I can't believe we are nearing the end of August...the home stretch of summer so to speak. At least I've been to the Island twice this summer and the last visit was a splendid respite with my parents, enjoying their company and the views of solitude.
I am rejoicing at God's goodness!! He has never failed me! God has been speaking to me lately from the book of Samuel and today specifically from 1 Samuel 17:32, "And David said to Saul, let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine."
The last 3 years have been a test of my confidence and trust in my God. And I have to admit that I thought when I started this latest round of the Refiners' fire that my confidence was secure. But I have found that there were cracks in my armour. God had a plan though to build up my confidence in Him. To shore up my walls! I cannot say that I enjoyed any of the heat, but I did enjoy the times in His presence. The times where I was brought to my knees because I had no where else to go. Those times helped me to develop a reliance on Him. Each new day brought a renewed sense of trust in the King of Kings. I did not have to fear because I was beginning to know the One who held me in the palm of His hand. I could face the Philistine in my life because I now had a confidence in who I was: the daughter of the Most High, Who would never let me go into battle alone.
As I look at David's life up to this point, he had never been trained as a soldier, but the spiritual preparation he had in the wilderness while faithfully tendering his father’s flock had built in him great faith in the Almighty God. This young lad was ready to fight the battle from which a whole army ran away; he was ready to do what a whole battalion of soldiers could not dare. What was his secret? David had something that was lacking in the army of Israel. His confidence in God was intact.
The cause of every spiritual defeat is heart failure! By heart failure I do not mean in the physical sense, but the failure of the inner man to hold unto the Almighty God in confidence and faith. If there is anything the devil is out to achieve, it is to erode our confidence in God. This explains the reason why the scripture commands: ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward’, Hebrews 10:35. We will remain winners as long as our hearts hold unto God in confidence and faith. If our hearts do not sink, we will continue to stay afloat no matter how turbulent the storm is.
We can avoid heart failure by:
1. Having a right relationship with God: The foundation for inner peace is to have a right relationship with our maker. We can never know true peace unless our relationship with God is right. David’s secret of success was that he had a right relationship with God.
2. Feeding your heart with God’s word: The only source of unfailing inner strength is God’s word. The more of God’s Word we store in our hearts [inner man] the more strength is available to us to stand upon when other things fail.
3. Shut your heart against negative thoughts and ideas: Words are seed. If you fill your heart with evil reports and negative thoughts, you will find it difficult to triumph because the evil reports will always be repeating themselves to you. You must shut your heart against negative reports from people around you.
4. And always remember the great things that the Lord has done in your life. Each time we remember the great things that God has done in our lives before, our faith and confidence in Him is boosted. David recalled how God delivered a lion and a bear into his hand in the wilderness and this became a source of unwavering confidence to him. If the Lord did it before, He can do it again; if He did it for others, He will do it for you!
I know the battle is not over, if anything the trials on this earth will intensify. That is why it is so important now to shore up any cracks in our armour. Build up your confidence now, know the "One" intimately who will continue to shelter you. That is Christ Jesus! You can trust Him! There is no Philistine or giant that can defeat you when you go out with confidence in The Captain of the Hosts. You will go out with joy and be led forth in peace.
Praying that you will be strengthened today by the love of the Savior! Spend time at the beginning of each day getting to know him intimately. The days ahead will require it!
The last 3 years have been a test of my confidence and trust in my God. And I have to admit that I thought when I started this latest round of the Refiners' fire that my confidence was secure. But I have found that there were cracks in my armour. God had a plan though to build up my confidence in Him. To shore up my walls! I cannot say that I enjoyed any of the heat, but I did enjoy the times in His presence. The times where I was brought to my knees because I had no where else to go. Those times helped me to develop a reliance on Him. Each new day brought a renewed sense of trust in the King of Kings. I did not have to fear because I was beginning to know the One who held me in the palm of His hand. I could face the Philistine in my life because I now had a confidence in who I was: the daughter of the Most High, Who would never let me go into battle alone.
As I look at David's life up to this point, he had never been trained as a soldier, but the spiritual preparation he had in the wilderness while faithfully tendering his father’s flock had built in him great faith in the Almighty God. This young lad was ready to fight the battle from which a whole army ran away; he was ready to do what a whole battalion of soldiers could not dare. What was his secret? David had something that was lacking in the army of Israel. His confidence in God was intact.
The cause of every spiritual defeat is heart failure! By heart failure I do not mean in the physical sense, but the failure of the inner man to hold unto the Almighty God in confidence and faith. If there is anything the devil is out to achieve, it is to erode our confidence in God. This explains the reason why the scripture commands: ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward’, Hebrews 10:35. We will remain winners as long as our hearts hold unto God in confidence and faith. If our hearts do not sink, we will continue to stay afloat no matter how turbulent the storm is.
We can avoid heart failure by:
1. Having a right relationship with God: The foundation for inner peace is to have a right relationship with our maker. We can never know true peace unless our relationship with God is right. David’s secret of success was that he had a right relationship with God.
2. Feeding your heart with God’s word: The only source of unfailing inner strength is God’s word. The more of God’s Word we store in our hearts [inner man] the more strength is available to us to stand upon when other things fail.
3. Shut your heart against negative thoughts and ideas: Words are seed. If you fill your heart with evil reports and negative thoughts, you will find it difficult to triumph because the evil reports will always be repeating themselves to you. You must shut your heart against negative reports from people around you.
4. And always remember the great things that the Lord has done in your life. Each time we remember the great things that God has done in our lives before, our faith and confidence in Him is boosted. David recalled how God delivered a lion and a bear into his hand in the wilderness and this became a source of unwavering confidence to him. If the Lord did it before, He can do it again; if He did it for others, He will do it for you!
I know the battle is not over, if anything the trials on this earth will intensify. That is why it is so important now to shore up any cracks in our armour. Build up your confidence now, know the "One" intimately who will continue to shelter you. That is Christ Jesus! You can trust Him! There is no Philistine or giant that can defeat you when you go out with confidence in The Captain of the Hosts. You will go out with joy and be led forth in peace.
Praying that you will be strengthened today by the love of the Savior! Spend time at the beginning of each day getting to know him intimately. The days ahead will require it!
