“This is my command--be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 NLT)

In my early years, I was a nightclub performer

My nights were filled with loud music, smoke filled rooms, alcohol and much of the negatives that went along with the lifestyle. Because I got so many free drinks while playing music, I drank too much and eventually developed a chemical dependency. I became an alcoholic! My life was a mess! It was only through the grace of God that I “accidentally” discovered the answer one evening. While partying and drinking with some friends I found a small gospel pamphlet in a glove compartment while looking for matches to light a cigarette. The words in the little booklet explained how Jesus had died for our sins and it explained how to pray a simple prayer of faith to receive Jesus. And I did. And it worked!

My life was instantly and dramatically changed!

I eventually went into full time ministry, began attending Bible college, married a Christian woman, and started a family.

Several years later we were on vacation in Los Angeles and I decided to stop and visit a former nightclub friend who was still in the business. I was hoping that I might get an opportunity to share Christ with them.

They were very happy to see me and invited us to go see them perform that evening, which happened to be the very nightclub where I had last performed!

I did not want to go! But, I didn’t want to sound rude.

So, instead of turning them down flat when they invited us, I turned to my beautiful wife, Susan, and said “what do you want to do, honey?”, believing sincerely that she would say “no” because she had never been inside any place that served liquor.

To my complete shock, she said, “Okay, dear, whatever you want to do.”

I was flabbergasted but didn’t show it! They insisted that we ride with them because it “made sense to take just one car”. But, it also meant that we would be stuck in a nightclub for the entire evening!

My fears were realized!

When we arrived at the club, it was exactly how I remembered and feared it would be! Loud music, “colorful” language, smoke-filled room, dancing and booze!

I was numb and didn’t know what to do

As the evening went by, I sat there feeling completely defeated! Everything that I had left behind was once again all around me! And, I had brought my young, innocent, wife into it! I felt terrible!

I wanted Susan to forgive me!

About halfway through the terrible evening, I leaned over and spoke softly into Susan’s ear. I said, “Honey, can you ever forgive me for bringing you to a place like this?” And, she replied just loud enough for only me to hear what she said, “Have you forgotten who we are in Jesus?”

Gentle words made a powerful difference!

I had forgotten! But now her gentle words had reminded me of God’s promise, “Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

Suddenly I felt different.

I felt a renewed confidence. It didn’t matter where we found ourselves to be that evening, the promise of God’s presence, and “who we are in Jesus”, was true! And as soon as I realized that truth, everything changed for me for the rest of the evening! Even though everything around us remained exactly the same, it was no longer a problem.

I felt empowered!

In fact, I was now able to share freely with people around me about my changed life, how it had happened, about Jesus, and what I was now doing in ministry among youth! The rest of the evening turned into a wonderful, unexpected, sharing opportunity! And all because I was reminded of God’s wonderful promise, “the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest”.

“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.” (Prov. 2:4-5 NKJV)

People sometimes tell me that they can’t understand the Bible so they don’t read it. I tell them that they are making it too hard. They should just read it a little at a time and then think about what they have read. It helps, too, to ask God for wisdom and understanding as they read.

My brother, David, loved to search for hidden treasure. He had a metal detector that he used to comb parks and beaches. It could detect certain kinds of metals buried at different depths of the ground. When he found something, (the detector would beep) he would dig to get it.

Search for hidden treasure!

In a similar way, the Bible says to search the scripture like searching for hidden treasure, then “you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God” (Wow, what a huge promise!) I look for some specific things when I read the Bible such as: sins to forsake, promises to claim, examples to follow, commands to obey, and stumbling blocks or errors to avoid. When reading a passage of Scripture I don’t find all of these things in every verse I read but I always find some of them. It’s fun and rewarding to search for them, to find them, and then to apply them personally.

Put on your “spiritual glasses”

I use a simple Bible study method that helps me “search for hidden treasure” while reading the Bible. In each verse or passage that I read I “put on my spiritual ‘specs’” (glasses) and I then look for these specific things using the following acrostic “SPECS” as a guide.

SPECS

· S – Sins to forsake.

· P – Promises to claim

· E – Examples to follow

· C – Commands to obey

· S – Stumbling blocks or errors to avoid.

This is how I am able to find so many exciting promises in the Bible!

“God does not show favoritism or partiality.” (Rom. 2:11 & Acts 10:34 NIV or KJV) and found in many other places in the Bible.

God loves you exactly the same as any other! He has no favorites!

“God does not show favoritism or partiality.” What this promise means, and why it’s so important to understand personally, is that You are just as important to God as any other person. The devil will try to tell you that you aren’t important to God, and that you shouldn’t bother God with any of your concerns. But, you can know for certain that you are exactly as important to Him and loved by Him as much as he loves anyone else on earth! This should give you great confidence with your relationship with God! You can come confidently to Him about anything.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV)

You cannot please Him unless you believe this!

The wonderful promise here is that “God rewards you” for simply believing that He exists and that He rewards those who “earnestly seek Him.” God says this is a part of faith and that you cannot please him unless you believe this. It’s amazing how many people choke on this promise because they think of themselves negatively and don’t think that they deserve to be rewarded by God.

It’s about God’s unmerited favor!

But notice that grace is never about being deserving. It’s about God’s unmerited favor towards his children. And, just think about it for a moment from the standpoint of being a parent. We love to give to our children because we love them. Not because they are deserving.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2 KJV)

Constantly make adjustments

The problem with “living sacrifices” is they keep crawling off the altar! In other words, to be a living sacrifice you must continually work at getting back into the “living sacrifice” position, which is to constantly make adjustments to your attitude and your own way of thinking about things, by continually putting yourself back where you are allowing yourself to be used by God; By giving him “your reasonable service”, always adjusting your thinking to His thinking, and always bringing your life and will into alignment with what His Word says!

The great news is that it will change your life when you do!

When you take His Word, what God says about anything, then apply your faith to it, and adjust your own thinking to conform instead to His thinking, you are able to then transform your mind! Your thinking will become like His, and through your new way of thinking, you will come to realize, understand, and even prove, God’s good and perfect will for your life! This is why it’s so very important to work hard at changing the way you think! Again, “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” It will transform your life!

I remember hearing a story a few years ago describing the first astronaut’s trip to the moon. Apparently, they were just shot upwards towards the moon’s general direction, and then they had to continually make necessary course adjustments along the way to make it possible for them to finally arrive there. They said the trip was very zig-zaggy. In the same way, we must continually make necessary adjustments in our faith journey, and, we will eventually arrive where we need to be!

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7 NIV)

Many times in Scripture we are commanded to not be anxious about anything. Why would God ever command us to do anything that we could not control?

God enables you to do it!

I am also reminded of other promises such as “when we are weak, he is strong” (2nd Cor. 12:10), and his strength is made perfect in our weakness” (2nd Cor. 12:9), and even “I can do all things through Christ Jesus which strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13), In other words, God sends his help and strength to enable you to accomplish what he commands you to do!

This promise comes with instructions!

And, as many times you see in the Word of God, instructions are included along with the commands and promises. And, that is true here with this command to not be anxious about anything. “By prayer (speak to God about it) and petition (ask God for help about it) with thanksgiving (Thank God for the answer for it) present your requests to God (anything and everything about it, put in the form of direct requests to God about it). And, with this promise, God tells you what will happen if you follow and do the simple instructions in the verse, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Fear is not from God!

Finally, remember that anxiety is fear and fear is not from God! (2 Tim. 1:7), It is an attack against you from the devil. But, God promises to “guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus!” The battle is fought and won in your mind and it’s wonderful to know that He has you covered!

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom. 10:17 NKJV)

Learn to hear the voice of God!

Your faith comes from “hearing” the Word of God! It has to be “caught” not “taught”. When you meditate on God’s promises your thoughts are actually changed “transformed” to be “like His thoughts”, and your thinking is effected in dramatic ways. As your thoughts are changed to God’s Word, you actually get “the mind of Christ” because Jesus is the Word (John 1). When the word is in your mind you begin to hear the voice of God. (My sheep know my voice). That’s when you will finally be able to do what Jesus says you will be able to do by faith! You will be like Jesus in the world (1 John 4:17).

“A merry heart does good like medicine.” (Prov. 17:22 NKJV)

It does a body good!

A medical report I heard about recently said that depression actually suppresses the immune system and makes a person sick! So depression is a dangerous thing to allow into your life! DON’T ALLOW IT! It’s destructive! It’s satanic. It’s not from God! But, the good news is that a “merry heart is like medicine” and does a body good!

Here’s what I do!

Whenever I feel any kind of “heaviness or depressiveness” trying to attack me, I use that feeling as a trigger (a reminder) to praise God! The Bible says that “God inhabits the praises of His people” (Psalm 22:3). When you praise him, He enters into your situation and that solves the depression problem! In another place in the Bible, Is. 61:3, we’re again told to put on a “garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness.” And it absolutely works to destroy the enemy’s depression attack! It’s impossible to have any kind of depression and also to have God in the same place! It’s a powerful truth and a wonderful promise that works every time! “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” (Psalm 34:1 KJV).

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” (Eph. 3:20 NKJV)

I don’t know about you, but when I think about it, I can “think” about a lot of things that I could actually “ask” for. But, truthfully, I don’t always remember to “think” or to “ask” for any stuff. And, quite frankly, I no longer EVER ask God for anything that I “need” because it isn’t necessary for me to do so. Why should I ask Him for something that He has clearly promised to take care of already?

He SHALL supply ALL your need!

It says very plainly in God’s Word, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory, by Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19 NKJV) It doesn’t say He “maybe shall supply my need”. Or, if He does “it will be determined by the state of the economy”, or, “according to the prime lending rate!” He said he SHALL supply it, So, it is unnecessary for me to ask for what he has clearly promised me in His Word. So, again, I never ask him to supply my need. Instead, I thank Him for supplying them! (And, of course, he ALWAYS does!) I am very grateful that I never need to worry about these things!

So, what then do I ask Him for you may wonder?

I ask him for things that I WANT! Jesus said that we should come to God just like little children do (Matt. 18:3). If you have children you will notice that they don’t normally ask you for a “need” because they rightfully know that you, as their parent, will take care of it for them. In fact, they never seem to give “needs” a thought. But, they sure don’t hesitate for a moment to ask you for things that they “want”! And, when they have a good attitude, you love to bless them with what they ask for. Most parents do!

According to the power that works within us!

Now, I really love the last part of the promise that says that he gives “above all that we could ask or think according to the power that works within us!” Wow!! When you think of all that implies! God has given us much power, and it is within us, to do what we need to do! In fact, brace yourself for this, “the same power that raised Christ from the dead, is within you!” (Rom. 8:11). Knowing and believing this fact should be a great encouragement and faith builder for you! And nothing is then impossible for you!