Many of us have been abused by this world. Like a helpless woman in an abusive situation we have endured physical, emotional or verbal abuse. We are not unlike the Israelites. They were abused and opressed. But God sent Moses and he got Aaron and together they went to rescue them.
God has heard your cry and He has sent someone to rescue you. He has come to set you FREE!!!
But after all He has done you refuse to trust Him. Like the Israelites you wonder if you should leave your captivity, after all it is all you have known. You come to the place where you and God are standing on a cliff. You look around you and realize it is all yours, freedom, peace, rest. But just like the Israelites in Deuteronomy 1, you see the giants. You realize all you will need to face and you wonder if it is really worth it. You know you will have to face them to gain total victory. You start wondering, doubting and questioning if you will ever win. And just like the Israelites you become weaker by the second because of all your doubting. You would think that the Israelites would have remembered all the miracles that just happened to set them free but obviously they forgot. We are just like them, God has done many miracles in our own lives. But what God has done is yesterday's news and we have today's battles.
Yet in Matthew 18 we are told that if we have faith as small as a mustard seed we can move mountains. Nothing is impossible with God!!!
But you say your mountains are too big.
Those people have really hurt me.
My scars are too deep.
I just can't seem to shake this sin off.
My debt. My sin. My hurt. My family. My spouse. My job or lack thereof. My health. My life.
Those are your mountains and you tell them to move and they don't. You wonder why you seem so defeated...well...can I be blunt...you are defeated. Excuses only dig you into a deeper hole. Murmuring and complaining only add to your headaches.
God told Moses that He was with him so he should go and conquer the land and crush those giants. That same promise is also for you. Just like God wouldn't let the Israelites fight the descendents of Anak alone, He won't let you face your giants alone.
For you to be free you must break that bondage. To be at peace means that you have to calm the inner turmoil. To have rest means that you must fight the battle. So you must FIGHT!!! In a fight you must endure and Jesus tells us in Matthew, "those who endure to the end will be saved." Let's be the new generation of Israelites that conquer when God tells them to. It is time to stand face to face with your giants, and your mountain, whatever it may be, and Make War!!!
Be blessed,
Steve
God has heard your cry and He has sent someone to rescue you. He has come to set you FREE!!!
But after all He has done you refuse to trust Him. Like the Israelites you wonder if you should leave your captivity, after all it is all you have known. You come to the place where you and God are standing on a cliff. You look around you and realize it is all yours, freedom, peace, rest. But just like the Israelites in Deuteronomy 1, you see the giants. You realize all you will need to face and you wonder if it is really worth it. You know you will have to face them to gain total victory. You start wondering, doubting and questioning if you will ever win. And just like the Israelites you become weaker by the second because of all your doubting. You would think that the Israelites would have remembered all the miracles that just happened to set them free but obviously they forgot. We are just like them, God has done many miracles in our own lives. But what God has done is yesterday's news and we have today's battles.
Yet in Matthew 18 we are told that if we have faith as small as a mustard seed we can move mountains. Nothing is impossible with God!!!
But you say your mountains are too big.
Those people have really hurt me.
My scars are too deep.
I just can't seem to shake this sin off.
My debt. My sin. My hurt. My family. My spouse. My job or lack thereof. My health. My life.
Those are your mountains and you tell them to move and they don't. You wonder why you seem so defeated...well...can I be blunt...you are defeated. Excuses only dig you into a deeper hole. Murmuring and complaining only add to your headaches.
God told Moses that He was with him so he should go and conquer the land and crush those giants. That same promise is also for you. Just like God wouldn't let the Israelites fight the descendents of Anak alone, He won't let you face your giants alone.
For you to be free you must break that bondage. To be at peace means that you have to calm the inner turmoil. To have rest means that you must fight the battle. So you must FIGHT!!! In a fight you must endure and Jesus tells us in Matthew, "those who endure to the end will be saved." Let's be the new generation of Israelites that conquer when God tells them to. It is time to stand face to face with your giants, and your mountain, whatever it may be, and Make War!!!
Be blessed,
Steve
1 comment:
Catch for us the foxes,
the little foxes
that ruin the vineyards,
our vineyards that are in bloom.
Song of Solomon 2:15
As we make war, we must consider what we war against.
The classical answer is “We war against Satan!” This is a true statement but what are the tactics of the enemy? If we understand what and who we struggle against we can be like Paul “Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.” (1 Corinthians 9:26) We can make an impact! We can have victory! We can make effective war!
Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” We are definitely in a struggle but we are not pushing physical enemies off the cliff as in 300.
What do we struggle against? In my life, I have many “little foxes” that want to come in and destroy the vineyards God has blessed me with. These foxes have names like “Worry” or “Gossip”. They come at me from all directions. There are so many, I cannot count them all. Their intent is to rob me of the fruit God has placed before me. They don’t necessarily want to destroy me. They simply ruin what God has set before me. “Doubt”, “Fear” and “Self pity” steal the joy of the Lord!
So I will join with Steve and make war! My war will be against the stress and drama in my life! My victory will be living for God! Be forewarned, I am less concerned about the opinions of those around me and more concerned that I am truly walking in God’s will. I have no time for foxes…
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