I heard these words from the Lord for this time and season:
"Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Cry out to Me and look to Me, for I am your Answer. I will hear from heaven, and I will help you."
Let's go to Isaiah 41 now. This is a key chapter to read in this time and season, and it is about God's assurance of help. In Isaiah 41:10, the Lord says, "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
In Isaiah 41:11-13, the Lord says further, "Behold, all those who were incensed against you shall be ashamed and disgraced; They shall be as nothing. And those who strive with you shall perish. You shall seek them and not find them. Those who contended with you, those who war against you shall be as nothing, as a nonexistent thing. For I, the Lord your God will hold your right hand, saying to you, 'Fear not, I will help you'."
What a promise and assurance from the Lord!
The word 'help' here is 'azar' in Hebrew, and it can mean 'to aid, to protect, to surround you (with goodness)'. Notice one meaning of 'azar' is 'to surround you (with goodness)'.
So, people of God, no matter what issue, problem, or challenge you may be facing at the moment, take heart and take courage in what the Lord is saying to you right now, "Fear not, I will surround you (with My goodness)"!
The word 'incensed' here speaks of 'any work of darkness that comes against you', and it includes 'plans of evil against you', 'conspiracy/plot against you at workplace', or even any disease that has been plaguing you. Whatever it may be, this is a time to BELIEVE and DECLARE that all these 'shall be as nothing, as a nonexistent thing'!
Some of you might ask, "Will the Lord ever help me? After all those sinful things and stupid things I've done in my life?"
Yes! He is here to help you, if you turn to Him and look to Him. And because of what Jesus has done for you on the cross, your Father in heaven is not looking at those sins and those past of yours anymore! Instead, He sees you forgiven, cleansed, accepted, and righteous through Christ! The Bible says so! (see Romans 8:1, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Ephesians 1:6-7) In fact, not only does He want to help you, it brings pleasure to Him that you 'taste and see that He is good'! (Psalm 34:8)
You might ask further, "But why are so many Christians not tasting and seeing it?"
Because deep inside them, they still feel they have not been forgiven yet! In other words, they still have a 'guilt conscience' in them, and they still think God is 'punishing' them!
But that's not what God says for those who are in Christ!
Hebrews 10:21-23 says, '... having a High Priest (i.e. Jesus) over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful'.
The word 'sprinkled' here can be translated as 'washed, showered, cleansed'. And what does the phrase 'evil conscience' mean here? This word 'evil' is 'poneros' in Greek, and it can mean 'guilt, condemnation'. It means to say you (who have Christ Jesus in your life) have been cleansed from any guilt conscience. Therefore, you can now draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.
And what is that promise written in Hebrews 10:23? It is found in Hebrews 10:12-18 that says, 'But this Man (Jesus), after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God... For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified... "This is the covenant (promise) that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them," then He adds, "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more."'
People of God, your part is to believe and receive all that He has promised you, and that's how you'll begin walking according to what He says you are - forgiven, cleansed, accepted, and righteous through Christ!
In Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." You see? He is always here 'standing at the door and knock', ready to help you! And His grace (i.e. His supply of His goodness, and His ability to help you) is more than enough for you in a time of need (Hebrews 4:16). But you've got to open the door for Him to come in!
Let me give you a simple illustration, so you can understand better the correlation between 'His grace' and 'your faith':
His grace is like the sunshine. It exists, whether you want it or not. And just as sunshine is always available for you while it is day, His grace is always available for you who are in Christ Jesus.
Your faith (i.e. a believing heart) is like the door. If you open the door, the sunshine will enter your room (to light up, brighten, and give warmth to your room), and when this happens, every form of darkness and dampness in your room will have to disappear - and 'shall be as nothing, as a nonexistent thing'! Hallelujah!
