Topic: The Cloud
Text: Isaiah 59:1-5

God never intends for us to fight the battles of life or go through its struggles alone. In fact, He has promised to abide with us every moment of our earthly pilgrimage. Today, I want you to take cognizance of the fact that God is ready to remain close to you as long as you are ready to maintain closeness to Him.

God will stand by you even when you go through the valley of the shadow of death: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). He is ready to go with you when you have to go from this world to the next. When the time of death comes, He will still be your keeper. This is why Moses said in Exodus 33:15: “And he said unto him, if thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.” Moses said that they would not go to the Promised Land unless God went with them. In other words, if you have just been promoted, you better talk to God that if He not going with you to the new place, you will not move. In Joshua 1:5, God gave Joshua only one assurance: “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.” God told Joshua not to be afraid because He who was with Moses would support him.

He said no man would be able to stand before him. Remember, if the sun refuses to shine there will be no shadow. What can prevent the sun from shinning? What can happen to make a man’s shadow disappear? One, the clouds can cover the sun. Two, the sun may be shinning but the man may be far from the sun. One of the ways by which you get God to stay away as your keeper is by going into sin. Our text tells us that our sins can become a cloud that will separate us from God. God is powerful and He is ready to protect you. However, if you create a cloud between you and him, there will be problems. Do not allow anything to cast a shadow between you and the sun of righteousness.

Memory Verse: Joshua 1:5 - “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”