Deuteronomy 20:3-8
He shall say: "Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do no be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory."
The officers shall say to the army: "Has anyone built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may dedicate it. Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it. Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else marry her." Then the officers shall add, "Is any man afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his brothers will not become disheartened too."
So I may think or read too much into things but as I was reading this scripture, it struck me. I wrestled with it for a while. Praying and trying to discern what God was saying to me through this and I still feel the LORD continuing to work on my heart through this scripture.
The accountability we have as Christians to our brothers and sisters is enormous. There is no room in our walk with God to be afraid or to easily give up. Never does the LORD say walking with Him will be easy or that we will live comfortably. If we are chronically not joyous; if we are always easily beaten down, we are more harm than good to God at that time.
Let me reiterate that… If we are easily frightened or quick to give up, we are more harm than good to God at that time.
In Deuteronomy, God sends those home who are fainthearted and afraid. God literally takes them out of the battle. He benches them. Will God never redeem them? No. Does God just abandon them? No. But He takes them out of the frontlines.
How many times have we been lacking joy and still considered ourselves productive instruments of Christ; still considered ourselves doing things for Christ. God is telling us in these scriptures that if we are not going to give Him full control, equipping ourselves with His encouraging truth, than we are more likely to discourage and hurt our brothers and sisters. We must live genuinely in order to uplift our brothers and sisters.
I am not calling us to be perfect or to always be a ray of sunshine, but HE is calling us to be a light unto this world. (Matthew 5:16) He calls us to bear His fruit. When we are rooted in Him, we will bear His fruit (John 15:1-17; Galatians 6:22-26). One of these fruits is joy. One of the fruits of Christ living in us is joy.
In the midst of darkness and a fallen world we must shine brightly. We must do this not for ourselves. Not to show how amazing we are. But to show how amazing our CHRIST is. None of us can do it on our own. Only through Him are we able.
How encouraging is it to know that even though we always fail and in no way can we love Him on our own, He never leaves us. He never forsakes us. We are not to be afraid. We are not to be discouraged. (Deuteronomy 31:8) How can we not be joyous when He is always with us.
Glory to the LORD, our savior, who never leaves us.
