What is the fight of faith? It is continually directing my mind to think like scripture says, rather than focusing on the circumstances. It’s identifying with God’s ideas more than my own, and holding onto His Word when all else looks otherwise.
In the book of Genesis we read about Joseph who experienced the pit, then a prison, and finally the palace. If you can survive the pit and the prison that tries to steal your dreams, you will experience the palace!
If you are depressed—take hope in God! He promises to strengthen you with His righteous right arm! If you are jobless—dare to declare that He WILL connect you with the job you require! If you are in debt—dare to declare you are debt free! Trust Him to guide you to the victories you need!
God is for me! Who can be against me? With these words ringing in your ears—I challenge you today to get up and get going—no one else can do it for you! Regardless of how difficult the crisis is that you may be facing, continue on! God will guide you in your everyday affairs. He is committed to you more than you could ever commit to Him!
God is dependent upon us to carry out His plans in the earth. Acts 13:6 says David fulfilled his purpose in his generation. I see two things in this passage. One, David knew his purpose; and two, he fulfilled his purpose! My prayer is that each one of us would discover our purpose, find our team, and then pull together for fulfillment in God’s plan!
When your faith is tested, think about all that God has done to bring you to where you are today. Remember the wonderful testimonies you have heard from others of God’s intervention in their circumstances, and confess that He is able to do it for you!
So often our circumstances shout, “This is impossible!” “It’s over!” “You’re wasting your time!” Sometimes your closest friends or even your spouse might say, “This is stupid, what are you doing?” “This faith stuff isn’t working!”
I plead with you—at that moment when it’s very hard and you think you will fail and want to quit—BELIEVE in the Word of God and DON’T GIVE UP!!
When I arrive in a new country and the plane lands, I walk out on to the ground with the full expectation that I will change that nation. People will find Christ. Leaders will discover a new inspiration for life and thousands will be physically and mentally healed. It does not matter how many witch doctors, thieves, or corrupt people want to stop me. I come with the Hope of the World in my heart. The Gospel we bring is the power of God that produces salvation in every single person who will receive it.
During World War II, a military governor met with General George Patton in Sicily. When he praised Patton highly for his courage and bravery, the general replied, “Sir, I am not a brave man…the truth is, I am an utterly craven coward. I have never been within the sound of gunshot or in sight of battle in my whole life that I wasn’t so scared that I had sweat in the palms of my hands.” Years later when Patton’s autobiography was published, it contained this significant statement by the general: “I learned very early in my life never to take counsel of my fears.”
If you are to do anything in life you will face the risk of failure. There are healthy fears that protect you, like a fear of jumping off the garage roof. These type of fears protect you, but there are many unhealthy fears that paralyze you, like fear of tomorrow, fear of poverty, fear of sickness, fear of failure, etc. We have been given the weapons to live a fear-free life, but we must use those weapons to address the fears. Patton had it right, don’t take council of your fears!
When I walk out the airplane door and onto the airport runway to face a crowd of people who have been waiting, planning, and expecting good things from my visit, I am the embodiment of hope for that nation.
I am not concerned about how many witch doctors have planned to put curses on me. I am not concerned about how many news articles the religious hierarchy may have paid for to give negative press to our coming.
Rather, I posture my thoughts to be a blessing. I consider the great prophecies that have gone before us concerning the day that we live in. I consider the great promises that Jesus has spoken concerning those who go in His Name. I consider the great need of hurting humanity and the goods news that God has paid the price to meet that need.
These are the things that inspire me as I consider traveling thousands of miles to stand in front of the lost, sick, poverty stricken and fearful society of a nation. The living church is the cure for the world and the world is the cause for the church!
Do the same as you walk out your door this morning!
When I was a young boy, an old Ford factory shift worker came to my grade school looking for boys who wanted to learn to play tennis. The idea jumped in me so I pursued it—despite having a bad case of pigeon-toed feet and starting the game with the racket in the wrong hand!
The coach made an instant determination that I wouldn’t make it. He devised a tournament to eliminate some of the boys he thought were hopeless and wouldn’t make the grade. I was scheduled to play the best player. I was facing immediate termination and it was assumed I would quietly disappear into the night.
However, the day before the tournament began, the star player was hit in the head by a baseball and knocked unconscious. He couldn’t play, and I ended up winning the tournament, which turned the thinking of everyone upside down! Where they had seen no promise of success, they were now forced to acknowledge more than a promise!
Well, that first tournament victory was followed by over 100 more! Those days prepared me for the challenges of today. Follow your dream! Don’t let your pigeon-toed feet or lack of knowledge hinder your opportunity for victory!
Your were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? It certainly isn’t God, for he is the one who called you to freedom (Galatians 5:7-8 NLT).
