Today I was listening to In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley. He inspired me to have hope and to keep holding on. He confided that he was once walking through a valley surrounded by mountains too enormous to conceive. God told him what the victorious outcome would be but the circumstances seemed too overwhelming. One day as Dr. Stanley kneeled and prayed in a lonely hotel room, God spoke, "Are you going to believe what you see, what you hear, what you feel, or are you going to believe what I have told you!"
"He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see? He that chastises the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teaches man knowledge, shall not he know? The LORD knows the thoughts of man, that they are vanity. Blessed is the man whom thou chastens, O LORD, and teaches him out of thy law; That thou may give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked. For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance. But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it. (Psalms 94:9-15)
We are tactile human beings that have trouble believing what we can't see, hear or touch; That is why Faith is so important to God. We must believe in what is not visible, audible or physical because God requires us to trust him even though we are blind. Why does that make us afraid? God created all that we see, hear and feel. He is the only dependable being in our existence and yet we repeatedly choose to trust in fallible flesh and the destructible tools of life.
"The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine." (Psalm 33:16-19)
Don't be afraid of the apparent permanence of the mountains surrounding you; God can melt them away like wax. "The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth." (Psalms 97:5) Don't despair at the numerous enemies that challenge you with every step. God's army is greater and it stands between you and the enemy that you see. "When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Alas, my lord, what shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." 2 Kings 6:14-17 God can even make your enemies be at peace with you. "When a man's ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him." (Proverbs 16:7) If you are exhausted from the climb and can't take one more step; God will send you strength. "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31 The enemy may be fearsome and the obstacles insurmountable when faced with our own strength, but God gives supernatural strength to overcome anything in our path. "For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall. As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him." (2 Samuel 22:30-31)
So take courage; Hide in the shadow of God. He will carry you through the valley and over the mountains and place you safely on the other side! "He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flies by day; Nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness; nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling." (Psalms 91:1-10)
God Bless
Amy Warren
0 comments:
Post a Comment