“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deut. 31:8 NIV)

The passage above contains four promises and ends with a command not to do two things. First, we are told that God Himself goes before you. That means He goes in front, watching out for you. Second, He will be with you, which means you are not alone—you have God Himself right there with you as you go forward.

On top of these two wonderful promises, He promises to never leave you. This means He will faithfully stay with you. And finally, He promises not to forsake you. This means that no matter what happens, no matter how tough or extreme the circumstances, He will not desert you.

Because of these promises, He tells us not to be afraid and not to be discouraged. And when you think about it, how could you be afraid or discouraged with God right there with you, giving you His protection?

Therefore

“No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from Me, declares the LORD.” (Isaiah 54:17)

“But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” (2 Thess. 3:3)

“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.” (Isa. 41:10)

“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3–5)

Character

Character is defined as the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual. It is one of the most important things you possess. It is what people see in you, what they say about you, and what defines you. It’s what others will remember about you after you are gone.

A person of good character walks in integrity

“Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways." (Prov. 28:6)

“O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.” (Psalm 15:1-5)

A person of good character treats others well

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful." (Col. 3:12-15)

“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:35)

Quote

“Goodness is about character - integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage, and the like. More than anything else, it is about how we treat other people.” - Dennis Prager

One of the great dangers in the Christian life is forgetfulness — not of facts, but of God’s goodness. That’s why Scripture tells us to remember His benefits and then bless Him for them.

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits;

Who pardons all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases;

Who redeems your life from the pit,

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;

Who satisfies your years with good things,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.” (Psalm 103:1–5)

Seven benefits to remember

Yes, God gives us many benefits — more than we can count. But in this passage, He highlights seven that we should never forget:

1. He pardons all your iniquities.

Your sins are forgiven — completely and fully.

1. He heals all your diseases.

He is the God who heals, both body and soul.

1. He redeems your life from the pit.

He rescues you from destruction, despair, and death.

1. He crowns you with lovingkindness.

Your life is surrounded by His faithful love.

1. He crowns you with compassion.

You live under the daily mercy of a caring God.

1. He satisfies your years with good things.

Every truly good thing in your life comes from Him.

1. He renews your youth like the eagle.

He restores strength, hope, and spiritual vitality.

No wonder the psalmist says:

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.” (Psalm 103:1)

Therefore

Don’t focus on what you don’t have. Remember what God has already done. Count His benefits. Recall His goodness. And let your whole heart bless the Lord.

“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever.” (Psalm 107:1)

“Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; how blessed are all those who long for Him!” (Isaiah 30:18)

God is not reluctant to be kind. He longs to show you grace and compassion

One of the most reassuring truths in the Bible is this: God is not harsh with His children. He is gracious. He is compassionate. And His heart is turned toward you.

God is gracious because of His covenant

“But the LORD was gracious to them and had compassion on them and turned to them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them or cast them from His presence.” (2 Kings 13:23)

God’s grace is not based on human perfection. It is based on His faithful promises.

God is gracious and slow to anger

“The LORD is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.” (Psalm 145:8)

God is not short-tempered. He is patient, merciful, and full of steadfast love.

God is gracious and righteous

“Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yes, our God is compassionate.” (Psalm 116:5)

God’s righteousness is not cold or harsh. It is filled with compassion.

Therefore

Don’t run from God when you fail. Run to Him. He is not waiting to crush you. He is waiting to show you grace and compassion.

“The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.” (Psalm 103:8)

“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13)

You can have assurance

God does not want you to guess about your salvation. He wants you to know.

Eternal life is not a future maybe. It is a present possession for everyone who believes in Jesus.

Your heart is made clean

“Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb. 10:22)

God doesn’t just forgive you — He cleanses your conscience and invites you to come to Him with confidence.

God guards what you have entrusted to Him

“For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.” (2 Tim. 1:12)

Your salvation is not kept by your strength. It is kept by God’s power.

Eternal life is in the Son

“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” (1 John 5:11–12)

Eternal life is not in religion. It is in Jesus.

The Spirit confirms it in your heart

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. (Rom. 8:16)

God doesn’t just declare you His child — He assures you of it from within.

Therefore

Don’t live in doubt. Don’t live in fear. Don’t live in uncertainty. If you have the Son, you have life — and you can know it, rest in it, and rejoice in it.

“He who has the Son has life.” (1 John 5:12)

“The fool says in his heart, ‘there is no God,'” (Psalm 14:1 KJV)

Happy April Fool’s Day!

This is the day dedicated to pulling some kind of practical joke on others. I have to admit that I have pulled a few pranks on others and have been a victim of a few. All were done in fun. But, the Bible says that “being foolish” is very serious stuff! In fact, Jesus says in Matthew 5:22, that calling someone else a fool can even put a person in serious jeopardy because of the seriousness nature of it. Contextually, Jesus was referring to those who are unrighteously angry. In another place, God called a man a fool who was selfishly planning to build bigger barns to hoard his wealth rather than using it for God’s Kingdom work. (Luke 12:20).

Only a fool could say such a thing

The Bible also says that a “fool says in his heart there is no God.” And when you think about it, only a fool would ever say such a thing. In order to be able to say that there is no God, you would have to have actually looked every single place in existence for God, including behind every rock, behind every bush, and behind every place in the entire universe! That is impossible! In order to say there is no God, you’d have to be God! It really is a foolish statement to make.

A promise for the non-foolish 

And here is a great promise as an answer to a fool who says there is no God. “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” (2 Tim.1:2 KJV)

“He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power.” (Isaiah 40:29)

God gives strength to the weary

One of the most comforting truths in the Christian life is this: God does not wait for you to be strong before He helps you. He meets you right in your weakness.

God specializes in strengthening tired, worn-out people. When your strength runs out, His does not.

God cares for the weak

“Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble.” (Psalm 41:1)

God has a special concern for the weak—and He promises deliverance to those who depend on Him.

God’s strength is made perfect in weakness

“Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor. 12:10)

Your weakness is not a liability to God. It is a platform for His power.

God chooses the weak to show His power

“God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong… so that no man may boast before God.” (1 Cor. 1:27–29)

God doesn’t choose people so they can boast in themselves. He chooses the weak so He gets the glory.

The Spirit helps you in your weakness

“In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Rom. 8:26)

Even when you don’t have the strength to pray, God is still helping you.

Therefore

Don’t be discouraged by your weakness. Don’t hide it. Bring it to God. Your weakness is not the end of your usefulness — it is often the beginning of God’s greatest work in you.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9)

“Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Rom. 5:2 ESV)

We have access to grace by faith — and we stand in it!

According to the above passage grace is not something we work our way into. It is something we are brought into — by faith. Because of Jesus, you are not standing on your performance, your consistency, or your perfection. You are standing in grace.

Grace is given to believers

“But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.” (Gal. 3:22)

Grace is not earned. It is given — and it is given to those who believe.

Righteousness comes by faith

“For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” (Rom. 1:17)

Your right standing with God is not based on how well you perform, but on how fully you trust.

Christ lives in you by faith

“I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” (Eph. 3:16–17)

Faith is not just how you are saved — it is how Christ lives in you daily.

Therefore

·      Stand firm — not in your strength, but in His grace.

·      Live confidently — not in your works, but in your faith.

·      Rest securely — because you are already standing in grace.

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19 ESV)

“My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.” (Prov. 4:20–22)

God does not describe His Word as merely helpful advice or good information. He calls it life and healing.

To be attentive means to pay close, focused attention—alert, aware, and watchful.

To incline means to lean toward—willing, ready, and deliberately receptive.

To keep means to hold onto—to remain, continue, and persist.

In other words

God is telling us: Read My Word. Listen carefully to it. Keep your eyes on it. Hold it in your heart. Don’t let it drift away from you.

When God’s Word is not just read, but kept, meditated on, and lived in, it does something powerful inside us. It brings life to our inner man and healing even to our physical bodies.

The Bible is not only spiritual food—it is spiritual medicine.

Therefore

Make God’s Word a daily focus. Pay close attention to it. Lean your heart toward it. Keep it before your eyes and in your heart. As you do, God promises that His Word will bring life to you and healing to your whole being.

“Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart.” (Jer. 15:16)