- When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Deuteronomy 20:1 – God is giving His people in this chapter directions on how to handle the future warfare they’ll find themselves in. What I love is that in verse one, the very first thing He tells them about warfare is to not be afraid because He is with them. It wasn’t about battle formations and strategy, and it wasn’t about directions on where to go battle, it was for them to always remember God’s with them. Even when the enemy’s numbers are bigger than you can comprehend, remember God and don’t fear them. For He is with us. God must know fear is what stops us most from going into the battle so He addressed that first. Take heart, move forward in strength knowing you have nothing to fear because God is walking into the battle ahead of you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1315
- Deuteronomy 20 – Pastor Mac Daily DEVO And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people 3 and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, 4 for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory. Deuteronomy 20:2-4 – Yesterday I was doing some study prep for Sunday’s sermon and doing some digging into the whole idea of what Christian fellowship truly is about. Something I discovered is there is a foundational purpose to Christian fellowship, one beyond that of bringing the best casserole to the potluck. This purpose is we are to be keeping our brothers and sisters in Christ following Christ as we come together. Whether that is in a church gathering, in a game of disc golf, or even eating casserole at a potluck, our purpose of fellowshipping is to encourage the fellowship between others and the Lord. Here in Deuteronomy we see the priest stepping out in front of the people before a battle. What is the priest saying? “Don’t be afraid, don’t panic because of this enemy, God is with you! He’ll fight for you and give you the victory!” The priest is encouraging the people’s fellowship with their God. Encouraging them to look to the Lord, to remember Him, and to trust Him. This again is the heartbeat of fellowship. Who then can you draw close to today and encourage their fellowship with the Lord? Who can you step into the story of, open their eyes to the God that is in their midst, and remind them of His power? This is why we gather, so let’s begin to gather as often as we can in true fellowship. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2445
Daily DEVO 