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.

Not Sure if You're an Overcomer? God is Your Source

There is a lot of talk these days about survivalism. However you feel about it, merit can always be found in preparing ahead for hard times.  Having gone through an ice storm several years ago, we were thankful we had extra food in the cabinet so that we didn’t go hungry, for we literally could not get out of our driveway for days! Our electricity was off for a week and we had to resort to techniques for healthy living and cleaning that were beyond the norm.  I heated water in the fireplace and washed dishes at the sink.  We heated our food at the fireplace as well.  We lived downstairs and slept on pallets while closing off the upstairs. Literally going to the bathroom was about like going to the old fashioned outhouse – it was cold and we had to carry a flashlight! We also had to learn how to entertain ourselves! We still had two kids at home who were not having fun. We learned that you don’t have to have the TV on 24/7.  We played card games and board games. I put together a lot of puzzles.  We talked to one another and reminisced and laughed a lot! We had time for one another and the things that meant so much to us.

Now, we didn’t have to suffer at all really, but it reminds us that when God allows us to go through hard times we can be resourceful and seek His face. That if we should need to stand for our faith or go through truly hard things, we can do it with God’s help.

I admit I am no expert on the subject of survivalism, but I know one thing – God’s promises are for His people. In good times, they are a reminder to walk with Him. In bad times, they are a source of comfort to seek His face. In times of plenty, He warns us through His Word not to forget Him. In times of hardship and want, He reminds us in His Word to trust Him.  Should we prepare ahead? Absolutely, for God’s Word tells us so.

Oh beloved, do you know how to survive? Are you struggling with what if’s and if only’s? Are you concerned that when things get hard you won’t have enough or that you won’t know how to make it? Maybe you think you might have to suffer and you don’t know what you’ll do.  Run to the Lord this morning and let Him set up your survival skills! His Word has marvelous biographies of heroes of the faith who were victorious in battle, courageous in the face of incredible obstacles and fearless in the days of famine, peril and war.  Although they went through hard times, they were triumphant for their destinies were set by the Lord.

You are a survivor! You will overcome by the blood of the lamb. You will be victorious because it is through God you will do valiantly. He will tread over your enemies. He will make a way where there is no way. He will care for you just as He cared for Sarah and Joshua and Joseph and Daniel. Everywhere you read in the Bible there are wonderful accounts of champions of the faith.  Look to the ultimate heroes of the Word of God and see – no one who trusts in the Lord will be disappointed for His everlasting covenant of grace surrounds those who put their trust in Him!

Always remember that God loves you and has a marvelous plan for your life. When you seek His face first and become a proponent of His ways, He will guide you, He will instruct you, and He will watch over you and keep you in His arms all the way to Heaven! Now that’s worth preparing for! That’s worth praising His name!

Exodus 15:2 The Lord is my strength and my song; He has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise Him— my father’s God, and I will exalt Him!

Jude 1:24 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into His glorious presence without a single fault.

Isaiah 51:12 I, yes I AM the one who comforts you. So why are you afraid of mere humans, who wither like the grass and disappear?

Jeremia 17:7 But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.

Storms are Inevitable but We Can Survive!

It’s coming up a storm this morning. I haven’t seen rain yet, but off in the distance I’ve heard the approaching rumble of thunder.  Thunder is always a harbinger of weather.  I might have noticed it earlier but we had the air conditioner running and a fan as well. Lots of background noise makes for drowning out the alerts.  Now that the coffee pot has quit gurgling and Danny’s off to work I hear it approaching, each sound getting a little louder than the one before.  I’ve also looked at the radar to see if there are any storm reports or warnings yet. It helps to be prepared, especially in the early morning before daylight.  Somehow when Danny’s here I don’t mind a little storm, but by myself I’m not as brave. Because Danny remains calm I find great comfort in being with him while the storm rages.   

Oh beloved, maybe you have found yourself right in the middle of a storm. You wonder where it came from and why it’s here now. You might have seen the signs but the noise of life drowned out the warnings. Just as we cannot pick the storms that develop in nature, we don’t pick the storms that come into our lives. But just as in nature a storm is inevitable now and then, so too storms are inevitable in our lives. Unprepared we are like sitting ducks waiting to be picked off by the enemy. But prepared we can withstand storms and hold fast until they pass. Not only that, but we can come out of the storm stronger, fearless and more knowledgeable.  It’s hard to be brave alone, but when God is with us we can be valiant and overcome the storm.   Run to the safety of His Word this morning! Seek His Truth and abide in it. His Word is your storm shelter and His love will cover you completely so that when the storm has passed you and He together can rejoice that you overcame! He loves you and He’s for you so there’s nothing to fear!

Psalm 9:9  The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

Isaiah 25:4  But you are a tower of refuge to the poor, O LORD, a tower of refuge to the needy in distress. You are a refuge from the storm and a shelter from the heat...

Joel 3:16  The LORD’s voice will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth will shake. But the LORD will be a refuge for His people, a strong fortress for the people of Israel.

Proverbs 18:10  The name of the LORD is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe.

Psalm 18:2  The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.