In Times of Quitting Page 11
I Corinthians 13:9-13
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
A lot of us probably have had moments when we felt like crawling into a hole somewhere and pulling the ground up over us. We all have probably seen those days. The burdens of life will pay its toll upon us. If we are not careful it will lead us down a road we’d wish we had never taken. Have we any life regrets? How do we deal with life’s cheating moments, demanding ways and all its unfairness? There is only one way and that is by and through the help of the Lord. Christ has lived it and set an example. He made the way for those of us who freely choose to follow Him. Christ, when He lived and walked this old earth, did not give up, quit or crawl back into a hole somewhere. The only hole He was in was the tomb they buried Him in after He died for our sins. He only stayed in the hole for three days before he walked out of it in total, complete and eternal victory for us all. When Christ came out of that hole (tomb), there was no satanic power on earth or in hell to keep us down. We were free through the victory of the blood shed crucifixion, virgin birth and resurrected plan of God through Christ His son. So, when we feel like crawling into a hole somewhere, we need to shake the devil loose. We have to firmly plant our feet on God’s word, take hold of His hand and face it with the Lord with our heart anchored in His will, spirit and our eyes on that heavenly goal. We have to tell that hole we don’t need it anymore. Many times in life we have probably considered giving in, giving up and falling through the hole. But, it is in those times that we have to use our faith in the Lord and what He can do to pull us out. When we trust in Him and put all our cares in His hands and surrender it all completely and totally, it is then that we will look up out of the hole and begin to see the light of day. There is nothing we can do on our own. We can exhaust all other resources and ways but we’ll still be found undone. But, if we quit listening to our self and listen to the still, small voice of God we’ll begin to crawl out of the hole of darkness into a new light. When we begin to see things God’s way, it will make all the difference in the world. Too many times we will crawl off in a hole somewhere or in a shell and let the darkness of doubt, fear and unbelief smother out the light of the way. We will give up and give in to it because we don’t want to face it. We don’t have to face it alone. Christ is always there for us. Why don’t we reach up to Him and let Him help us? Many of us have had our moments in time such as these. Many of us have fallen weak while others of us who are stronger are able to endure and go on. Running from our problems and not wanting to face reality can lead us to a very miserable and unhappy life. Crawling off into a hole somewhere is not the answer either. Whatever we are running from will never disappear. It will always be with us until we face it and take care of it. God can take impossibles and make them possible. But, we must love, trust and believe in Him. Sometimes we’ll feel running away as far as we can go. Running away may help us in a lot of ways. However, a lot of the time when we walk back, the problem is still there. When we take care of the problem, it is then that we run in joy and relief of freedom and peace of mind; it will make all the difference in the world. Too many times we try to isolate our self and try to make little islands for our self that are shut off from the rest of the world which is fine; we need our time alone. But, our time alone is different if we crawl off into a hole somewhere trying to get away from facing things.
Matthew 5:14-16
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
None of us is an island because our life, whether we know it or not, touches so many others around us. Although, at times, we may feel weak and draw strength from others, it may very well be that some may be weaker than us and they may find strength in us. That is why it is so important for us to live one day at a time. We need to live it as if it may be our last, set an example and build a bridge for others behind us to cross. Isolating our self creates a lonely life and saddened heart, at times. God uses fellowship and relationships to help bring fulfillment to the things in our life. Christ did not choose to walk the world alive and dwell by himself; He chose twelve to go with Him and to fellowship with.
Matthew 4:18-22
And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.
Will we pick up from where we are and follow him?
John 1:43-49
The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
Our attitude makes a great difference. If at all possible, we have to try daily to keep a Christ-like attitude.
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
If we keep the right attitude (Christ-like) when troubles, trials, problems and life’s storms come our way we’ll make it through. The key factor is in our Christ-like attitude. The majority of the time, we will fail to have the right attitude. The attitude of I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me will bring victory to us and our life. But, having the attitude of I can’t, I quit and I don’t care will only bring defeat and pull us off into a hole. Sometimes we need an attitude adjustment. Sometimes the Lord will adjust our attitude
through some of the things we have to face. Can’t never did anything and if it did, it wouldn’t amount to much. With the Lord we can conquer, defeat, overcome obstacles and achieve the utmost highest goal (a heavenly home). Will we be inside a hole or will we be found walking on top of our troubles and in complete control through Christ?
There have been a lot of people in this life who have spent most of their life crawling in and out of holes. They have spent the biggest part of their life with the “I can’t” attitude and they isolate themself to become an island filled with a world of people with whom they can make a difference.
By counting the stars of the night sky or gathering shells by the seashore, one can find their answer, peace and joy in difficult times if they will look in the right place first and that is unto God. Together they can know the number of stars and find the seashells.
− b. a. troutt
The devil wants to keep us in a hole. He wants to keep us with the attitude of I can’t because he wants to destroy us, our life and all that is around him, if he can. The deeper the devil gets us to dig in, the harder it is for us to pull our self out.
I Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
The devil is out to devour us!
John 10:9-11
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
The devil is a thief who comes to steal, rob, kill and destroy. But Christ has come so that we can be saved, that we can go in and out and find pasture. Jesus said he came that we might have life and that we might have it more abundantly. Christ did not come to pull us off into a hole but to rise up out of it. We have to put our trust in Him and let Him be the shepherd of our heart and life to be free from it all and in control. Sometimes we battle with low self-esteem and are filled with so much negativity in a negligent world that when we crawl into a hole we never want to crawl out. We are so down on our self and everything around us that it is no wonder we pull the ground up over us. No matter what we think of our self or how low we may feel, believe it or not, God loves us. Christ died for us so we don’t have to dwell in a hole. Instead, we can come out from it for we are a child of the King, the King of Kings and Lord or Lords. It is when we start listening to the negativity [the devil] that we allow him to pull us in. We serve a positive God that can bring us through it and overcome it, if we trust and believe. Low self-esteem is one of the devil’s crippling devices to steal and rob away our joy, peace and happiness. The devil will use it in every negative way imaginable to keep us in the hole with the ground pulled up over us. Where is our will power? Where is our determination? Are they buried in the hole with us? Where is our fight? We have to rise above it, rise out of the hole, let go and let God move for greater is he that is in us than he [the devil] that is in the world. Goliath stood before Israel and dared one to come out.
I Samuel 17:20-24
And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle. For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army. And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren. And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them. And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.
Israel was afraid; they were negative. However, David, a young lad, stood before Goliath and brought the giant down. David was able to do it because he looked at the positive; he looked to God.
I Samuel 17:42-46
And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
He knew through God he could do all things.
I Samuel 17:48-54
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 slant it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled. And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron. And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their tents. And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent.
We may be facing the Goliath in our life, the giant of our day. Will we be like Israel or be like David and fill the hole with all our fear, doubt, unbelief and negativity and then cover it once and for all with the ground under our feet? What about the three Hebrew children standing before the fiery furnace?
Daniel 3:16-17
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our god whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
Did they stand in negativity? No, they stood positive even while facing death for they knew their God would bring them through, some way or somehow. Even if he didn’t, they would still be found not worshipping their god and the golden image.
Daniel 3:19-25
Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of th
e fourth is like the Son of God.
If we, today, are about ready to give it up and haven’t tried the Lord, will we let him help us? Have we the willpower and determination to get up by our boot straps, grab hold of the Lord’s hands, take the world by the tail, kill the giants in our life and face the fiery furnace that comes our way? If we are not very careful, every time we crawl back into a hole, we will dig it deeper and deeper and make it harder and harder for us to get out the next time. When we are in a hole, it is dark and we can’t see. But, when we are out of the hole and in the open light, we can see easier and things don’t seem so bad. We just might find out things are not as bad as we thought. Will we, today, crawl or climb out of it, pick up our life and go on? Too many times we are bound down in the darkness of the hole. We crawl back into our shell and don’t want to face life and the things we are dealing with. It is hard for some of us to deal with life on life’s terms. But, it’s not impossible because we have the Lord on our side. If we have Him, we have it all. Crawling back into a hole is not the answer. However, crawling into the arms of a true and living God is. Although we may not always think about it, God sees all our faults and failures. Even though He knows all our shortcomings, He still loves us.
Romans 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God doesn’t accept our sins. Yet, He still loves us through His son Jesus Christ.
I John 2:1
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
Fooling around with sin will put us in a hole real quick. The longer we walk around in that hole, the deeper we will go. Christ is still the one who can bring us out.
I John 1:5-10
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is not darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
We are not born in this world perfect because of the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden. We are imperfect, but through the blood of Christ we are made whole. God has made a way for us to reach that perfection through Christ His son. In this life, we will sin, fall short, make mistakes and come up short. Through Christ, we can make amends, go on with our lives and make heaven our home. We will never be perfect until that moment and time when we enter into our heavenly home. As we live day to day, we should strive forward to reach that perfection through Christ. God has not put us here to give up and crawl into a hole somewhere and stay. But, He wants us to love Him, serve Him and walk in fellowship with Him each day. We all have our own crosses to bear and burdens to face.
Galatians 6:5
For every man shall bear his own burden.
We will bear and face them with the choices we choose.
Galatians 6:7
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Often times our choices are wrong and there are the times the choices are right. Fortunately, the Lord is there for us either way.
Galatians 6:8-10
For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
If we are in a hole because of a wrong choice that we made, we should pray that we’ll choose to let the Lord help us and bring us through.
Some changes are for the good and some are for the bad. Some can help, whereas others can hurt. Some we don’t need and others we do. Changes will come and go. How we deal with them will determine how well we come out.
− b. a. troutt
There is victory in the blood of Jesus. There is power in His cleansing blood. Most of the time in our life, we have been our own worst enemy. We have brought more problems and sorrows our way than anything else or anyone. It is then and only then that we should get self out of the way and let Christ be the center of our life so we can learn to better handle our self. Although, at times, we allow old self to interfere and create more trouble, it is then we should turn to the Lord for reassurance. Getting self out of the way, sometimes, can be a tough job. Self-denial may not come easily to us. Selfishness is probably one of the worst things we can get involved with in this life. Selfishness is probably the root of a lot of our problems and causes us a lot of trouble and anguish. Giving our self to others as Christ gave himself to the Father in the garden can make a better way for us. Giving our self to the Lord is a more rewarding way.
Matthew 26:36-44
Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, they will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
Not my will Lord but thy will be done. We are all selfish to a degree. However, some of us are more selfish than others. When we put Jesus first is when we will begin to see rewarding results.
Matthew 6:33-34
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
A lot of the time, we need to go to the garden and pray instead of crawling off into a hole somewhere and pulling the ground up over us. There we will find better results. If we’d look back at a lot of things that happened in our life, we will probably find selfishness has played a major role. Self-denial would have spared us a lot of unnecessary problems. Fortunately, we learn from our mistakes. The sad part is that we make so many mistakes, but more often than not, we learn so little. Could we use some time in the garden alone with the Lord with an attitude of not my will Lord but thine will be done? We can find a clearer understanding in the garden than in some dark hole somewhere. There are times we will fall victim to the problems of others selfishness and create a lot of trouble for them and us. Most of the time, we are our own worst enemy. But, there are times others will take their toll upon us. Remember the birth of Christ when Jesus was a babe wrapped
in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. The Christ child had no self-problems. Yet, old King Herod tried to kill the Christ child so Joseph and Mary had to flee to Egypt to save Jesus. There are times in life when we will fall victim to others self-problems and it is then that we need to call upon the Lord for help, strength and guidance as we pray for them in the process.
Matthew 5:43-44
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Prayer can change things and it can make all the difference in the world. When Jesus walked this earth, He had no problem with self but He had plenty of problems with others self-problems [the Pharisees and Scribes]. They had the problems, not with Christ but with themselves. They brought their problems upon him.
John 19:1-6
Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands. Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.
Christ did no wrong and sinned not once but yet He suffered greatly at the hands of others [for you and me]. Sometimes it may be old self that will drive us into the hole. However, it very well may be, at times, the devil using others to drive us in also. Stand fast and steadfast in the Lord, His word, His power and press onward.
Philippians 3:13-14
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
I have battled with depression a lot of my life. I know the feelings of giving up, giving in and crawling off into a hole somewhere. I have had my days of wanting to jump in the bed and cover my head up, as well as crawl up under it. There have been the times I have thought of suicide so I could end it all, get out of it and take the easy way out. But, that was not the answer. Selfishly, I thought and dwelled upon myself without considering others.
Suicide is selfish. It is wrong and it’s not the way we should choose to get out our situation. Crawling off into a deeper hole that is dark and black is not our answer. But, be thankful to God; He will spare us and give us a reason to live.
I still don’t have all the answers but there is one thing I do know for sure and that is I have the solution, Jesus Christ my Lord. In Him I have found so much in myself, in life and in my future. In Him I have found my reason, my desire, my love and my goal. Jesus pulled me out of a dark, black hole. He opened my eyes when I opened my heart to Him. The greatest of all things I learned was that He loves me for who I really am [bobby]. I am not perfect. I am far from it.
Suicide is not the answer. It may appear to be but it is only a lie straight out of hell from the devil. It is a selfish act that not only destroys our life but the lives of others who love us as we are, even with our faults and failures.
I thought suicide was the answer until the Lord showed me different. I let hate, hurt, anger and rejection and feeling sorry for myself drive me into a dark hole to end it all and to let my family and friends cover me with the dust of the earth. But, I praise God today; through His son Jesus Christ, He had mercy on me and spared me.
John 15:12-13
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Christ knew that day when He hung on the cross nearly two thousand years ago of the hole we would be in. He loved us so that He gave His all so we could be free. We still stumble, fall and make our share of mistakes. We may, at times, slip into a hole or two every once in a while. But, we shouldn’t stay too long for life is too short for us to be swallowed by it and let it pass us by. Maybe we, today, are peeping out from the top of the hole we are in and we are wondering to our self if it is safe to come out. It is if we reach up with our heart unto God, unto Christ His son, pull our self up and grab hold of our self, we can make it. God is still on the throne; if we have God for us, then who would be against us. In the animal world, some animals live and dwell in a hole; it is their home and a secure place from danger. However, there is an exception to every rule. Snakes and other enemies can crawl into a hole too. The devil is everywhere. He will find us and get us. If we stand our ground, he will flee from us. God is almighty and all-powerful. The devil has no more power over us than what we give him.
James 4:7-8
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
To get the devil off our back we have to put him in a hole, cover him up and keep on walking. If we are in the hole, there is a light at the end of the tunnel [Jesus Christ]. But, we must draw to it and come to Him just as we are which is humble, sincere and believers. Once we do that, He will make everything right. But, we have to give it to Him.
Matthew 11:28-30
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Even though we may be walking through a long, dark valley and we may not be able to see the light at the end. But, we have to stay true to the Lord, walk by faith not sight and ride the storm out. The light of Christ will come to those who believe. The Lord said he would never leave thee nor forsake thee. There come times in our Christian walk of life that we, as born again believers in Christ, get tired and worn out along life’s journey. There comes a time when it seems like we can’t go any further. Sometimes it looks like all odds are against us. The raging storms hit us from all sides and the struggles of the battle press onward. Christian soldiers, we may be in the midst of the battle; hold on, stand bold and press onward for God is with us. Christians, we may give out but we should never give up. We should always be steadfast and unmovable before the enemy. We shouldn’t look behind us, from side to side or look for a hole to crawl into for in God’s time, in His will and way, He will make a way for His people. Will we be able to stand bold and be not shaken or moved? Remember, the Lord is our helper and a refuge. There comes a moment and time in a believer’s [our] lowest point of life when we need to put our full trust in Christ and walk it by faith in humble sincerity and know in our hearts that God is with us. If we are to make it in this world we are living in, we have to completely trust God and allow Christ to be the shepherd of our life. It is a rough way but a blessed way. It is a way of hope, a way of giving and forgiving, a way of love and peace, discouragement, hurt and rejection but it is a blessed way as well. Sure, we may give out but shouldn’t give up. Even though we may want to crawl back into a hole, we don’t need to. We have to keep the faith and keep looking up. We don’t always know what tomorrow will bring or what troubles, trials, temptations or sorrows will come our way. But, we must be strong in the Lord, in His word and in our faith so that we may endure. There comes a time in our Christian walk of life when we need to be patient with the Lord. Too many times we allow worrying to bring us down which puts us in bondage and pulls us off into a hole. Regardless of how bad things may seem or whatever the circumstance or situation may be, we will find peace and rest in the Lord. It may be, today, that we are
about ready to give up. We may think what’s the use, who cares and why try. But, if we can’t do it for our self, we need to at least think about the others who are counting on us. There are those out there who could find strength from us by our Christ-like example. There are the times when we’ll feel like our world is in shambles and torn apart. Fortunately, Christ can restore it better than before. Maybe things are not like they should be. Don’t worry; Christ can fix them and make them better than they were. Walking with the Lord is the way to victory and not defeat. It is not an impossible way but a proven way through the life of Christ. Seek the Lord for His guidance, direction and His way. We have to walk it by faith in complete obedience, bear our cross for His namesake and die out of the world unto His righteousness. Quitters never win and winners never quit. Walk today and stand firm in full confidence with the Lord and yield not to doubt, worry or unbelief.
Isaiah 41:10
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Isaiah 41:13
For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
The Lord said, fear not and be not afraid for I am with you. We are living in some of the most troublesome times we have ever had before us, a time of danger and uncertainty. Fear is one of the devil’s crippling devices to pull us off into a hole and keep us there. The unknown, unexpected and the uncertain can bound and chain us, if we are not careful. Fear is the opposite of faith. Where there is fear, faith has been swept away. Where there is faith, fear vanishes.
II Timothy 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
I John 4:18
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
We may lose a few battles and we may be, at times, brought down. What we have to do is find the strength to get up, time and time again, try harder and stand in the sweet victory once again so the battle ahead will be victorious. A lot of the time, we don’t always realize God is already working on the matter; He constantly works around us and works on us from both ends to help us get through. Often times, we fail to see it because we are so involved in our problems. By and through the awesome power of God and through the Holy Ghost of God, we can overcome all of life’s obstacles, endure trying times and overcome the hardships that come during life’s journey. By and through the same dynamic powers of God, we can come out of the holes of life from which we have dug ourselves and press onward. Will we take a stand and look up on high for the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is alive? Christ is alive and the power of the living God is alive. Then why crawl back into a hole? Instead, we have to stand, today, on the promise of God. Be steadfast in His love, word and in our faith although we may want to throw up our hands and quit. But, lift them up high toward the heavens and praise the Holy name of God Jehovah, the great. David said in the 23 Psalm that surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Isaiah 43:2-3
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I game Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.
Life sometimes appears such as a man walking through a field of four-leaf clovers. Yet, as he passes through the field, all he can find is one three-leaf clover.
− b. a. troutt
*****
Beyond the Truth
A Cry in the Wind
Thistles and Thorns
Dead Limbs and Leaves
Troubled Waters
When Autumn Falls
When Time Was
Bittersweet
Sycamore Tales
Stepping Out on a Limb
Odds n Ends
Turning Point
The Fall of Night
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