Emphasis…

This blog is a combination of four days Instagram posts…

Part One

It’s easy to become so familiar with well known scriptures that we don’t really pause to take them in.

I wanted to share with you today something that I do when I really want to take a verse in and that’s to read it putting the emphasis on a different word each time.

So let’s look at what God says to believers in Isaiah 41:10 …

‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’

FEAR thou not. Are you fearful Friend?

What are those things in our lives that make us doubt God’s mercy and power and give way to fear?

Fear THOU not… this is a personal word, it’s spoken to you believer, YOU are not to fear.

Fear thou NOT! It’s a command, we are NOT to fear, why not? Because we don’t need to for ‘I’ am with thee, the God who spoke the world into existence, the God who keeps the sun at a perfect distance so we don’t freeze or burn, the God who ‘hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span,’ the One who ‘telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.’ The God who says that ‘the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye NOT therefore,’

Why?

Because He is WITH you, not just near or with you sometimes but WITH you ‘lo, I am with you ALWAY, even unto the end of the world. Amen.’

And child of God, God is not just WITH you but IN you and says to you fear thou not for I am WITH thee. Not possibly with you if you’re good enough Friend but God IS with you.

‘I am with THEE,’ yes YOU fearful believer, you who doubt His love because the battle against sin is so fierce, you who doubt His love because you feel so unworthy and such a failure, God is with YOU!

We’ll continue looking at this tomorrow God willing but if you have time then maybe try it with a favourite verse of yours.

Is 40:10,12, Ps 147:4, Matt 10:30,31, Matt 28:20,

Part two

Carrying on from yesterday’s post with Is 41:10…

‘Be not dismayed; for I am thy God…’

God has already told us not to fear because He is with us, now He says BE NOT dismayed. Not try not to but simply don’t be, be NOT dismayed! Another command, one that may seem impossible in your current circumstances but let’s dig a little deeper.

‘Be not dismayed’ is translated from the Hebrew word ‘sha`ah’ and literally means to gaze about for help, also to be bewildered or look away.

Friends, we’re back to fixing our eyes upon Jesus!!

Don’t start to gaze about searching for help in the world around you or even from friends, first take your burden to the Lord and ask for His help to leave it there, trusting Him to work it all ‘together for good.’ Because ‘I’ am thy God. I, the creator of everything around you, I, the great I AM, the ‘Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.’

He says to YOU child of God, ‘I AM thy God!’ Not was or will be or may be if you’re good enough, simply I AM!!

‘I am THY God. This is personal, it’s not for someone else, it’s for you troubled soul, it’s for you who doesn’t know how to continue, it’s for you who is looking at your day ahead in dismay, it’s for you who’s heart is heavy with responsibilities and burdens that feel too heavy to bear, I am THY God.

‘I am thy GOD’ the supreme, Almighty, everlasting Father. The One who knows all things and holds all things, I am thy GOD!!

Friend, is your case really too hard for the one who knows each and every one of the estimated 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (that’s 1 billion trillion) stars in the observable universe by name!!

Reach up and pull out one of your hairs from your head…

God knows the new number, how many are left there now!!

THIS God, our loving Heavenly Father is the One who says to you today…

‘‘Be not dismayed; for I am thy God…’

.

Is 41:10, Rom 8:28, Rev 4:8,

Day 3 looking at Is 41:10…

‘I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; ‘

‘I’, again we are reminded that this is our Almighty God speaking, HE will strengthen us.

I WILL strengthen thee… there’s no need for doubt here Friends, there’s nothing more certain than the promises of God to His children because ‘he is faithful that promised.’

He will STRENGTHEN us…

We don’t feel the strength of the anchor until we’ve tested it in a storm and it’s when we perceive our weakness in those storms of life that, when we test the Anchor, we find the strength of Christ made perfect in our weakness!

‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.’

He will strengthen US Friends, that’s me and that’s you if we’ll just look away from self, the world and others and seek Christ for that strength we lack.

’yea, I will help thee; ‘ yes, in spite of the lies of the enemy, yes, in spite of all our failings, when we humbly look to God for that help, He will surely help us.

Yea, ‘I’ will help thee;

Again we see where help is to be found, in our loving Heavenly Father’s goodness and mercy…

‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.’

“No help in self I find,

And yet have sought it well;

The native treasure of my mind

Is sin, and death, and hell.

To Christ for help I fly,

The Friend of sinners lost,

A refuge sweet, and sure, and nigh,

And there is all my trust.”

Yea, I WILL help thee;

He surely will Friend…

‘For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.’

Yea, I will HELP thee;

The word help here is translated from the Hebrew word -`azar – and means to surround, protect or aid.

We are never alone, God is everywhere, He surrounds us and Believer He not only surrounds you but through Christ He is IN you!!

Yea, I will help THEE;…

Again it’s personal, it’s you that this is spoken to!!

So fear not Friend, look to God and He WILL strengthen and help you.

.

Is 41:10, Heb 10:23, 2 Cor 12:9-10, Ps 23:6, 2 Cor 1:20,

Day 4 looking at Is 41:10…

‘…yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’

YEA, I will uphold thee… yes, He will believer, God, your God, WILL uphold thee. This promise stands as firm as every other promise in His word!

‘…yea, I will UPHOLD thee…

Uphold – tamak – to sustain, keep fast; to help, hold (up), maintain.

Yea, I will uphold THEE Friend! Again it’s is so personal, God will uphold you if you just look to Him with even a teeny tiny grain of faith! He will hold you fast, maintain you in the way and hold you up in the storms.

How? ‘With the right hand of my righteousness.’

Friends, we would be offended if our friends didn’t trust us and yet we are sinners and sometimes we do fail, how much more then can we trust what our righteous and faithful, pure and perfect God promises?

God WILL uphold His own with the right hand of HIS perfect righteousness!!

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

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Is 41:10, Rom 8:31

I hope this may be helpful to some of you. xx