His Mercy and Grace

I am so thankful for God's mercy and grace in my life.  So many times, I find myself stumbling.  But in His word, I am constantly reminded of His love for me even when I fail!  It is incredibly easy to give into feelings of discouragment and yet, God always reminds me that He is not finished with me yet and always, always offers me a way out.  1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful, he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."  That is so encouraging, because I know that I will not be defeated!

Today, I was reading in Joshua about Achan's sin.  One man gave into the sin of coveting and his sin impacted the whole camp of Isreal.  Isreal no longer had God's protection from their enemies.  God told Joshua that Achan, all of his family and all of his belongings must be burned.  It reminded me so much of my own temptations.  It only takes once of giving in to temptation and all of me, mind, body and soul are impacted.  God dealt with Achan's sin by cleansing the camp of Achan and everything that was tied to him.  It is the same for me.  My sin must be cleansed.  Thanks be to God for His mercy and grace in my life!  Thank you Jesus for your cleansing blood!  As I continued to read, I was so encouraged by God's words to Joshua after Achan and his family were put to death.  God told Joshua to not fear because He would deliver Isrealites enemy into thier hands.  What this spoke to me is this:

God has not left me alone!  Deal with the offense and the sin, but do not be afraid and do not be defeated!  God has given into my hands the victory!