We live during a time when many people do not want to hear about God at all, and if they do, there sometimes is a misunderstanding or a deliberate pushback from the concept of repentance. But why is that? The problem, according to Pastor Greg Locke, is the infiltration of the hyper-grace theology into the American church.

“People are comfortable stumbling in the dark; that’s what they want,” Locke says. “It’s like this self-imposing situation where you get so used to it; you just enjoy it—self-pity, self-infliction and then I start turning the lights on, you’re like, ‘how dare you tell me that’s wrong?'”

Locke says that it’s not the job of the pastor to let people fumble around in darkness. Instead, it’s the job of the pastor to help bring people to the light, toward the truth. Locke says that allowing people to move in the spirit of lasciviousness keeps people trapped in the bondage they were already living in.

“Any preacher that lets you stay in the dark is no preacher,” Locke says. “You know what lasciviousness is? It’s using the grace of God as an opportunity to live in sin.”

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Locke says “greasy grace” is what we need to look out for because it won’t lead to the heart of the Father—instead, it will lead to certain destruction.

“Greasy grace is going to let you slide into hell,” Locke says. “Lasciviousness is not what we should be involved in. It should be an abhorrent abomination to our are people in the church that work all uncleanness with greediness.”

So, what is the difference between those who find themselves in hyper-grace theology and those who don’t? Locke says that a real Christian will not stay in a lifestyle of sin.

“A Christian won’t stay drunk. Can a Christian get into immorality, yes, but they won’t live in immorality,” Locke says. “There’s a difference in getting into something and living in something. When you continue like a dog to return to your vomit or like a pig that wallows in the mud, it’s the nature that’s never been your nature’s not changed, you will use the grace of God as an occasion to live in uncleanness.”

The reality is, true faith requires repentance. If we want to actually be transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit, we must wholeheartedly repent and turn from sin. We must remember how Scripture tells us that repentance is necessary because the kingdom of God is at hand. In order to know Jesus as Lord, it requires sacrificing every single worldly desire that we have and laying it down at the foot of the cross. Then, and only then, can we truly walk in freedom of knowing who He is by allowing Him to take the reins on our lives.

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In one of his latest videos, evangelist John Ramirez is exposing the dangers of allowing Halloween celebrations to creep into the church, especially in the form of trunk or treat.

“Shame on these pastors that believe they can celebrate something without no consequences,” Ramirez says.

Ramirez points out that there is no such thing as a “safe place” for kids to celebrate Halloween because there is never a time to even remotely entertain the idea of dealing with the satanic realms. He says even the very candy that is consumed on Halloween has been prayed over by those ranking in the satanic realms.

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“You know the candies you purchase at the supermarket … those candies were prayed for by demonic, devil-worshipping devils, despicable people that don’t wanting nothing to do with your kids,” he says. “They hate your kids, they hate God, they hate the image of God, they hate the church, they hate Christians, and they pray for your candies.”

For Ramirez, allowing this kind of demonic activity into the church—even dressed up as trunk or treat with Bible character costumes—is really just throwing a cloak over satanic activity. For those who allow this kind of behavior in the church, Ramirez gives a stark warning about the value of their leadership.

“You’re cursing your church; you’re a fake pastor; you’re a fake leader,” he says. “The stuff that you preach are empty words, no edification, no growth, no edifying the body of Christ, no glorifying God; you’re nothing but a phony when you celebrate this thing, and then you think the rest of the year it’s going to be fine.”

He warns that dressing up and going about the business of Halloween is the same as selling your identity to the devil, and that this allows for all kinds of doors of the enemy to creep in and affect your life—including your children’s lives. He says it’s a distraction from the truth of what the church is called to do: Share the gospel and make disciples.

“The harvest is about souls because I didn’t hear no harvest about candy and dressing up in the Bible,” Ramirez says. “We should have prayer in the house of God. We should have repentance in the house of God. We should have salvation in the house of God. We should have baptism in the house of God. Not your dirty, filthy laundry in the house of God.”

Ramirez warns that those who truly hear the voice of the Lord should know the difference between doing something that glorifies Satan and that which glorifies God.

“You have no Holy Spirit, pastors, and you don’t have no calling; you’re nothing but a goat—that’s why you celebrate Halloween,” Ramirez says.

Ramirez also warns against the pumpkin lanterns that many people carve and place in and outside of their homes because pumpkin tends to be used by those in Santeria.

“Pumpkin belongs to a demon principality in Santeria,” Ramirez says. “The mother of the rivers, she operates with pumpkin, honey and money and gold. And she is a transfiguration of Jezebel in the Bible.”

And for those who believe that repentance can come later after they’ve participated in the Halloween festivities, Ramirez says this is a key that someone is nothing more than a lukewarm believer. He also warns that just like David, there is nothing we can hide from the Lord that He will not find out about and then respond to us accordingly.

“David thought that … he could commit adultery and thought that he could hide it,” he says. “David thought that somehow, he could set it up in a way that you know he can get away with it.”

So before you go out to a church trunk or treat, reconsider what kinds of spiritual doors you may be opening up for yourself and your family.

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In an exclusive Beyond The Article interview with Charisma Magazine Online, Jennifer LeClaire shares what the power of prophetic witchcraft looks like and how you can break its bondage over your life.

One of the first things LeClaire warns against from her own personal experience is the danger of those in ministry using the prophetic for their own reasons instead of delivering an actual message from the Lord.

“It’s something that I experienced some years ago where I was in a church that started off good, but the pastors there had been so hurt, betrayed … and they began to become very controlling and using prophecy as a weapon to control,” LeClaire says.

LeClaire was threatened that if she ever left the church, the Jezebel spirit would overtake her.

“She said to me, ‘Well, I see a Jezebel spirit superimposed over your body,” LeClaire says. “And if you leave this church that spirit is going to take you.”

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The Holy Spirit never leads us into manipulation or coercion of someone else’s will, thoughts or emotions. Other spirits will lead us into this direction, but God will always allow us to make decisions for ourselves, even if they go against His greatest desires for us. One of the reasons LeClaire shares this story is because of how imperative it is for us to test the spirits to see if something is truly from the Lord or not.

“We have to be a people who press into God and have such an intimate relationship with Him to where we can hear the spirit behind the words,” she says. “First John 4:1 says very plainly to test the spirits or try the spirits to see if they are from God. We’re not supposed to just blanketly believe a prophet. … It’s about their alignment with heaven, and we need to do a better job in this social media age of testing the spirits.”

LeClaire says these false prophetic voices can easily fall into spewing curses on people’s lives or tickling someone’s ears with the things they want to hear, even if it means providing them with a false sense of assurance of words that God did not speak over their life. When these curses were released over her own life, it caused her to serve with a cautious mindset in fear of what might happen if she didn’t do something in a specific way.

“I remember when they did that, my first instinct was to try to serve more, to be better, because I love these people,” LeClaire explains. “And I thought, ‘Well, they must be right.'”

One of the deadliest reasons many people find themselves stuck under a power of prophetic witchcraft is because there is a familiar spirit operating in the atmosphere that knows their weaknesses.

“This is very dangerous; a familiar spirit begins to speak to them, and they really believe it’s the voice of God,” LeClaire says.“ So a familiar spirit is a spirit that’s familiar with you, it watches you, it knows things about you … [people subject to these spirits have] opened themselves up by listening, aligning, sowing into false prophets.”

While most prophetic voices will not abuse their gifting, it is because of these false prophets that Scripture warns against that we must look at everything and compare it to what the Bible says about the truth of the gospel and how God desires to speak to us.

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In an exclusive interview with Charisma News, Amanda Grace shared the prophetic words that are taking hold in our world today. Grace believes one of those words is the protection God will deliver to His people from those who are working in the shadows against them instead of for them.

“This is what the Lord says: ‘And says the Spirit of the Lord this day, this is the hour of Daniels being rescued from the den of lions. And the officials and government who attempted to put them there; this is the hour says the Lord. For I, the Lord thy God will protect those who are doing My will,'” Grace prophesied.

Grace continued with a stark warning for those who had oppressed and abused their powers of positions against others.

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“This indeed is the hour where the lion’s den turns on the thieves and officials who attempted to move those out of the way that would not come into agreement with their covet, thievery and scoundrel behavior says the Lord.”

This word comes in conjunction with others that God impressed upon Grace to share about Russia, Ukraine and Yom Kippur as all these events point toward the next great shakeup from the Lord.

“For this is a holy time, says the Lord,” Grace prophesied. “A holy season, a time of awe. There shall be awe in the earth says the Lord. As a sifting of leaders is about to take place. A sifting and a breaking of chains that an Old Guard has clamped upon the nations of the earth.”

One of the things that Grace’s prophecy pointed out is that this is a time where God will purify out those who are like King Saul who are in a place of power.

“Thus says the Lord, ‘oh Saul’s, oh Saul’s, you in your desperation have not come before me but have consulted the witch of Endor,’ says the Lord,” Grace said. “A witch to save your nation. You have made covenants with darkness thinking such a pack, thinking such a ritual, will save the souls of your says the Lord, a covenant has been made in Ukraine under such a cover of ambassadorship and goodwill. However, says the Lord, there is no such good. It is detestable in My sight.”

This prophecy came right around the time that Ukrainian President Zelensky went ahead and hired a “spirit cooking” occult artist to be an ambassador for Ukraine. As these prophetic words come to pass, Grace urges the body of Christ to look at everything through the lens of Scripture and to test the spirits by taking everything to the Lord in prayer to see if something is valid.

“I always say test the spirit,” Grace said. “When the Lord releases a word, right, we as believers are to pray about it and then pray into it.”

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Christian YouTube sensation Chris Garcia had a dream he knew was placed by God inside of his heart to make content for the world to see. So, why did God ask him to give it all up?

“I knew that God had called me to do YouTube. I just didn’t really feel like I was hitting exactly what I felt the Lord was wanting me to do,” Garcia told Charisma News in an exclusive interview. “And I was doing everything that I could [to the] best of my ability. And about two years ago, the Lord kept convicting my heart to let go of the whole YouTube channel.”

This pivotal moment was what Garcia described as his Abraham-Isaac moment. Before God would elevate him and expand his blessing even further, Garcia had to have a moment of full surrender where he was willing to completely let go and submit himself to God’s will.

“I was bewildered and confused about it,” Garcia said. “But I know the voice of the Spirit. And so I said, ‘Okay, I’m going to do that.’ Well, the day that I decided, I told the Lord God, ‘I’m going to go, and I’m going to deactivate the channel.'”

It was in this moment of a complete and full surrender that the Lord spoke to Garcia and spared his dream.

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“And He said, ‘Good. Now it’s Mine.’ It’s kind of like the Abraham-Isaac moment. He says, ‘Now that it’s Mine; here’s what I want you to do. I want you to live stream in front of the camera and worship My presence and spend time with Me and say absolutely nothing.'”

It was during this livestream that God was working to usher in His glory so that many others could see what it looked like to stop and sit in His presence. The stream wasn’t about Garcia. It was all about the Lord. God wanted this to be a time of devotion, a symbol that the channel was being turned over to Him. No longer was Garcia in charge of the YouTube channel. Now, God was the One leading the way.

After this experience, the Lord began to increase his channel and eventually imprinted a word on Garcia’s wife to share that would exponentially change the channel. Listening to the Holy Spirit, Garcia let her share the word of shaking during one of his live streams. What happened was a phenomenal outpouring that touched the lives of many.

“She gave the prophetic word about a great shaking coming and how this shaking was going to really sift our intentions and motives in the church and she saw the church as the body of Christ,” Garcia said. “The next thing you know it’s like at 17,000 four days, it went viral and where it said 1.5 million views. The only thing that I can attribute that to is it’s a sovereign word of the Lord. It’s a sovereign thing I could not make that happen.”

As God continues to use Garcia’s channel, Fresh Oil, his story of faithfulness and humility showcases that even when the Lord calls us to lay down the things we cherish, He can be trusted in all circumstances.

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In a world where certain spirits appear to override entire regions to accomplish the enemy’s plan by ensnaring whole people groups, Ryan LeStrange profoundly shared in his latest Charisma article and interview why there is a greater power and purpose behind knowing and being actively involved in a Holy Spirit-filled community. LeStrange shared that it is only through a staunch, steadfast faith guided by an attuned ear to the Holy Spirit that we can combat these forces. While all fivefold ministry gifts are important, there is something special and vital about understanding the power of the prophetic and how the enemy strives at all costs to crush and manipulate the voice of the Holy Spirit.

The prophetic has the ability to usher in unity and alignment.

 Apostles and prophets have a unique ability to discern the mind of God and receive fresh revelation. When they work together, they help ensure that the entire body of believers is aligned with God’s purposes and plans.

“When people can give you detailed information about your life, when they can identify where you’re at emotionally or a season you’re going through, especially if you’re in a vulnerable place, that can really speak to your heart,” LeStrange shared in his Beyond The Article interview with Charisma.

LeStrange shared that while this type of gifting has the power to bring us together, we must also be aware of how the enemy would like to use it to bring down God’s children through false prophets.

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“As we’re growing in God, our belief systems are constantly coming into a place of inspection, and reformation by God, by His Word, by the Holy Spirit,” LeStrange said. “What false prophets can do is teach false belief systems, which then get you stuck in an area where God can’t really move the way he wants to.”

Transformation happens when God is at the center, and condemnation happens when Satan is placed in charge.

Both apostles and prophets are focused on bringing about transformation. It is this kind of transformation that the enemy will try to hinder at all costs because he cannot stand to see God’s children become more like Christ. One of the keys that the enemy will use at all costs to stop this kind of growth is a religious spirit.

“It’s really good at bringing shame and condemnation,” LeStrange said. “That religious spirit will sort of stick you with ‘you are as good as what you do.’”

However, LeStrange notes that the key needed for this kind of hindrance is the continued remembrance of God’s grace which does not condemn but rather convicts and raises us up to the heavenly places where we have been seated with Christ.

“At the end of the day, all we are, all we ever will be in the kingdom of God is hinged upon the grace of God,” LeStrange said. “It’s that elementary principle that God so loved the world that He gave Jesus and Jesus died for us. And that’s the sum total of our faith. The problem with the religious spirit…it gets you stuck in works. Also, to be prophetic in nature, to be Spirit-led according to Romans 8:14 means a continual progression in journey into the heart of God, the truth of God.”

This same religious spirit seeks to break down and interfere with the heart of revival.

“Anytime you see the prophetic, you see a revival-minded people, you see a people that’s moving with God, you’re going to see attacks from the religious spirit.,” LeStrange said.

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Is America experiencing apostasy in the church? And if so, how can we be sure of the signs of what we’re seeing?

One of the key tenets of the Christian life is following Jesus whole-heartedly as the way and the truth and the life. However, many today who consider themselves Christians believe this stance is a harmful one and that because God loves, there are no repercussions of sin. However, this is contradictory to the Word of God which states: “Those who I love, I rebuke and discipline,” (Rev. 3:19).

One example of this type of apostasy in the church that has gone viral is the example of Cathedral of Hope. In this “church,” the rainbow colors were paraded as drag queen nuns read their own creed.

On their website, a statement about sexuality and faith can be found, which reads: “Cathedral of Hope is an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ. We practice extravagant welcome, and many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender folk have found their spiritual home here.”

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The problem with this statement isn’t that people are welcome into the church. It is the job of the church to provide for the broken, the sick and the lost. The problem is that the sin is not only welcomed, but celebrated. The point of coming to Christ isn’t to be affirmed in our sins, but to allow Him to transform us.

That’s why Ephesians 4:20-24 tells us that we need to take off the former way of life and be renewed in our mind. To live a godly life, we must stay focused on the One who can completely transform us: Jesus.

Instead of focusing on the transformative life in Christ, Cathedral of Hope is sharing that sin is the best way of life, and that there is nothing greater than what the world has to offer. However, Gender Dysphoria, fear, confusion and anxiety are issues many people struggle with. As Christians, it’s not our job to affirm people in brokenness and leave them without hope when we have discovered the ultimate hope in our Savior, Jesus Christ.  

So, how can we tell if a church is really a place where the Lord’s Word is proclaimed?

The first thing to do is to look at what the church believes. Are there scriptural references that align with sound doctrine? Are the messages more appealing to the flesh, or do they bring conviction and clarity through the Holy Spirit?

The second thing to ask is if the gospel is the main focus of the church. Does the church uphold the name of Jesus Christ as Lord, or do they get offended when He is proclaimed as the only path to heaven? Doctrinally sound churches will behold Christ with the utmost respect and esteem Him as the One most holy. Others will not.

Revelation 3:14-16 reads: “The Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of creation of God, says these things: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of My mouth.”

Do not find yourself caught up in a church full of lukewarm believers. The last thing anyone wants to do is find themselves being spit out by God. If you’re unsure of a church you’ve been attending or want to attend, do the research you can, ask questions and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit through God’s Word and prayer. Just because the world around us is falling for the hypocrisy doesn’t mean that we have to. Instead, we can stand firmly and boldly for the gospel in all circumstances.

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In a recent video, Kent Christmas shared a prophetic warning to the lukewarm church and the leaders who fall into this category.

“Know this, saith the Lord, the ears of men are going to begin to tingle at the sound of the reports that’s going to begin to come forth, not just out of this nation, but I am shaking the earth now,” Christmas said.

Christmas prophesied that the Lord is getting ready to show the world who He is through His justice and righteousness, and one of the ways He is going to do that is by dealing with arrogance and the lukewarm leaders who have not followed the Lord the way He commands.

“When I am finished up, my house will be called a house of prayer,” Christmas prophesied. “I am dealing with the arrogance.”

Christmas prophesied that it is the pride of those in the church that has gotten in the way of God using those currently in leadership.

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“You’ve only known Me as the God of mercy, but you will also know Me as the God of equity, justice and righteousness,” Christmas said. “I see the injustice that has been perpetrated in the house of the Lord and for what? Men have shown up in My name that has been for their own self-promotion. Know this: what they have sown, they shall reap sevenfold.”

Christmas says that the time of unholy, filthy language and actions are done, and now is the time that the Lord is going to raise up pure men and women of God who will spring forth living waters to make a difference in the world for the kingdom of God.

“Get ready, saith God, for vomit’s going to come out of heaven. Cause I’m going to vomit out of My mouth the lukewarm that has been in the house of the Lord,” Christmas said. “You have practiced sin without worry of will be will be those that have written books, pastor large churches but with one hand, saith God, I’m going to clean the table.”

Christmas warned that God will absolutely not use lukewarm believers for His plans and purposes in His next move of the Spirit.

“I don’t need the lukewarm to make My house victorious,” Christmas prophesied. “I’m going to go to the unsaved, and I’m going to say ‘Come,’ and they’ll say ‘yes…’ I’m going to fill the house up with babies that love the glory of God and out of the mouths of babes exactly, said the Lord, I am going to release My glory.”

Christmas says that the release of the glory that God is about to bring forth is one that has always been evident in Scripture, but that His people have been missing for such a long time. Now, God is not only going to shake things up, but He is going to make Himself known to the nations in the clearest way yet.

“I have always declared, says the Lord, that the glory of the latterhouse would be greater than the beginning,” Christmas said. “And yet, my people have always had to look backwards to get a glimpse of my glory. Not anymore.”

As we can expect a great end time move of the Lord, let us prepare our hearts and minds to be in connection with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. At the end of the day, no one wants to be part of those who are spit out from the Lord’s mouth. Instead, let us boldly and faithful stand up for Him and for His righteousness.

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In an interview with Charisma News, Emma Stark unveiled the purpose of the prophet and how to tell if they are being honest or if they are only telling someone something they want to hear. The first thing she points out is that most people don’t go in with the intention to lead people down the wrong path. Unfortunately, not everyone fully understands what the position of the prophet really is.

“Nobody wakes up in the morning and thinks, ‘how can I get things wrong today?'” Stark said. “First of all, we have got to have some very honest conversations about what a prophet is, and what a prophet is not.”

One of the clearest signs Stark gives for a true prophet is to realize that their job is much different than the job of the pastor. Pastors are to guide the flock to go deeper and grow closer to Christ, while the job of the prophet is to help the people turn from their wicked ways and trust in the Lord so that they and their families can get into alignment with God’s perfect will.

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“Prophets are to love ferociously. But the love is not the love of a shepherd. It’s the love of a prophet,” Stark said. “Prophets, therefore, are never going to speak just to make you feel really gooey, pander to your ego. So, if you receive a prophet and you feel your ego or your agenda is pander to, and you feel able to cheer everything they say, they’re probably not purified by fire. Because the prophet is somebody who makes you uncomfortable.”

Stark believes that the job of the prophet is much less about comfort and more about correction.

“Because the shepherds in the body of Christ, the great lifelong nurturers, make you feel safe. That is not the job of the prophet,” Stark said. “The job of the prophet in Scripture is to make you feel uncomfortable for your edification, in that you will choose better.”

Prophets also do not simply tell people what they are desiring to hear the way a prosperity gospel minister would. Prophets never have, and never will, only tell us the good because if we are to be more like Christ, we need to die daily to self and conform more and more to the image of Jesus.

“Never once do they just say, ‘you’re doing brilliant! Just you keep going, amen! We love everything about you, no need to change, you’re going to get exactly what you want. You’re going to be a success, you’re going to break through, it’s going to speed up, you’re going to get promoted, you’re going to get wealthy,'” Stark said. “Never is that the model of prophecy in Scripture, yet that’s the model of most prophets in the earth.”

However, just as the job of the prophet is harness in the flock toward a corrected, holy path, there is a grander plan and a purpose for the prophet.

“Prophecy is always about redemption,” Stark said. “But that redemption in Jeremiah, you know, says ‘is not my word like fire, declares the LORD and a hammer that breaks the rocks to pieces.’ And so I love you, but I love you robustly well enough to say, ‘Come on people, there’s a holy God, I love you well enough to put you into a process to choose better.'”

Prophecy is not for the faint of heart, and it is not meant to be taken lightly. In fact, the job of the prophet is to be God’s mouthpiece in a clear and precise manner. When prophets walk outside of this to deliver the messages that they want to share instead of the ones that God directs them to, it leads to disaster for them and for the people who heed false messages.

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Sometimes we experience seasons of doubt and unbelief when God doesn’t move in the way we were hoping for or in the timing we thought He would. Sometimes there are unexpected, outside circumstances that we encounter that lead us on a different road than what we were thinking or planning for our life. Though we want to believe that God’s plans are good and always prevail, it can become easy to question and doubt if He really meant everything that He’s said to us.

Scripture is full of verses to help us cling to the truth of who God is and the purity of His goodness. When we reset our focus on the Lord, we can be sure to discover Him from an entirely new perspective that points to Him as the cornerstone of faith and life.

Hebrews 13:5: I will never leave you, nor forsake you.

Sometimes in the midst of trying to trust the Lord it can be easy to ask, “Where are you?” Doubt is a natural part of our humanity. Part of trusting the Lord is knowing that He is with you. He never has, and never will, abandon you.

Hebrews 13:5 is derived from the text in the Old Testament when Moses has just heard from the Lord and is about to hand over his mantle to Joshua so he can lead the Jewish people into the Promised Land.

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Deuteronomy 31:7-8 reads:

“Moses called to Joshua, and said to him in the sight of all Israel, ‘Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you will enable them to inherit it. The LORD, He goes before you. He will be with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you. Do not fear, nor be dismayed.”

What an absolutely inspiring and encouraging word coming from Moses! This was a new generation of Israelites who would finally step into the promise that God had for His chosen people.

However, stepping into the promise that the Lord has for you requires trust. It requires trusting that He will be with you throughout the entire process and that He won’t let go. Just as He promised to be with Joshua, it requires trusting that He will be with you.

Philippians 1:6: “I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

God can be trusted because He does not quit on us. If He has started something, He will bring it into completion. If the God of all creation says that He will perfect something, then why doubt that?

You see, even once Moses had passed away, God did not give up His dreams for the Jewish people. Instead, He continued on what He had started with Moses through Joshua.

“Moses My servant is dead, so now get up and cross over the Jordan—you and all this people—to the land that I am giving to the children of Israel. I have given you every place that the sole of your foot shall tread, as I said to Moses” (Josh. 1:1-3).

Scripture reassures us over and over again that what He has promised will come to pass. God does not break His covenants and He never diminishes or dismisses the things that He has already ordained for our lives. God does and will finish every single thing He starts.

Hebrews 13:8: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Not only does God promise to be with us and to complete His work through us, but He also promises to be the same God today and forever as He always was. He is the Rock, the Cornerstone on which we can build our lives upon. If we can trust God to be the Alpha and the Omega, then shouldn’t we also trust Him to be the Lord over every aspect of our lives?

God showed His consistency with Joshua, proving that He was the same God who had led Moses through the wilderness. He told Joshua that He would honor him in the sight of Israel, and that he could command the priests to stand still the Jordan river (Josh. 3:7-8). Just as God guided Moses, He now would guide Joshua and meet all of his needs.

Psalm 27:14 in the Amplified Bible reads: “Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord.”

Sometimes the only way to overcome the fears that plague us is to decide that we will trust the Lord no matter what. Sometimes, just being still and knowing that He is capable of doing more than everything we ever could have hoped for or imagined is more than enough.

It was in Joshua 3:17 where we learn that all the Israelites were able to cross over the Jordan on solid ground. They could expect that God would show His kindness and His mercy to them again, just as He had in the past. Just as the Lord showed kindness and compassion on His people back then, He will do the same for you and I in our day and age.

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Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator for Charisma Media.