Keep Going for God is Going Before You

When our oldest daughter was little she talked early and said very grown up things. It was really cute. Danny and I were talking to each other one day and she was off playing with toys in her room. She might have been 2, but barely. She came running in the room and announced, “You guys make me nerzis!”  Where she had heard about being nerzis (nervous) I still don’t know, but that was her announcement. We laughed and hugged her up and that was that.

Stress is very much a part of life. It comes out as nervousness, worry, anxiety, panic, and being jumpy. I heard a pastor preach one time that we need to quit figuring out how to de-stress our lives and learn how to deal with the stress. People deal with it in lots of ways. Long vacations, medication, hobbies, and trying to run away from problems. They even go in search of themselves, thinking if they find purpose in self then stress will leave. But the pressures and strains of life are just a part of the human existence. Outward circumstances are bound to give us problems, at least occasionally, so what do we do when we’re face to face with troubles, trials and we need a release?

God spoke to my heart last night before I went to bed: You have a destiny to fulfill.  You have a God who will see that it is done. You have an enemy who wants to kill your destiny. Now do you still wonder why there’s a battle raging?

If life is going to contain stressful times then we must learn our God given responses to the feelings that come so that we can be triumphant over the enemy and go on to fulfill our destinies in Christ. While we don’t want to rejoice in suffering, the very act of rejoicing is one of our biggest weapons against worry, anxiety, fear, and panic.  Everything that God promises us in His Word is true. But His truth doesn’t mean we won’t have trials or stresses or battles. His Truth promises to see us through all these things in triumph over the enemy and in victory to live life as a child of the Most High God.

Oh beloved, God knows what you’re going through. He is with you and He is for you. His guardianship is guaranteed for you are His child and He is your Father. There’s no need to live in a state of constant panic for the God of the Universe is with you! If He can put the planets in orbit and cause the tides to ebb and flow, if He can adjust the seasons and give rain in due time, then can He not take care of you? You mean more to Him than many sparrows, yet His Word says that not one sparrow falls to the ground without His knowledge. He knew your life and the purpose He had for that life before you were even completely formed in your mother’s womb. He knew your destiny from the foundation of the world and He loves you enough to make a way for you to complete that destiny in victory and strength. He knows that much has come against you and that you feel weak and powerless at times. He’s seen you try to escape the trials and keep yourself free of stress, but He also sees that it hasn’t worked for you.  He wants you to know this morning that He can give you the commitment and stamina to stay the course. He wants you to know it is in the hardest moments of life that His light can shine through you. He wants you to know that you need to learn to stand against the enemy and stand with the Lord to complete your call in life. And beloved, He wants you to know that you don’t have to go it alone – He is with you every step of the way. He knows about every rejection, every sorrow, every weakness, every time you ever quit because you were looking for a stress free place. And yet this morning He says to you, rise up and go. Head into that stress with the armor of God and watch as you become more than a conqueror and your strength will rise because you are going with God.

God will never leave you or forsake you, so that you don’t have to forsake your place of purpose in God’s plan for your life. Rejoice in the battle for you are destined to win. Rejoice in the Word for that is your armor. Rejoice in the King for His army is with you. He loves you and He’s for you and that’s all that matters as you overcome it all to live in the light of His Word.

2 Corinthians 2:14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.

Deuteronomy 31:8 The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.

Psalm 112:7 He will not fear evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.

Isaiah 40:28-31  Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God,   the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Got a Jericho Wall to Battle?

I don’t dream all the time, but when I do it often carries meaning beyond just a dream. During the week last week I dreamed that a man in a big brimmed hat was after me. I was scrambling through leaves and darting behind bushes but he kept coming with his hat down and his face hid. He wasn’t talking or racing, but he was determinedly walking briskly after me. I finally got inside a little house and tried to hide under some covers. Dream over. I woke up and a neighbor’s two dogs were literally running around my house barking as though protecting me. I was worn out.

Of course I woke Danny up and told him about my dream. His response was “Really?” And then he proceeded to tell me he had just finished dreaming too. Only in his dream he was floating in the heavenlies, worshipping and praising the Lord. He was playing instruments and drums, flutes and singing. He was totally involved in the whole scene. He was having the most glorious time with the Lord. He never wanted it to end. He was thoroughly refreshed in spirit mind and body.

I asked him why he got the wonderful dream and I got the chase scene with the bad guy? We both chuckled. Neither of us knew why but I was blessed to know his dream was so vivid and wonderful. Who wouldn’t want to dream they were praising God in the heavenlies?

Just like dreams, we don’t get to choose what we’re dealing with in life. We find ourselves in a hard place while watching others having a great time and we want to say why them or why me? Sometimes we are the pursued one and sometimes we are in a season of God’s magnificent blessings. We all prefer the blessings over the hard seasons.

The things I do know are that God will always protect us no matter what we’re going through and we can always worship God no matter the circumstances. And finally, when things are rough or we’re facing a situation, we need to keep God’s orders in focus, following His details regardless of our feelings.

Why do we need to know this? In hot pursuit from the enemy we often drop the important things. We forget to worship. We do. Things get tough and the first thing people do is blame God and quit having fellowship with other believers. The other thing is worship always keeps us from feeling pursued by troubles. It’s a wall of protection against worldly feelings. It really is.

Remember Jericho in the Old Testament? Joshua had a battle to fight, but God said worship around the wall. When the wall fell they won the battle without lifting a hand. Joshua could have tried to do that in his own strength and he would have failed miserably. But instead He kept His allegiance to God and did only what God told him to do. The result was overwhelming victory.

Oh beloved, whatever you are going through right now, you are in a superb position to be totally victorious. Your own mind and flesh cannot do a hundredth of what God’s Spirit can do. Worship Him. Stay close to Him. Get with strong spiritual people. Pray. And listen to God. He will tell you what to do and how to be blessed. His Word is your trumpet in Zion. His Spirit is your guardian in the battle. His voice is your road to success. You are a worshiper and it’s time to arise and walk through it all with God and see your enemies scatter! God always leads us into overwhelming triumph and displays us as a beautiful remembrance of His glory and grace. God will do great things for those who trust in Him. He will help you in every emergency as you will place your entire confidence in Him and faithfully obey.

He loves you and He’s for you and that’s your victorious worship song every single day!

Joshua 6:2 The Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors.

Psalm 29:2 Honor the Lord for the glory of His name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness.

Psalm 4:4-5 Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and trust in the Lord.

1 Samuel 15:22 Samuel said, “Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.

God Says You're on the Winning Team!

Remember the days of picking kids to be on teams? We wanted the best to hold the line, throw the ball, jump the rope and more. There were the ones that were always picked last. It was hard because kids wanted to be nice, but they wanted to win. So the struggle between having a good team and having a good heart was there on the playground for the whole world to see.

Sometimes the underdog just got made fun of and left to suffer in his or her own problems. Other times we’d find out that the underdog was actually a shining star with talents none of us knew! It was amazing to see the look on the face of the kid who didn’t fit in as everyone cheered on the victorious home run or breaking through for Red Rover.

Our country is in a bit of a mess. I might say we may be in the last inning. There’s trouble at all the bases and the opposing team appears to be bigger, stronger and “badder”.  We’re the underdogs that’s for sure.  Unless we do something drastic we can’t hope to win. Can we?

You’re probably feeling the heat yourself. Life can be a big a mess as the playing field of life gets littered with all kinds of problems. You know you’re the weaker link, the last to be picked and you may even have been left out of the game altogether.  Unless you do something drastic you won’t win. Will you?

Is there hope for us on the underdog team? Is there hope for you as an underdog yourself? Maybe you’re thinking about throwing in the towel and making yourself fit in with the other team. You’re tired of having a good heart, full of good intentions and being lonely and outcast and unappreciated, undervalued and discarded like a bad penny.

Oh beloved, I encourage you today to get out the Play Book of Life and read:  The underdogs win! It may look rough, the sky may be growing dark, the winds of change are blowing in and the devil himself is howling at your door. But God says you are on the A Team! God says you’re a Winner! God says you are victorious not a victim! He says you are beautiful, perfect and redeemed. He says you are able and content and valiant! He says greater is He who is in you than He who is in the world!

It may be the last inning and you may be struggling, but God says I love you and I AM for you and that’s all that matters in the playing field of life!

Psalm 112:6-8 Such people will not be overcome by evil.  Those who are righteous will be long remembered.  They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.  They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly.

1 John 5:5 And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

I John 4:4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

I Corinthians 1:8-9 He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns.  God will do this, for He is faithful to do what He says, and He has invited you into partnership with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 8:31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?

Your Strength is From God Himself!

Two of our grandsons spent the night with us last night. We rented Jack the Giant Slayer.  It was pretty good but the best party of the movie was at the very end. The special affects were outstanding, the actors were good and the plot was wondrous. But that ending…

There were gruesome fights, a captured princess and fights for freedom. As the giants in the land were about to take over the entire kingdom, killing all the people who lived there, including the people’s king – they suddenly stopped in their tracks. Beginning with the leader, one by one they all knelt and bowed. Elmont, the king’s elite guard leader, looked incredulously at the sight of those giants in such a position.

He spoke out loud and everyone heard him, including the King, “There’s something behind me isn’t there?” As the soldiers and the King turned around, Jack came up with the princess. He was holding the crown of an ancient king Erik, who had reportedly defeated the giants one time before. He put the crown on his head and the fight was over. Not one of the giants was able to come against the crown.

Let’s face it. We all have battles in our lives. Some of them are quite gruesome. There are battles we don’t want, but find ourselves in anyway. There are battles of the heart, the mind and the spirit. We may love with abandon, only to find ourselves struggling to keep love fresh and real. We give ourselves fully to friends and family but there are times when even the closest of kin will turn and walk. We battle heartaches, loneliness, sorrow, despair. We come up against fearsome foes – fear, anger, rejection, doubt, indifference and more.  We may start out strong, but find ourselves holding on for our life as we see that we are no longer winning but actually up against things we can never overcome…on our own.

But just like the final battle in the movie, we have something behind us! We have Someone Who will come in like a flood and wipe our enemies from the land before us! Our King of Kings promises so many vast and wonderful things for us so that we can be more than conquerors and absolutely victorious in any battle we face! If He weren’t behind us, we’d lose for sure – but He is! And so because He is behind us, we can face everything that comes our way knowing through Our God we win!

God’s battle cry is full of love so that when we feel unloved and unlovely we can rejoice in the victory of His never ending love! God’s battle cry is full of hope – the hope that never disappoints, never loses and always overcomes! God’s battle cry is full of victory, for it is in our weakest moments that He is the Strongest in us and through us!

Oh beloved, are you barely holding on this morning! Don’t despair, but rather declare!  Declare the works of the Lord, speak out the Word of the Lord and gather up the Truth of God’s Word as your sword and shield! You may have thought you were all alone facing your giants, but behind you is God and He promises to rises up on your behalf and overcome everything because He loves you and He’s for you and that’s where the true Victory is!

Learn His Word completely, embrace His Word as your banner in the battlefields of life and watch as through God you will be valiant and find yourself in a win win situation always!

Jeremiah 15:20 They will fight against you like an attacking army, but I will make you as secure as a fortified wall of bronze. They will not conquer you, for I am with you to protect and rescue you.
I, the Lord, have spoken!

Psalm 59:17 O my Strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.

Psalm 34:7 For the angel of the LORD is a guard; He surrounds and defends all who fear Him.

Psalm 139:5 You go before me and follow me. You place Your hand of blessing on my head.

Exodus 14:4 The LORD Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.

Today is Your Declaration of Dependence!

We enjoy visiting many battlefields when traveling across the country.  Shiloh is one of the larger parks we’ve visited as well as Pea Ridge right here in Arkansas.  Considering the smaller places, there are remnants of battlefields everywhere. Our country has survived much and has much rich history to read and see. 

Life itself is a battlefield and there are many sieges within our days. While many lives have been lost in the battles within our country, there is no need to lose a battle as a Christian, when we have such an arsenal of truth and grace to count on.

There’s the battlefield of the mind.  We have one and only one enemy and he wants to win.  He wants to win at putting you in such a position that you cannot hear from God and cannot believe He will rescue you. The enemy wants to make you think that you are cut off from God’s supplies. You cannot believe him.  He tells you that you are un-loveable, unusable, unable and undone.  He speaks lies into your mind and if you don’t have your orders straight from the Word of God, you will believe him.  Take out your sword beloved!

Then there’s battlefield of the heart. Once again the opposing force assaults and wounds.  He reminds you that you’ve been left alone, your heart is broken and you feel dejected and full of sorrow. This is a sniper’s work. It only takes one word of rejection spoken quietly to get you vulnerable. He will tell you it’s over - you might as well give up.  You become afraid, hesitant and desperate. Desperate soldiers make mistakes and may desert their God given position.

The battlefield of the spirit.  This battle is raging constantly. The enemy assaults you by attempting to make you believe you can fight in your own strength. As you try desperately to fight and win, you find yourself exhausted, winded and ready to surrender. But just as he has you right where he wants you, the Cavalry of God’s Heavenly Host arrives and reminds you what God’s Word says for you are an overcomer! You will be Victorious! You cannot fight in your own strength, but through God you can wage war and win!

Oh beloved, God knows your battles this morning. He knows that you went to bed last night trying to figure out how you are going to make it. He knows the skirmishes have brought tears and sorrow so many times. But this day God wants you to get up and stand up and declare His Word over every problem, over every situation, over every battle, over every lie and corrupt word that’s been spoken over you.

Today is your Declaration of Dependence! You are counting on God! You can shout it with David, who picked up a small stone and put it in a sling. You can declare it with Joseph, who sat at the bottom of a well. You can proclaim it with Abraham as you climb the mountain of adversity.  Oh beloved, you are a soldier in God’s Army and you have a huge cloud of overcomers to assist you by their testimonies. You have the Word of God that is strong and invincible and your only weapon, but oh what a weapon it is!

You are never alone in this battlefield of life. God loves you and He’s for you so you will always be a winner through Jesus Christ Who is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  Rejoice, that even though you may be in a battle today, ultimate victory is yours! Amen!

Deuteronomy 20:4 For the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and He will give you victory!

2 Corinthians 12:9 Each time He said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

Deuteronomy 31:6 So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.

Proverbs 21:31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD.

I Chronicles 29:11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is Yours, O LORD, and this is Your kingdom. We adore You as the one who is over all things.

In a Battle? God WIll Give You Victory!

On a recent trip we decided to take a tour a civil war battlefield.  We entered through the arched monument with excitement. High atop the Mississippi River bluffs, this park meanders through rugged gullies and deep ravines. There are monuments to all soldiers who fought there, as well as generals and dignitaries. There are also monuments for each state that battled there.  Some states’ monuments are huge, with elaborate details. Others are simple but each one carries a message - some of hope, others of sorrow.

At this battle, soldiers of one side were cut off from supplies and food. The siege lasted more than a month, but surrender was imminent. Without supplies and nourishment, no group of soldiers can last forever.  They had been promised help, but word eventually came that they were also sick and starving and had lost their strength to fight as well.

By the time we were halfway through the tour of the park, I was done with it. The excitement of the entrance gave way to the horrors of war. Seeing the 30 pound cannons facing off against one another and the cemetery with its row upon row of white stones told the truth of war.  Seeing on one state’s monument that brother fought against brother made me sick to my stomach.  We found an exit and headed on home. 

Don’t you know those soldiers, many of them so very young, with rosy cheeks and gleaming smiles, were quite excited upon their entry into service?  They were willing to fight for their truth. They were there to defend their side and to win the war. But by the time they’d seen the casualties and felt the gnawing hunger in their stomach and seen the stench of it all, I know they were like me- ready to go home.  Some of them never made it back, others ran away and a few lived to tell the story of the ravages of combat.

We’re like that aren’t we? We ask Jesus into our heart and we’re gung ho for the life! We are ready to tackle anything, give up all and fight the good fight of faith. Admittedly it’s pretty easy at first, loving Jesus and learning about Him. But believers are bound to get into the fray – eventually the enemy of our souls will call us to battle. While the onslaught can last a while, we get weary. Without the supplies and nourishment needed for a believer, some will succumb to the fight.  Others will want to run away.

Oh beloved, run to the Commander and General of the Lord’s Army! He knows you’re in a battle. He’s seen the troubles in your heart, the things that have come against you. He’s also seen your hands folded in prayer. He knows you are tempted to give up and give in. He knows you may feel cut off from others and in this fight alone, but we are never alone when God is on our side! His Word is your battle guide! The Scriptures are your nourishment and supply for everything and anything that comes against you!  No battle lasts forever.  You may be tired of the back-biting, the discouraging ambushes, the unloving assaults, but God has promised that He will fight for you and you will be Victorious.  Just as there must always be a winner in earth’s wars, there is always a winner in the heavenly realm. And, beloved, God says you win!  Don’t give up today, don’t give in. Call on Jesus, call on His Word and remember that God loves you and He’s for you and that’s a win-win situation every time!

Deuteronomy 20:4  For the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and He will give you victory!

Exodus 14:14 The Lord Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.

2 Samuel 22:40 You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued my enemies under my feet.

1 Chronicles 5:20 They cried out to God during the battle, and He answered their prayer because they trusted in Him...

Isaiah 41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I AM with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I AM your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with My victorious right hand.

Ephesians 6:13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.