Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. - Psalm 23:4

At one time or another, the path to green pastures leads you through the shadow of the valley of death. Shadows are scary things. We've all been frightened by a shadow in our room, in the yard, or another part of the house. The funny thing about shadows is that when you turn the light on, they disappear. What you thought was a person lurking in the shadows of your living room, turns out to be the coat rack when you turn the light on. 

Notice that David didn't say the valley of death. He said the shadow of the valley of death.  As a Christian, there is no fear of death, and no need to fear the valley of the shadow of death. 

The valley of the shadow is not a stopping point. Aren't you glad he didn't say God leads me to lie down in the shadow of the valley? The valley of the shadow is something you walk through on your way to somewhere else. 

Since God is with you in the valley of the shadow, there is nothing to fear. He is not out in front of you leading, but right there beside you, showing you which way to go and directing your steps.

Jesus is your Immanuel - God with you. No matter how dark the valley may be, He is with you. The closer you are to Him in the valley, the safer you will feel. If you are going through a valley today, reach out to the Great Shepherd, who is watching over you, and caring for you.

When you are overcome with fear, run to the shepherd.

One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the LORD your God who fights for you, just as he promised you. - Joshua 23:10 When God empowers you, amazing things happen. In this chapter, Joshua has grown old and is giving his final speech to the people of God before he dies. He reminds them of all the incredible things God has done for them. He tells them they have been successful in overcoming all their enemies because God fights the battle for them. When God is fighting the battle, one soldier can cause one thousand enemies to flee. It was not their strength or military power that brought the victory. God was going before them to fight the battle on their behalf. God is fighting your battles as well. He goes before you into every challenge you face. He is empowering you to bring about victory in every situation. Every day you face a spiritual battle against the forces of darkness. They are committed to your destruction, but God is in the battle with you. He is going before you to win the battle. You are empowered to walk in victory today. You can stand and face the enemy with courage and strength because He has promised to fight for you. Your enemy will flee and you can overcome a thousand demonic forces because God is fighting the battle for you.

One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the LORD your God who fights for you, just as he promised you. - Joshua 23:10

When God empowers you, amazing things happen.

In this chapter, Joshua has grown old and is giving his final speech to the people of God before he dies. He reminds them of all the incredible things God has done for them. He tells them they have been successful in overcoming all their enemies because God fights the battle for them. When God is fighting the battle, one soldier can cause one thousand enemies to flee. 

It was not their strength or military power that brought the victory. God was going before them to fight the battle on their behalf.

God is fighting your battles as well. He goes before you into every challenge you face. He is empowering you to bring about victory in every situation. 

Every day you face a spiritual battle against the forces of darkness. They are committed to your destruction, but God is in the battle with you. He is going before you to win the battle. 

You are empowered to walk in victory today. You can stand and face the enemy with courage and strength because He has promised to fight for you. Your enemy will flee and you can overcome a thousand demonic forces because God is fighting the battle for you. 

Hi, this is Billy Taylor and welcome to the Daily Promise. Saturday is review day on the Daily Promise. Every Saturday we review the promises we learned during the week, so these promises really become part of our life.

Here are the verses we looked at this week.

The hope of the righteous brings joy. - Proverbs 10:28

See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled. - Hebrews 12:15

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. - Proverbs 3:6

The Lord is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. – Psalm 145:8

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. - Nahum 1:7

Hi, this is Billy Taylor and welcome to the Daily Promise. Saturday is review day on the Daily Promise. Every Saturday we review the promises we learned during the week, so these promises really become part of our life.

Here are the verses we looked at this week.

The hope of the righteous brings joy. - Proverbs 10:28

See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled. - Hebrews 12:15

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. - Proverbs 3:6

The Lord is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. – Psalm 145:8

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. - Nahum 1:7

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. - Nahum 1:7

Nahum is an old testament book that even the most well-versed bible student has spent very little time reading. This little book is only three chapters long, and its focus is the judgment coming to the town of Nineveh. The book opens with a description of the awesomeness of God.

Seven verses in, this wonderful promise shows up. In this verse, are there simple but essential promises.

1. God is Good. That may sound way too obvious, but when life is not treating you well, you can often doubt God's goodness. Satan has always attacked God's goodness. His first temptation to Eve was that God was holding out on her. He whispers in our ear, "How can a good God allow all these bad things to happen?" The heart of the Gospel is that God is good and that he cares for you and me.

2. God is our stronghold. The Bible never promised a life free from problems. Often, scripture assumes there will be times of trouble. In your day of difficulty, whatever it may be, you have a stronghold. A stronghold is a fortress of protection and safety. You are not alone when you face problems and troubles.

3. God knows you are His. You are not forgotten. No matter what you are facing today, God has not forgotten about you. Jesus said He knows each of his sheep by name. 2 Timothy 2:19 says that God knows those that are His. Even in the hard times, God has not forgotten you. His goodness is working in your life today.

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. - Nahum 1:7

Nahum is an old testament book that even the most well-versed bible student has spent very little time reading. This little book is only three chapters long, and its focus is the judgment coming to the town of Nineveh. The book opens with a description of the awesomeness of God.

Seven verses in, this wonderful promise shows up. In this verse, are there simple but essential promises.

1. God is Good. That may sound way too obvious, but when life is not treating you well, you can often doubt God’s goodness. Satan has always attacked God’s goodness. His first temptation to Eve was that God was holding out on her. He whispers in our ear, “How can a good God allow all these bad things to happen?” The heart of the Gospel is that God is good and that he cares for you and me.

2. God is our stronghold. The Bible never promised a life free from problems. Often, scripture assumes there will be times of trouble. In your day of difficulty, whatever it may be, you have a stronghold. A stronghold is a fortress of protection and safety. You are not alone when you face problems and troubles.

3. God knows you are His. You are not forgotten. No matter what you are facing today, God has not forgotten about you. Jesus said He knows each of his sheep by name. 2 Timothy 2:19 says that God knows those that are His. Even in the hard times, God has not forgotten you. His goodness is working in your life today.

The Lord is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. – Psalm 145:8

Your view God affects how you live the Christian life. The more you read the Bible, the more you develop a better understanding of who God is. The Word of God paints a beautiful picture of the characteristics of God.

In this short promise, we see four qualities of God. Each quality opens a new door to a better understanding of who He is and how we relate to Him. Look at these four wonderful qualities of the God you serve.

First, God is gracious. God's grace is His love in action. It was God's grace that sent Jesus into this world to pay the price for our sins. His grace reached out to you before you ever cared for Him, and His grace keeps you in close fellowship with God. God is overflowing with grace.

Second, God is merciful. Where grace is getting what don't deserve, mercy is not getting what you do deserve. God's mercy is another expression of His love. His mercy opens the door to His presence.

Third, God is slow to anger. Although God is a God of mercy and grace, He is also a just God. Sin always brings about separation from Him. Sin always leads to death. For those who refuse to turn from their sin, judgment will come. However, God is slow to anger. God always gives room for repentance. At times, His anger is poured out in righteous judgment, but only as a last resort. God is patiently giving time for repentance and restoration.

Finally, God is great in lovingkindness. Lovingkindness is commitment love. Some translations call it "loyal love." It is God's steadfast love for His people. I love that the psalmist added "great in." God is overflowing in his commitment to love you today.

The Lord is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. – Psalm 145:8

Your view God affects how you live the Christian life. The more you read the Bible, the more you develop a better understanding of who God is. The Word of God paints a beautiful picture of the characteristics of God.

In this short promise, we see four qualities of God. Each quality opens a new door to a better understanding of who He is and how we relate to Him. Look at these four wonderful qualities of the God you serve.

First, God is gracious. God’s grace is His love in action. It was God’s grace that sent Jesus into this world to pay the price for our sins. His grace reached out to you before you ever cared for Him, and His grace keeps you in close fellowship with God. God is overflowing with grace.

Second, God is merciful. Where grace is getting what don’t deserve, mercy is not getting what you do deserve. God’s mercy is another expression of His love. His mercy opens the door to His presence.

Third, God is slow to anger. Although God is a God of mercy and grace, He is also a just God. Sin always brings about separation from Him. Sin always leads to death. For those who refuse to turn from their sin, judgment will come. However, God is slow to anger. God always gives room for repentance. At times, His anger is poured out in righteous judgment, but only as a last resort. God is patiently giving time for repentance and restoration.

Finally, God is great in lovingkindness. Lovingkindness is commitment love. Some translations call it “loyal love.” It is God’s steadfast love for His people. I love that the psalmist added “great in.” God is overflowing in his commitment to love you today.

Have you ever needed clarity? Ever felt like you needed God's help in making a big decision? Today's promise is about God leading us, and it's found in Proverbs 3:6.

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. - Proverbs 3:6

We all need God's direction in our life. We face decisions where we don't know what to do. We come to a fork in the road, and we aren't sure if we should go right or left. That's when most of us think about asking God for direction and leadership. However, God is not our personal GPS. We can't just turn Him on for guidance, then turn Him off when we arrive safely.

He must not be the last resort when we are lost, but the first step when we begin our journey.

Most of God's promises are conditional. God has a requirement to be met before the promise can be secured. The condition for this promise of direction is our acknowledging God.

When we acknowledge God in all our ways, we are saying, "God today you are in control. All my goals, desires and hopes are in your hands. Today, I set my life before you to be used as You wish."

Sometimes we are asking God for direction, but we've never asked if this is where He wants us to go? We ask directions before ask if we should go at all.

When we acknowledge Him, He promises to give direction and lead us down a straight path.