Archives

Don’t Give Up!

Oct3

Back in September, we read  David’s story

It was a story about loss, and persistence, and restoration.

Here it is again, in a nutshell;

David – Returned home to find that his entire village had been destroyed. Not one living thing was left, not one building standing. His wife and children were taken away, and he had no way of knowing whether they were alive or dead. Here’s what David (and his men) did. You can read this account in 1 Samuel 30. Here’s what he did –

1. He wept bitterly, until all of his strength was gone.

2. He then found strength in the Lord his God.

3. He inquired of the Lord to see what he should do (He prayed)

4. He took a portion of his men with him and pursued the enemy. He got EVERYTHING back, and then some. God honored the fact that he did not quit, but that he and a small number believed God could restore. (Nation, Families, Finances, Churches)

Now here is another story, this time about Daniel;

Daniel – Chapter 9. Now Daniel finished reading the scrolls and saw that the captivity was coming to an end. He could have said hip-hip-hooray and stopped praying, but he didn’t. He didn’t stop crying out to God, he called out to God what He had already promised! Three things he did –

1. He repented, for his sin AND the sin of his people.

2. He interceded. He took the promises of God’s word and brought them before Him all the more.

3. He gave thanks. He gave thanks for what He had done and what He would do. He thanked Him for His promises and covenants.

Both of these men could have given up. They could have stopped. They could have taken the freedom God gave them, and hidden themselves away. They never would have gotten the promises of God fulfilled in their lives.

Instead, they were persistent. First in their belief that God would care for them, and then, in their tenacity to continue moving forward, through pain and loss, to receive the prize at the end of the line.

The questions here for you and I are these;

  1. Will we persist?
  2. Will we believe God?
  3. Will we go on until we reach the prize?

To be sure, there are prizes here on this earth that are worth fighting for, but in reality, they will all fade away.

My persistence will lead not only to some of these, but to the ultimate prize – Living in the Presence of God. In His kingdom. Forever.

Pretty sure of this am I?

Yes.

Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  Matthew 6:33

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  Romans 8:35
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.  Psalm 16:11

 

How about you?
Are you sure?

My Own Wholeness

Sep26

When I stand up for my wholeness I ……..

This writing is from my 5 for 5 Brain Dump writing on July 13. If you don’t know what 5 for 5 Brain Dump is, you can can click here to find out more about it.

Here it is. As it was written. Unedited. Hopefully, you can glean some wisdom from it. If you do, feel free to let me know in the comments.

When I stand up for my wholeness, some times others do not understand. Some think I’m being cranky. RBF. I think it could be because they have been accustomed to me standing up for THEIR wholeness. One of my  nick names is “Best Cheer Leader”. I have seen recently, it’s always been for someone else.

When I stand up for my (own) wholeness, I feel calm. I feel peaceful. I feel more energized and less anxious. When I stand up for my wholeness, I can complete tasks.

I have been, and am grateful for this revelation. Wholeness. What a great feeling.

So that is the Brain Dump. It is the first thing out of my brain after hearing the prompt.

I’ve had time now to consider that prompt in depth. I’ve had time now to put myself first much more of the time.

I find that when I take a few moments here and there to put these principals into practice, the moments I spend for myself and others are much more productive.

How about it?

Do you take a moment to be kind to yourself, to be your own best cheerleader?

You could begin here.

For another perspective on this topic, visit here.

Restoration

Sep24

Have you experienced loss?

Have you experienced grief?

Have you experienced physical pain?

Have you experienced mental anguish?

Have these experiences seemed to come one right after the other, after the other, after the other?

Have these experiences caused brought you to a worn out, I give up sort of place?

I understand. Sometimes it rains. Other times it pours.

Allow me to share a story with you from the Bible.

It can be found in 1 Samuel 30.

The story is about part of King David’s life.

You might say, he was having a really bad day.

David and his men were coming home from battle to their home town of Ziklag. Upon arrival, they found that their town had been burnt to the ground, and their women, children, and every one else, great or small, were taken captive. David and his men wept bitterly. They wept until they had no more strength. The men were so distressed about the loss of their wives and daughters, that they wanted to stone David to death! But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. David then inquired of the Lord his God about what he should do.  “Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.” So David took four hundred of his men with him. They traveled light for expediency. David left two hundred behind to guard all of their stuff.  Along the way they found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. And they gave him bread and he ate. They gave him water to drink. David asked him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago. “We had burned Ziklag with fire.” And David said to him, “Will you take me down to this band?” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this band.” He led David to where these men were. They were all partying because of their great plunder. David and his men surrounded them, and overnight, killed them all. David recovered all of their belongings, all the wives and children. Everything that had been taken, in addition to the flocks and herds of the enemy. When they returned, David shared his “spoil” with all who went with him, and with all of those who stayed behind to guard their baggage.

Here are the steps David followed to regain power over his circumstances. These steps led him to total restoration.

 

  • David wept.

  • David found strength in the Lord his God.

  • David inquired of the Lord.

  • David pursued his enemy.

  • God restored everything.

 

Note: David HAD to depend on a power greater than himself.

He depended on the Lord his God to deliver him from his circumstances.

This “depending” takes a while to learn, but is well worth the effort.

Personally, the more I can depend on God, and less on me, the more peaceful and content I find myself, whether my experiences are good, or even if they are horrible. I’ve found that being in charge is not all it is cracked up to be.

How about it? Can you depend on someone other than yourself? Where do you find your strength when you are weeping? Where do your answers come from? Do you face your enemies/fears? Or do you hide away? Are you happy with the results?