Weekly Devotion

Abram, Sarai and his entire household were forced to leave Egypt, which they did. They then travelled by stages towards Bethel, where they had camped before. There they stopped at the altar Abram had built and again he worshiped the Lord there.

Abram and Lot were both very wealthy and had a lot of livestock. They had so many sheep and cattle that the land could not support both Abram and Lot with all their flocks and herds together. Arguments started to break out between the herdsmen. Abram saw what was happening and decided to intervene before serious family feuds broke out.

"Then Abram talked it over with Lot. "This arguing between our herdsmen has got to stop," he said. "After all, we are close relatives! I'll tell you what we'll do. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want that area over there, then I will stay here. If you want to stay in this area, then I'll move to another place." Genesis 13:8, 9

Abram did the mature thing. He tried to resolve the issue without causing any more conflict. He approached the problem head on. And even though he had the first choice due to his age, he gave up his right and gave first choice to Lot. Now Lot was a selfish man and grabbed this chance to make headway over his uncle with both hands.

"Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley in the direction of Zoar. The whole area was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the Lord or the beautiful land of Egypt. Lot chose that land for himself." Genesis 13:10, 11

Lot took the best land for himself. Israel was promised to Abram and his descendants, God made a covenant with him and yet here it would seem that the best part of the land was taken by Lot. I can just imagine how Abram's party must have felt. The best part of the land was supposed to be theirs, and here Lot takes it all for himself. They must have felt cheated in some way. And yet Abram accepted Lot's choice and parted ways with him in peace. And because he did, the Lord once again affirmed His covenant with Abram with him and told him that everything as far as he could see was his, and not only that, he will have numerous descendants too. He also said:

"Take a walk in every direction and explore the new possessions I am giving you." Genesis 13:17

Even though Lot took the best land for himself, God didn't acknowledge it. He still said that the best land was Abram's, in fact everything in every direction of Canaan was Abram's, along with all the possessions it entails. God was not swayed by the actions of men; He still saw the land as Abram's.

Maybe you feel cheated in some way. Maybe you feel the promotion should have come your way, or you feel that your family member always gets what they want and you always get second best. Maybe you feel that everyone else is getting the lucky breaks that you have really worked hard for. Well, let me encourage you today. Human activity doesn't stop our God. He is eternal and He is mighty and what He promises will come to pass. No boss can stop Him if He wants to promote you. No event can stand in His way if He wants to bless you. If your attitude is right and if your heart is pumping for God, nothing can stand in your way. Don't hold grudges against people, don't envy what they have, but rather give it all over to the Lord. He will fight for you and He will lead you forward. He gave the whole of Canaan to Abram even though Lot chose the best for himself. And He will do the same for you; just make sure that your heart is pure and cleansed from bitterness and unforgiveness.

Father thank you that You are Almighty. We have so much peace in knowing that our lives are in Your hands. No weapon formed against us shall prosper. You are in command; You are our leader and our Redeemer. Thank you. Amen

Abram obeyed God and moved to Canaan. Once there, he continued to worship God by building two altars for Him. And when his first test of faith came by way of a famine, he simply made a plan and moved to Egypt. But then something happened that shows us that Abram was human after all.

"As Abram was approaching the borders of Egypt, Abram said to Sarai, "You are a very beautiful woman. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife. Let's kill him; then we can have her!' But if you say you are my sister, then the Egyptians will treat me well because of their interest in you, and they will spare my life." Genesis 12:11-13

I was actually amazed when I read these verses again. Here was Abram, the one who did everything right down to the tee, now faltering in his faith. God Himself appeared to him and promised him that He will bless him and make him famous, and not only that, He promised that he will become the father of a great nation and that they will occupy Canaan. Now up and until this point Abram didn't have children, therefore God's promise will return void if he were to be killed by the Egyptians. And as we know, God's promises will never return void, He is faithful and true. Therefore Abram was supposed to be confident that he would not die now, because he was fatherless and not yet famous as God promised him. He was supposed to cling to God's promises and know without a doubt that he will not die as yet. He was supposed to be confident upon entering Egypt. And yet, he wasn't. He was scared that they were going to kill him to get to his wife. He feared death.

Now his prediction that they would want his wife was absolutely true. Once they arrived there, the news of her beauty reached the ears of Pharaoh himself and upon learning the lie that she was Abram's sister; he took her into his harem and gave Abram several gifts. But before he could take her to be his wife, God sent a terrible plague upon Pharaoh's household and Pharaoh immediately realised that it was because of Sarai and ordered Abram and his entire household to leave Egypt at once.

So there we have it. Abram was scared, he lied, he gave his wife away and yet God stepped in and helped him. What an amazing God we have. As I said, Abram was just human after all. As shocking as this sounds, I doubt if any of us would have acted differently. How many times have we received Word/confirmation from God and before we know it we take the situation into our own hands, too afraid that God 'might not be able to help' or 'be too late to help'. We doubt God's promises and try to force things to happen our way. We would have done the same thing Abram did.

And yet look how wonderful is our God. Despite Abram's lack of faith, God intervened and did not allow His plans to be disrupted. He wanted Abram and Sarai to have pure offspring that He could bless. He didn't want Sarai to be defiled. He helped them when their faith was not strong enough. He helped them in their time of need. And not only that, He still calls Abram, the father of the faith, despite his moments of doubt. He still chose to use Abram in His big salvation plan.

God chooses to see the best in us. Sometime we need to forgive ourselves too and move on to all He has planned for us. Hold on to His promises, He is Holy and true, our Redeemer, the One Who never lies, and the One Who is always ready to help. Trust in Him.

Thank you Father that Your plans for us are good. Thank you that You have a future and a hope planned for us. Please forgive our faithlessness and help us to see all events in the right perspective. Help us to stand firm despite temptations and despite fear. In Jesus' Name. Amen

Abram obeyed God and arrived in Canaan. Upon arrival the Lord appeared to him and reaffirmed His promises to him. Then Abram built two altars to worship the Lord. He kept God at the centre of his existence. He was exactly where God wanted him to be. God had called him and he had listened, obeyed. But then something happened.

"At that time there was a severe famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to wait it out." Genesis 12:10

Abram followed God's guidance and went to live in Canaan, a land that God promised to give him. And now all of a sudden there was a famine, so severe that Abram couldn't stay there. He had to go to Egypt just to survive. Now personally that would have been a hard pill for me to swallow. God uprooted him from his homeland, his family, friends and comfort and led him to a hostile land. Abram didn't complain, but he followed God's command without hesitation. The journey couldn't have been easy but he followed God's leading. And when he arrived there he worshipped God, built an altar and did the right thing. As far as we can see, Abram did everything right. And yet there was a severe drought now, forcing him to leave the country he just arrived in. I don't know about you, but that would have been very discouraging for me. Here I gave up everything, followed God and now I am forced to move again due to the drought. I might even have begun to wonder if I did the right thing in following God. I might have begun to doubt whether I heard Him correctly. But Abram did no such thing. He didn't complain to God, he didn't doubt or regret his choice to follow God, no he simply made a plan in the interim until he could go back to Canaan once again.

Sometimes God might put a test in our path to see if we will still follow His leading, even if the going gets tough. Also hardships are there to develop our character. None of the disciples had it easy after Jesus ascended into heaven. They had very tough trials, but they also experienced more miracles than most Christians today. They displayed more courage and joy and through doing that, they drew countless numbers to Christ. They started Christianity that we have today and spread it throughout the world. We are able to believe and be part of God's kingdom because of what they did.

When you are certain of what God wants you to do, continue doing it. It will not always be easy. Ask any of the great pastors of our day, they certainly didn't have a smooth ride, but they persevered and have a story to tell today encouraging others on the same route. Just don't quit and return to where you came from. If Abram quit with this drought and returned to Haran, what a sad ending to his life that would have been. Everyone will just remember him as the one that couldn't continue to believe in God's promises. Keep on keeping on. Don't look back, but look forward to where God is leading you. You won't be sorry. His will is best!

Father please give us the strength to continue on our life's path. Even when hardship come, please give us the courage to push through and to rather keep our eyes on You. Thank you that we can know that You are always with us. In Jesus' Name. Amen

Abram obeyed God immediately. God asked Abram to move to Canaan and he did so without hesitating and finally he arrived in Canaan.

'Travelling through Canaan, they came to a place near Shechem and set up camp beside the oak at Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, "I am going to give this land to your offspring." And Abram built an altar there to commemorate the Lord's visit." Genesis 12:6, 7

The Lord confirmed His promise to Abram once he arrived in the land promised to him. God was faithful, He knew that Abram gave up a lot to come to this foreign land and might even be tired after the journey. Plus once Abram arrived there, the land was full of Canaanites, without any foreseeable chance of Abram's descendants occupying the land. But God calmed his heart and gave him the reassurance he needed once again. God not only reassured him, but He appeared to him, what a wonderful sight that must have been! And what did Abram do? He built an altar to the Lord to honour His visit. This altar stood as a reminder to Abram of God's promise to him.

"After that, Abram travelled southward and set up camp in the hill country between Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar and worshipped the Lord there." Genesis 12:8

Right after building an altar to God, Abram travelled further and built another altar to the Lord. Abram didn't have a church he could go to where he could fellowship, he didn't have gospel music to lift him up, he didn't have a Bible to read and he didn't have a pastor to shepherd him. But he did what he could do. He built altars as a sign of his dedication to God and he worshipped the Lord there. He knew that God had to be the centre of his life, because without Him he was a nobody. He and his household were alone in a foreign country, intruders in the sight of the Canaanites, a soft target. But with God by his side, he was invincible.

Today we need to regularly focus on God and His promises for us. We need to spend time at the 'altar' and worship God. God is faithful and will give us the reassurance we need through His Spirit and then we need to learn from Abram. We need to follow God and work on our spiritual life. God needs to be the centre of our lives. We are nomads too in a way. We were born in this sinful world, but when we were born again, we received a new home in heaven. So even though we live here, our future is in the Kingdom of God, our true destination. Let us rather focus on our true lives and rededicate ourselves to building the Kingdom of God, than to worry about what goes on down here.

Father, thank you so much for all Your promises. Thank you that You are so faithful. Thank you that we are mere nomads on this earth and that our true future awaits us. You are the centre of our lives, please come and take Your rightful place. In Jesus' Name. Amen

Abram obeyed God and left for Canaan the moment God asked him to. But one thing was very interesting to me and that is that Lot went with him. God instructed Abram to leave, not Lot as well. He promised greatness to Abram and not to Lot. But Lot went with him. Now the Bible doesn't say whether Lot decided to go along on his own, or whether Abram convinced him to come along.

"So Abram departed as the Lord instructed him and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot and all his wealth." Genesis 12:4, 5

But what we know for sure is that Lot was in on the ride. And boy did he cause a lot of problems. Once they found a land to live in in Canaan, arguments broke out between Lot's herdsman and Abram's herdsman because there were too many animals for the available pastureland. Abram then talked it over with Lot and suggested that they separate. He did the most amazing mature thing and gave Lot the first option to choose where he wanted to stay. And sure enough Lot took the best land for himself, the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley. And if that was not bad enough, Lot choose to live close to the immoral Sodom. And because he lived there he was in the middle of a battle amongst the kings and he was captured, along with everything he owned. Poor Abram had to go and face an army in order to go and rescue him. After that Lot returned to live in Sodom and we all know how that turned out for him. Abram had to plead with God to rescue Lot and his family before He destroyed the city and all they had. God listened to Abram and rescued them, but Lot's wife was so enticed with the city, she looked back when it was destroyed and turned into a salt pillar. Lot caused a lot of problems. I wonder sometimes if Abram was not sorry for taking Lot along with him.

Sometimes God asks us to do certain things, but then we are too insecure to do it by ourselves. We then convince someone else to join us which in the end turns out to be a mistake. How many stories do we all hear in our modern day living of partnerships that turned sour? I have heard several and I am sure you have too. It is actually very seldom that the start up partners stay together through it all.

I once wanted to organise a Christian ladies' morning, because I knew God wanted me to. I was obedient, but so insecure that I tried to get a partner to do it with me. I easily found one that just as excited as I was about the event, but a month or two later she disappeared from the scene. Then I found an organisation to join me in organising the event. They were very excited about it as well, but withdrew two months later, with no real reason. Then I found another lady that said she would do the marketing of the event for me, but without even notifying me she didn't even pitch for the event. I was crushed, but it soon became clear to me that God wanted me to do this on my own. And shaking and alone, I was obedient and it turned out to be a big success. He wanted to teach me a valuable lesson. Don't delegate tasks that He gave specifically to you. If He thinks you can do it, you can. If He thinks it will be a success, it will.

Next time you feel led to do something, whether it is starting a new business, or organising something for the Lord, or whatever the case may be, ask the Lord whether you need a partner or not. Ask Him for confirmation and divine intervention if you need someone by your side, otherwise, do it alone. It will work out much better and be the success it is meant to be. God never makes mistakes. He is your Creator and knows what you are capable of. If He says you can, you can.

Father please give me the courage to stand up on my own. I am scared and I don't know if I am capable of doing this on my own, but if You believe in me, that is enough. Please give me the confidence and the guidance to step out further. Thank you Father. In Jesus' Name. Amen

Abram, Sarai, his father, Terah and Lot was on their way to Canaan. But on the way they stopped at a village named Haran and they decided to settle there. It was only after the death of Terah that God spoke to Abram and told him to continue further.

"Leave your country, your relatives, and your father's house, and go to the land that I will show you. I will cause you to become the father of a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and I will make you a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you." Genesis 12:1 - 3

Wow, what an amazing thing to hear over your own life. It must have been a very humbling moment for Abram to realise that not only will he be blessed, but others will be blessed through him. Plus it has already been mentioned in Genesis 11:30 that Sarai cannot have children and here God tells him that he will be a father of a great nation. What a wonderful confirmation. And how did Abram react upon this news?

"So Abram departed as the Lord instructed him." Genesis 12:4

What an amazing example. He didn't have a list of excuses like Moses and Gideon did when God called them. No, he immediately obeyed and departed for the land God will show him. He didn't waste any time. It might not sound to you as something extraordinary, but it was. It was not so easy to move for them as it is to us today. It was much more difficult. He had nothing to go on, no GPS to lead the way, no internet to tell him more about the country where he was going to, no guarantees that everything will work out, no protection from police, he had only God's Word and that was enough for him. Abram was an extraordinary man, the father of the faith.

And the same goes for us as well. If God tells us to do something we must obey without delay. We mustn't think of a dozen excuses why we can't do it; we should rather obey immediately and go where God leads us. Now some of you might say that it was easy for Abram to obey, because he heard God's voice speaking to him. You are right in saying that, yes, but remember he didn't have the written Word of God and he didn't have the Holy Spirit living inside of him. We have both. We actually have an advantage above Abram due to that. God's living Spirit is inside of us and guides us, talks to us and helps us every day. We tend to forget what an awesome privilege it is.

Obey God, don't delay. I have delayed obedience in my life before and I literally saw how God blessed those that stepped out in obedience without delay and how He told me that it was too late for me to complete that specific task now. It was a heartbreaking lesson to learn, but it was one that stuck with me. Don't miss out on God's tasks in your life. Each one is a blessing; something He knows will build up your character and strengthen you within. Don't miss out on it due to fear and insecurities that you have. Step out and be counted. God will be pleased and you will be blessed.

Father please help us to hear Your voice loud and clear. We want to be obedient to You and we want to follow through with the tasks that You have for us. Please help us with that, we are nothing without You. Thank you that we can know that You are always by our side. In Jesus' Name. Amen

Abram was the son of Terah and they lived in Ur of the Chaldeans. Now Ur was an important city in the ancient world. It was a major urban centre on the Mesopotamian plain. The discovery of the Royal Tombs has confirmed its splendour. The wealth found inside these tombs were unparalleled up to then and was a testimony to the wealth of Ur, as all the wealth that came to Mesopotamia by sea had to pass through Ur.

Now Terah took Abram, Sarai and Lot (his grandson) and left Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. Now Ur must have been a very comfortable place to live in in those days. I would imagine that it was a very modern city for that day, with all the amenities they needed. Imagine living in New York and then the Lord tells you to move to the Kalahari desert. It is not an easy move for someone used to the city life. But they were obedient and left Ur for Canaan. Now the Bible tells us that on their way to Canaan, they stopped at a village in Haran. And if you look at a map of that ancient time, that means that they didn't cross the desert to get to Canaan, but they travelled alongside the Euphrates River which is a much longer detour. And then we read something interesting:

"But they stopped instead at the village of Haran and settled there. Terah lived for 205 years and died while still at Haran." Genesis 11:31, 32

On their way to Canaan, they gave up and rather stayed at Haran. Now in the first place it must have been very difficult for them to leave Ur. They must have had a very comfortable life style in modern Ur. And to just leave for a total unknown land must have been very difficult. Plus they had to start all over again in a seemingly hostile land. And their means of travelling is not close to what we have today. It must have been tiresome and also dangerous with wild animals and bandits lurking around. But they left Ur despite the odds. However they didn't take the quickest route, but rather opted for the longer safer route alongside the river. But when they came to Haran they decided to rather stay there and not go any further. Why? We don't know. Maybe they were tired; maybe they were afraid to continue further, maybe Terah felt he was too old to continue further. We don't know. All we know is that they stopped half way to their destination.

And there is a lesson to be learned. Today I would like to encourage you to not stop halfway. Often times we make the sacrifices to follow God's calling in our lives and when the going gets tough, we settle in our own 'Haran's' where it is more comfortable. We then console ourselves, saying that we were at least half way obedient, it is better than nothing, right? But it is not, it is important that we finish the task assigned to us.

I am sure you all know that Abram didn't stop there, he continued further to Canaan. But what if he didn't? What if he decided he liked Haran more? What if he grew so comfortable there that he didn't want to move anymore? I am sure God would have chosen someone else to grow His nation with and today none of us would even have known who Abram was.

But Abram didn't stop and we need to learn from him. Don't settle for second best, but rather finish your task ahead. Greatness lies within, greatness accompanies obedience to God. Total obedience, not half measures. Don't give up and don't stop halfway. Finish your task and receive your heavenly reward from your Father, mightily pleased with you.

Father please give us the strength to continue on our life path no matter what. Please help us not to give up, no matter how tough it gets. Please be with us and lead the way. Thank you Father. We ask this in Jesus' Name. Amen

My Name is Jesus, God Almighty, the Savior of this world. I truly am. If you look all around you, you might doubt My presence and My ability to save due to all the evil prevalent everywhere you turn. But I am still in control. My people has just abandoned Me. My bride has entertained the world more than Me. If she will just turn to Me and make Me her first priority once more, you will see a difference in this world. But her love for Me has grown cold, her passion for Me has been given to another. I long to hold her, I long to have her by My side, to spend time with Me, to follow My ways. But she loves to compromise. She loves to have Me on the one hand, but following the lustfulness of this world's wealth and desires on the other. I want her to stop, I want her to be dedicated to me and only Me. I cry out to her to turn back. I try to draw her attention. But she cannot focus. She is sitting with her phone in her hand, paging through social media, paging through the news, paging through her diary and filling it up with even more engagements and when I tug at her hand she tells Me she is busy. The trick of satan, My archenemy has worked. I defeated him at the cross and I gave all I am to My bride to be able to stand strong against his deceitful attacks. But he was clever, even though he couldn't do anything to pluck her out of My hands, he made her too busy to be within My arms.

O how I look forward to the day when satan will not be with us anymore. I look forward to defeating him once and for all, throwing him into the lake of fire. Then we can be together without distractions, then we can walk hand in hand in My kingdom. We will have a magnificent wedding reception and we will be soulmates for all eternity to come, My Father has planned this for us. The whole world will look on as I take you as My wife. What a wonderful time to look forward to. The time is drawing to a close, My Father has told Me so. Pray that His kingdom will come, pray that His will be done on earth just like it is in heaven. Pray His will into existence. I long to be with you in full revelation of Who I am.

Even though that time is yet to come, you can be with Me now already. Please spend time with Me. I love you, I gave My life for you, I have given My Spirit to you, I have left you My Word, I have given you preachers to draw you closer, I have given you gospel music to lure you in and yet I receive the cold shoulder from you. Why? Why is it so important to you how you look? Why is it so important to stay updated with all the gossip news? Why is advancement so important to you? Haven't you yet realised how fleeting your life is and that anything can happen at any time? Haven't you noticed that you don't take anything with you when you die? Then why do you spend so much time on health, exercise, beauty, work, socialising? Why? Of course I want you to earn your living, of course I want you to look and feel your best, of course I want you to reach out to other people, but please don't idolise anything of it above Me. I long for you and it breaks My heart that you don't long for Me.

Do you know that you will have more joy, peace and satisfaction if you spent more time with Me? Do you know that your life will have more meaning if I am at the centre of it? Nothing and I repeat nothing on earth will satisfy you longer than a few weeks. It cannot. The thrill dissolves away with time and then you need something else to give you a thrill once again. Only I can satisfy you long term, forever and ever. Only I can fill your being with infinite love. Only I can be the One, because your newly born creation within you is part of Me. And by being part of Me, you can be part of heaven, the new Jerusalem now already. You can be part of My Father's home, now already. Just spend time with Me and allow Me to fill you with more of Me.

I cannot wait for you to invite Me in. I will not come barging in, it is not who I am. I am gentle and kind, not forcing Myself on anyone, but giving everyone the opportunity to be Mine. And once you are Mine, draw close to Me. I am always there, I promised you that before I departed from the earth. I am always available, always joyful, always ready to share from My throne room of love. Draw closer, closer, closer, feel My breath breathing life into your soul. Come even closer and feel My presence enveloping you with love. And if you come closer still, you will find yourself dancing with the King of Kings. You will find life's sorrows and pains dissolving and you will be lifted into another dimension where you and I are one, dancing between the galaxies. We will be forever in love, forever enthralled with one another.

Finally the time had come for Moses' life to come to an end. He has been a wonderful leader to the nation of Israel. But he was not allowed to enter into the Promised Land as we have discussed before. Therefore the time had come for him to die so that the Israelites can move forward into the land promised to them. But listen to this wonderful tribute written to Moses after his death.

"There has never been another prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. The Lord sent Moses to perform all the miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and his entire land. And it was through Moses that the Lord demonstrated His mighty power and terrifying acts in the sight of Israel." Deuteronomy 34:10-12

I think the deepest wish of any Christian leader is to be used like Moses in such a mighty way. He had seen and experienced the full awesome power of God. God took him under His arms and developed him from a stuttering shepherd into a national leader and powerful orator. His courage, humility and wisdom moulded the Hebrew slaves into a nation. But he could only do that, because of the powerful presence of God at his side.

Moses fulfilled his life's purpose and God was pleased with him. Until today he still remains as one of the greatest people that ever lived, esteemed by millions. But what is most important is that he remained close to God throughout his life and he never turned away from Him or got proud of his leadership position. He followed the will of God closely and obeyed Him in everything.

And that is the final lesson I want us all to take out of his life. Most of us will never become famous like Moses, we will not live in greatness and we will not be esteemed by millions. But that doesn't matter, as the most important thing in life is to obey God and live close to Him. If you have done that, your life is just as much of a success in God's eyes than Moses'. God doesn't measure success like the world does, no; He looks at your heart. If you follow Him and do exactly what He leads you to do in your life you are a big success in His eyes. And at the end of the day that is all that matters.

So I would like to encourage you. Even if you feel that your life doesn't measure up in worldly standards, if you've followed God's guidance in your life and have been obedient to Him, you have put a smile on God's face and He is happy with you. Isn't that the most rewarding thing? That God can say, "Well done my good and faithful son."

I would like to end off with a song that tugged at my heart strings.

"At the end of the day, I want to hear people say, that my heart looks like Your heart. Unashamed I will dance, in Your Name lift my hands."

Praise God, love Him, follow Him, obey Him and live in harmony with your fellow man. Then you can't go wrong. If your heart looks like His, you are a phenomenal success.

Father thank you that You have a plan for each of our lives. And thank you that we can know that it doesn't matter what our role is, but only that we do it well and to the glory of Your Name. Please lead us to where we should go and help us to follow in Your footsteps. In Jesus' Name. Amen

Moses ended his life with a massive speech, a song and a blessing for each tribe and Israel as a whole. The whole of chapter 33 of Deuteronomy is dedicated to the blessings Moses pronounced. It is a lovely and interesting chapter to read. But for me personally what stood out are the blessings Moses pronounced on Israel as a whole and that still stands for us today. Let me quote a couple of Scriptures:

"Indeed, You love the people; all Your holy ones are in Your hands." Deuteronomy 33:3

"The eternal God is your refuge, and His everlasting arms are under you. He thrusts out the enemy before you; it is He who cries, 'Destroy them!" Deuteronomy 33:27

"He is your protecting shield and your triumphant sword! Your enemies will bow low before You, and You will trample on their backs!" Deuteronomy 33:29

How beautiful is that? We are safe in the loving arms of our Creator. In Him is our refuge. He is our protecting shield. We are safe.

Unfortunately we often don't trust Him enough. Most of us are inclined to entrust our lives to other things, like our money, our careers, our good medical assistance, our investments, our security surrounding our house. We trust in them to keep us secure and living in perfect health. If we have enough money, we will be okay, if we have a good specialist around the corner any illness can be cured, if we work hard enough we will advance in our careers, if we invest money in certain schemes, we are guaranteed of a good retirement, if we have good enough security, we are safe. And we forget to put our trust in God, where it is supposed to be.

Now although there is nothing wrong to save money or to work hard or to have security or to listen to a good doctor's advice, we must examine our hearts to make sure that we don't trust in those things, but that we trust in God and only use our money, good medical scheme etcetera to live within His will.

There is a big difference and God certainly knows when we place other securities above Him. He knows our hearts and He knows whether we trust Him or the doctors or our investments more.

We need to place God first in everything, including our finances, our health and our security. He is our refuge and we only have real security if we place it in Him. Nothing else will last anyway. Give everything over to Him and ask Him for guidance in your life before turning to anyone or anything else.

Father, thank you so much that You are there for us, no matter what. Thank you that You are in control and ruling in our hearts. We are so thankful and grateful to You! Please forgive us if we put anything above You, as we know You know best at the end of the day. In Jesus' Name. Amen