Tag Archives: Christian

October 3, 2012 · 7:48 AM

Be Strong and Brave

I have an old song stuck on my head today. It says, “Be bold. Be strong. For The Lord, your God, is with you.” It’s a great reminder that no matter what you are facing today that The Lord is with you. If He is with you, then He is for you. The Scripture says that if God is for you, who can be against you? I don’t know what your facing today, but I know that God wants you to be bold and strong because He is with you.

There are times when the storm, battle or mountain that we face seem too big. It may look like it will consume you and there is no way to survive it. I assure you that you can survive it. With God on your side, how can you be defeated? I’ve learned that I may get banged up, scarred or bruised through whatever I’m facing. Just because that happens, it doesn’t mean that God is not for me or that I can’t survive it.

We were not promised that we would walk through this world without getting scars or face problems. In fact, Jesus said in John 16:33 that in this world we would have many trials. That doesn’t sound like life will be a bed of roses if we follow Jesus. He guaranteed that you will fight battles, face mountains and endure storms. The good news is that He didn’t stop the conversation there. The very next thing He said was, “Be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. (AMP)”

Yes, you are going to face some things that will seem like they will swallow you up. They may consume your every waking thought and cause you to lose sleep, but take courage, He has overcome this world and has conquered those things that seem like they’re about to conquer you. You can rest assured in the promises of God, in who He says He is and what He says He’ll do.

You don’t have to lose sleep or waste energy worrying. God sees you in your battle, He’s watching you in that storm and He’s got His watchful eye on you as you climb that mountain. He will give you the strength you need in your time of trouble. He will hear your cry from Heaven. He will come walking to you on the water while the storms of life rage in order to walk with you. If you get scars or bruised up in the process, use them for His glory. Show them proudly and let others know that when you were at your lowest, when you were beat down and when you thought you couldn’t survive another day, God came to your rescue.

Psalm 31:24 in the Message version says, “Be brave. Be strong. Don’t give up. Expect God to get here soon.” That’s exactly what I need to hear when I’m struggling and fighting what seems to be a losing battle. I love how it ends with “expect God to get here soon.” You may feel like you are fighting alone, but hang on. God is on His way. Expect Him to get there soon. It will be at just the right time and not a minute sooner. Don’t give up while waiting. Be strong and brave.

Here is the link to a YouTube video of the song mentioned at the beginning.

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October 1, 2012 · 7:50 AM

Small Details Matter to God

Do you ever find yourself trusting God with some parts of your life and not others? For me, I trust Him with the “big” things in my life, but don’t always rely on Him for the everyday mundane things. I figure He’s too busy or that there are others who have more significant problems than what little thing I’m facing today. I make my decision and move on. I don’t give a second thought to it until later when something in my life goes wrong and I start to trace it back to where it started.

Zig Ziggler said that if you take care of the small things, the big things will take care of themselves. Big things happen as a result of the small decisions we make. Knowing this should make it easier to get God involved in the “little” things in our lives. Believe it or not, God cares about the little things. He cares about the details of your life. To Him, there are no “big” things or “little” things. If it is in your life, He’s interested and wants to be involved.

I have a friend who had an important interview a couple of weeks ago. He was dressed nicely and was wearing a pink shirt. I said, “Nice touch with the pink shirt. I heard that pink denotes confidence and has a calming effect.” He replied back, “No it doesn’t. It means I don’t trust Jesus.” After asking what he meant, he explained that he had researched what to wear and found that more people say “yes” to someone wearing pink. He was more caught up in the details of what to wear than if this interview was God’s will.

He was right. There are so many areas in my life, and I’m sure in your’s too, where we don’t trust God. We get so caught up in what we can do to create a better future, to get a “yes” from an interview, to get someone to go on a date with us or to provide for our family that we leave God out of the equation. We forget that our steps are ordered of The Lord and not of ourselves. He is the one who directs our paths. Our job is to simply take the steps on that path. Somewhere along the line, we started to think that we made the path too.

When we are more concerned about the details than in trusting Him, we lose sight of what He wants to do in our lives. We get so worried about the little things that we fail to see His hand in the big picture. When my wife or I go on an interview, we always pray before hand. It typically goes like this, “God, if it’s your will for us to have this job, we trust you to make it happen. We realize that there is nothing we can do to keep us from getting it or to make us get it if it is in your will.”

By placing it in His hands, it takes the pressure off of us. I don’t have to worry about what color shirt to wear or how to style my hair. What I have to worry about is trusting God to do His thing and I just need to show up. Even if I feel like I bombed the interview, if God’s desire for me is to have that job or position, then He will make it happen. I just need to trust Him.

What areas of your life are you failing to trust Him with? What things are you doing that you think He wouldn’t be concerned with? He wants to be involved in the details of your life. There is no aspect of your life that God is not concerned with. He wants you to consult with Him and to trust Him with the little things too. He has a plan for you and failing to trust Him in the small things can result in having to trust Him to fix the big things. Let God worry about the details. Walk in faith today and trust Him.

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September 24, 2012 · 7:29 AM

Raw Dependence on God

Today I celebrate the ninth anniversary of hitting rock bottom in my life. I know most people may not celebrate such a day, but for me it created a raw dependence on God. Up until that point in my life my faith was something I talked about. On that day it became something I lived. When there is nothing in your life worth living for, you learn to completely depend on God.

At that moment I was broken and recognized that I had tried to live my faith and my life on my own. I couldn’t do it. I needed God’s help. God’s strength. God’s intervention to live out my life and faith. My raw dependence on God began that day and I’ve learned to trust Him ever since. I don’t celebrate the bad things that happened. I celebrate that they woke me up to the life I was meant to live.

Many of us never get to that point of raw dependence on Him. We continue living our faith on our own strength. We were not made to do that. When we try to do that, we fail. I think that’s why so many people lose their faith or refuse to trust God with their lives. They have been living under the illusion that living out their faith in God required their strength. It was never meant to be that way.

Paul said, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” He knew what it meant to have a raw dependence of God. He recognized that life in Jesus is nothing something done in our strength. It can only be Christ, who lives in us, that can accomplish that. We try and we fail every time. For most of us, we think that is just how it’s supposed to be. The problem is we weren’t made to wander in the desert. We were made to live in the promised land.

The Israelites experienced God’s grace and forgiveness when they left Egypt and crossed the Red Sea. As they began to live in their new freedom, they met with God along the way. He gave them the Ten Commandments to show them how to live. He lead them to the Promised Land to give it to them. When they looked and saw the giants ahead, they said, “We can never beat them.” They were trying to do things in their strength, not in God’s.

Out of all of them, there were only two who recognized that it was by God’s power they had been delivered from their bondage. It was nothing they did. It was God who had led them and would provide what it took to live in abundance and to overcome. They were the ones who were permitted in and reaped the rewards of all God had for them. They were the ones who knew in their strength they were nothing, but in His strength they were more than conquerors.

Many of us live our lives in the desert peering into the promised land. It scares us and that fear prevents us from experiencing all that God has for us. For many that wander in the desert of uncertainty, we think back to the life of bondage we had and remember how secure it was. I think many people who live and wander in the desert wonder about their faith and struggle with it because they aren’t experiencing what God planned for them. They want to return to the life they knew rather than to fully depend on God.

Maybe that’s you today. You always thought that God had more for you, but you feel like you are just wandering aimlessly through the desert of life. If you could live the life God wanted you to live in your own strength, it wouldn’t be faith. Romans 1:17 says, “The just shall live by faith.” It doesn’t say by their own strength, it says “by faith”. What areas of your life and faith are you trying to live out in your own strength? Trust God to do what He has done and said He will do for you. Let Him take you across Jordan into the Promised Land of all He has for you. If you do, you will celebrate that day every year too. I guarantee it!

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September 21, 2012 · 1:04 PM

Storage Wars for Your Soul

One of my favorite shows to watch is Storage Wars. Can I get a “Yuuuuuup” from my fellow watchers? If you aren’t familiar with the show, when people don’t pay their bill on storage units, the company locks them out and then has an auction for the whole unit. When people come to bid on them, they get a few minutes to look in from the outside to determine if it’s worth bidding on. Some units go for cheap while others start a bidding war.

Once a person wins a unit, they then go back and dig through it looking for treasure or anything of value that they can sell to make money on the contents. Sometimes they bust and lose money because it’s nothing but junk and other times they hit the jackpot. It’s fun to watch just to see what people have in storage and to see what things are worth. I think competition has a little to do with why I like it too!

Whether you know it or not, there is a bidding war going on for your soul. One side sees the treasure in you and has bid the highest price possible. The other side will do anything to keep you from recognizing your worth and will fight to keep you from accepting the bid of the other. You are valuable beyond your imagination and you are worth more than you think you are. You are a treasure in God’s eyes.

I used to look at myself and think I wasn’t worth much. It’s hard to think you are worth much when circumstances or people tell you that you aren’t. When you are constantly barraged by words that people use, you begin to believe them. You begin to think they’re right. You question your value and self worth. You sell yourself short and lower the expectations for your life. When that happens, you lose your joy. Nehemiah 8:10 tells us that the joy of The Lord is our strength and stronghold.

In war, when you lose your stronghold and your strength, you lose. We are talking about the war for your life and you cannot afford to lose! You can’t afford to believe the things that people say or what circumstances come your way. In Luke 7, a woman came up to Jesus and began to weep at His feet. In verse 39, a Pharisee said, “If He were a prophet, He would surely know what sort of woman this is who is touching Him – for she is a notorious sinner, a social outcast and devoted sinner.” Her life reflected that because that’s the way people saw her.

That’s not how Jesus saw her and that’s not how He sees you. When He looked at her, He saw a treasure. He spoke of the wonderful act she was doing and then spoke life into her. he said, “Go and enter into peace, in freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as the result of sin.” I believe He says that to you today. He says, “have peace and joy. I am giving you freedom from what others have said about you. You are my treasure and I have sacrificed my life for you because I value you that much.”

You are indeed a treasure. Proverbs 31:10 says you are far more precious than jewels and you’re value is far above rubies or pearls. You need to tell yourself who you are in Christ. You need to say it until you believe it. Say it out loud if you have to. Write it on paper and tape it to your mirror. When you believe in you, like He believes in you, you will have your joy and you will win the war!

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September 19, 2012 · 8:15 AM

Don’t Give Up

I have several close friends who are going through some difficult times. Many are in desperate need of God’s touch because doctors can only do so much. Others just need a breather from the waves of bad news that keep rolling into their lives. I’ve been there myself a time or two. You probably have been too. You might even be there now, but even though you feel alone in the situation, you aren’t.

It can feel empty sometimes when friends, who don’t know what else to do, simply say, “I’ll be praying for you.” You really want them to throw you a life preserver and pull you from the water that you’re tired of treading. You know there’s nothing they can really do for you, but you wish someone could. You cry out to God, but it seems you’re prayers are falling on deaf ears. The answers you seek don’t come and you’re left with more questions.

When answers finally come, they aren’t really what you were seeking. You’re confused and your faith is shaken. You start to wonder if you’ve done something wrong to deserve this. You think that maybe God is punishing you. You drift into the fog of uncertainty and begin to wonder if God really exists. The only thing you do know is that you feel pain, uncertainty and confusion.

It’s in these moments that you find out what your faith is made of. It’s here that you learn to trust God with everything in your life. When there is nothing that anyone can do to help, you have a God who is there to sustain you in those difficult times and to give you hope for victory. When all you have is Him, you have more than enough. You may not be able to see past today, but He sees your tomorrow.

In II King 6, Elisha had been telling the king through divine guidance where ambushes were set up to attack his army. The king of Aram was furious because his plans kept getting foiled. He accused his officers of leaking information to the Israelis, but one of them knew of Elisha and told him what was happening. The king put a bounty on Elisha’s head. They found out where he was staying and traveled by night to surround him.

The next morning, Elisha’s servant got up early and walked outside. He became fearful because they were surrounded and cried out to Elisha. Elisha got up walked up to him and said, “Don’t worry about it. There are more on our side than on their side.” I’m sure the servant looked at him like he had lost his mind. Elisha then bowed his head in prayer and said, “Lord, open his eyes so that he may see.” At once the servant was able to see what Elisha saw. There was a mountainside full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding the other army.

Today, even if you can’t see beyond the circumstances that surround you, I pray that God will open your eyes. May you see that God is on your side and He is fighting for you even when it seems that no one else is. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world is the way I John 4:4 put it. I’ll tell you what I told my friend yesterday, “I don’t always understand what God does either, but I’ve learned to trust His plan and answers even when they don’t make sense.” You are not alone and God’s answer will be what’s best for you.

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September 18, 2012 · 7:52 AM

Sowing Without Reaping

What kind of heritage are you leaving your family? Have you thought about that? It’s not something that you do when you are old. It’s something you accomplish with the bulk of your life. How you live now affects the future generations of your family. Each of us were handed a heritage from our parents. Some of us received a good heritage while others received a broken, empty heritage.

Whatever heritage you were given, it is your responsibility to create one for your kids. You have to be aware of the seeds you are planting in their lives. There is a Greek proverb that says, “A society grows when old men plant trees whose shade they know they’ll never sit in.” What are you planting now that you know you’ll never reap the rewards of?

That’s a tough question. For many of us, we have grown up in a world where we live for the moment and not the future. We think, “I wasn’t given anything and I made it. Why would I do anything for someone else?” At work, we always talk about setting the customer up for success. Does the customer have everything they need to be successful once they leave? I’d ask, does your family have everything they need in order to be successful once they leave the nest?

It’s not just monetary things I’m talking about here. Yes, leaving your kids the gift of financial freedom is great, but have you taught them how to manage what you’ll be giving them? If you haven’t, what you’re leaving will be gone soon. What about a spiritual inheritance? Are you leaving your kids and future generation a heritage that will last for generations? What are you teaching them with your lifestyle now that will reap rewards later? Are you just taking them to church so that someone else can teach them “what’s right” or are you teaching them a godly example at home?

It is not the church’s responsibility to teach your children about God or what it means to be a Christian. It’s your responsibility. The church’s role is to reinforce what you are showing them and to provide a group of people who are like minded to help you along the way. If you take them to church and live contrary to the teachings of the church, your child’s faith probably will not last. Actions speak louder than words.

King David left his son Solomon a heritage. David knew that God would not allow him to build the temple. David didn’t just tell Solomon he wanted him to build the temple instead. He drew up the plans and bought all the supplies to build the temple. He knew the value of planting the seeds for something he would never get to enjoy. After he gave Solomon all of the supplies and plans, he then blessed him, prayed for him and charged him to do well.

In I Chronicles 28:8-10, David gave Solomon the things he needed to be successful spiritually which is more important than setting him up monetarily. He said, “Learn to know God…, worship and serve Him…., if you seek Him you will find Him…, take this seriously because God has chosen you…., be strong and do the work.” That is an amazing charge and heritage to leave your family. If you haven’t already done so, begin to do the work of leaving a good, godly heritage for your family. You may not get to sit in the shade of the trees of heritage you plant, but your future generations will be blessed and successful because you did the work now.

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September 17, 2012 · 9:11 AM

The Debt

In September 2003, I incurred a debt that I have been unable to pay. I was unable to keep my promise and people who depended on me paid the price. My goal is to pay that debt one day. In fact, I keep a paper in my wallet with that debt on it so that every time I open it to spend money, I see it. It is faded, worn out and tattered. Even though it is nine years old, it still weighs on me and will until it is paid.

Each one of us also has a debt we must pay. We incurred it on the day we were born. I like how King David put it in Psalm 51:5. He said, “I was born a sinner- yes, from the moment my mother conceived me (NLT).” Because Adam was unable to keep his promise to God in the Garden of Eden, we are all born with sin and owe the price of that sin. Romans 5:12 tells us that sin entered the world through one man and spread to all men.

Sin is what separates us from God. Isaiah 59:2 says that it is your sin that has cut you off from God. Just as Adam was cut off from daily fellowship with God, so too our sin cuts us off from having a relationship with Him. When someone has offended you, the last thing you want to do is hang out with them. When Adam sinned against God, he hid himself from God because he knew he had offended God. He didn’t want to face the consequences of his actions and neither do we.

The consequences for that sin and for our sin is separation from God for eternity. Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death. Each of us will die one day. At that point, we receive the payment for sin which is spiritual death or separation from God for eternity. We owe a debt to sin. Our wage that we collect at death is the payment for that debt. No matter how long we live with that debt, it will always weigh on us until it is paid. There is nothing we can do on our own to pay for that debt. Ephesians 2:9 says that salvation (having our debt paid) is not a reward for doing good deeds or being a good person.

The good news is that your debt has been paid. Jesus came to the earth as God’s only son in order to die on the cross to pay that debt for you. Romans 5:8 says that God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. It is not in God to leave us with a huge debt like that. He wants you to live debt free so He paid the price for you. All you have to do is claim it.

Romans 10:13 says that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. In order to claim His payment for your spiritual debt, you just have to pray. In Romans 10:9,10 it tells us how. It says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

I know a lot of people who think they have sinned so much or so badly that God wouldn’t want them or that He wouldn’t forgive them. That is the farthest thing from the truth. II Peter 3:9 says that the Lord is not slow in keeping His promise. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish (including you), but everyone to come to repentance. Your sin is no worse than anyone else’s and He wants to forgive your debt.

To prove that your sin is not too great or that He wants you no matter what, we have to look no farther than the cross. While Jesus was hanging on the cross and the men who beat Him, mocked Him and drove the nails into His hands and feet stood there watching Him die, Jesus looked up into Heaven and said, “Father, forgive them.” I’m sure you haven’t done anything worse than killing God’s only son. If He can forgive them and make a way for them to go to Heaven, He can forgive you and pay your debt.

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September 14, 2012 · 7:31 AM

Hymns of Glorious Praise

Lately I’ve been thinking back to my childhood and remembering what church was like back then. It wasn’t so long ago that there were pews in churches and they weren’t built for comfort either. Every church had altars at the front that were built for comfort because you would spend time on them praying. On the back of every pew was a hymnal. The name of ours was “Hymns of Glorious Praise”.

I remember being bored out of my mind in church as a child. When I was done counting the ceiling tiles (or knots in the wooden ceiling at my grandfather’s church), I would flip open that hymnal for some reading. Mostly I would flip through to see what the oldest written hymn in there was. I can’t remember the name now, but I do know it was on page 27!

All of this thinking got me to remembering the words I read on those pages and the words of the ones we sung. They were powerful words written by great men of God. I’m not saying that today’s worship songs are not powerful or written by men of God, but there was something about the hymns that made them last so long. Think about it. “Amazing Grace” was written by John Newton in 1779 yet almost everyone knows it. I can barely remember what we were singing in 1979.

So yesterday, I asked on Facebook for people to share their favorite hymn and their favorite line from it. The response I got was overwhelming. It reminded me of songs I had forgotten and brought back lots of memories. I thought I’d share some of the ones with you that were posted on my wall and either bring back some memories for you or at least let you read some powerful lyrics.

One of the favorites that was posted was “How Great Thou Art” was translated from a Swedish poem. There was one verse that stood out though. “Oh Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder consider the worlds thy hands have made; I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder – Thy power throughout the universe displayed. Then sings my soul, my Savior, God, to Thee, how great Thou art.” When is the last time you looked up into the sky, looked at all of creation and just worshiped God because of the awesome display of His power? We should look at it and cry out in wonder. David did in Psalm 19.

Another one, as mentioned above, was “Amazing Grace”. If you don’t know, John Newton was a sailor and a slave trader. One day while at sea, his ship sailed into a terrible storm. The ship sprung a leak and began to sink. When he called out to God for help, a piece of cargo drifted and covered the hole in the ship which stopped the leaking. He began to read scripture for the rest of that journey and accepted Jesus as his savior. He later penned the words, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch (a miserable person) like me. I once was lost, but now I’m found. Was blind, but now I see.” If you’ve accepted Christ, that’s your story too. That’s why it resonates with all of us.

The last one I’ll share is also one of my favorites. “It is Well With My Soul” was written by Horatio Spafford in 1873. He and his family were going to Europe for a trip, but he was delayed for business purposes. He sent his wife and three daughters ahead of him. On their way, their ship caught fire and sank. His wife survived, but his three daughters died. He got a telegram from his wife that said, “Saved alone.” When he sailed to meet her and passed over the spot, he was overcome emotion and wrote, “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, ‘It is well with my soul.'”

I’m not sure many of us can endure what he did and respond that way. In life’s most difficult circumstances, do you call out to God, rely on God or praise Him? These men did and wrote their prayers down. I think that’s also why we relate so much to these. They are prayers that we can pray and sing from deep within our souls. With that being said, I’d like to know what’s your favorite hymn and line that you relate to?

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September 12, 2012 · 7:14 AM

Removing Your Training Wheels

I remember when I was five years old. My grandmother bought me a bike. I absolutely loved it. I rode it up and down the driveway, across the street and to the neighbor’s house. I can still hear the training wheels scuff the ground and make popping sounds as they crushed sand and went over rocks. There came a day though when my dad had to remove the training wheels. They started to become something that slowed me down rather than to speed up.

Dad held onto the back of my banana seat and ran with the bike as I pedaled. I felt just as safe with him there as I did with the training wheels. I realized that I was going faster than I ever had with training wheels on. You could see my smile clear across Texas as I pedaled. Then, I looked back to see if my dad was enjoying it as much as I did. When I saw him way behind me, not holding on anymore, I got scared, panicked and wrecked. We tried again and again until I realized I could do it.

I think God does that with us. When we are new in our faith, we have training wheels. We take it slowly, but we have movement and freedom like never before once we believe. But there comes a time when we have to exercise our faith. The training wheels have to come off and we have to trust God fully. It can be scary when you are being grown. We might even fall a couple of times. The disciple Peter did.

Jesus removed the training wheels from the disciples after thy had been with him for some time. He put them in a boat and told them to sail across the Sea. He would meet them on the other side. He let go of the boat and let them sail on their own. It should have been no big deal since many were fisherman. When a storm came, they began to panic because they were all alone.

Jesus came walking to them on the water and said, “Don’t be afraid. Take courage. I am here.” Just like a parent after their kid’s initial wreck on the bike, Jesus came to them to calm them down and to help them. After the encouragement, Peter decides he’s ready to try again. He steps out of the boat and begins to exercise his faith. I’m sure you could see his smile all across Galilee as he realized he was doing it. About that time, he panicked and started to sink. Jesus helped him up and they continued to walk on water.

Our faith never really grows until we exercise it. God allows opportunities in life to trust Him and to build our faith. Just because it feels like He has let go and is allowing you to pedal, doesn’t mean He isn’t watching you or is right there to help you if you crash. We all crash. We all fall. It’s what we do after that that matters. Are you willing to get back on the bike? Are you willing to step out of the boat even in a storm to trust God and to exercise your faith?

He’s watching you, cheering you on and calling out to you, “Don’t be afraid. Take courage. I am here.” He hasn’t left you or forsaken you and He never will. Like a good parent, He helps you grow and do more than you ever thought you could. There are times when He is running behind you, holding onto the banana seat of your life helping you along. Then there are times when He lets go and cheers you on. Wherever you are in life, know that He is with you and growing you because He knows what is best for you.

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September 11, 2012 · 10:05 AM

Quit Blaming God

September 11, 2001, was a day that no one who was alive will forget. Since it happened, people have placed blamed on the hijackers, the government, Muslims, George W. Bush and God for the attacks. No matter who you believe was behind it, there is evil in this world and it seeks to destroy. On that day it destroyed lives, buildings, families, people’s sense of security, health, hope and trust.

In John 10:10, Jesus said that it is the enemy who comes to steal, kill and destroy. It bothers me when people place the blame on God when bad things happen. That is not who God is. In the same sentence, Jesus said that His purpose is to give a rich and satisfying life. He does not cause bad things to happen to you. James 1:17 tells us that whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father.

Why is it that we blame the bad things on God, but not the good things? Somehow we think that we are responsible for anything good that happens in our lives without the help of God, yet we are not responsible for bad things that happen. The Bible is full of scriptures that show consequences for actions: honor your father and mother so that your days may be long (Exodus 20:12), a man who is diligent in his work will stand before kings (Proverbs 22:29), if you are faithful with the small things, God will make you faithful over many (Luke 16:10) and if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can move mountains (Luke 17:6).

Too often we associate God as someone in the sky who is waiting for us to mess up so He can crush us. Yes, just like there are consequences for good actions, there are consequences for going against what He says too. The difference in what the reality of who He is and who we think He is in those times is that He doesn’t want us to stay in those consequences. He always provides a way of forgiveness no matter how bad the sin. He doesn’t want to leave us there so He has provided a way out. II Chronicles 7:14 says that if we will humble ourselves, pray and turn from our wrong doing, He will hear from Heaven, forgive our sins and heal our land.

God has no desire to leave you in sin or to destroy your life. He wants you to live freely in Him, overcome evil and to walk in forgiveness. Your life matters to Him. When evil seeks to destroy you, your life, your home, your business or your relationships know that you can run to God for help. He is a strong refuge (Nahum 1:7). He is help in time of need (Psalm 46:1). He raises a standard when the enemy comes in like a flood (Isaiah 59:19). He fights for you (Exodus 14:14). No weapon that is formed against you will prosper (Isaiah 54:17). If He is for you, who can be against you (Romans 8:31)?

If you are under attack today, proclaim those promises that God has given you in scripture. I’m not telling you these things out of faith. I’m one who has lived those promises and has seen God do it in my life. I know His Word is true and He can be trusted. I have seen Him be my refuge and fight for me when I didn’t have the strength to. I’ve had the enemy come in like a flood and try to destroy everything. When that happened, I cried out to God who lifted up a standard and held back the waters before they consumed me too. If He did it for me, He’ll do it for you. Ask Him and trust Him with your life.

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