Deuteronomy 31:4
“And the LORD shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed.”
Israel could have easily thought they had seen everything after seeing God deliver them from Egypt and the wilderness. Yet, that was just the beginning. God said this much in the verse above when He says, “And the LORD shall do unto them as he did to…” God was reminding them that what they saw Him do in the past was just the beginning.
Anyone who has been around Christianity for any length of time has heard about God’s great works of the past. I remember growing up and hearing miraculous stories of God’s power and work in the lives of my parents and preachers. These stories always motivated me to want God to do the same in my life.
We must be careful not to adopt the mentality that those days are over. There are many naysayers out there who say that the best days of Christianity in America are over, and to them I want to remind them that what we have heard about is just the beginning of what God is about to do. God is never done working, and He has plenty of power to do great works in our day. Just like He told Israel that this was just the beginning, we should be encouraged that we have only begun to see the works of God. There were three things necessary for this to be just the beginning.
First, this is just the beginning if you’re strong enough to go forward for God. God says in verse 6, “Be strong…” The word “strong” is the same word used when Pharaoh hardened his heart. In other words, you must be determined that you are going to see God do something in your life. The determination that nothing is going to sway you from God working in your life must be present if this is going to be the beginning. It will take a strong individual who has hardened their heart towards anything that would sway them from the work of God for this to be the beginning.
Second, this is just the beginning if you are courageous enough to trust God. It takes courage to go forward when others are saying it can’t be done. It takes courage to step out on your God-given dreams. There has to be something inside of you that must be courageous enough to face the impossible and believe it is possible if you want God to work in your life. It is just the beginning if you have the courage to believe God.
Third, this is just the beginning if you have the faith to step out. It is silencing the voice of fear and acting upon faith that calls God to action. When you act upon the voice of faith, you begin to see enemies defeated and miracles performed. It just all depends upon which voice you will obey. Obey the voice of fear, and this is the end. Obey the voice of faith, and this is just the beginning.
Let me ask you, is this just the beginning for you? Are you going to trust God’s plans for your life and step out? Don’t let the best works of God be in the history books, but make history with God by believing His Word and acting upon His leading in your life.