This is the 200th blog posted since 2009.  The number one read blog was “God must protect Israel”.  As of March 3, 2011, 551 have hit that post.  Most have come from Google.  We are going through some scary times with what is happening in North Africa and the Middle East.  We are having a potential food shortage and concerns for oil and the price of each of these commodities.

I am starting to hear the same voices that were telling us that we had better store up food and water as I did prior to 2000.  Writing blogs I have found more will read negative blogs than positive ones.  Therefore, if I want to get readers attention I need to pick out a title that tells you the world is close to ending.  Which I don’t believe is happening, even though it looks like we are getting closer to a one-world-government.

The Old Testament and the New Testament were written to people at that particular time.  However, we must realize they continue to apply to each of us today.  The character and the Spirit of God has not changed.  If you read through the Bible each year you will read things that tells us a lot about God.  In the Book of Deuteronomy He tells the Israelites what they must do in Deuteronomy 27:15 – 26. Deuteronomy 28:1 – 6 – “If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.  The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out”  Shouldn’t we be praying for our nation?

If they keep His commandments they will be blessed and prosperous.  If they disobey Him they will be cursed.  Deuteronomy 28:15 – 19 – “However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you: You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed. The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.”  It goes on to give further blessings.

God does not list the things we are not to do as threats.  However, He is telling us as warnings that if we do them we will not receive His blessings.  The Israelites disobeyed God repeatedly and He withdrew His blessings which had brought them success and prosperity.  God allowing bad things to happen were the curses.

He tells Joshua in 1:6 – 8 – “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.   “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.  Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

Joshua was probably heading through some very fearful wars ahead.  In Verses 1:8 & 9, God tells him He will be with him and God would never leave him nor forsake him—abandon or fail to help him.  Joshua was leading two million people into a strange land.  Have you ever had a situation that seemed like you were in a storm and it seemed almost hopeless?  Jesus a number of times promised to us the same assurances as God had given to Joshua.  God told Joshua three times to be strong and courageous.  We too are to be strong and courageous and fear not.  He also told Him he would be with Him and never leave him.  That is our promise as believers also that the Holy Spirit with be with us 24/7.

Christ tells us to have faith and not to fear or to worry.  As believers in the Bible we too are told to mediate on Scripture day and night and live as instructed.  Know what God blesses and what He curses.    Then live accordingly and you will have nothing to fear and can expect blessings.    God tells us He with be with us through any situation to make us successful and prosperous.  If we trust in God’s promises we should be able to keep calm and meet all stormy situations without apprehension and expect the blessings that God promises.

Keep in mind always Roman 8:15 – “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.”