But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.
Isaiah 40:31
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And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Romans 8:28 (NLT)
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18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20
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Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.
Hebrews 10:36
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There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
John 15:13
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If you’ve never watched a documentary on lions, you should. They’re the king of the jungle and very interesting creatures. Their roar can be heard from as far as five miles away by the human ear. Male lions are typically the most active at night and that’s also when they roar the most. When I heard these facts about lions, it reminded me of I Peter 5:8. It says, “Stay alert! Watch out for your enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”
The first thing Peter tells us is to stay alert. Lions like to hide in the grass and stalk their prey. They blend in with their surroundings and sneak up on whatever it is they’re going to devour. If they’re spotted from a distance, they know they don’t have much of a chance to catch their prey and move on. Peter knew that we need to keep a watchful eye out for the devil. He didn’t say we should be afraid of him. He merely wanted us to pay attention to our surroundings. Are we putting ourselves in places where the devil can hide and stalk us?
The next part of that verse says he prowls around like a roaring lion. If you remember from above, they roar at night. The enemy chooses to come after us in the night times of our life. He knows that’s when we are most vulnerable. He roars in order to instill fear in to our hearts. He knows he can paralyze so many Christians with a simple roar from far away. Remember that the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus came to give us life. Are you paralyzed by the roar of the enemy or encouraged by the life giving power of Jesus?
My favorite part of this scripture comes in verse 9. It says, “Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.” While the attacks of the enemy are real, we can hold our ground. We can stand firm against him by the power of Jesus’ name. We don’t have to cower in fear or run from him because he’s stalking us. He can stand and fight because greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world. What can you do to stand firm when the enemy is roaring?
One of my favorite Disney movies of all time is “The Lion King”. In it, there’s a scene where Simba has lost his way in life and his father visits him in a dream. Mufasa calls out to his son and says, “Remember who you are.” I think when we’ve lost our way or the enemy is trying to instill fear in our lives, we need to remember who we are. We are children of the King of Kings and have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. By the power and authority we are to stand up against the enemy. Don’t let him cause you to submit in fear. Recognize him, call him out and stand firm in your faith against him. You will be victorious no matter how loudly he roars.
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You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.
John 15:16 (NLT)
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And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.
Colossians 3:2 (AMP)
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1. As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. (Proverbs 27:17 NLT)
2. Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble. (Proverbs 17:17 MSG)
3. If you want people to like you, forgive them when they wrong you. Remembering wrongs can break up a friendship. (Proverbs 17:9 GNB)
4. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15:13 NLT)
5. Don’t leave your friends or your parents’ friends and run home to your family when things get rough; Better a nearby friend than a distant family. (Proverbs 27:10 MSG)
6. Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; so does the sweetness of a friend’s counsel that comes from the heart. (Proverbs 27:9 AMP)
7. Friends mean well, even when they hurt you. But when an enemy puts an arm round your shoulder — watch out! (Proverbs 27:6 GNB)
8. Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family. (Proverbs 18:24 MSG)
9. When you please the Lord, you can make your enemies into friends. (Proverbs 16:7 GNB)
10. Reliable friends who do what they say are like cool drinks in sweltering heat—refreshing! (Proverbs 25:13 MSG)
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I always love “Throwback Thursday” on social media. Lots of people post pictures of themselves in the past. People laugh and comment about the clothes, hair or where they were. It brings back good memories of a time gone by, but it also is a reminder that we aren’t who we used to be. Times change and so do we. It’s so gradual and slow that we hardly notice it until we do something like a “Throwback Thursday”. When we do that, it becomes very clear how much we have changed and how far we’ve come.
I believe it’s also a good practice to do a Spiritual Throwback Thursday. It’s important to look back and see all the great things God has done for us and to see what He’s brought us through. Times of reflection help us to remember where we once were. They help us to relive the pain and hopelessness of the moment just before God came through. They build our faith so that we can face even harder times in the future. God is faithful. What He’s done in the past, He will do today and in the future.
In Lamentations 3:19-32, Jeremiah reflects on where he had been. He wrote, “I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lost mess, the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed. I remember it all – oh how well I remember – the feeling of hitting bottom. (MSG)” In his time of sorrow, he took time to think back to how he felt in those times of despair he had already faced. He didn’t do it to make himself feel worse in his current condition. He did it so he could have hope.
In verses 21 and 22, he said, “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: the faithful love of the Lord never ends! (NLT)” No matter how bad life gets, you can still dare to have hope because God is faithful. Things may look worse than you’ve ever seen them. The sky may be darker than it has ever been. You may be facing the most hopeless situation, but one thing remains: the faithful love of the Lord never ends. You can hold on to His faithfulness no matter how bleak things might seem.
The writer then spends the next several verses reminding himself of the lessons he’s learned in trusting God. He gives himself a pep talk and says in verses 31 and 32, “For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever. Though He brings grief, He also shows great compassion because of the greatness of His unfailing love.” Sometimes we have to give ourselves a pep talk too. David did it when he asked himself, “Why so downcast, o my soul? Put your hope in God.” If doing a Spiritual Throwback Thursday was good enough for Jeremiah and David, it’s good enough for us. It’ll help you to remember the faithful love of the Lord.
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I was nominated by Lilkaraphael @ bisforblessed.com
I was nominated for this award by Mike Stephens at mikeforchrist.com
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 