Run to the Giant

Have you ever found yourself doubting your abilities? Doubting your ability to use your God given talents effectively? I recently found myself in this predicament. 

It was early morning, as I sat by the ocean, watching the waves crash on the shore. A beautiful, cool sea breeze was blowing and there was no sound apart from the sounds of the ocean and the occasional bird calling as it flew by. 

I had come down to the beach early, to get alone with the Lord and pray about the lesson I was going to be teaching to a group of ladies in a couple of hours. I was struggling with doubt and worry. Yes, I had prepared what I thought God would have me teach, but upon meeting the group I would be teaching, I began to have doubts about whether or not the words  the Lord had given me were actually what He would have me say. 

I began to pray earnestly and seek the scriptures for encouragement and assurance that I was heading in the direction the Lord would have me go. I was so unsure. I began to doubt myself. My ability to speak.

 Who was I to think that I could speak to a group of ladies of every age, and from vastly different backgrounds? What could I possibly have to teach them that they hadn’t already heard? What about those who seemed to be unteachable? What about those who had walked with the Lord for far longer than I? Would I be able to explain my points effectively? Would they be able to learn something from what God had given me to teach? Would they even listen?

Yes, I had taken my eyes off the Lord and started focusing on the circumstances and the people around me. Never a wise thing to do. Remember Peter? 

Matthew 14:29-31 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

As soon as Peter took his eyes off the Lord and looked at the waves, he began to sink. And the Lord rebuked him for his lack of faith. 

My doubting was a lack of faith. So, as I sat there, praying earnestly for the Lord to come through for me and give me peace in my heart, I opened up my Bible app on my phone to read some words of comfort. 

It’s strange how God works in mysterious ways, because every time I tried to open my Bible app and search for the verse, the app crashed. This happened at least 5 times. And each and every time, without fail, it would open up to the same passage. And it was not even the passage I had been searching for. 

I’m a bit thick, so the Lord had to do it a few times before I realised that maybe, just maybe (there I go, doubting again), God had something in this passage that I needed to hear. 

Here is the passage that my Bible app kept opening to. 

Deuteronomy 1:28-30 Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there. Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them. The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;

Wow! Talk about God making it clear! I needed the Lord to fight for me as I felt so incapable of teaching the lesson I had prepared. But God knew that it was exactly what I was supposed to teach and that I just needed a little push and a little reminder that he would be with me.  

Of course, I couldn’t do it in my own strength. I needed his help. And I needed to be reminded that he would lead and guide as I taught, and that he would put the words in my mouth that needed to be said. All my hours of study amounted to nothing if I didn’t rely on him and his power to go before me. 

I didn’t need to be afraid of the waves. The Lord would go before me if I kept my gaze wholly upon him. If I just trusted him to speak for me. 

I prayed and cried to God to increase my faith and to guide and direct every word that would come out of my mouth. 

After my doubt and worry had been replaced with faith and trust, I text mum to share with her of God’s grace and goodness to me at this particular moment,  and she gave me a piece of advice that I haven’t been able to get out of my head, even though weeks have passed since this incident. She told me to “run to the giant”, just as David did when he took on the insurmountable task of killing Goliath, the feared Philistine warrior. 

Run to the giant

1 Samuel 17:48-49 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.

When David went to meet with Goliath and the time came to make his move, he didn’t cower in fear, he didn’t hesitate, he was sure of God’s direction and he was sure of God’s protection. He ran to the giant! And the Lord delivered him into David’s hand.

 The Lord came through. No matter how far removed the possibility of success seems from our vantage point, God will come through. And God doesn’t just come through for the mighty, he comes through for all of us! 

And that day on the beach, as I doubted my calling, God came through for me. He gave me encouragement through his Word and then through his people. God often brings people into our lives to help encourage us to keep on the path God has us on. They cheer us on and bring words of wisdom to help strengthen our tired arms, lift our weary heads and turn our eyes back onto the Lord Jesus. 

Does anyone have any giants in their lives? Then run to them! Don’t be afraid to do what God is calling you to do. If he is calling you to do it, then he will equip you for it. When you are sure of God’s direction, then don’t hesitate. Run to the giant!  And when the job is done, give God all the glory, for without him, you can do nothing! 

I was able to teach my lesson that day without the fear of man, without doubt and with faith in God that he would not let his word return void. 

Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Whether or not the ladies grasped hold of the principles I taught that day, I was taught a valuable lesson in faith and trust. God showed me that although I may doubt my own talents and abilities, he is able to uphold and strengthen me when I am at my weakest. He is able to use me, despite my failings, fumblings and fears to accomplish things for him and bring glory to his name. 

Psalm 34:4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

Psalm 34:6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

Psalm 34:15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.

Psalm 34:17 The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Contentment. Yes. Even at a time like this

This morning I began to think about my current contentment level. Am I content in these troubling times? Truly content? Have I learnt to speak the words the apostle Paul spoke so many years ago?

Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

The days we’re living in right now are hard. Life is discouraging. Fear abounds. Despair is everywhere. But, can we, as Christians, learn to be content? 

How long will we struggle to alter the circumstances we find ourselves in? I’m finding that I need to take a good hard look at what God has blessed me with and not be distracted by what He has taken away. 

God is sovereign and he has his reasons for what we’re facing today. We may never understand why the whole world had to go through such an enormous upheaval, but we can trust God through it all.

If we stop, even for 5 minutes, and take the time to write down our blessings, we will find peace in knowing that we are blessed beyond measure. 

I’ve found myself feeling fearful at times. Uncertain. Anxious. We, like many others have a business to run and bills to pay. It’s easy to become distracted by the here and now and worry about what the future holds.  Will we have enough money to keep us afloat? Will we be able to make the payments on our loans? Will those that owe us, pay us? Yes, these thoughts have rattled around in my tiny brain until they became giants of despair. 

I love the passage in Matthew that helps me put things back into focus. Take the time to read it all. Don’t just skim over it because it’s a familiar passage. 

Matthew 6:25-33 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

God, in all His majesty and awesomeness, feeds the birds. He takes care of the lilies of the field. If he can stoop down and take care of such small and seemingly insignificant parts of creation, how much more can he take care of us? 

We worry about food, shelter, clothing. We fret over finances. And yet, God tells us not to worry. He tells us that we are better than the birds and the flowers. He WILL take care of us. He reminds us that if we seek Him first, then all those things that we worry and fret about, he will take care of. 

In going back to our lists of blessings, we can see that we can learn to be content with what we have. We don’t need to be discontent because we can only buy 2 tins of spaghetti or that there is no pasta left on the shelf at our local Woolies. We don’t need to be miserable because we can’t go for our usual coffee with a friend. These things are so insignificant in God’s big plan for us. 

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

What is it he wants us to learn from all this? What questions should we be asking ourselves at a time like this? Here’s a few to think about. 

What does God want me to learn about Him that I might never have learnt had he removed me from this situation or not allowed the situation to occur in the first place? 

What Godly, Christlike characteristics is he trying to grow in my life that I need to learn in order to become a better Christian and develop my walk with him? 

Who is watching? And what are they discovering about what God is like by how I am reacting to the current situation?

What is God trying to say to me as I go through this trial? Am I listening to his still, small voice? Am I learning the lessons he is trying to teach me? 

When I think of how we may lose everything we’ve worked for and end up with just the clothes on our backs (I know that sounds dramatic, but it may be the case with many people), I am convicted about how tightly I’m holding onto the things of this world. This passage in 1 Timothy is a good reminder to be content. 

1 Timothy 6:6-8 But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

This verse reminds us that we came into this world with nothing, and we won’t be able to take anything with us when we go. So, if the Lord chooses to take it all from us, as in the case of Job, and if we have the Lord Jesus in our hearts and lives, then we haven’t really lost anything, have we? All that we have is borrowed anyway, we are just stewards. If we have food and clothes, then we should be content with that. 

That’s not easy to swallow. Being left with only food and clothes and being content. We love our possessions. We want to be comfortable. We don’t like going without. 

Luke 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

But life shouldn’t only be about what we possess. Our hope shouldn’t lie in what we have. If you want to see where your hope lies, then watch what happens as God takes things away from you and see how you react. If you’re hoping in your job, your house, your finances, your spouse, then when God begins to peel open your firmly curled fist from the things you hold so tightly, you’ll soon see where your hope lies. Our hope is to be in the Lord. 

My Hope is in the Lord

My Hope is in the Lord, who gave Himself for me

And paid the price of all my sin at Calvary

For me He died; For me He lives,

And everlasting life and light He freely gives.

My Hope Is Built

My hope is built on nothing less

than Jesus' blood and righteousness.

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

On Christ the solid rock I stand,

all other ground is sinking sand.

Take a ‘hope inventory’ and find where it is your hope lies. If it’s not in the Lord, then you’re in trouble. Facts are facts. When we put our trust in the things of this world, we’re going to be disappointed, devastated and fearful when these things are suddenly and forcibly taken from us.

As Christians, we have a hope of greater things to come. No matter what is thrown at us, no matter where we find ourselves to be financially right now, we have hope.  When all the world is crumbling around us, when all we see is despair, we can have the peace of God in our hearts. We can rest in God’s promises and we can know without a shadow of a doubt, that God can and will bring us through this and do his purifying work in our hearts.

Contentment is not something we can get in a ‘take away, drive-thru’ sort of a way. It isn’t available in a microwaveable format.  It is something we must cultivate. Patiently and purposefully. We have to consciously work on it, every day of our lives. We have to start embracing where God has us, our current lot in life, our past, our present and our future.  But it has to start with you. And it has to start with a resolute decision to strive to be content in whatever circumstances God sees fit to put you in. And God will fill you with his peace if your mind and heart is focused on him.

Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Begin today to count your blessings. Name them one by one. Put your hope in the Lord. Rest in him. Seek him first. Develop a spirit of contentment. Abound in hope.

Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Your Thoughts Determine Your Feelings

Are you experiencing fearful thoughts? Are you worried and anxious? I know I’ve had moments this past week. Despite all the study and the reading and writing that I do, I am not immune to experiencing fear and anxiety. No one is. In this current world crisis that we are all going through, fear abounds, and despair is very prevalent. 

But do you realise that your feelings are based on your thoughts? Your feelings come from your thoughts. Your thinking is what causes you to fear. 

Your body chemistry is not to blame for your feelings. Your thoughts originate in your heart. Your feelings come from your thoughts and your thoughts come from your heart. 

The Bible is very clear on this point. 

Mark 7:21-23 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Proverbs 23:7a  For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: 

We feel what we feel because of how we think. My husband has often told me, “It’s all in your head.” I don’t like to hear this, especially when I’m sick or upset or worried. But it seems, most of the time, he’s spot on! It is all in my head.  I worry about things and work myself into a state just because of how I’m thinking. I can actually worry myself sick! 

When I begin to have these worries, it’s because I don’t have the right view of God.  I am not fully trusting God in the particular situation and so I begin to have ‘evil thoughts’ and then these thoughts translate into feelings and the raw emotion spills out. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, emotions are not wrong. God created us with emotions and they are a gift. He made us to have and show feelings. Imagine a life without feelings? Being with your friends yet feeling no pleasure. Holding a newborn without elation. Feeling no relief at good news shared. Without emotions, you couldn’t experience good feelings. 

Life without emotion would be colourless and bland. We don’t need to be afraid of our feelings. We just need to not let them control us. Don’t let your feelings be what defines you. 

Thoughts come from our hearts. What is going on in your life may tempt you to have wrong thoughts. But it’s up to you whether you give in to that temptation. It’s up to you what you choose to think about. We are not excused from wrong thinking just because the world is falling apart. God holds us responsible for our thoughts. 

God doesn’t want us to focus on our feelings. He wants us to focus on our thinking and the choices we make. We should be watching our thinking, not our feelings. As I said before, our feelings are based on our thoughts. So, it’s what we think about that we need to rein in. 

2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Now, fear can be helpful in certain circumstances.  When fear serves as a caution and alerts us to danger, be it spiritual or physical, it can be a good thing. Fear drives us to be cautious about certain things that could be harmful. 

But when fear keeps us from carrying out God’s will and our Biblical responsibilities, fear becomes a bad thing. When we have fear that stops us from doing what God would have us do. Whether it be leaving all that we know and love to go to the mission field, or whether it be something as small as helping a friend in need. If fear drives us to disobey God, then that fear is not a good thing. Our thoughts have caused us to have feelings of fear and these fears don’t need to be there as we have so many promises in the Word to cling to. 

I know, it’s easy to say, ‘don’t fear’, God commands us not to fear. But it’s not so easy to actually live it. I know that in counselling others, I have often quoted the scriptures on living without fear and they are good verses to memorize and comfort others with, but at times I find myself failing to practice what I preach. Why then is it so hard to grasp? Because of my thoughts! 

Yes, it all comes down to my thinking. Yet again. I begin to dwell on the circumstances around me, I take my eyes off the Lord and begin to have doubts at His ability to keep me under the shelter of His wings, and my thoughts take control and pretty soon, Boom! feelings of fear take over. 

Proverbs 1:33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

The Bible tells us that if we’ll just hearken, or listen attentively, hear intelligently, consider and obey the Lord, we will dwell safely and we will be quiet from fear. That’s not a quiet like a shushing, that’s a quiet that means peaceful, restful and at ease. 

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

When we are fearful, we lack faith. Our faith needs to grow and be grounded in the Word of God. The Lord will test our faith and that may be what is happening right now. How strong is your faith? Will it stand up during troublesome times? 

Don’t rely on your feelings to guide you. They lead us astray continually. How we feel comes from our hearts. Our hearts need to be in tune with God. The closer we are walking to Him, the more faith we have in Him, the more we trust Him, the surer we are to weathering life’s storms. Yes, at times, the waves will crash over us and threaten to hold us under, but if we are trusting God like we should, we’ll feel His strong arm pulling us up again onto the rock, steeling ourselves against the next wave and the next. 

Don’t let your fears drown you. And don’t let your thinking cause you to fear. Remember that it’s your thoughts that cause you to respond or react to your circumstances. 

Beware of what you think about! 

“Feelings come and feelings go,

And feelings are deceiving;

My warrant is the Word of God--

Naught else is worth believing.

Though all my heart should feel condemned

For want of some sweet token,

There is One greater than my heart

Whose Word cannot be broken.

I'll trust in God's unchanging Word

Till soul and body sever,

For, though all things shall pass away,

HIS WORD SHALL STAND FOREVER!”

Martin Luther

Pain May be Part of the Plan

In going over some of my archives, I came across this article I had written a few years back and thought it was worth reposting in light of the present circumstances. 

“Pain, suffering, trouble, adversity, temptation, affliction, can exercise a wonderful ministry of spiritual discipline, refinement, and enrichment.

Some flowers, as the rose, must be crushed before their full fragrance is released. Some fruit, as the sycamore, must be bruised before it will attain ripeness and sweetness. Some metals, as gold, must be flung into the furnace before they reach full value and purity The old oak log must be laid on the fire, and the flames encircle it, before its imprisoned music is set free.

 So is it with the saints. It is true with many of us that we must be laid low before we will look high. We must know God's smiting before we can appreciate His smiling. The Potter must break the vessel before He can make out of the same material a new and beautiful vase. Our hearts must be broken before their richest contents can leak out and flow forth to bless others.

 But whenever God sends a trial with one hand, He gives grace with the other. Thus trials become triumphs. Burdens become wings. Affliction, instead of being a bed of thorns and a pathway of nettles, becomes a quilt of roses.

The very things which seem to break us are the things which really “make” us.

Lo, God is in the hurricane, and instead of driving us to destruction, it beats the scared mariner into that safest of all harbours, the encircling arms of God's love!”  J. Sidlow Baxter

In reading this passage this morning, I was reminded how true it is. That 'pain may be part of the plan'. I also realised that I wasn't able to explain it any better, so I decided to write out the whole passage to share.

So often, we think that 'pain' in our Christian walk is not supposed to happen. We get the idea that if we're walking close to the Lord and serving Him faithfully, that we won't struggle with trials and disappointments. Where in the Bible do we find that??

1 Peter 4:19

Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God

 commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. 

Did you get that, “according to the will of God”?

Meaning, it is the will of God that we suffer. He alone knows what's

best for us and what we need to endure in order to become more like Him.

And because we are all unique individuals, we have tailor made sufferings

to bring us closer to Him and to refine us and rid us of impurities in our lives.

As I've written so many times before, trials are often blessings in disguise.

There are certain people in Christian circles, that have this idea,

that if you're suffering, then you must be sinning.

Well, I know one thing. My Lord Jesus NEVER sinned. Was perfect.

Sinless. Holy.  Righteous. And yet, read this verse:

Hebrews 2:10

For it became him, for whom are all things,

and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory,

 to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

The Lord Jesus Himself even suffered! The Crown of thorns

was in God's eternal plan. The Cross was but a step to the throne.

When we look at suffering in that light, we might just

change our perspective on how we view our trials.

Here we have the Lord Jesus, the only sinless and perfect

being, suffering as part of God's plan.

Suffering so that we might be free.

There are so many discouragements and disappointments

in our lives and often we feel like all we do is struggle and battle on a

day to day basis. But if we could only grasp that it may be part of the

plan and that God has a purpose and a work to do.

Would we look at our sufferings in a different light? Would we be able to be

content to go through the furnace of fiery trials?  Could we hold

our head high and give praise to a righteous God who knows

exactly what he's doing?

And when we come out the other side,

would we be willing to thank Him for the trial, and praise Him for the

blessing it turned out to be in our lives?

Our trials can become triumphs and our burdens, wings.

It all comes down to our response to Him.

Are we resisting the purifying work of the Lord in our lives?

Or are we letting it drive us into the 'encircling arms of His love'?

Let Go

and

Let God!