God Goes Before You, Be Strong and Courageous
Right at the end of Moses life in Deuteronomy 31:1-2, 6-8, Moses, at 120 years old and not able himself to enter the promised land after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, speaks to all Israel and says,
“It is the Lord your God who will cross ahead of you; He will destroy these nations before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua is the one who will cross ahead of you, just as the Lord has spoken…Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.”
Notice that it is God who went before them into the Promised Land, crossing over first. God’s plan was that He would clear away the nations and all that Israel had to do, under the leadership of Joshua, was to defeat the people and take over the Promised Land. Israel would overpower the people, not because they had a superior army, but only because God went ahead of them and insured victory before they crossed over.
That is the victory that comes only from God. Several lessons can be gleaned from Old Testament history.
1. We do not trust in ourselves but in God who does the work. Prayer is key.
2. We need to obey Him in all things and live right lives before Him.
3. We take the initiative and move ahead and trust God for the victory, knowing that He goes before us.
4. We move ahead by being strong and courageous, Deuteronomy 31:6-8.
As you go into the Spring term, begin by praying and asking God to do a special work on your campus. Ask God to do a work in every academic building, cafeteria, student union, dorms, gym and common areas where you will run into students. Here are some top prayer requests to consider asking God:
• That God will give you divine appointments with students all over campus who are ready to place their trust in Christ or who are ready to get involved with you in ministry on campus.
• Pray for spiritual strongholds to be broken down on campus.
• Ask God to bless all your Bible studies and weekly meetings – that people will feel God’s presence and desire to know Him and walk with Him.
• Finally, ask God to intercede in your planning. That He would give you His wisdom as you work to reach the campus with the Gospel and encourage believers.
As you prepare your activities for this Spring, be sure to review this important document: Planning Your First Six Weeks
Talk to you next week,
Ben Rivera/GodSquad and CruPressGreen Team