Thought-Full Encouragement for the Week: "Don't Hesitate to Accept God's Gift"

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Hello Friends!  This is my inaugural post on my blog, I felt it proper to start out with a bit of encouragement.  In today's environment of stress, depression, trials, and struggles, a small amount of heartening of the spirit can go a long way to strengthening the masses.

I love providing a sound word that can uplift someone in their current moment of need.  That the Holy Spirit might work through one of these messages is more than enough to encourage me to write it.  I won't lead these posts off in this manner going forward, but I wanted to give some context to this process.

Each week's post will have a title, will generally be centered around scripture, and will at times reference sources of input other than myself (commentaries and other references).

I pray they inspire you to lean into the Holy Spirit and trust the goodness of God.  To know that He is with you always, and He is worthy of that trust.  And if you don't know Him personally as your Lord and Savior, I pray that it will impel you to seek Him out for yourselves, ever chasing the truth of His nature.

With that, below is the encouragement for this week:

Joshua 18:1b-3 says, "The country was brought under their control, but there were still seven Israelite tribes who had not yet received their inheritance.  So Joshua said to the Israelites: "How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has given you?“


Why do we hesitate when presented with a gift, challenge, trial or task by God? The Israelites had been waiting for generations to possess this land and now that it’s at their fingertips...they were waiting...hesitating. 


We are promised by God and Christ that no matter the task, they will be with us through spirit to help us complete it. God told Joshua and the Israelites “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.“ Joshua 1:5.

These verses and this message makes me think of so many missed opportunities, missed blessings from our God, due to a failure to lean into the love of God and trust in His word.  Why do we hesitate?  Why do we linger and allow doubt to creep in and blind us from our promise?  In Romans 8:31-39, Paul illuminates what it truly means to be clothed and protected by the love of Christ.  That nothing can separate us from it.  So, go boldly forward knowing that God will not lead you where His grace will not protect you, where His love will not uplift you, where His strength will not support you, or His peace will not abound in you.

Graciously,

E.R. Jennings

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