Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6
Traits of God Part 3: He is Always with Us
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6
Have you ever felt alone? I know I have. There are so many times I have felt completely alone, even in the midst of people. I have at times given into the lie that I had no one, but when I choose to listen to the Lord instead of the enemy’s propaganda, He reminded me that He is with me and He will never leave me. He also opened my eyes to show me the people He had placed in my life. How often have I repented for falling for the deception? But even with my consistent sin, God is with me, loving me, transforming me, and holding me. Believer, it is the same for you. You may feel alone, but you are not. You have God in so many wonderful ways and you have the worldwide body of Christ.
As Jesus was about to ascend to Heaven, He gave us an important job, a commission. It is recorded in Matthew 28:18-20.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Although He was leaving to return to Heaven, He was not leaving us. He was sending His Spirit to indwell believers and be with us always, to the end of the age. God chose to dwell, to live and stay in you. He loves you. He has made you holy. You belong to Him and He takes that very seriously. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 reads,
Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.
God fights for you! He is with you and nothing anyone does can make Him leave you. People who do not know love, will try to make you feel as alone as they feel. The enemy will try and make you think you are on your own. Circumstances may make you feel deserted. But it is not true for follower of Jesus. He is always with you and nothing can take you away from Him. Romans 8:37-39 encourages us with the truth.
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
He is not with you passively, just hanging by your side and watching apathetically. He is within you and He is working. He goes before you (Deuteronomy 31:8). He is listening (1 John 5:14). He cares. And He is keeping you safe and protected. In Isaiah 41:8-10 the Lord is speaking to Israel and to the faithful through the ages.
But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
the offspring of Abraham, my friend;
9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, “You are my servant,
I have chosen you and not cast you off”;
10 fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
The times we are living in are turbulent, chaotic, and might be frightening for some. But as Spirit filled followers of Jesus Christ, we do not have to add to the bedlam. We can have a peace the world cannot understand, that we may not even understand (Philippians 4:4-7). How can we praise God and thank Him in the midst of the mayhem? We can because we know who God is and what He has said and we believe Him. Psalm 46 reads,
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
The God of Angel Armies is with you! Picture yourself walking in this world and in the Kingdom of God simultaneously. The desperate, war-torn, and blind world sees you walking peacefully among the ruins and they can’t comprehend your peace. The reason you have peace is because you know about the troops of fearsome angels surrounding you and the Warrior King, Jesus Christ on His great white horse leading them (Revelation 19:11-16). The reason you have peace is because you know God is inside you. You have peace because you know the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is living in you (Romans 8:11). You have peace because you know God is sustaining you with His hand (Isaiah 41:13).
I can hear some of you saying, “That’s great, God is with me, but I am still lonely. I need people!” Believer, you don’t have to be alone or lonely. You are a part of the body of Christ. You are a member of a global family. God is indwelling your fellow believers just as He indwells you. You share some significant commonalities with the community of faith. Ephesians 4:4-6 reads,
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
There is one body of Christ, not many throughout the world. We are one body. We have one Spirit. He is in each of us and He is working toward the same goal for each and all. We have one Lord, Jesus Christ. We have one faith because there is one truth, not many. We may let denominations divide us, but we should not allow that to happen because we have one faith. We have one baptism. That means we are all saved by the same Gospel, our sins were forgiven by the same blood, and we all had to repent of sin. We have one God. My God is no different than your God unless your god is not the One True Living God who is called I Am (Isaiah 44:6, Exodus 3:14). We have one Father and He is sovereign over all of us, works through each and all of us, and in each of us. Romans 12:4-8 reads,
For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
Believers, we are commanded to be active members of the body of Christ, using our gifts to serve each other and allowing God to be over and work through and in all of us. We are members of one another, we belong to each other as much as we belong to God. Are you a functioning serving member of the body? Then don’t believe the lie that you are alone. Look around at your brothers and sisters, they love you if they love God. If you are not an effective working member of the body, then do something to change it and you will see you are not alone. You don’t have to be. You are a member of the body, a child of the LORD and if you choose not to reach out to your fellow believers, is it their fault for not comforting you or befriending you?
Do not fall for the deception that you are alone. Call out to God and draw near to Him and you will find He is right there with you. Reach out to your family in Christ and be the person God created you to be.
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6
Have you ever felt alone? I know I have. There are so many times I have felt completely alone, even in the midst of people. I have at times given into the lie that I had no one, but when I choose to listen to the Lord instead of the enemy’s propaganda, He reminded me that He is with me and He will never leave me. He also opened my eyes to show me the people He had placed in my life. How often have I repented for falling for the deception? But even with my consistent sin, God is with me, loving me, transforming me, and holding me. Believer, it is the same for you. You may feel alone, but you are not. You have God in so many wonderful ways and you have the worldwide body of Christ.
As Jesus was about to ascend to Heaven, He gave us an important job, a commission. It is recorded in Matthew 28:18-20.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Although He was leaving to return to Heaven, He was not leaving us. He was sending His Spirit to indwell believers and be with us always, to the end of the age. God chose to dwell, to live and stay in you. He loves you. He has made you holy. You belong to Him and He takes that very seriously. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 reads,
Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.
God fights for you! He is with you and nothing anyone does can make Him leave you. People who do not know love, will try to make you feel as alone as they feel. The enemy will try and make you think you are on your own. Circumstances may make you feel deserted. But it is not true for follower of Jesus. He is always with you and nothing can take you away from Him. Romans 8:37-39 encourages us with the truth.
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
He is not with you passively, just hanging by your side and watching apathetically. He is within you and He is working. He goes before you (Deuteronomy 31:8). He is listening (1 John 5:14). He cares. And He is keeping you safe and protected. In Isaiah 41:8-10 the Lord is speaking to Israel and to the faithful through the ages.
But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
the offspring of Abraham, my friend;
9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, “You are my servant,
I have chosen you and not cast you off”;
10 fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
The times we are living in are turbulent, chaotic, and might be frightening for some. But as Spirit filled followers of Jesus Christ, we do not have to add to the bedlam. We can have a peace the world cannot understand, that we may not even understand (Philippians 4:4-7). How can we praise God and thank Him in the midst of the mayhem? We can because we know who God is and what He has said and we believe Him. Psalm 46 reads,
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
The God of Angel Armies is with you! Picture yourself walking in this world and in the Kingdom of God simultaneously. The desperate, war-torn, and blind world sees you walking peacefully among the ruins and they can’t comprehend your peace. The reason you have peace is because you know about the troops of fearsome angels surrounding you and the Warrior King, Jesus Christ on His great white horse leading them (Revelation 19:11-16). The reason you have peace is because you know God is inside you. You have peace because you know the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is living in you (Romans 8:11). You have peace because you know God is sustaining you with His hand (Isaiah 41:13).
I can hear some of you saying, “That’s great, God is with me, but I am still lonely. I need people!” Believer, you don’t have to be alone or lonely. You are a part of the body of Christ. You are a member of a global family. God is indwelling your fellow believers just as He indwells you. You share some significant commonalities with the community of faith. Ephesians 4:4-6 reads,
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
There is one body of Christ, not many throughout the world. We are one body. We have one Spirit. He is in each of us and He is working toward the same goal for each and all. We have one Lord, Jesus Christ. We have one faith because there is one truth, not many. We may let denominations divide us, but we should not allow that to happen because we have one faith. We have one baptism. That means we are all saved by the same Gospel, our sins were forgiven by the same blood, and we all had to repent of sin. We have one God. My God is no different than your God unless your god is not the One True Living God who is called I Am (Isaiah 44:6, Exodus 3:14). We have one Father and He is sovereign over all of us, works through each and all of us, and in each of us. Romans 12:4-8 reads,
For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
Believers, we are commanded to be active members of the body of Christ, using our gifts to serve each other and allowing God to be over and work through and in all of us. We are members of one another, we belong to each other as much as we belong to God. Are you a functioning serving member of the body? Then don’t believe the lie that you are alone. Look around at your brothers and sisters, they love you if they love God. If you are not an effective working member of the body, then do something to change it and you will see you are not alone. You don’t have to be. You are a member of the body, a child of the LORD and if you choose not to reach out to your fellow believers, is it their fault for not comforting you or befriending you?
Do not fall for the deception that you are alone. Call out to God and draw near to Him and you will find He is right there with you. Reach out to your family in Christ and be the person God created you to be.
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