*“Strength Forged by Presence, Not by Approval”*
> “Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.” — Jeremiah 1:8
Jeremiah is not trained for applause but appointed for obedience. God does not ask him to predict peace but to proclaim truth; not to measure results but to deliver the word exactly as commanded.
The call comes before comfort, the word before acceptance, the presence of God before the resistance of men. Jeremiah is warned early: opposition is certain, isolation is real, but *defeat is impossible where God stands as defense.*
Kings, priests, and people will rise against him, yet heaven declares him *already fortified*—made a defensed city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls. The threat from the north reveals that judgment is not accidental but summoned by God Himself against unrepented idolatry.
While the nation bows to the work of its own hands, God raises a man who must not bow to faces. *Fear would confound the messenger, but faith anchors him in divine backing.* The prophet’s safety is not in silence but in speaking; not in blending in but in standing firm.
God does not promise an easy ministry—He promises His presence. They will fight, but they will not prevail, because God does not abandon those who stand for His word. Jeremiah teaches us that when God sends, He also secures; when He commands, He also covers; and when truth is spoken in obedience, no enemy can cancel the purpose of God.
Your brother in Christ,
Apostle Ashok Martin
*Scriptural Reflection for today:* Jeremiah 1
*Memorise:* Jeremiah 1:18, Isaiah 50:7; 54:17; Jeremiah 6:27; 15:20; Luke 21:15; Acts 6:10