God Assures Us

Sometimes in life we feel that we are not capable in fulfilling what God calls us to do. There are also times that we feel the same way about our day to day lives as far as work, school, church, also concerning our dreams and goals. Lets be real we feel inadequate. Well, I have some good news, and the good news comes from Joshua 1:5. Let us see what God is saying to us.

"Joshua 1:5, No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you." In verse 2 of this chapter God calls Joshua. First we need to understand that God calls us to do a work for him (Jeremiah 1:5). We are put here on earth for a reason; there is a purpose for our lives.

The first part of the verse says, "No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life." This is talking about invincibility. What God set out for us to do, he will equip and guide us with his power. We are invincible. Matthew 16:19 says, "I will give you the keys and whatever you loose on earth it will be loosed in heaven and whatever you bind on earth it will be bound in heaven." We are invincible because we have the strength of God with us. No man will be able to stop us from doing what he calls us to do. Why? Because God’s purpose for our lives is bigger than any mans (mankind) motives or opinions.

The next part says, "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you." This is referring to the Divine Presence of God being with us. As God was with Moses in directing and strengthening him, to prosper him and provide for him success in bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt. Also to lead them through the wilderness so I will be with you Joshua to enable you to settle Israel in Canaan. We have God’s presence with us. He gives us comfort even in our everyday battles. He said, "I will be with you" (Deuteronomy 20:1). It is great to know that if God be for us who can be against us (Romans 8:31). We can do all things through Jesus Christ that
strengthens us.

The last part of the verse reads, I will not fail you or forsake you. This part refers to Divine Constancy, meaning God’s faithfulness. God is forever faithful to us even when we are not faithful to him.God is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9). He said, I will not fail you or forsake you. God’s word can never fail. His word cannot return to him void, it will accomplish what it was set out to do. We always need the presence of God, not only when we are beginning our work for him, but also during our development stage of it to further us with constant help.

To conclude we are invincible and we can fulfill God’s purpose and also fulfill any and every dream or goal that we set out to do. Whether it is starting a business or moving up the corporate ladder or even getting a job. Nothing or no man can stand before us. For we have the divine presence of God with us and also his surety that he will not fail us nor forsake us. Jesus said, behold I will never leave you nor forsake you; I will be with you even until the end of the world. In our day to day lives God is with us every
where we go.

Be Blessed!

Pastor Ahmed DaCruz
Love Your Neighbor Ministries

Wisdom: The life keeping tool.

Part 1

Ecclesiastics 12:13 says, Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

In Psalms 111:10 says, the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. What is wisdom? Wisdom is the ability to make sensible decisions shown in thinking, judgment and actions which is based on personal knowledge and experience gained through life. In order to gain wisdom in life we must fear God and keep his commandments.

What is it to fear God? Solomon said in proverbs 2:1-5, treasure my commands within you. So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures. Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

God wants us to treasure his commandments in our hearts and minds and meditate on it day and night. God tells Joshua, This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. When we meditate on his commandments, we dispose ourselves to hear the wisdom of God and apply understanding to our hearts. Furthermore he said to seek insight and search for wisdom by continuously praying. This is the roadmap into fearing the lord.

Job a man that was highly recommended by God to Satan to test, displayed attributes of wisdom. Job was a man that understood the fear of God and as well as hated evil. In all that he endured he did not curse God foolishly. In fact Job says in chapter 28:28 Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding."

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. The way of obedience is the way of life. When we fear God and keep his commandments, we dispose ourselves to hear the wisdom of God. The wisdom of God is true living. True living is thinking before acting, being before doing and learning before applying, character before career, and maturity before ministry.

Be Blessed!

Pastor Ahmed DaCruz
Love Your Neighbor Ministries

Wisdom: The life keeping tool.

Part 2

The way of obedience is the way of life. When we fear God and keep his commandments, we dispose ourselves to hear the wisdom of God. The wisdom of God is true living.

What is or who is the wisdom of God?

Proverbs 8:12 "I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. We see in this verse that a Person is calling himself wisdom, using the word as the objective which means the nature of the object is being considered. Let us find out who is calling himself wisdom.

1 Corinthians 1:24, 30 says, “but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Paul in these scriptures is letting us know that Jesus is the Wisdom of God. This is why Jesus can declare that I am the way, Truth and the Life. We cannot come to the Father our God except through his son Jesus.

Colossians 2:2-3 says, My purpose is that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ and in Christ are "hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge". Do we remember in part one of this message that Solomon said, we search for her (wisdom) as for hidden treasures Proverbs 2:4. Can we see that now it’s coming together? Jesus being the Wisdom of God and in him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom, knowledge and the mysteries of God. Jesus said seek and you shall find and knock and the door shall be open.

Wisdom, being an acquisition of the mind and of the heart, will endure throughout all eternity however man, because he is a carnal creature until he is born again, always desires things that pertain to the flesh, but these things, like the flesh, are so very temporal and fleeting. Only the soul, and what it has accumulated to itself, will last. How we ought to feed and beautify the soul?

Matthew 6:19-21 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

We beautify our soul by obtaining the wisdom of God. James said the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. In Christ, is revealed the wisdom of God, by Him is taught the wisdom of God, and through Him is worked the manifold wisdom of God I Cor. 1:21.

Be Blessed!

Pastor Ahmed DaCruz
Love Your Neighbor Ministries

Do Your Best

Do Your Best

In life, have you ever felt like God is disappointed because you didn’t change all of the negative things about you all at once? Or you were told by trustworthy people and institutions that God wants you to change everything about you today. If this was told to you directly or indirectly and you feel overwhelmed, please read this message of Hope called:

Do your best & Progress

God is our creator and he knows us more than we know or understand ourselves. He knows that when sin entered into this world, we became flawed (imperfect). Since then mankind has done everything in its ability to try to please God. The truth be told, God is just looking for us to do our best and progress in life.

How often do we do our best? Most of us do not do our best. We simply do what it takes to get by. In modern days people often give their all, but for selfish reasons or for psychological reasons such as: the pursuit of position, praise, importance or because of upbringing they were told that they were stupid, worthless, a failure, being cursed at, ridiculed and belittled. Some Christians even promote the idea that you really aren’t living for the God unless you are an overcommitted, stressed, grim-faced, tight-lipped believer plowing through responsibilities like an overloaded freight train under a full head of steam.

God does not want us to live like this, in Matthew 11:29-30 Jesus said “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." God just simply wants us to do our best and progress in life. Let us go deeper into this subject.

First let us look at scriptures concerning doing your best: Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, verily, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in grave where you are going. Colossians 3:23-24 whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men 3:24 because you know that you will receive your inheritance from the Lord as the reward. Serve the Lord Christ. NIV

2 Timothy 2:15 - Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. NIV

Second let us look at scriptures concerning Progress:

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding (excelling) in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 3:12 And may the Lord cause you to increase and abound (excel) in love for one another and for all, just as we do for you, 3:13 so that your hearts are strengthened in holiness to be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. Luke 2:40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

Philippians 1:6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it the day of Christ Jesus.

Sometimes in our lives we get caught between Gods standard of Perfection and the world standard of excellence. We try to live up to both standards and the two standards collide within you with an explosion of failure. Thinking about failures, struggles, insecurities, low self-esteem, lack of confidents and feeling that you are unsuccessful, now we say life is too hard.

Nevertheless there is hope in knowing that we are only called by the living God to Our Best. He loves us too much to hold us to either His standard or the world’s standard. He will take us Doing our Best and taking one Step at a Time when mixed with faith and Trust in Him. He then will use it to produce Abundant and a Meaningful Life in us.

I challenge you to examine whether God's getting your best or your leftovers. So let us match our practice of doing our best with the potential of reaching our best.

Be Blessed!

Pastor Ahmed DaCruz
Love Your Neighbor Ministries