Cast Down But Not Destroyed

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee:

 he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

Psalms 55:22

Rest assured, if this has not happened in your spiritual walk, there will come a time when it seems as if you are walking alone; in the wilderness.  But be not disheartened for the scripture teaches us that God will never leave us nor forsake us.  

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.  Deuteronomy 31:6

This is not just something that God told to Joshua only when He told him:

There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.  Joshua 1:5

Here God let's Joshua know that He never left nor forsook Moses and He will do the same for Him.  Because we know that God does not change,

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.  Hebrews 13:8

And therefore we are given the same comfort that Joshua was given,

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.  Hebrews 13:5

If the bible teaches us this, why then, do we seem so alone; as if God has turned His back on us?

We pray and it seems as if our prayers are falling on deaf ears.  We praise Him and yet it seems as if we are struggling to worship Him because we do not feel Him near us.  We call His name and our calls seemingly go unanswered.  You wonder how and why the connection has been broken.

What do you do during this wilderness cycle?  God’s word tells us

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;  Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.   2 Corinthians 4:8

This is the time to stop and consider all the wondrous works of God.  Consider yourself and all the miracles God has performed in your life; the biggest one being yourself.  If sin is not an issue for you, then consider what God is doing in your life now.  Know that He is the potter and you are the clay and he is molding you according to His purpose and His will:

But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.  Isaiah 64:8
  

Be not discouraged and have faith that God has not forsaken you.  Know your God and to whom you belong.

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?  Psalms 27:1

Imagine God taking a step back and examining His work on you.  Consider your response to these questions:

ü      Can you stand to be examined?  
ü      Is He working a plan to remove the blemishes or is He setting you up for His divine will? 
ü      Are you ready to move forward in God’s will?  Or do you need to be shelved or put back on the wheel for more work?  
ü      Are you whining to God; asking him why he doesn't hear your cries, why has he forsaken you, why won’t he answer your prayers?  Or are you continuing to pray, worship him, praise Him and meditate in His word?  
ü      Are you giving Him a ‘yet’ praise knowing through your faith that the Holy Spirit is being made manifest in your body and in your life?  
ü      Are you letting God know that if He never does anything else for you, he has already done enough by saving your soul?   
ü     Are you seeking Him in all the wrong places and ways?  

God tells us in His word:    

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.  Joshua 1:9   

Will you continue to praise him?  That is the question today.  Will you continue to praise Him?  After all, it is a command:

Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.  Psalms 150:6

It is a commandment!  Or, will you play tit for tat and turn your back on God.  God forbid!  Praising God lets the enemy know that no matter what, your trust is in God.

Despite all that is not right and all that is going wrong in your life, do you still trust in the sovereignty of God?   

Job, though he was pressed on every side, maintained his faith in God:

Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.  Job 13:15

Joseph went through much tribulation in his young life before he reached the place God had ordained for him and at the end, he was able to say:

And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be rearing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. Genesis 45:4-8

This is an awesome time in your life – don’t give up on God! Know that when he is finished molding you, you will be so spiritually enriched that you will be able to face all of your battles with renewed faith, vigor and strength in God; knowing that God will never leave you nor forsake you!

You will be able to say, As Paul did:

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38:39

Stay encouraged and be blessed!



(Biblical Studies)



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