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“But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day.”Deuteronomy‬ ‭4:4‬ ‭KJV‬‬. In this generation of shallow religion and easy-believism, it seems there are few who truly understand what it means to ‘cleave unto the Lord’. Too often salvation is presented as something you receive because you mentally agree to a few religious statements. And then, it is implied that it can’t be lost and your life can be lived basically as you desire. But true salvation is something far more radical than mere mental acceptance. It is experiencing a new spiritual birth and beginning a personal relationship where we cling to Jesus Christ. It is letting go of the sin and selfishness we used to cling to, and stepping into a new way of life where we hold more tightly to Jesus than anyone or anything. And there is only one reason that we cleave to anyone. That’s because we love them supremely. This attitude towards Christ is what proves we have His life dwelling in us. One day when this life is over these words will still ring true. Everyone who cleaves to Jesus will live eternally.

“Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did He in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.” Psalm‬ ‭135:6‬ ‭KJV‬‬. In Christian theology this truth is expressed as the Sovereignty of God. It reminds us that because God is all powerful and all wise that He can do whatever pleases Him. There is no power able to resist Him. And if this were all that we knew about God, this could be a terrifying thought. But when we understand that God is also a loving and merciful Father, then it brings peace to our soul. It brings comfort when we realize that our Heavenly Father delights in the things that are right and good for His creation and the souls that He loves. One of the reasons that Jesus came to this world was to reveal the Father. And as children of such a loving Father, we rejoice in His Sovereignty. So in all the times we cannot seem to understand His ways, let us be sure, that we can always trust His heart of love. And if we are uncertain of what our Father is like, let us look to Jesus. He said, “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father”. And the more we see of Who our Father is, the more this truth of His Sovereignty will bless and comfort our souls. Ultimately it means, that this is God’s world and He is in control.

“Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you.” Deuteronomy‬ ‭4:1‬ ‭KJV. Many people have the mistaken idea that the commandments of God are a list of ‘Thou shalt nots’ that basically make our life difficult. Today, there are many in the professing church, who actually reject the Old Testament and the commands contained in it. But let us realize, that God gave these commands (statutes and judgments) not to hinder or make our life miserable, but so that we might live a blessed life. In love for our souls, He gave us the commands we needed so that we might live the life we were created for. Through these we learn to live in constant fellowship and communion with Him. He tells us in Deuteronomy 10:13, that these are given for our good. So while we thank God that the ceremonial aspects of the Law are fulfilled in Christ, yet let us be mindful that the moral law of God abides eternally, and is to be honored and obeyed. Let us believe that all of these commands are for our good, to help make our lives what God intended!

”Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me…”Psalm‬ ‭23‬:‭4‬ ‭KJV‬‬. In this verse the psalmist is reminding us of the greatest reason of all why we should not fear. This is the solid foundation every child of God can rest upon when fear threatens to overwhelm our souls. It is the abiding presence of our Good Shepherd! Thank God, Jesus promised us that He would never leave us nor forsake us. He will be with us always, even to the end. In spite of the fact that evil is all around us in this world, we have this blessed assurance that the One Who is with us is far greater than all the evil against us. We recall Joseph telling his wicked brothers, “You meant evil against me, BUT GOD turned it for good”. And the reason Joseph did not have to fear, the reason that it was overruled for good, was because the Good Shepherd was with him. Today, as we are confronted by evil in so many ways, let us have this same confidence of the psalmist. Let us say, “I will fear no evil, because my Lord and Saviour Jesus, my Good Shepherd, is with me always”. By God’s grace, let us believe His promise and as we do, all our fears will be gone.

”Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭41‬:‭10‬ ‭KJV‬‬. As we walk through this world of trouble and sorrow, there are many times we are tempted to become fearful. We suffer losses and fear more may come. We receive bad news and fear where it may lead. But here in this verse, God gives us the greatest reason of all why we should not fear. He says, “I am with you”. If we really understood the significance of this promise it would be impossible for us to fear. But what if some influential man with great wealth promised this? We might be encouraged but we would always know, all men have limitations. He could not do everything. He could not control all situations. He certainly could not prevent heartache from touching our lives. But let us consider Who it is that promises to be with us and help us in every way we need. It is our Mighty God! He is the One that has no limitations. He has all power in Heaven and in earth. There is no man or devil who has any power whatsoever against God. He can do everything He wants to do. If He needs to hold the universe still for His child, He can do it, because nothing is impossible to Him. By His grace, let us place all of our fears and worries in His mighty hands.

“The LORD your God which goeth before you, He shall fight for you, according to all that He did for you in Egypt before your eyes;”Deuteronomy‬ ‭1:30‬ ‭KJV‬‬. What an encouraging thing this was for the Israelites to hear as they prepared to face enemy nations. And what a wonderful and comforting truth this is for us today! How blessed we are to know that our God goes before us preparing the way. He promises to fight our battles and subdue our enemies. He will make a way where there is no way. In those times of our lives when the way before us seems uncertain or dark, when we don’t know how we will make it, let us be confident in our God! He is the One Who is going ahead of us to prepare the way, so that we can make it. He is still making the rough places smooth so our feeble steps can be taken without fear. He is the One Who deals with our enemies so that we can go forward in victory. And He can do all this and more, because He is God! Too often, in our impatience, we tend to get ahead of Him and get in trouble. But by His grace, let us put our battles in His hands and humbly follow Him as He goes before us and leads us from victory unto victory.

”Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.“ Hebrews‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬. In this verse the phrase “things we have heard“ is referring to the truths of God’s Word. As children of God we have had the wonderful privilege to hear and receive the living Word of God into our hearts. That Word has the power to transform our lives. And yet, we are reminded, that one of the constant needs of God’s people is to keep receiving the Word of God. Just like Israel needed daily manna in the wilderness, so we need the spiritual manna of God’s Holy Word everyday as we journey through the spiritual wilderness of this sin cursed world. And we need to pay earnest attention to what God says to us. We need to strive to walk in obedience to His Word. Because if we fail to do this, we are in danger of drifting away. Many people claim to know what God’s Word says but it is obvious their lives are a long way from being obedient to it. One of the most common dangers we all face is that the drift of this world is always away from God. By Gods grace, we must make continual effort to keep walking in the light of His Word lest we drift away.

”But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.“ 1 Timothy‬ ‭6‬:‭11‬ ‭KJV‬‬. In these words the Apostle Paul is reminding Timothy of a very important spiritual principle. And that is: In order for us to change direction in life, we must have a definite, new direction. Too often people try to stop doing certain things. They make a decision to quit pursuing some activity that is damaging them. But then, without a new, positive direction, they soon fall into something else that is destructive. We should know that none of us will benefit by simply trying to stop something wrong in our lives. The only way true change can be made is when we run from the evil and run towards the good. That is why Paul wrote, “Flee these things and follow…”. Only as we follow the good can we overcome the evil. Only as we follow Christ can we escape the powers of evil that would bind our souls. The answer is not focusing on the wrong and how to overcome it. The answer is turning all our attention to Jesus Christ and following Him. This is another reason Jesus always called men to follow Him. Perhaps you are struggling with something in your life that you need to overcome? Dear one, the answer is in looking to Jesus! Choose to follow Him with all your heart and then, all the chains of the past will be broken.

”O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.“ Jeremiah‬ ‭10‬:‭23‬ ‭KJV‬‬. As the prophet wrote these inspired words he could see clearly that his people had left God’s ways and were trying to walk in their own ways. And of course, the result was decay and death. Very soon would come the end of their way of life. But in these words, God is reminding us that we are not equipped to face life on our own. We are not able to choose the right way. We need Him! We need to depend upon Him. And yet, this is something man’s fallen nature continually tries to do. We try to go our own way. We try to direct our own steps. And the sad history of man is that this always leads to heartache and ruin. But what a blessing it is when we finally humble ourselves and ask the Lord to direct our steps. When we walk in His way and allow Him to guide us each day, we will experience the joy and peace He wants us to have. By God’s grace, let us listen to His voice when He says, “This is the way, walk ye in it”. As we do, we will have the security of knowing He is always with us to provide all of our needs.

“For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.” Psalm‬ ‭125:3‬ ‭KJV‬‬. This verse is another example of what God told His people about ‘Abiding in the City of Refuge’. When He calls us to Christ, we are called to abide in a life of holiness. We are commanded to obey and do those good things that please God. As long as we seek to do those things that please Him our soul will be secure. We will not come under the power or authority of the wicked, which is what the ‘rod of the wicked’ represents. When we are abiding in Christ, neither sin nor satan will have dominion over us. But it is when we ‘put our hand to iniquity’ that danger comes! This represents a willful and deliberate act to take hold of sin and not let go. This is the same foolish attitude as someone who stepped out of the City of Refuge. May we recognize, that apart from Jesus, we have no security! Only in an abiding relationship can we be kept from evil and spiritual harm. May this knowledge produce a carefulness in us regarding what we choose to put our hand to.