The Secret Life of a Christian Teenage Girl

Deuteronomy 31:1-8

Definition:
Courageous: [kuh-rey-juh s]
-adjective
1. possessing or characterized by courage; brave: a courageous speech against the dictator.

Scripture: Deuteronomy 31:1-8 (NIV)
"Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel: "I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you. The Lord has said to me, 'You shall not cross the Jordan.' The Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the Lord said. And the Lord will do to them what he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, whom he destroyed along with their land. The Lord will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.""

Think:
God loves you! He will never leave you, He will always be by your side, He will guide your steps and go before you, just like He did for Moses and Joshua!

My Description:
I lay on my side as my body takes the harsh slaps from the waves. I cough in an attempt to rid myself from the sting in my throat and noise caused by the salty water. I open my eyes but blink rapidly to adjust to the bright sun. Pushing my body up, I pull myself to my knees and crawl away from the water and fall on my back when I'm a safe distance alway.

I close my eye as I feel the tiredness in me beg for rest. Taking deep breaths, I peel my eyes open and prop myself on my elbows and look around. I observe the obvious: I'm on an island in the middle of nowhere. I get to my feet and begin to look around. I see some trees behind me and on both sides - I see nothing but the ocean.

"How did I get here?" I whisper to myself trying to recall the past. In a sigh of defeat, as I recall no memory, I begin to walk around looking for anything.

  After making a journey around the island for sometime, I finally have to face the truth. I'm all alone on this island with no food, water, or shelter.

  I take a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself as I feel the panic build. I close my eyes as I feel tears coming to the surface. I have no idea what to do. I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere with nothing. I sniffle as I sit down on the sand with the emotion of defeat settling in me.

"What am I supposed to do now?" I question myself, "I've been deserted, and forsaken. I'm alone with no one to save me."

As my bottom lip begins to tremble, I call out "God?" I pause, "Where are you? Where is my refuge? I feel forsaken, lost and alone. I'm drowning with no one to save me. Save me Lord, help me." Tears stream down my face, as I whisper, "I need You." I close my eyes as I end my prayer. I reach my shaking hand up and wipe my tears away.
‭‭
Then I hear it. I hear the roaring sound of the wings on a helicopter beating the air. I suck in a deep breath and squeeze my eyes together tightly scared that this is all a figment of my imagination. When the sound does not disappear, I slowly raise my head to see my ears did not lie. To my surprise, right above me is a helicopter.

I feel a smile spread across my face as a small ladder is released down. My Savior saved me. "Thank you Lord! Thank You for saving me, for hearing me, and for NOT forsaking me!"

Tears of joy pool down my face as I grip the ladder. I release a breath I didn't realize I was holding in. He saved me. My Lord my God is truly with me.

Review:
When I go throughout trails, I often feel stranded and forsaken. I feel that God has left me alone for me to fight this battle on my own. But in truth, He hasn't. He is always with me, I am just too clouded by what's happening That I can't feel Him there with me. I feel alone. I feel as if I've been left on a beach with crashing waves all around me with no shelter.

Message I Got:
That's why I'm sharing this scripture with you. When we go through trails, we feel emotions similar to the ones I just described but when we feel these emotions we need to remember everything that God has done for us, all He did for Moses and Joshua.

I love this scripture because of how God never left Joshua, how He went before him. It reminds me of how God will be the same with me. That there is no reason for me to be afraid or scared because God is with me! That He will never forsake me, no matter how I feel. God loves me and God loves you! He will never forsake you, He will never leave you! Why? Because He loves you.

a/n
The song is Shoulders by For King and Country. Yes, I love them. Yes, you should totally check them out.