of God.
Do not be discouraged. Jesus wants us to be strong and courageous. He will give us strength to overcome the problems we have ahead of us.
Meditate on God’s word:
Being bold and courageous is Good. But we need to know the truth to identify the enemy. Only the truth shall set us free. Only meditation on the scriptures can reveal the truth.
God said to Joshua, “Study this Book of Instruction continually. MEDITATE on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you PROSPER and SUCCEED in all you do.” – Joshua 1:8 NLT.
Now, God called Joshua after Moses’s death. Israelites are standing on the edge of the promised land. Moses transferred the mantle to Joshua so that he could complete the job God foretold. Joshua had an essential assignment in his hand. He needed success.
God gave Joshua the key to success. Joshua could only succeed in his assignment by studying and meditating on God’s word day and night.
David describes the attributes of a righteous man as follows:
They delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. – Psalm 1:2 NLT.
How much time do we spend in the Bible?
In today’s world, education, qualifications, degrees, and professional certifications help us to get good jobs. How much time do we spend getting all the qualifications compared to the time we spend meditating on the word of God?
Many of us do not have time to read the Bible. Satan is keen to keep us busy. He created many forms of entertainment, shopping, and social gatherings. Everyone is busy. People proudly say they are more busy on weekends than on weekdays. The advancement of technology did not give us rest but made us more busy.
The same God who called Joshua to meditate on His word day and night calls all of us today. Are we spending enough time understanding His word? Do we thirst for God’s word?
David wrote, “I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night.” – Psalm 63:6 NLT.
Only the Bible can show us who we are so that we can correct our lives and stand right before God. We might know about science, history, and everything around us. We might say, “I know about Him and her.” But how many of us know about ourselves?
Do we know our bad habits? Do we know what we do that hurts our Lord Jesus Christ? We might know everything except ourselves.
Only God’s word can show us who we are and what we need to correct. His word alone can guide us and lead us to make the right choices. God’s word can show us the truth, and the truth can set us free.
The Bible says, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” – Psalm 119:105.
Dear friend, God wants you to be fruitful and prosperous. He knows the challenges, temptations, and troubles we will face. He wants us to face the world boldly and courageously through His resurrection power. Finally, we may not know how and where to apply our courage unless we meditate on the word of God.
Let’s go to the Lord and pray. He will teach us how to live boldly and courageously for His glory.
Please place your hand on your heart and call upon the name of Jesus. Pray the prayer below along with us from the bottom of your heart. Let’s ask Jesus from the bottom of our hearts to fill us with a spirit of courage and a heart to meditate upon His word.
Dear Jesus, we come to you with a humble heart. You are our God who can teach us how to live. We want to be fruitful for your glory. We want to be a blessing for many. Teach us to live a life with courage and boldness. Help us to seek You and meditate on Your word in all our hearts. Please forgive all our past mistakes. Wash us with your precious blood. Fill us with the thirst to know you. We pray in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
Dear Friend, Thank you so much for joining us today. Jesus loves you and cares for you dearly. Be Bold and courageous. He will never fail you. Keep in touch.
