Fear Not!

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

 

2 Timothy 1:7

A well known story we have heard from a child is that of David and Goliath. Goliath's formidable size and arrogant boasting intimidated Saul and Israel's army. And because God's anointing had fallen from Saul, he was unable to respond with power to Goliath's charge.

 

In Greek the word power is dunamis for which we get the term dynamic and dynamite. It also carries the connotation of effective, productive energy, rather than that which is raw and unbridled. God provides us with His power in order for us to be effective in His service.

 

Fear paralyzes and keeps us from fully serving God.

So, now the anointing had fallen on David, who was just a young boy, but full of power in spirit. David did not cower at the size or shouts of the giant Goliath. He saw Goliath through the eyes of God, who saw him as a mere speck. David had righteous indignation for an affront to the armies of the living God.

David did not weigh the risk of failure because his faith was resting totally in God.

 

This is another important factor in overcoming fear—complete trust in God. Do not fear sudden calamity if you are walking uprightly before God. It must also be noted that God has provided everything we need for everyday faithful living and service when we first believed.

 

It is of utmost importance to understand though, that God does not provide His power for us to misappropriate for our own purposes. He provides His power for us to accomplish His purposes through us. When our trust is only in Him, and our desire is only to serve Him, He is both willing and "able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us" (Ephesians 3:20).

Presumption

Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the high hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord's covenant moved from the camp.

 

Numbers 14:44

The people of Israel were brought out of Egypt to enter a new land—the Promised Land. This land was not handed over to them freely; it required the removing of God's enemies through battle. It required a partnership between God and the people. As long as the people remained true to God, they were victorious.

 

Remain faithful to God and you will see great victories in your life.

The people were camped at Kadesh Barnea, near the border entrance to the long-awaited Promised Land. All the hardships of their journey from Egypt were now culminating at this important crossing. However, Joshua and Caleb were the only scouts who proclaimed faith in God to take them into the land and conquer their enemies. The other spies saw all the dangers and refused to take the risk. The people of the camp shrank in fear because of their report.

 

They decided not to enter in... when God calls wherever or whenever you must go.

God was angered at the people for their lack of faith and Moses had to intercede on their behalf. Once they realized what they had done, it was too late. But they thought their repentance was enough to right their wrong.

 

They presumed this was all that was necessary.

Moses informed them they were deceived in their presumption of God's favor. They went to battle against the Amalekites only to be soundly defeated. Those who returned did not understand why they lost the battle.

It is important for us to know whether we have God's hand upon our endeavors. Presumptions can lead us down the wrong path. Only God's favor leads us down the path that leads to success. Ask God to confirm His hand on your endeavors in your life and remember the wise words of Exodus 33:15:

...If Your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.

Words To Dwell On

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

 

Philippians 4:8

 

 

 

God chose words to reveal His character and salvation to His creation. Through words we understand Who He is, why we exist, and experience the deepest pleasures of life and love.

 

Whether written on paper, spoken, or thought words carry a unique power.

 

We are to dwell on whatever is worthy of awe and adoration, i.e., the sacred as opposed to the profane. In the Greek, logizomai (dwell on) means more than just entertaining thoughts; it means "to evaluate," "to consider," or "to calculate." 

 

As believers we are to consider the qualities that Paul lists in Philippians 4:8, and to dwell on their implications. The verb form calls for habitual discipline of the mind to set all thoughts on these spiritual virtues. 

Why the philosophical musings on words?

 

Whether written on paper, spoken, or thought words carry a unique power… from expressing what is in the inner most part of the heart to conveying important information in a business meeting.

The Bible leaves no doubt that our lives are the product of our thoughts; and words are apart of what shapes our thoughts. We see this clearly illustrated in Mark 7:20-23:

 

And He was saying, "That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness.

Too many let the world (or Satan) come in and control their minds through their thoughts, which keep them form really using their mind. God created the mind and we need to use it... dream with it, be creative with it, and bring glory to God with it.

Are you in fact allowing words that you have been dwelling on from God's Word shape your thoughts?

 

When the heart is in the right place the mind is able to follow... likewise what is in the heart will be reflected in the mind through thoughts. A key to godly living is dwelling on words that proceed from the heart, which allow for godly thinking, as Solomon wisely observed:

 

Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.  

 

The question that remains is, are the words which you dwell on daily honorable, right, pure, lovely, and of good repute?

Going Without Jesus

...they were unaware of it.

 

Luke 2:43

Mary and Joseph traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover and at the time Jesus was just 12 years old. They were evidently very distracted by the excitement and business of the Feast, because Mary and Joseph began their return trip to Nazareth only to realize well into the trip that Jesus was not with them. It would be three days before they would be reunited with their 12-year-old son. It caused quite a scare in Mary and Joseph, and they reprimanded Jesus for "wandering" off.

For parents, you may find this story truly amazing... how can parents of the Son of God not know their son is not in their presence?

 

Yet this story illustrates how each of us can become so busy that we continue to operate not realizing that Jesus is no longer with us. Obviously, there was very little fellowship taking place between Jesus and His parents during the trip.

Are you daily, even moment-by-moment, in fellowship with Jesus?

 

If not, you will wake up one day and realize Jesus is not with you in your endeavors.

 

It may, like Mary and Joseph, create a certain fear in you that you may have lost a very important relationship. Going about our lives without Jesus' presence leaves us powerless and prone to live in fear. Jesus said He would never leave or forsake His children. However, we can walk away from His fellowship by refusing to be with Him.

 

Do not let this happen to you.

 

He longs to have daily fellowship with you because He loves you.

Quietness

…in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.

 

Isaiah 30:15b

 

 

There will be times in our walk with God in which we may come into a place of quiet. It is a place in which you face a stillness that may leave you at a loss if you do not understand that it is God who has brought you to this place. During these times, God is calling us aside to fashion something new in us.

 

It is an adventure of sorts designed to call us to deeper roots of prayer and faith. For some it may be a new and an uncertain place, like that of traveling to a new destination for the very first time.

Most people plan and orchestrate where they will go, what they will do, and for how long they will stay at their new destination. But for people in whom God is performing a deeper work, He brings them into a time of quietness that seems almost eerie. They cannot say what God is doing, but they just know that He is doing a work that cannot be explained to themselves or to others.

 

You see, this time is the adventure that never ends. It is like traveling to a new destination and experiencing all the grand and unique things at each and every stop along the way. When we are in the quietness we will know it, because it is a place of peace, of knowing that God is doing something.

 

Quietness allows us to see, that whether we plan our lives, or know what God is doing or not, that He will move many times in our lives regardless, just as that of leaving one destination to go to yet another destination.

 

The quietness and not knowing is the adventure in Christ that we are all looking for—it takes less energy and involves less of our flesh. Learn to be in the quietness and let trust be your strength, as your mind and heart listen and absorb all that God is doing in the scene and unseen.

Negative Thinking

It was one of those days. You awake in a grumpy mood. And somehow, when you are in a grumpy mood about one issue, other issues rise to the surface as well and only add to your negative thinking.

 

The gloomy mood…

The miscommunication at work…

The car had a problem…

The weather was hot and sticky...

 

You are just not in the mood to think positively. It was much easier to be negative—or at the least, indifferent.

But God in His goodness reaches out to us even when we don't deserve it. Through the words of another, He can and will change your perspective on your situation.

So since your car is not working you ride in the car with a co-worker—to and from work—whom you have only recently met. You noted in your mind that you had liked her from the start—she was cute, friendly, and reminded you of your best friend growing up when she talked. On the way home, you made small talk until you fall onto the topic of her recent adoption of her only child—a baby girl.

 

Her story washed over you like a gentle, healing rain, inviting you to have faith and trust like hers.

She and her husband had been struggling with infertility for years. It was emotionally exhausting as they continued to hope for a baby and be devastated when one did not come. Your co-worker shares how she wrestled with anger and pain and frustration. She cried out to God with bargains and tears. Still, the prayer was unanswered. She began to realize that her desire for a child had become an idol. And that she had to let go of her desire in order to allow God to answer her prayers in His own way, not hers.

 

She felt His words to her in that difficult time were, "Just wait."

 

So she did. She held on to her belief that if God wanted her to wait for His plan to unfold, it must be so amazing and wonderful that she couldn't begin to imagine it. And now after placing complete faith in God they have a beautiful baby girl. The couple adopted her around nine months ago and your co-worker sparkled with true joy as she told you, "I feel so blessed."

Now as you try to put yourself together and thank your co-worker for the ride, you head straight for the house and almost forget to close the door behind you as you fall to your knees and cry. Although you haven't experienced her trial, you can relate in many ways.

 

Perhaps you can, too.

 

Sometimes we allow our desires to become idols, which can affect our thoughts and cloud our perspective. Especially when God doesn't answer in the way we expect, we get frustrated and hurt—even angry. We wonder and cry and pray.

 

But He whispers, "Just wait."

 

We need to hold on to the promises of His love and goodness, trusting that He is the only one who never changes. Even when our hearts are broken and emotions are storming, we need to use our mind and will to believe in His words and truth. God is faithful, trustworthy, and there is absolute joy and peace in following and accepting His plan for each one of us.

The gloomy mood is gone now.

The worry about the mishap at work is gone now.

The car trouble is gone now.

The weather could not be more pleasurable now.

 

You have come to realize that you don't want them to be your focus. You only want God to be your focus. Going through certain situations will at times be apart of life, and negative thoughts may come and threaten, but honestly, there is not much to sustain such thoughts. When the Creator of the universe is your loving heavenly Father, thinking positively makes much more sense!

The Difficult Times

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

 

Philippians 4:11-13; 19

 

 

 

Terry was in awe as she mentally reviewed her past year of life while talking to a dear friend.

 

"God did not lead me through these things for my sake only."

 

"I know He will receive glory from my testimony of what He did."

 

The question that goes through Terry's mind as she sit and talks with Suzie over tea on a balmy fall afternoon was this:

 

"How do I share about these things?"

 

"When and what do I share?"

Without question this has been the most painful, challenging year of Terry's 32 years of existence.

 

Thank God that we do not know what the future holds—or we may lack the courage and willingness to face it, yes?

Our testings and trials come on one of four levels: Mental, Emotional, Physical, and most of all, Spiritual. Sometimes we are hit on all fronts at the same time, which is enough to bring us to our knees... or flat on our faces.

 

When this happens life can seem well overwhelming.

Have you ever been so weighed down that even breathing seemed not worth the effort under such crushing pain?  If you are honest with yourself you might even say that you did not think you would survive and at times hoped you wouldn't.

This is no casual exaggeration.

 

There are at least two types of individuals who will read this:

 

1. Those who are shocked cannot imagine how any godly believer could sink so low and leave disappointed.

 

2. Those who know exactly what it means to be in such a position.

 

The goal here is to encourage those who fall into despair and are living in bodily exhaustion, a bleeding heart, a mind confused and searching, or a broken spirit—this is for you.

As welcome as it is, no one person possesses the answers you need, or could rescue you from the pain or make things "all right" once more. By God's grace, He alone is there by your side to see you through this time. Like Shasta on the horse lost in the mountains between Narnia and Archenland, you may not always see Him. But Aslan never left Shasta's side. In the same way, God will never leave yours, even when you feel utterly forsaken.

God will rescue you.

God will lift you up and plant you back on the high places.

God will restore your body, soothe your heart, clear your mind, and heal your spirit.

 

As God does it is not a joy or a sense of accomplishment, but just an understanding—one that in itself brings more strength. This strength is that of the indwelling Spirit working through your weaknesses—no other kind of strength matters.

There will be times that we all go through—testing and trials. But our focus must be continually on God and Him alone. So that we may fully learn what He is wanting us to learn and how He would have us grow and become stronger through such experiences. The focus shall remain true: on faith, trust, endurance, and so much more of what God has for us.

 

Before the two friends parted, Suzie had remembered a quote she came across recently and shared it with Terry: "That which does not kill you makes you stronger."¹  

 

 

 

[1] Victor Frankl

Take Time To Pray

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

 

Luke 11:1

God longs for us as believers to heed the importants of prayer in our lives. And this call is not just about a five-minute exercise during the morning devotion time, but it is a about taking time to come before God with our praise, concerns, and hearts desires.

 

It also allows us to become more sensitive to the voice of God as we seek Him and the direction that He is leading us in on a daily basis. Prayer is a vital tool to that helps us to discern and know God's will and purposes in our lives.

 

You see once you see prayer for what it truly is, you have learned that at the heart of all that you do—every decision, thought, or word you speak is based on prayer.

Watchman Nee has said it well:

 

Prayer is the rail for God's work. Indeed, prayer is to God's will as rails are to a train. The locomotive is full of power: it is capable of running a thousand miles a day. But if there are no rails, it cannot move forward a single inch. If it dares to move without them, it will soon sink into the earth. It may be able to travel over great distances, yet it cannot go to any place where no rails have been laid. And such is the relation between prayer and God's work. Without any doubt God is almighty and He works mightily, but He will not and cannot work if you and I do not labor together with Him in prayer, prepare the way for His will, and pray "with all prayer and supplication" (Ephesians 6:18) to grant Him the maneuverability to so work. Many are the things, which God wills to do, and would like to do, but His hands are bound because His children do not sympathize with Him and have not prayed so as to prepare ways for Him. Let me say to all who have wholly given themselves to God: Do examine yourselves and see if in this respect you have limited Him day after day.¹

Is prayer a vital part of your life?

 

If not, put prayer as top priority on your list, instead of making it an afterthought. You will then begin to see renewed power in your life from just that—a prayer.

 

 

[1]Watchman Nee, Let Us Pray (New York, New York: Christian Fellowship Publishers, 1977), 11.

Bread Of Life

Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.'

 

John 6:35

 

 

 

"Not again!"

 

Katie thought as she fell into temptation with a bag of peanut M & M's.

 

While she polished off the bag, she was reminded of all the ill effects of junk food.

 

And repeatedly told herself, "empty calories won't nourish your cells."

 

So despite the empty bag of peanut M & M's she purposed to plan, shop, and cook nutritious meals, instead of munching on junk food.

 

Actually once she got into a routine of planning, shopping, and cooking she was right proud of herself. But the best thing of all is that God showed her something… something that she probably would not have learned if she hadn't chosen to change her eating habits for the better.

 

Food will never meet our deepest inner needs.

 

There's something far worse than depleting our bodies of needed nutrients and it is when we fail to get the proper nourishment spiritually. Just as it is necessary to plan, shop, and cook nutritious meals in order to get the proper nourishment for the body, it is crucial to take time to be nourished spiritually.

 

Only by planning and setting aside time to spend in the Word and prayer with God will we be nourished spiritually. Take time out daily to get the nourishment your spirit needs by spending time in the Word and prayer with God.

 

Learn to feed on God, as He is our bread of life! 

David's Armor

David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. "I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he took them off.

 

1 Samuel 17:39

David, the young shepherd boy, heard the challenge from the Philistines to send someone to fight Goliath. No one volunteered to fight except David. King Saul reluctantly agreed and offered David his armor. David put on the weighty equipment, but quickly concluded he could not fight in this heavy armor.

God equips each of us in such a way that is unique to our strengths, talents, and abilities. David was trained as a shepherd to use another weapon—it was a slingshot. David showed great maturity in realizing he could not be effective with Saul's armor.

What are the strengths, talents, and abilities that God has given to you?

 

Have you ever tried to accomplish a task with tools you were not trained to use?

 

God allows each of us to develop skills that are unique to our life and what He is calling us to. He will not call us to use someone else's tools.

However, this is only half of the equation. These talents must be mixed with faith. Talent alone is not enough. Faith alone is not enough. It is only when the two are combined that we see God's power released and manifested in the physical realm through our very lives.

Mix your unique gifts with faith and you will be surprised at the power of God that will be manifested in and through you.

Detours

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

 

Proverbs 3:5-6 

A man turned off the interstate to get gas for his car, as he was returning from a business trip and it was very late.

After getting gas, he turned onto the road he had gotten off of that lead to the gas station, and looked for the entrance ramp to get back on the interstate.

It was dark and he could not see any signs. He made a turn to the right that appeared to be the turn he needed to make. And could see the interstate was next to the road.

As he continued down this road, the interstate was on his left. It soon became obvious it was not the entrance road but rather a frontage road. He assumed it would take him to the next interchange.

However, the road soon turned away from the interstate—it grew darker and darker. The road then became a dirt road. He realized he was not going to get to the interstate on this road. Being a bit frustrated that he had made the wrong turn, he turned around and went back, losing valuable time.

It is easy to make assumptions about the path we are on. If God's Spirit has not enlightened our reasoning, we are inclined to make the wrong choices. Our choices seem right at the time, but later we discover these choices have led us away from God because they were based on our own reasoning.

Acknowledge God in all your ways and lean completely on Him to reveal His direction for your life. As you do, God will direct you to the desired destination He has for you.

In the end the man went back to the gas station and asked the clerk what direction he must take to get back onto the interstate. If we only take time to seek God in the first place we would avoid some of the unneeded detours we place on ourselves, when we fail to get direction from Him first.

How Does Your Garden Grow

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

 

2 Peter 3:18

 

 

Take a look in the garden, and see the tiniest of seedlings, poking their heads up from the ground. A straight row of peas are planted along the fence, and rows of carrots, lettuce and potatoes are in the front, and near the garden gate is a little patch just for the herbs. It is a beautiful sight, and it seems so perfect.

 

But look closer.

If you go along that row of peas, you will find a few "empty" spaces among the new little plants. All the seeds that you planted a week and a half ago are not all sprouting. The soil is the same, you have watered each one faithfully. Yet, there are those empty spots of nothing.

Dig down a little, and find that seed. Look at it, and see what the problem might be—it's didn't grow. It didn't sprout up, and push through the soil like the others, it just sat their dormant—lifeless. It did not grow and so it has died, and is decaying, rotting away, giving nothing to show for its life or death.

So, you say, what about it?

 

It's always that way in the garden. Some grow, and some don't. The seeds have no choice, they just do as they are made to, or not. It is true, the seed may not choose to grow or to not. God has not given that choice to them.

 

But what about you, what about me?

In a sense, we are like those little seeds. God has planted us, He has watered us. And He has given us the choice—to respond to these things with spiritual growth, or to sit there dormant, still, and lifeless.

 

God has given us everything we need to sprout, to push through the dark soil and into the bright sunshine. He has given us all that we need to stretch our leaves and stem upward, ever upward. He has given us the ability to bear fruit. Yet, it is our choice to respond or not.

 

To respond is to live.

 

Just as the seed must either grow or die, so it is with us. We must grow in our relationship with God, or we must die, whither away, leaving nothing to show for the life and opportunity God had given us.

To choose life is to choose an experience that does not stand still. To choose life is to chose to allow the watering of God, the wedding of the Master Gardener, the sunshine of His face to create a response in us—the response of growing.

 

The life of a true believer is about growth.

Our life as a believer starts with the sprouting. Then the putting forth of leaves, and continues until we reach a mature fruit-bearing plant. It is a process, and it is continual. It isn't always easy, and it's not a life, that is always comfortable or painless.

 

Growth comes with pain.

Imagine what would happen if the garden peas would decide at any point in their growth that they were tired of it, that they were not going to grow anymore. What would happen to those plants except that they would, like the seeds that never grew at all, die? Only their death wouldn't be so quiet, and unnoticeable.

Now imagine us, if we do the same. Would we not die, too? Unless we allow God to cultivate us, to water us with His word, and to shine upon us with the sunshine that gives life to our hearts, we too will die, and fade away.

Choose to allow God to "grow you" and to stretch you. Let Him cultivate you, and mature you into His image.

Treat Yourself Gently

The fruit of the Spirit is… gentleness.

Galatians 5:22-23

What does it mean to be gentle? Many times we think of a soft touch or handling a fragile object with care. Webster’s Dictionary defines gentleness as “honorable, distinguished, kind, amiable, and free from harshness, sternness, or violence.” While it’s important to treat others with gentleness, acting with gentleness toward yourself is a valuable tool that will allow the challenges of life to strengthen your health and limit setbacks in your progress.

Gentleness is the fruit of the Spirit that God gives us as a gift to handle the difficult times in life. During times of conflict, loss, confusion, change, illness, or stress, many people try unhealthy ways to cope with the situation. Ignoring the issue, trying to handle the issue alone, withdrawing from others, binge eating or starving, lashing out in anger or hurt, seeking comfort in drugs or alcohol, masking the issue with false emotions, or acting out through compulsive behaviors are just some of the methods used to deal with life.

Any of these responses are only futile attempts to gain some control and somehow these actions help us feel “superhuman” but leave us with self-doubt. As the cycle continues, our attempts to control lead to further mental anguish.

Treating yourself gently and allowing the fruit of gentleness to blossom in your life begins by honestly acknowledging that life will have good times and bad times. There is little you can do to avoid the struggles, challenges, and tragedies that will occur. When difficult times come, accept that you are more fragile during those times and treat yourself gently.

Exercise the fruit of gentleness toward yourself in the following ways:

• Give yourself time to deal with the challenges. Healing, recovery, and establishing a “new level of normal” all take time and small steps.
  
• Allow your personal and social expectations to decrease so you can deal with the situation. Cancel unnecessary engagements and prioritize commitments to limit undue stress.
  
• Take a personal retreat to relax, pray, and think. Time away will refresh your mind, emotions, and spirit. Even if you can’t physically leave for a longer time period, taking 20 minutes to be alone in a still, quiet place will clear your mind and reduce the stress on your body. During your alone time, read the Word, pray, and journal.
  
• Take care of your personal needs for rest, proper nutrition, and appropriate exercise activities. Staying healthy will help you better deal with the physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual happenings.
  

Remember, you are not giving up or quitting when you treat yourself with gentleness. You are allowing this gift from God to bring healing. Your opulent health journey will take you through some detours, twists, and turns that may be unexpected, but tending the fruit of gentleness will allow you to grow stronger and more vibrant inside and out.

In The Way You Should Go

This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go."

Isaiah 48:17

Many in the career of marketing and advertising know early on, to learn how to distinguish the difference between features and benefits. Features represent characteristics of a product or service. Benefits are those things that directly profit or benefit them or the user by using the product or service. For instance, a computer has incredible speed and lots of memory (feature). This allows us to do things more quickly and easily (benefit). People are more concerned about the benefits than the features.

God tells us in the above verse that there are some direct benefits to the features of His nature. He is a God who is committed to teaching His children in the way they should go. What is the real benefit of His teaching? He answers this in the next verse:

"If only you had paid attention to My commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea" (Isaiah 48:18).

God tells us that the benefit of allowing Him to teach us and lead us in the way is peace and righteousness—here is a guaranteed promise from God. Here is God's immutable guarantee:

You will have peace like a river and righteousness like the waves of the sea!

What a great promise!

Do you trust God with the very details of your life so that He can lead you in the way you should go?

Are you allowing Him to teach you?

Seek God continually for what He wants to teach you and allow Him to lead you, and you will ensure peace and righteousness in your life.

Insecurity

My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

 

Philippians 4:19

 

Saul was very angry with this refrain and it galled him to his core: "They have credited David with tens of thousands," he thought, "but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?" (1 Samuel 18:8)

This statement caused something to snap in King Saul.

 

From this point on, Saul was never the leader God intended him to be. He allowed insecurity to drive his every decision. Insecurity leads to the need to control people and circumstances. The need to control leads to anger once we realize we are unable to control the circumstance.

 

King Saul could not accept, much less rejoice, over David's success.

 

David's life would never be the same, because Saul sought to kill David every chance he had. Saul had a choice, he could have seen David as an up-and-coming general in his army who could have become an important part of his team and made the kingdom of Israel even stronger.

 

Instead, he looked at him as a threat.

When you hear good news about fellow believers, do you rejoice with them? If you find yourself comparing your life's circumstances to others and don't feel you measure up, recognize that this is not of God, but one Satan's greatest ploys to destroy you.

God has given you all things in Him and He has a unique plan for you that cannot be compared to another—He alone is your security. Trust in the purposes God has for your life and rejoice in all that He has given to you.

The Run Of Your Life

…And let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

 

Hebrews 12:1b

 

You have been pulling, pushing, skipping, and racing with God since you were saved. But it wasn't until recently that you really started thinking about running with God. Yet even after giving your life to God, the concept of an ongoing journey with Him was a challenge. If the truth be known it wasn't that you have been pulling, pushing, skipping, and racing with God at all—only away from Him.

 

With all the effort you put forth into running from God instead of with Him you became lazy in a sense. Your spiritual muscles have become weak and you have no endurance left to even lift your foot to take the next step that God has in store.

 

Running with God is like retraining lazy muscles for an extreme long distant competition.

Maybe your relationship with God started out with fervor and excitement, yet it quickly became another facet in your busy life. The part you found most challenging was just setting aside a quiet time with God. Of course you met with God every Sunday and Wednesday at church. And we need not forget all the conferences and seminars you have attended. But still that daily connection with God was almost non-existent—one week your Bible reading was exciting and fresh and the next it is lackluster and boring.

Praying was even worse. You loved talking with God when you needed something from Him, but it was in those humdrum times you found it hard to find any words. It was sorta like an awkward conversation when you finally get the opportunity to sit down over coffee with that special someone… you sit there thinking of things to say, but nothing sounds good in your head so you make small talk that means nothing relevant. Or even worse you simply say nothing at all.

It seemed easier to remain silent than actually open up your heart and mind, which would allow you to actually verbalize to God something, even if it was just as simple as "God, thank you for this beautiful day!"

 

What, you don't know how to pray? In fact, you don't know how to truly read God's Word either. Skimming through the chapters, that catch your eye or that you find appealing seemed good enough, but the only thing you gained were sore eyes. (Side Note: There is a difference between reading the Bible like a text book and truly consuming the Word of God just as there is a difference from small talk and a truly intimate conversation.)

Could it be that after all these years or even just a few years you have realized that when it comes to running with God, you have not even left the starting line?

 

Your heart slowly has adjusted to the "ho hum" mentality, and the desire to seek after God's heart settled into an even fainter whisper. You read Gods Word, but didn't understand it. You talked at God, but never talked with God.

When our bodies need food, they have ways of telling us (i.e. a grumbling tummy, knots in our stomachs, weakness in our muscles, etc.). It is the same when our spirits are hungry. We feel the warnings, but do we really take into consideration the importants of these warnings?  It's different for everyone; some warning signs might be that you became extremely irritable and emotional. Everything, whether important, unimportant or down right silly causes your emotions to flip upside down. Could it be that you are just plain ignoring your spirit's cry for God—you can imagine the intense "soul grumbles" you experience from time to time even as you read this.

 

You long for God to be beside you each and every mile… there to encourage you when you feel weak and too tired to make it the next 5 miles.

 

Instead of ignoring your spiritual warning signs like all the other times, decide to instead prepare and train for the journey God has for you. It all starts with commitment, so dust off your running shoes (the Bible), find some comfortable running gear (journal and pray), and start running with God!

 

And you know what will happen? You will meet with God, and sense His presence like you never have in any church service or conference. Begin starting out spending short periods of time like 30 minutes alone with God, but be aware that 30 minutes will give you such a sweet taste of God's Spirit—like a runners high—that you will want to have more.

 

By the end of the week you will find that you have gained so much endurance that 30 minutes of quiet time which includes reading the Word, journaling, and praying just spills over and you begin running with God throughout the day instead of just at your allotted time. Then before too long you will find yourself wanting to pick up your Bible out of pure interest in what it had to say!

The biggest difference though? Is you actually desire God and you feel a yearning for His presence. You begin to realize that without His Spirit daily in your life no matter how hard you claim to be a Christian you have no strength to carry you through to the finish line.

Take a deep breath and begin the run of your life!