The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Deuteronomy 7:17-23, “If you should say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them?’

18 you shall not be afraid of them; you shall well remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt:

19 the great trials which your eyes saw and the signs and the wonders and the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by which the LORD your God brought you out. So shall the LORD your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.

20 “Moreover, the LORD your God will send the hornet against them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you perish.

21 “You shall not dread them, for the LORD your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.

22 “The LORD your God will clear away these nations before you little by little; you will not be able to put an end to them quickly, for the wild beasts would grow too numerous for you.

23 “But the LORD your God will deliver them before you, and will throw them into great confusion until they are destroyed.”

It was as far back as the th Century when Michel de Montaigne said, “The thing of which I have most fear is fear itself.” Francis Bacon later borrowed that sentiment when he said, “Nothing is terrible, except fear itself.” President Franklin D. Roosevelt appropriated the phrase in his declaration of war speech saying, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

Numerous persons have since joined the “fear parade,” leaving us to believe that fear has conquered mankind, and that there is no hope whatsoever of overcoming it! And there is no overcoming of fear, so long as we believe there isn’t!

Thus, the LORD challenged His people, who were saying, “These nations are greater than we; how can we dispossess them?” As long as one’s faith lies with the opposition, he cannot but fail.

I once witnessed a basketball game where one team considerably out-sized the other. The crowd shouted about the variation in height, but there was nothing the smaller team could do but play. They were never successful in throwing the ball over the heads of their opponents! However, seeing the opponents’ legs spread openly, the smaller players skillfully bounced the ball between their opponents’ legs. The crowd howled with laughter, leaving the bigger team embarrassedly confused; and the smaller team won the game!

Victory is always on the side of the one who believes it is! Confidence in the LORD always bespeaks victory! Aspects of the battle may not always appear to be on the side of the righteous. Yet, when the LORD “plays in the game of life,” He always wins. Stay close to the LORD! He will always stay close to you!

Heartily in Christ,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom