He Goes Before

Transcript

Hello, my friend… so glad you're with me today. This is By God's Call — day 142, He Goes Before.

Deuteronomy 31:6. Let it land:

"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you."

Think about where Israel was standing when they heard those words. Not on safe ground. Not with the road cleared. They were at the edge of the Jordan River — with giants waiting on the other side. And that is exactly where God spoke courage. Not after the fear passed. Not once they felt ready. Right there, on the bank. That is always how He does it: not beyond the border, but right in front of it.

And what He was really saying, underneath everything, is this: you never go in first. Before any door God calls you to walk through — the conversation you've been putting off, the decision that's been weighing on you, the step your heart already knows it has to take — before any of that, He has already been there. He doesn't send you alone. He goes ahead.

That is where biblical courage parts ways with everything the world calls courage. The world says: believe in yourself. The Word says something different. It says: believe in who goes with you. The "do not fear" in this verse is not resting on your strength. It is resting on something far more solid — "for it is the LORD your God who goes with you." Courage doesn't rise up from inside you. It rises from trusting who walks beside you — and ahead of you.

And on the days when even that trust feels hard — the days when your strength is simply gone, when you are too worn down to feel brave — God placed two promises side by side, as if He knew one alone wouldn't be enough: He will not leave you. He will not forsake you. Two words. Two anchors. For the darkest days. Not a promise of an easy road. A promise of guaranteed company.

And that changes everything — because you do not need to see the whole road to take the next step. You don't need to understand every detail, don't need to have all the answers sorted out. What you need to know is who goes before you. And you already know. It is Him. It is the LORD your God.

So today, before breakfast, do this one thing: write down the hardest step in front of you today. The one you already know about — the one that's been sitting quietly in your chest, waiting. Write it down. Then pray it out loud, simply and directly: "Lord, go before me." And then set the hour you will take that step. Not tomorrow. Today. Your Jordan has a name. Cross it.

Stay close to God. Pray — then act. I'll see you tomorrow, my friend.