We Have the Power! By Lane Jordan Burday
The Lord your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked, until you came to this place (Deuteronomy 1:30-31).
The book of Deuteronomy means “second law.” In other words, Moses brought the people together again to teach them all about the Ten Commandments and to prepare them for (finally) going into the promised land. Forty years had passed since the twelve spies came back with the decision that the promised land was too hard to overtake. Because of their disobedience and lack of faith in God, God forced that generation to roam the desert until they were all dead, except Joshua and Caleb.
In light of all the Lord had done for them, the Israelites were to follow his covenant—the Ten Commandments. Why? So that they would succeed in everything they did. If Israel wanted success—victory over enemies, fruitful harvest and families, the ability to overcome their circumstances—covenant faithfulness was necessary.
So again, He reminded the Israelites that if they obey God, they will be blessed. But if they do not, they will be cursed. “Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them” (Deuteronomy 27:26).
This was a very serious matter! As Israel would learn in the hard and bitter years ahead, they would prove incapable of perfectly keeping God’s law. That’s because the law doesn’t give one the power to obey. It simply points out your shortcomings without granting you the ability to overcome them.
The beauty of the Gospel message is that God sent Jesus to show us that through Him, we could, indeed, obey Him by His power! God’s Holy Spirit gives us the conviction to do right, and even when we fail, because we are human, believing in Jesus keeps us “right with God,” or we are “righteous!” No curse can ever fall on us again!
Yes, we have power over sin and death because of what Jesus did on the Cross. We can live each day free from fear of Hell and being separated from God. Believe in Jesus, and you will have the power to live this life, and you will have eternal life to come.
“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believe, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation” (Romans 10: 9-10, NAS)
This verse shows the simplicity of becoming a Christian. Just believe.
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Lane Jordan Burday serves as a POP Talk Radio Co-Host, is coordinating a Pearls of Promise 52-Week Devotional, and is our POP Prayer Co-Leader. Lane Jordan Burday is also an award-winning best-selling author of the 12 Steps to Becoming a More Organized Woman series of books. She is an international speaker, life coach, seminar leader, Bible teacher for 25 years, and an artist. She has served as the Associate Producer for the television program In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley.
Lane’s latest book, Evangeline, is a historical fiction based on the book of Esther. You can reach Lane at: lane@lanejordanministries.com