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Category Archives: Unshakeable Faith

Strap on Your Sword – Monday Minute in the Word

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Are you facing any big challenges in your life right now? Is there a wall blocking your path or a Goliath taunting you to fight? Sometimes God intervenes in the circumstances of our lives and flings the obstacle to the side while we simply sit back and watch Him work. Other times He tells us to strap on our sword.

When the Israelites entered the Promised Land strong nations still lived there. Armies protected fortified cities. The people did not simply vacate their homes and walk away. Yet God told Israel the land belonged to them. So, Joshua led the people across the Jordan and camped near the first major obstacle.

Victory over Jericho

Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. 2 And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. 3 You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. 4 Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 And when they make a  long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.” Joshua 6:1-5, NLT

Battle of Jericho

photo courtesy of visualbiblealive.com

God declared victory over Jericho and its “mighty men of valor.” But He did not send fire down from heaven to consume the city. Instead God chose to use His people as His tool. He commanded the Israelites to fight. The battle was already won; it was a done deal in heaven. Joshua and the Israelite army merely acted on that reality.

Time to fight for God’s victory?

Sometimes we sit back in inactivity waiting for God to work when we should be fighting to take what God has already won. Yes, God still works in miraculous ways without our involvement. In those times we get to stand and watch His mighty hand from the sidelines. But other times, He calls us to strap on our sword and follow Him to victory.

Tell us about a time in your life when God has miraculously knocked down a wall or when He has called you to strap on your sword.

How can we know when it’s time to watch or time to fight?!

Monday Minute in the Word – “Are You the One?”

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I really needed a new purse. The unsightly frayed strap and broken zipper proved it. So, I headed to Steinmart. I love Steinmart. Two hours and a “few” dollars later I emerged. I brought home shoes, jeans, and a couple of tops, but no purse. I went shopping to replace my broken purse. I failed my task because I was distracted. I lost my focus.

Trials can cause doubt

Sometimes our earthly circumstances distract us. The temporary trials and difficulties of life cause us to lose our focus on Christ. Even John the Baptist struggled with this:

When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” 4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” Matthew 11:2-6, NIV

John had baptized Jesus and heralded His arrival. He had committed his life to obeying God no matter the cost. His obedience got him thrown in prison. Faced with severe suffering, he needed reassurance. The circumstances were not what he had expected. Did he get it wrong?

Allow Jesus to strengthen your faith

Jesus reminded John of the truth.

I am the One who’ve been waiting for. The miracles prove it. Stand firm through these trials and you will be blessed.

Perhaps your circumstances raise questions in your mind. Does God care? Is He watching? Is He still there?

Bring your questions to Jesus. Go back to what you know to be true. Search God’s Word for His promises. He loves you. He knows your pain. He will strengthen you in the midst of your trials.

What questions do you have for Jesus today?

What truths in God’s Word do you need to be reminded of?

This post linked to Faith Filled Friday at BeholdingGlory.com

Monday Minute in the Word – Refuge in the Storm

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One day many years ago, I made the four-hour drive with my baby daughter to visit my parents. The weather turned nasty as we entered the city. The heavy rain made visibility low, but what concerned me even more was the way the road signs whipped around in the wind. Just ahead I noticed several cars had taken shelter under a concrete overpass, so I joined them.

After a few minutes the wind died down and the rain eased. I followed the other cars back onto the road and continued to my parents’ house. When I arrived they were anxiously waiting for me on the front porch. It seems a tornado had just touched down not far from where we had been.

Later I learned that an overpass is one of the worst places to take shelter from a tornado. Thankfully, we had not been in the tornado’s direct path. An overpass may not be a place of safety in a storm, but our God is always a safe place of refuge.

Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
for my hope is in him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will not be shaken.
7 My victory and honor come from God alone.
He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
8 O my people, trust in him at all times.
Pour out your heart to him,
for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:5-8, NLT

None of us escape difficulties and trials. At one time or another each of us will face one of life’s storms. Where will you take refuge when it hits? As I contemplated the truth that God is my place of safety, I noticed four ways I can take refuge in Him:

  1. Wait quietly for God to save (vs. 5)
  2. Acknowledge that in Him I have reason to hope (vs. 5)
  3. Purposefully place my trust in Him (8)
  4. Pour out my heart to Him (8)

Are you in the midst of a violent storm right now? Where is your place of safety?

In what ways can you purposefully place your trust in God?

Monday Minute in the Word – Calming the Storm, Mark 4:35-41

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On the first Tuesday in April, thunder storms and tornadoes slammed their way across northeast Texas. My daughter and I huddled in her living room, just north of Dallas, with my new grandson, anxiously watching the weather to know if we needed to take shelter. At his office in Arlington, my son-in-law and his co-workers were sent to a “safe area” while a tornado devastated that area of the metropolis.

Today, I thought again of our anxious moments when I read about Jesus and His fearful disciples. They were crossing the Sea of Galilee when a “furious squall came up.” Jesus slept soundly in the stern, but the Twelve were terrified:

 35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Mark 4:35-41

I’ve read this passage many times and every time my first thought is: “I’d be afraid too!” But then God reminds me of the truth that Jesus tried to teach them. The waves may have been breaking over the side of the boat, but the maker of the waves was in the boat. It merely seemed that the storm had the upper hand. In fact, Jesus was so confident in His power over the storm He could sleep while it benignly blustered.

This lesson is particularly applicable to my life today. I feel like I am hanging onto the sides of the boat while the storm rages around me. Yet I continuously remind myself that Jesus commands the storm. “Even the wind and the waves obey Him!” So I tune my ears and wait to hear, “Peace, be still!”

What storm rages around you today that seems to have the upper hand?

Who is more powerful than this – and every – turbulent circumstance of life?

Famous Last Words – Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego

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Following God is no guarantee that all our problems will turn out like we want them to. Sometimes circumstances remain difficult. Occasionally situations continue to be painful. And sometimes we even die without understanding all of God’s purposes in this life. But we can still trust in God’s character and faithfulness no matter how things appear to us.

Trust in dire circumstances

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego demonstrated this kind of trust in God with what could have been their dying words. In the sixth century B.C., these three young Israelite men had been captured in Jerusalem and carried off with many others to serve in the royal palace in Babylon.

After years of humble service, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were forced to make a life and death decision: Either bow down and worship the idol set up by the king or be thrown into the fiery furnace. After their first refusal, King Nebuchadnezzar – whom they had served loyally – gave them one more chance.

“If you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” 16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Daniel 3:15b-18, NIV

Faith, no matter the outcome

The steadfast faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego demonstrate trust in God and obedience to Him no matter the appearance of their circumstances. Whether things are good, hard, or absolutely desperate, we can lean on God and trust in His love for us. We can resolutely stand firm in our faith in God even when we don’t know what the outcome of our circumstances will be.

God choose to physically rescue Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These three young men were thrown into the furnace but were miraculously not burned. In fact, they did not even smell like smoke when they were brought out. However, God does not always choose to deliver His people in this life. Sometimes He chooses instead to sustain us until He brings us into His presence.

Right now I face some circumstances that look bleak. God has spoken to me today in the “dying” words of these faith heroes. I consciously choose to continue to worship my God even if things do not turn out the way I hope.

Do you face a situation today that seems bleak, dire, and hopeless?

Will you choose to cling to God no matter how He chooses for it to turn out?