Deuteronomy – Chapter 20

And the officers shall speak further to the people, and say, ‘Is there any man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house, lest he make the heart of his fellows melt like his own.’ Deuteronomy 20:8 – Moses in this chapter is reminding the people of how they were to handle warfare against enemy cities that they may come up against. Yet the instructions on what to do included more than just the battling, but also how to prepare for the battle. Officers of the army were to ask questions of the soldiers, such as if they had recently gotten married or built a house, and if so, those soldiers could go home instead of battling. The last officer question though was different, they would ask if any were scared to go into battle, and if so they were to go home. The reasoning for that wasn’t for those who were scared, but for those who weren’t. It wasn’t to comfort those fearful to battle, but to keep those fearful from spreading that fear to other soldiers. For fear in such a battle was equal to distrust in the Lord. God had promised to be with them and destroy their enemies, so why fear? How then should fear be handled in our day? If God has called us to something, has led the way, and opened the doors, then fear ought to not be present. Take fear off the battlefield. Don’t let fear spoil the other things in your life such as the joy and peace God is giving. Don’t let your fear spread fear into the lives of those walking into this new season with you. For fear is not from the Lord, but from the enemy. Have confidence that if God has led you to a path then He will provide on that path, and He’ll take care of any enemy that comes your way on that path as you faithfully follow Him. With God, fear never has to be what you settle in. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3458

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 ³and 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, ⁴for 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