Stand Strong

So, Judges 3:1-6 just blew me away.

These are the nations that the LORD left in the land to test those Israelites 

who had not experienced the wars of Canaan. 

He did this to teach warfare to generations of Israelites 

who had no experience in battle. 

Judges 3:1, 2

God purposefully left enemy nations around Israel to teach them warfare. That right there made me pause and think for a moment.

Could it be that that person, that situation, that circumstance that just won't move is actually there on purpose to teach me how to battle? Could the Lord be training me for something I have no experience in?

See, at this point in Judges, the Israelites were experiencing a time of peace. Joshua and his generation had fought the good fight to obtain God's promises, and now their children were reaping the benefits. This generation didn't know anything about fighting. They didn't know anything about war.

So God strategically kept some enemies around to keep His people strong and to make sure that they would stay true to His will.

These people were left to test the Israelites—to see whether they would obey the commands the LORD had given to their ancestors through Moses. 

So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and they intermarried with them. 

Israelite sons married their daughters, and Israelite daughters were given in marriage to their sons. And the Israelites served their gods.

Judges 3:4-6

The Israelites were tested both physically and spiritually. And they failed both tests.

Instead of pushing out those who directly opposed their God, they married them. Instead of clinging to the one true God who had brought them into their current prosperity, they betrayed Him and began worshipping idols.

Your momma's faith, your daddy's faith, and grandma's faith may have gotten you to your place of peace and prosperity. But God still wants to make sure that you are a strong and faithful warrior for His Kingdom.

Has God left any 'Canaanites' in your territory? Is God trying to train you for battle? Are you being challenged in your beliefs? Have you been tested in your faith?

Don't be like the Israelites and fail the test! As a result of their disobedience, they went from being rulers to servants again. (Judges 3:8)

Hold on to your faith. Stand strong in the face of adversity. Pull out your spiritual weapons and fight the good fight of faith. Don't allow all that you've gained to be lost. Become the strong warrior that God is setting you up to be.

Stand Firm

First things first: Can I just ask for you all to forgive me? I apologize for leaving you blogless these past few months. It was necessary in the beginning, and then I just lost my mojo. I have no words. I am ashamed. I have prayed. God's forgiven me. Will you? I thank you in advance for your mercy.

On another note, I've missed blogging. I'm not sure if I will return to daily posts, though. But, I don't want to give up the blog totally. I will, however, be posting more regularly moving forward. I'm still figuring out how to make things work.

So, on to today's inspirational moment.

It seems like every single day there is news about how the church is being challenged to give ground to the world and accept the world's way of doing things. The church is consistently being asked to compromise what the Bible says for what is the current views of the day. And, far more frequently, the church is giving in.

I can only assume that many believers don't want to be seen as bigots or hateful or crazy or unreasonable. We don't want our friends, family members, co-workers, or society in general to place us in an unflattering light.

So, we find little ways to compromise. Maybe we misinterpreted that scripture on fornication. Perhaps a child really doesn't become a human being until a certain point during pregnancy. There are pastors who are gay now, so maybe the original thoughts on homosexuality were incorrect. God is so loving perhaps there are multiple ways to get into heaven.

Little by little, we keep giving in. Yet, how long until we have nothing left to stand for?

When Daniel was torn away from everything he knew and was chosen to serve a new king, he purposed in his heart not to defile himself with the king's provisions. (Daniel 1:8) There were other Jews who were taken into captivity as well. But Daniel was the one who chose to remain true to the Lord's will. He stood up for what he believed in. And the Lord showed him favor. Because of his stance, the Lord blessed Daniel with wisdom and insight far greater than anyone else in the king's service. (Daniel 1:19, 20)

Are you allowing the world to make you compromise what you know is right and holy? Are you standing for righteousness? Can the Lord count on you to stand firm in the midst of complacency?

Today, purpose in your heart to follow after God no matter who around you is giving in. Don't compromise what you know is right for the popular view of the day. The Lord will bless you and show you favor because of your faithfulness to His Word.

Verse of the Day: But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 10:33

Strength With Others

I am independent by nature. I like to go at things on my own, tackle my own problems, and face my weaknesses alone with God. I know in my head that being a Christian means that I am in a community of believers, a family who worships the Lord as a unit. However, my own inner pride and self-sufficiency keeps me keeping my own pains, faults and mistakes private. I feel that I can remedy my situations alone with God.

However, this is not scripture. The Bible explicitly tells us that we are to share our weaknesses, so that we can help each other walk the road of righteousness together:

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

James 5:16

 

Sometimes in order to attain healing, we need the prayers of our brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to share our burdens with each other and allow our righteous brothers and sisters to minister the healing power of God into our lives. We need to share in order to be repaired.

 

We cannot be too prideful to share our faults, especially when we cannot overcome those weak spots. We cannot distrust those who are walking in Christ with us. We cannot afford to be afraid of being embarrassed and stop ourselves from reaching wholeness in Christ.

 

So, if you are like me, independently trying to battle through your weaknesses and shortcomings alone, please take heed to the Word of the Lord today. Find yourself someone who is standing righteously before the Lord, ask the Lord to show you one of His men or women whom you can confide in. Confess your faults and allow them to pray for you and counsel you in the things of God.

 

None of us can walk this spiritual walk alone. All of us need someone to help us through.

 

Verse of the Day: Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. Ephesians 4:15, 16 (NLT)

 

Need Some Help?

Ever struggled trying to open a jar? As hard as you can, you try to twist off the cap, but to no avail. So you ask someone else for help. They take hold of the jar, twist of the cap, and hand it back to you in no time.

Or have you ever been looking for something and couldn't find it? You look everywhere you can think of making more of a mess then there was before searching for your lost item. Finally, when you're at your wits' end, you ask for help. That person comes in, and in a few moments locates your lost item that was sitting right in plain sight.

So often we go through life like this. We try in our own strength to "open" things that seem sealed off to us. We search high and low for what we know belongs to us but can't find it anywhere. Yet we have Someone we can ask for help. We have Someone with the strength to open those closed places. We have Someone who knows exactly where our lost treasure is.

Yet, are we asking for His help? Are you asking the Lord to assist you in your efforts to succeed? Or, are you so busy trying to do things in your own strength?

Don't waste any more time or energy trying to do something on your own. Don't strain yourself or wear yourself out trying to make things happen. You serve a God who has the ability, knowledge, and authority to fulfill your needs.

Just save yourself the trouble, and ask the Lord for help.

Verse of the Day: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

Wednesday's Word: Meditating on the Word

Only be thou strong and very courageous,

that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law,

which Moses my servant commanded thee:

turn not from it to the right hand or to the left,

that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth;

but thou shalt meditate therein day and night,

 that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein:

 for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Have not I commanded thee?

Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed:

for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Joshua 1:7-9



It's easy to sin. Lies roll off the tongue.. greed and envy are never hard to embrace... anger and hatred seem like second nature...

Following after God takes strength and courage. Ignoring our fleshly desires takes discipline and strong will (in addition to the power of the Holy Spirit). When following the Lord, we have to take cares to not turn "to the right hand or to the left". That means we can't take shortcuts. There is no "just this one time" or "little white lies" or "God knows my heart" with the Lord. Only when we follow His will to the letter will we live a prosperous life.

To get results we have to meditate on His words. That means we have to read, study, research, memorize, think about, and talk about the Word of God. We have to know His Word inside and out to insure that we are living in a way that pleases Him.

There's a whole 'nother nugget in there about being strong and courageous in there, but I'll touch on that tomorrow. Today, however, spend some time to meditate on the Word of God.

Getting Up

This morning it was hard for me to get up out the bed. I hate it when I wake up and still feel tired. So I laid there. I laid there and thought about all the things I have to complete today. My mind started whizzing, and I wanted to go back further under my covers.

I took a break from analyzing my upcoming day and took a moment to pray. I prayed about my day. I prayed for strength. I prayed for the Lord's help.

And then I got up.

What's facing you today? What is piling up on your plate already and making your head spin? What is trying to keep you from moving forward?

Take a moment to pray. Ask the Lord for strength. Ask the Lord for help. And then get up and keep moving.

God is always there for you. He will lead you, guide you, strengthen and keep you. You're not facing anything alone. You don't have to do it all on your own. The Lord is there, ready and willing to help you. Whether your problems seem great or small, God wants to help carry you through it all.

Allow Him to keep you on today.

Verse of the Day: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

Evening Ti: God's Strength

We can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us! There is nothing too hard, nothing too complicated, nothing too great for you to conquer. You can do it!

God in His awesome power directs our lives: He opens doors, allows us to experience different things, and shields us from danger in His omnipotence. If God has allowed it, you can handle it.

Too often we try to rely on our own strength. When we lean to our own understanding, we can dip into fear or even pride. Neither side of the spectrum ends well for us. When we fear, we hold ourselves back from something that great that God wants us to experience in order to learn, grow and prosper. When we get into pride, we think that we can handle it all and don't have a need for God.

Make sure that you are relying on the strength of Christ to get through whatever situation you're facing.  When you allow the strength of Christ to reign in your life, you'll find yourself overcoming things you never thought you could handle on your own. Allow God to be God for you!

Verse of the Day: I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13

Carrying a Heavy Load?

Yesterday afternoon I had a wonderful time in prayer. I just sat and unburdened myself at His feet. It felt so good to just let it all go and give it to Him to handle.

The Bible tells us that we can give God our burdens, and He cares enough about us to carry them for us. Our heavy loads weigh nothing to God, and in His infinite wisdom He can solve any problem we have in less than a moment. We would be fretting for weeks.

Often we get so caught up in calling ourselves responsible, or trying to do it all, or thinking that we're so capable that we wind up carrying heavy loads that crush us. We pack our schedules til we're stressed. The cares of this world pile up and overwhelm us. Our sense of duty leaves us weary and worn.

But, we have a God who can handle all our burdens. More than that, He's willing to take all of them on His shoulders. He loves us with a love so deep that all we have to do is hand it over to Him, and He'll take care of it.

So, you don't have to worry or fret. You don't have to be stressed or overwhelmed. Your Heavenly Father is ready, willing and waiting to take on all of your concerns and cares. Just give them over to Him, allow Him to minister to you His love and rest, and follow whatever plans or steps He gives you to take.

Yep. It's that simple.

Isn't God amazing?!

Verses of the Day:
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)

Thanksgiving Friday

I apologize for missing out on yesterday. I got flooded with things and the day just ran away from me. I had to take a selah moment. It was so necessary. And God, in His infinite goodness, met me where I was and brought me to where I needed to be. I feel so much better! I'm back to my regular self.

Today I'm thankful for God's mercy. I'm glad that it's not a one-time thing. My God's mercies are new every morning! No matter how much I fall, no matter how many times I mess up, and no matter how many times I disappoint Him... He is always waiting there ready to show mercy, ready to welcome me back into His arms of love.

I'm so blessed.

Yesterday I was meditating on the greatness of Christ's love for me. I thought about how much He sacrificed for me. I was humbled, convicted, and stirred in my faith to follow Him all the more. How can you not love a God like Him? Thank You, Jesus, for Your great love.

I'm also thankful for God's strength. The Scripture is true: when we are weak, He is strong. We just have to reach out to grab hold of His strength. We have to keep ourselves firmly planted in His grip. We have to allow God to be that strength for us. God, I thank You for being strength to me!

What are you thankful for this week? What has God done that has left you in amazement? Go ahead and give God some praise!

Verse of the Day: And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9

The Storm Is Going To End

Last Friday, Chicago was bombarded with its first major snowstorm. We got between six to eight inches across the city. The snow came down so fast, they couldn't plow it away fast enough! A drive that normally takes me 15 minutes took an hour and a half.

Today, it's a "balmy" 40 degrees in Chicago, and the snow that we all had to struggle to plow and shovel away has almost totally melted away. It's as if it never happened.

Right now you may be in the midst of a major storm in your life. The trial may be pounding you so fast you might find it hard to recover or even react. What you normally find easy may be taking you much more time and effort to complete.

Don't let the storm knock you out! Don't let the trial have the upper hand. Remember that all storms eventually end. It will get better! The sun will shine again. You will feel its warm rays on your face again.

No matter how much the winds of life may blow, no matter how tired you are of slogging through hazardous roads, no matter how your body may ache from trying to clear away the problems you face... take courage and strength knowing that the Lord is bringing you to your expected end. He will not let you perish! He won't let you fall. He has great things in store for you.

So, you may have to bundle up a little more than normal. You may have to plan your route ahead of time and allow for extra time. Just know that you will reach your destination safely. You will hit your goal. And the sun is going to come out again.

Verse of the Day: ...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Psalm 30:5

Pulling On Joy, Again

This morning, it took everything in me to get out of bed. I am so exhausted! (It's not from partying, either.) Yet, I still had responsibilities, and I pressed in to work. Right now I'm willing myself to make it through today. Pray my strength...

But one thing I'm aiming to do is to not complain. I'm trying to become a person that is always a light of joy, so that others can be blessed by the joy of the Lord they see in me. So, I'm casting this burden on the Lord, and letting Him care for me.

I wrote a post a while ago that's appropriate for today. And, to be honest, my brain is so tired, it's taking some effort to string these few sentences together. I hope you enjoy and have a blessed day!

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With all of the chaos that’s going on in the world today, it may be a bit hard to find some joy. It’s so easy to focus on everything that seems to be going wrong: the job you can’t find, the money you don’t have, the inspiration that you’ve lost… How can one find joy in the midst of so much despair?


I love the scripture that where it talks about David encouraging himself in the Lord. (I Samuel 30:6) Often encouragement comes down to us deliberately choosing to look past the problem and see the God that is always there. No matter what we go through, God is always orchestrating things for our good. We just get so caught up in the process that we tend to disregard the positives sometimes.

Don’t let this happen to you. Whenever you feel despair knocking at your door, block it out by remembering the goodness of the Lord. Remember how He helped you overcome obstacles in times past. Remember where He sent unexpected blessings in your time of need. Think of how He sent His mercy when you knew you deserved punishment. Take heart in how he rescued you from destruction.

God is so good! And He is the same God today that He was when He walked you through all of those other valleys of darkness. Don’t lose hope! Reach deep inside and pull up some joy! The joy of the Lord will give you the strength to make it through! (Nehemiah 8:10)

Verse of the Day: Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:28-31

Strength for Today

So, last night and this morning my phone was ringing - I was being called to do my most dreaded part of my job. This morning when the phone rang, I actually had to pull on my Heavenly Father's strength. "Lord, give me strength to handle today" were my first words of the day.

In that moment the Holy Spirit showed me exactly what to do, and I felt the weight of everything lift off of my shoulders. God is so good.

The Lord will never give us more than we can handle. He wants to take on our heavy burdens and make things more bearable for us.  However, if we're not giving Him our all, if we're not including Him in every facet of our lives, we're holding everything forcing ourselves to deal with the stress and work of it all.

The Lord just wants to be included. He wants to show you how powerful He is. He wants to display His wisdom and knowledge to you. He wants you to experience miracles every day.

However, if you're not opening the door to let Him in and you're choosing to shoulder all of it yourself, you're missing your chance to experience the Lord's sweet rest.

So, no matter what pops up in your path today, make sure you pull on the Father's grace and ability to help you. Allow His wisdom to influence your decisions, let His power take on your challenges. Give Him the opportunity to handle your heavy burdens. He's ready, willing, and able. Don't deny Him the pleasure of assisting you.

Verse of the Day: I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1, 2

Take Refuge in HIS Strength

As soon as Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, they realized they were naked. (Genesis 3:7) Their sin removed them from the covering glory of God, and they saw their vulnerability.

Have you ever thought on it?

Human beings are naturally the most vulnerable creatures on the planet. We don't have thick fur, feathers, scales, quills, or leathery skin to shield us from the elements. We are smooth-bodied creatures who had to create our own coverings to help us navigate through earth.

We were created to exist within the glory of God. As long as Adam and Eve were living in God's glory, they weren't aware to their vulnerabilities. They didn't realize how weak they were. God was strong among them. He covered and shielded them from what they naturally could not combat. He supernaturally provided a world that worked with them to give them fruitful results.

Sin separated them from God and opened them up to the enemy's domain. At that moment, sickness and dis-ease were able to enter in. Adam and Eve would have to experience toil, stress, and pain. Death was now certain.

A Redeemer had to be found to re-establish the balance.

Christ is that Redeemer. Because of Him were are able to be enveloped by the presence of God like Adam and Eve were. We may not have the full benefits that they did in the garden, but the presence of God surrounds us all day. Whatever we come up against, the power of the Lord is there to assist us. No matter what way the enemy tries to attack us, our God is a standard against him.

However, many of us are too worried about how vulnerable we appear to be, and we don't employ our strength in God. We see what we can't do, how we can't win, what we don't have... We're too busy seeing how "naked" we are instead of grabbing hold of the one who can clothe us with His power and strength.

Don't neglect your spiritual covering! Grab hold to the One who created you and release hold of your shame. God made you for a purpose, don't let the enemy snatch that away. No matter what comes, God wants to establish His greatness in you.

Verse of the Day: I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. Psalm 18:1-3

Afternoon Ti: Strength in Weakness

Today was certainly a "Footprints in the Sand" kind of day. The Lord most certainly carried me through today. It's so great to know that I have such a strong Presence helping me along my journey. Thanks for your prayers!

When we are weak, He is strong. We just have to remember to lean back into His strong arms. Far too often when things get hard we scramble out of our Savior's arms trying to run around and fix things on our own. All we really need to do is trust His guidance and allow Him to take the lead in our affairs.

He will carry us through the greatest of trials and the hardest of challenges. When we are at our wit's end, He has not even scratched the depths of His wisdom. He sees the end from the beginning and knows the exact way we should go. It's up for us to look to God for the guidance we need.

Verse of the Day: And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9a

Rising to the Challenge

Yesterday, I enjoyed a powerful message on resisting sickness and disease. It encouraged me in my continuing to stand strong in faith for my father's healing.

That same afternoon, my father had some challenges at home. In the midst of taking care of him, I grew frustrated and was about to have a moment. However, I remembered the words of the message. What was preached flashed through my mind, and I felt the Holy Spirit's nudge.

Here was the perfect opportunity to put what I had just learned into practice. Was I going to give in to the enemy, or was I going to resist him? As much as I enjoyed the sermon during the service, could I translate those encouraging words into my actual life?

It would have been so easy to get angry and give in to my frustrations. Slipping into a state of depression and sadness would not have been hard either. But I chose to rise to the challenge and stand on the word of God. Despite how the circumstances seemed to dictate opposite, I stood on the promise of God that my father is healed.

And the peace of God flooded my soul.

Don't let the enemy steal the word of God. Whatever the Lord has spoken to you, put it to use. Grab hold of it when troubles come. Put your faith to action in the midst of the storm. It's the only way that you will know without a shadow of doubt that the Word works.

Verse of the Day: What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? ...Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. James 2:14, 17

The Strength of God

Hey, Everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your weekend and holiday festivities. I am certainly rejuvenated and refreshed after my time away to relax and reboot. Now, it's time to get back to work!
There's a pharmaceutical company who used the slogan: "Take comfort in our strength." They wanted people to be put at ease when using their products because of the effectiveness and track record of their brands. People would purchase their products simply because they recognized and trusted the name of the company who offered the goods.

In the same manner, we can take comfort in the strength of our God. We can be at ease when we implement His principles, offer petitions to His throne, and recommend His virtues to others. We can rest assured because we know His effectiveness and track record.

Yet despite our knowledge of the strength of God, we often grow restless and apprehensive when things don't happen the way we think they ought to happen. We grow weary while waiting on God's answer to show up. We lose heart when we allow the enemy to plant seeds of doubt and discouragement in our spirits.

Don't forget the strength of your God! Encourage yourself in His Word. Remind yourself of His goodness and what He's done for you in times past. Get into His presence and let His awesome glory surround you. There is no way that your faith can be shaken when you have experienced the greatness of God firsthand.

So, take comfort in His strength! Don't be moved by what you see. And when you see others around you who are experiencing the pains of life, send them to the best remedy that you can give: your Heavenly Father.

Verse of the Day: Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Isaiah 12:2