Revive Our Hearts

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: I think one of the most profound promises in all of God's Word is one that God made to Joshua when He said, "I will never leave you or forsake you." Today, we're going to explore what that means in day-to-day life.

Guest (Male): Before we do that, I want to give a shout-out to a special group of listeners we call our Revive Partner Team. They help make Revive Our Hearts possible in three ways. One, they pray for the ministry. Two, they give monthly to help support our expenses. And three, they tell others about the ministry and the message.

If you're a Revive Partner, I've got some fun news for you. We're planning an online appreciation event for you in June, so be watching for an email about that. Now, if you're not a member of the team, we would love to change that. It's always a joy to add to the partner family. When you become a Revive Partner, you get special perks including monthly gifts and a complimentary registration to True Woman '27.

If God's used this ministry in your life in a meaningful way, then I hope you'll consider joining. If the Lord is prompting this way, just give us a call at 1-800-569-5959 and say, "I want to become a part of your monthly partner team." If you have questions, we'll be glad to answer those. You can also get more information by visiting reviveourhearts.com/partners. Thank you so much for considering how God might have you partner with us in this special way.

Dannah Gresh: This is the Revive Our Hearts podcast with Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, author of "A Place of Quiet Rest." For May 18th, 2026, I'm Dannah Gresh. God is with you right now. It's a simple truth with some profound implications. This week on Revive Our Hearts, we're talking about enjoying fullness in Christ.

Does that sound a little abstract? What does it actually mean to enjoy Christ's fullness? Well, I think we need to do two things. First, recognize His presence in our day-to-day lives, and then second, rest in it. I think you'll see what I mean in Nancy's teaching this week. She's unpacking some of Joshua's story, and God's presence is particularly evident throughout.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: If I say the phrase, "Don't leave home without it," what am I talking about? American Express card. You've seen the commercials and you see people all over the world in strange situations and out-of-the-way places, and they're left high and dry if they don't have their American Express card with them, so the commercial tells us, "Don't leave home without it."

I thought of that phrase and the American Express card as I've been meditating on the first couple of paragraphs of Joshua chapter 1, the first nine verses, as we're seeing the changing of the guard, the baton handed over to Joshua from Moses. Now Joshua has become the leader of God's people and is to take them into the Promised Land.

As God speaks to Joshua in these opening verses, He tells him there are two things he had better make sure never to leave home without. As I read these verses, I want to ask you to pick out what are the two essentials that Joshua had to have in order to succeed in his calling. These things are repeated in these verses, so look for them as I read, beginning in Joshua 1:1.

"After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, 'Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.'

From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.'

Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.'

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.'"

Now, there's some repetition in those verses. I think that's because God knows we need repetition. We need to hear things over and over again, and I have been meditating on those verses over and over and over again in the past months. God has used them to bring fresh courage and faith to my own heart as I think about the calling that God has given to me.

I hope that over these next few days as we talk together about these verses, that God will bring fresh courage and faith to your own heart for whatever situation you may be facing in your life. In this passage, we see that there were two recurring themes in the life of Joshua, as there had been in his predecessor, Moses. Two things that he had better not leave home without.

The first is the presence of God. "I will go with you." Don't go without God. You can't go without God. Don't leave home without Him: the presence of God. The second is the Word of God. "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night." Don't leave home without it.

Wherever you go, whatever you do, if you want to be successful and prosperous, take God's Word in your heart. Meditate on it, do it, lean on it. The presence of God and the Word of God: two indispensable ingredients in the life of any servant of God. I don't care how old or young you are. I don't care whether you're a student or a wife or a mom or in the workplace or an empty nester or you've got three toddlers.

Whatever you're doing in your season of life, you need the presence of God and you need the Word of God. Strength, courage, success, freedom from discouragement—all these things come from knowing that God is with you and from knowing that you are in obedience to God's Word. In this session and the next, I want us to talk about the presence of God and what it means to have that in our lives and what that consciousness should do for us.

In the following sessions, we'll talk about the Word of God. Before his death, Moses had promised that God would be with the Israelites as they went into the Promised Land. Let me ask you to keep your finger in Joshua chapter 1 because we're going to come back to it, but turn back for a moment a few pages to Deuteronomy chapter 31.

In verse 3, Moses says to the Israelites, "The Lord your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you." Verse 6: "Do not be in fear or in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you." Then in verse 7, Moses speaks to Joshua: "Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, 'Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it.'

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.'" It's interesting that in this whole passage, we see twice this connection between the fact that God will be with you and the fact that you are not to be afraid or dismayed. A conscious awareness of the presence of God in your life is what will keep you free from fear.

We'll see as we're going to look through several scriptures over these next moments how often the presence of God, "I will be with you," is linked to freedom from fear. Fear not, I am with you. Fear not, I am with you. If you know that God is with you, if you're banking on that, if you're conscious of it, if you're trusting in His presence, then there will be no place for fear, no reason to fear.

Yes, there are giants in the land, but God, who is with you, is greater than the giants who are in the land. Joshua had not just heard that promise indirectly through Moses. Moses was the one saying to Joshua, "God will be with you," but God kindly had Himself spoken to Joshua and promised, "I will be with you." Turn the page to Deuteronomy chapter 32, verse 23.

This is while Moses is still living, but God commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, "Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. I will be with you." Then we come back to Joshua chapter 1, to the passage where we started, and now we're after Moses' death.

God says to Joshua in verse 5, "No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you." I read in one commentary that that phrase, "I will not leave you or forsake you," could also be rendered, "I will not drop or abandon you."

Don't you like that? "I will not drop or abandon you." You say, "This is scary." God says, "I will not drop or abandon you. I will be with you." Verse 9: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed." Why? "For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Joshua needed at the onset of his ministry now—he's been Moses' attendant, Moses' assistant, but now he's in charge. Joshua desperately needed to know that there was someone who was in charge of him, that God was in charge and that God was with him. Joshua knew there was no way he could fill Moses' shoes.

He knew there was no way he could get across the Jordan. He knew there was no way he could face all those enemies on the other side of the Jordan. He knew there was no way he could accomplish the task that had been given to him. Remember, 40 years earlier, Joshua had been one of the spies who had gone into the land.

He had seen the land. He knew how thick those walls were around those cities. He knew how tall those giants were in the Promised Land. He had seen them with his own eyes. He knew he could not take them on himself. He knew he needed God with him. He knew that he had no hope of success, no hope of survival, apart from God going with him, so God reassures him, "I will go with you."

I think that promise, "I am with you," is one of the greatest promises that God has ever given to His children. As you read through the scripture, you will see this promise repeated over and over and over and over again. I am with you. I am with you. I am with you. I will go with you. I will be with you. I am with you now, I will be with you then.

You see it stated over and over again, often in times of crisis or uncertainty. Don't know what to do? I am with you. You're terrified? I am with you. There's a crisis at hand? I am with you. Let me just read to you several verses that make this point. They're verses mostly that you're familiar with.

In the book of Genesis chapter 26 where Isaac meets with the Lord, Isaac has been forced to move around and he's looking for a secure place to settle. God comes to him in Genesis 26 and says, "I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you." It's like that's all he needs. That settles it.

He doesn't have to be afraid anymore. God is with him, the same God who was with his father Abraham. Genesis chapter 28, God says to Jacob, "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

So God gives the promise to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. Listen, it's not enough for you to know that God was with your parents, that God was with previous generations. You need to know that God is with you in your generation today. God is with you, and He gives that promise to successive generations.

Exodus chapter 3, God is calling Moses to leave his post as a shepherd in the wilderness and to go back to Egypt where he had grown up and to lead his people out of captivity. Moses, who's been living a solitary life pretty much for the past 40 years, is terrified. He knows, "I can't just walk up to Pharaoh and say, 'Let these two million people go, these people who are serving you and are your slaves.' Pharaoh's not going to pay any attention to me. He's going to say, 'Off with your head.'"

In Exodus 3, verse 11, Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" God said in verse 12, "I will be with you." It's as if God is saying, "Moses, what else do you need? If I am with you, who do you need? What do you need that you don't have? If I am with you, you have everything that you need to go and speak to Pharaoh. I am greater than Pharaoh, and I am going with you."

In Deuteronomy chapter 20, Moses says to the Israelites, "When you go out to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt." See, Moses had experienced that God was greater than Pharaoh, God was greater than the Egyptian army.

Now Moses is saying to the children of Israel as they're going to go into the Promised Land, there will be other armies, there will be other wicked kings and rulers, there will be horses and chariots. You will be outnumbered at times, you will be outwitted at times, you will be overpowered at times. So what are you to do? Don't be afraid, for God is with you.

The same one who brought your parents up out of the land of Egypt, He will go with you into the land. He will be with you, and that's all that you need. He's greater than the enemy, He's greater than the army. You are not greater, but God is greater and God is going with you.

I think of the passage in Judges chapter 6 where Gideon, fearful, trembling, scared Gideon was asked by God to go into battle against the Midianites. God was going to give him a very strange battle plan, and he was going to go against this huge Midianite army with 300 soldiers, just hopelessly outnumbered.

Gideon says to God, "How can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. I'm a nobody. How can I do this?" The Lord said to him, "But I will be with you." What else do you need? Doesn't matter how small you are, how little you are, how little your tribe is, how little your family is. Nobody knows who you are. So what?

In fact, the littler you are, the more glory I can get, God says. I am with you. People will know you didn't win this battle. They'll know it wasn't your power, your energy, your strength that did this. They'll know it was the power of God. We come to 2nd Chronicles chapter 20 where Jehoshaphat is the king of Judah.

He speaks to the people of Judah who are hopelessly outnumbered by the confederate armies of Moab and Ammon. Jehoshaphat says to the people, "You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you."

Now, how did Jehoshaphat know that the Lord was going to be with him? Well, God had told him, "I will be with you." Now, with faith welling up in his heart, Jehoshaphat the king says to his people who are trembling in fear, "Don't be afraid. God has told me that He will be with us, and I'm telling you, God will be with us when we go into that battle. There's nothing to fear."

Now, humanly speaking, he's nuts. Humanly speaking, he's crazy. Humanly speaking, the army of Judah is going to be demolished by the Moabite and Ammonite army. But God is with His people. "But God is with you," he says to the army as they go out. And so when they go out into battle the next day, remember how they went out? Singing songs of praise.

They put the choir at the front of the army. How'd you like to be in that choir? God had put faith in their hearts. God is with us, the unseen champion and warrior of our faith. He is the one who goes before us. He goes in us, with us, through us, above us, alongside of us. He goes with us. Don't be afraid.

You read that theme throughout the book of Isaiah. Let me read some verses that are familiar to you. "Fear not," Isaiah 41:10, "for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Chapter 43:1, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you."

How do you walk through floods, through fires? And life has fires and floods of a literal sense, but many times in a not-so-literal sense, and you feel like the whole world is caving in on you. How do you walk through that without fear? You go knowing that if you're a child of God, God has redeemed you and promised to be with you and in you.

In Jeremiah we read that same thought seven times: "Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord." We see it when you come to the New Testament. The apostle Paul is in the city of Corinth where he's being opposed and reviled. In Acts chapter 18 we read, "And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision," and I can just imagine that this might have been a night when Paul had gone to sleep really troubled.

What's going to happen? Perhaps couldn't sleep well that night. We don't know, but the Lord appeared to him in a vision and said, "Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you." "I AM THAT I AM," the God who appeared to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Moses and Jeremiah and Isaiah and Gideon. I am with you.

The same God, the God of your fathers. The God who got them through, the God who took the children of Israel into the Promised Land. I am with you. Don't be afraid. 2nd Timothy chapter 4, Paul says, "At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me."

Some of you in your family situation feel deserted. I get emails from our listeners who say, "Everyone has left. No one is following the Lord in my circle of friends or my family or my workplace. What do I do? I feel so alone." Paul said the Lord stood by me and He strengthened me. God will stand by you when you feel that you've been deserted and you're alone, and He will strengthen you.

As Jesus was about to ascend into heaven, He said to His disciples, "Go, make disciples, teach them to observe all that I've commanded you." And how are you to do this? "Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Those disciples must have felt a little bit like Joshua getting ready to go into the Promised Land.

How are we to do this? The Jewish religious leaders are not in favor of this new Christianity thing. The Roman government is not going to be in favor of it. And You're telling those of us who are left here, this little band of terrified disciples, that we're supposed to go and make disciples of all nations? How in the world are we to do this? Jesus says, "I am with you always to the end of the age."

You won't be doing it alone. You're not going on your own strength or your own power. You are going in My strength, in My name, in My power, and with Me at your helm. God makes that same promise to His people today. "I will never leave you or forsake you," Hebrews 13:5. I will never leave you. I will never forsake you.

Charles Spurgeon talks about that phrase, "I will never leave you," and I love his words. He says, "There is nothing you can want, there is nothing you can ask for, there is nothing you can need in time or in eternity; there is nothing living, nothing dying, there is nothing in this world, nothing in the next world, there is nothing now, nothing at the resurrection morning, nothing in heaven, which is not contained in this text, 'I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.'"

Everything you could ever want or need for now, for the future, for time, for all of eternity is found in that promise, "I will never leave you or forsake you." There've been so many times in the process of the birthing and growing of the ministry of Revive Our Hearts over the years that I have felt for moments very alone.

Now, I'm not alone, and Satan can use that as a weapon to make us think and to get us emotionally pulled down, to make us think we're alone. I thank the Lord for people who pray, for people who encourage, for people who support this ministry in different ways. But sometimes you just feel while I'm sitting in my study sometimes trying to prepare material for the next recordings or something happening in the ministry that is challenging, sometimes I just feel like there is nobody here to walk through this with me.

And there are times when the waters get a little tumultuous. There are times when they get a lot tumultuous. I'm saying that knowing it's true of my life, but knowing it's true of your life as well. And there are so many times when I have thought to myself, thinking of those disciples out on that stormy sea with the waves rising up against that boat, the waves taller than the boat, and the disciples thinking we're going to drown.

And I've been reminded if I didn't know that Jesus was in this boat with me, I would be discouraged. I would be terrified. I would give up. I would know we're going to drown. But what brings peace and encouragement and grace and confidence and security to my heart, what enables me to sleep well at night, is knowing that I am never alone in that boat.

No matter how stormy and high the waves, no matter how threatened my boat may be, I know that Jesus is in that boat. He's there with me. It's His presence that gives me confidence, that sets me free from fear, that enables me to move forward knowing, you know what? This boat may fall apart, but even if I fall into those waters, I'm not alone. Never, ever alone. He has said, "I will be with you." He's with you in your boat today. He's with you in your storm today.

Dannah Gresh: So many people need to cling to those words today. Maybe you do. Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth has been showing us how God's presence is an antidote to fear. When we acknowledge He's with us and always will be, we can rest. This is part of what it means to enjoy the fullness of Christ: the never leaving or forsaking Savior who's in the boat with you.

Today Nancy's encouraged us not to leave home without God's Word and God's presence. Not too long ago, we heard from a listener from Central America. She's experienced the comfort of the Word. We contacted her and asked her to read her letter for us. Let's listen.

Silke Ramos: Dear Nancy, I hope that when you read this letter you will find yourself sustained in the grace of the Lord and strengthening Him. My name is Silke Ramos from Honduras. I am 42 years old. I have been married for almost 15 years. I have two girls, Jimena and Valeria, who are 8 and 5 years old respectively, and I have been a Christian for about 24 years.

I am writing this letter to say thank you, Nancy. Thank you for all that you do to help women find freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ. I am one of many women who have been impacted and transformed by the power of God's Word. I listen to the daily podcast every day, and it's like a spring of living water, like daily nourishment for my soul, like a light in the midst of the darkness and confusion of this world. My mind has been renewed and my heart has been transformed by the power of the Word.

I don't want to end this letter without telling you that I'm deeply sorry for the passing of your beloved husband Robert. I followed the entire process from when he was in the hospital until the service to honor his memory. I learned so much from the sober, humble, and completely surrendered way in which you handled the entire situation. I watched the video "Unexpected Grace" with my girls because I wanted them to know your love story and learn from it as I did.

May God continue to be your strong rock and strength in this time of mourning and in this new stage of life as you continue to bring the message of the gospel to women around the world. "And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever." Daniel 12:3. God bless you richly, dear Nancy.

Dannah Gresh: Thank you, Silke. And I know Nancy thanks you as well. You know, if you've ever prayed for or made a donation to Revive Our Hearts, you've played a part in helping us reach listeners like Silke. Thank you very much. And we've told you all this month, our financial needs are large, but not too large for the Lord. Would you consider giving a gift to Revive Our Hearts?

Help us continue ministering to Silke and thousands of others like her. To make a donation, go to reviveourhearts.com or call us at 1-800-569-5959. And when you give, ask about the new booklet from Nancy called "To Thrive." It's our small way of saying thank you for your donation. Again, you can contact us with your gift and help us reach our urgent need by going to reviveourhearts.com or by calling 1-800-569-5959.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth says the presence of God is everything. Without Him you cannot succeed, and with Him you cannot fail. Learn why the presence of God is so important tomorrow on Revive Our Hearts. This program is a listener-supported production of Revive Our Hearts in Niles, Michigan, calling women to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ.