Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9.

Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:

How is your day going? Are you upset about something that keeps nagging you with anxiety or fear? Are you anxious and concerned about many things? Do you feel defeated and like just giving up? If you are, you are not controlling your mind. And you must stop it NOW.

You are letting the thorns grow and the little foxes in and together they are destroying your harvest of victory. You are headed towards an unfruitful life, like a barren bush in the desert.

And yet the problem is that a gushing spring of living water is so close to you, but you are not drinking. You have a drinking problem. You are drinking at the wrong source. You are not drawing the waters of Salvation (Yeshuah) with joy, for I am your strength and song and have become your Salvation, you are instead drawing water from an empty cistern, the broken cistern of the world. There are no living waters of healing and peace there. Only agitated waters that leave you drained and empty.

For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. Jeremiah 2:13.

If you live a lifestyle of worry and fear the problem is that you have forgotten Me days without number. Jeremiah 2:32. You have forgotten who I am. For it is I, even I, who comforts you. I am the God of ALL comfort.

Why then are you so afraid of man who dies, who is made like grass, that in the face of their threatening behavior, you have forgotten Me, the LORD your Maker? Isaiah 51:12-13. There is no one higher than I and I have sworn never to be angry with you again, for all My just anger fell on Jesus and you are free. And I have told you that no weapon formed against you will prosper and that every tongue raised against you in judgment you will prove false, for your vindication and righteousness comes from Me.

I stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, why then would you fear continually all day long because of the fury of the oppressor, as he makes ready to destroy?
But where is the fury of the oppressor? My Son divested him of authority over you. If you have been caught and bound by the chains of worry and fear, it is because you are giving in to them and letting your mind dwell on the WRONG things. I sent My Word (Jesus) to set you free, and you will not die in the dungeon, nor will your bread be lacking. Keep your eyes on Jesus, and you do that by keeping your eyes on My Word.

For I am the LORD your God, who stirs up the sea and its waves roar, the LORD of hosts is My name. And My angels serve you who believe in Jesus to protect you from harm and to pursue your enemies. Remember Hezekiah?

And this is how you are set free from worry, fear, and anxiety from within and from without: I have put My Words in your mouth and have covered you with the shadow of My hand, to plant Heaven and establish My Kingdom on the earth. Isaiah 51:13-16. Days of Heaven upon the earth. And My Kingdom is one of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Listen to Me and get firm about this or you will destroy your life. Some things need time to work out. Noah was in the ark for one year and ten days. This was not his fault; he was blameless in his age and he found favor with Me. He is the reason that mankind is still existing before Me.

But things in the earth were being cleansed and made new while he was in the ark. He could have worried and been in great fear that the boat would not make it through such a strong burst of water from above and beneath. He could have spent his time in the ark in dread and constant anxiety. He could have thought about his fear day and night and turned himself into a total mess with sleepless nights and no peace. But he did not. He knew Me by then for I tell you that Noah walked with Me. And that made all the difference. He knew the One in whom he believed and was fully persuaded that what I promised I would perform.

And during his time in the ark, he really did not hear from Me, but he did not feel abandoned. He was seeing animals that usually would not get along at perfect peace with one another and they were all floating above, on the top of the waters. You will notice I only had one window where he could see out and it was at the top level of the ark, towards the sky and not towards the earth.

He had his assignment and he lived it out. There was nothing further I needed to tell him. And you see that is the case because I tell you that after the water prevailed upon the earth one hundred and fifty days I remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and I caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided. Also the fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the sky were closed, and the rain from the sky was restrained and the water receded steadily from the earth. Genesis 7:24 – Genesis 8:3. And after that there was another seven months before it was dry enough for all to leave the ark.

So he waited with patience for the desired end, when he and his family would have the entire world as if it were their own and be free of all the wicked people. And it came with faith and patience and he actually enjoyed the journey. Why? Because he looked at it with awe and wonder at all I was doing for him rather than with fear and dread of a bad end.

Noah could have gone one of two ways—the road of faith or the road of fear, later the Israelites I brought out of Egypt chose the way of fear, but Noah chose the road of faith. And it made all the difference. He had built the ark in faith and he stayed in it and came to a wondrous end by faith. But it was a process that could have plunged him into despair of the water ever receding, but instead he chose to rise up to a new level of walking with Me in joy and peace achieving faith’s goal, his salvation and that of his entire household. And he is with Me now as the one who preserved the human race. How did he do that? By faith.

“By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” Hebrews 11:7.

And Noah waited patiently until the water went down and then he sent out a raven. But after that he sent out the dove and the dove came back to him until all was peaceful and calm and then went out before him as the sign that the time to exit had come. You have the dove with you always.

And you probably never give it much thought, but think of Elizabeth. She had never been able to have a successful pregnancy to full term and now in her old age she conceives at the promise of an angel to her husband that she did not experience but relied upon by faith in what he wrote down for her on a tablet since he could not speak. She had to wait nine months in faith that nothing would go wrong this time that would cause her to loose the baby. But she did not. She rejoiced that I was working on her behalf to remove her reproach among men.

And I sent her My Word to strengthen her faith and give her peace for in the sixth month I sent her Mary with Jesus, My Word, in her womb. And what a comforting sign to her for I had told Mary that Elizabeth was with child in her old age and so she went to encourage and help her at My direction. I am the God of all comfort and I will send others to confirm My Words to you and strengthen your faith that My promise to you will come to pass.

And what did Elizabeth declare? She confirmed My Word to Mary. Elizabeth was strengthened in her journey by Mary’s knowledge from Me and then I gave a word of knowledge to Elizabeth that strengthened Mary. The minute Elizabeth had heard Mary’s greeting, the baby in her womb, John, leapt for joy. And then she declared to Mary, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.” Luke 1:42-45. And their mutual faith kept them both from worrying during the wait of pregnancy.

You have nothing to fear, for I have redeemed you. I have made Christ Jesus to be wisdom for you, and righteousness, sanctification and redemption. I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the raging waters, I will be with you; and through the rushing rivers, they will not overflow you. Though a flood of trouble come in, it will not drown you, for I am your secret place and I surround you with songs of deliverance. When you walk through the fire, like the three friends of Daniel, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. Why? Because you are precious in My sight and I honor you and rescue you. Isaiah 43:1-5; Psalm 91:15-16.

No matter how fierce the trial is, realize it is not of My making, Isaiah 54:15, and no matter what valley of darkness you have walked into, I have sent My good Shepherd to walk you through it to a table of plenty in the sight of your enemies. Just know, if you are Mine in Jesus, no matter how dark the valley or raging the storm it will all end up with your feet on the heights with a new song in your mouth, a song of deliverance and praise. But I cannot do the singing for you. I cannot take over your mind for you. That is your part. To dwell in My secret place, you must declare Me your refuge and your fortress and NOT fear the terror of the night.

And when you come out on the height from the miry pit, you will find out you could have been there all along, going above all the troubles you plunged down under by not controlling your mind. The ark of Noah did not go under the water, it floated on top. Jesus walked on the water in the storm, He did not swim His way out. Stay on the HIGHway of Holiness where the redeemed walk ascending to the mountain of grace, Zion, singing and shouting with joy crowning their heads. And that crown of joy, is the controlled mind. And the devil cannot go up on it. He has to pull your mind off it to control your thoughts by his words.

Trust in Me and keep doing good. Never give back evil for evil. Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in Me and My Word; and I will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to Me and trust Me, and I will do it. I will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Me and wait patiently for Me. Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and forsake wrath. Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for Me, they will inherit the land. Psalm 37:3-9.

Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; and you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there. But the humble will inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity. Psalm 37:10-11. Do not take off running in every direction, wait for Me to direct you how it is best to work things out when you are attacked. Satan works through confusion to push you to wrong decisions done in haste. Do not go after something hastily just to seek relief. Never compromise to get rid of the hindrance. Know I am working on your behalf. My plans for you are shalom and not evil.

You can leap over a wall or you can tunnel under it. Either way I can take you to the other side but it is much quicker and more pleasant to wait on Me and soar over on eagle’s wings then to go through the darkness and dig through the dirt to get out to the other side.

But there is a better way, and Joshua, who meditated on My Word day and night found it. The best way is make it sink out of sight and level it. Joshua and the Israelites brought the massive walls of Jericho down with a joyful shout. And Jesus told you that you can remove a mountain by speaking to it with faith based on My Word. Speak My Word to the problem that is giving you such great anxiety now, whether it be sickness within or turmoil without, and watch it dissolve into the sea. All you need to do is unpack the molecules from a solid to a liquid, or better still, a gas. And only the voice of thanksgiving does that.

Which, if you have forgotten, consists of finding the Word that is the answer to your fear, problem, and enemy, throwing yourself down with a joyful shout of thanksgiving knowing the desired end as already yours, and rising up singing praise to face the enemy. But the good news I have for you is that the enemy will already have been vanquished when you get there to confront him. Remember Jehoshaphat and the three enemy armies? He and the people of Judah took them down with a song of praise.

Rejoice and I can work for you and with you and in you. You go out with JOY and are led forth by PEACE. And that is the way I led My people out of the slavery of Egypt—with joyful shouts and singing. Psalm 105:43. And that is the way Jesus leads you too.

Remember, the righteous live by faith in My Word and they do not draw back until the vision comes to pass. Do not give up your confidence just because it takes more time than you like and you are in a state of siege. Never surrender to the enemy. Take your stand and stand. If you do, you will win and he will lose.

Until you stop the fear you cannot step out in faith. Until you cast your cares on Me and refuse to imagine how you are to handle the other person or your problem you cannot rest. Until you are fully persuaded that I will make everything work out for good for you, you will not have peace but anxiety and fear. Let Me show you the better way, come to Me and learn from Me. I will show you how.

Never forget who I am. When Moses and Gideon asked how the impossible could happen through them, I told them I would be with them. And that was more than enough to turn into a miracle. It should be more than enough for you too.

Never forget who I am and it will be fine. If you have a pain, a sickness, or someone comes against you do not fear and be running around in anxiety seeking a quick answer other places than turning to the Me. Stop and take a deep breath and remember who I am and it will be fine. You must learn to control your anxious thoughts and imaginations, for I will not only give you the answer, I Myself will be your answer.

Nothing is too hard for Me. Nothing is too wonderful for Me. Nothing is impossible for Me. And with Me all things are possible. Never forget who I am. I am the most high, there is no one and nothing higher.

Paul understood this. He had seen the glorious risen Jesus and I had taken him up to the third Heaven where I dwell and he had seen things he could not even describe. He said you cannot even think or imagine all I have prepared for those who love Me. And what did he tell you? “If God is with you, who can be against you?” This is actually equivalent to saying never forget who I am.

And Joshua told the fearful Israelites the same, “Only do not rebel against the LORD; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our bread. Their protection has been removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them.” Numbers 14:9. Never forget who I am and it will be fine.

Do not fear, the great I AM is with you. That’s it. You need nothing more. David remembered that for 13 years as Saul chased him until the promise of the kingship was fulfilled. Joseph walked through 13 years of slavery and imprisonment, but he never forgot who I was and that it would be fine.

Satan tried to offer Jesus an easy way out of the pain of the cross by offering Him a quick fix of giving Him all the kingdoms of the world if He just gave in to Satan and worshipped him. And this is what you do if you take what looks like the easy way out of a stressful situation and give more to the devil than you should by giving into the people he raises up against you.. But Jesus never forgot who I was and He told Satan to be gone for you are to worship Me alone.

I love you. Never forget who I am and it will be fine. If you are in fear of others or of any bodily infirmity, you have forgotten who is with you. You have forgotten who I am. Check your anxious thoughts and remind yourself who I am.

If I should say, “My foot has slipped,” Your lovingkindness, O LORD, will hold me up. When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.” Psalm 94:18-19.