Of course He will. He cannot lie and He always does what He says.

Faith vs. Doubt

So, why do I doubt? Fear creeps in. I think, “What if I didn’t hear Him right?” I tell the Lord that I don’t doubt Him. I doubt me. Maybe I missed what He said. Or what He meant. But He doesn’t let me off that easy. He reminds me that I can hear Him perfectly fine. And I am so grateful for that. I am so grateful for a history of relationship with Him that I can look back on and remember all the other times I heard Him speak and saw Him move.  In real life.

The question is, then, do I really believe? Do I believe His promise enough to act on it? To make decisions on what I know to be true, but can’t prove to you at the moment? It is done in the Spirit.  The Lord has said it will happen. That makes it done. Just like Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” We don’t see it yet, but we have such confidence in God that we walk forward as though we have already seen it.

Conditional Faith

I think we all have things that are easy for us to believe the Lord will do and things that are not so easy. Our personal story comes into play here. Things we have experienced, both good and bad. If you come to me for prayer and the Lord tells me that He is going to heal you, I have no problem praying for you and knowing without a doubt that God is going to heal you. Probably because God has healed me in the past and I have seen Him heal others when I’ve prayed.

But in this area that I’m believing for myself right now? Hmm. I find I have to convince myself that God has spoken, that He is able and willing and He is going to do all He said. Maybe you can identify with this. In what areas is your faith in God strong and in what areas does it need to grow?

• Maybe you have no problem believing God for finances, but wonder if He can really help you forgive the person who hurt you.
• Maybe you have no problem believing God loves other people, but aren’t so sure He loves *you.*
• Maybe you believe He loves you, but aren’t sure He wants to heal you.
• Maybe you believe He is with you, but feel like you haven’t seen His direction in your life.

We need to believe ALL the promises of God and that EVERYTHING He says in His Word is true. And then, when He speaks something specific to our hearts, we need to believe that in faith as well. What we hear from Him needs to line up with what the Bible says—always—and we do need to pray in agreement with His will and in right relationship with Him. But when those things are all in place and He has said He is going to do something we have a hard time believing, we need to exercise that faith muscle. Banish all doubt. Keep bringing thoughts in agreement with the Lord.

Faith in Real Life

One day the disciples were walking with Jesus toward Jerusalem in the morning. There was a fig tree that was full of leaves, but had no fruit. Jesus went looking for fruit on the tree and when He found none, said, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again,” (Mark 11:12-14.) The next morning, the disciples walked by this same tree again and saw that the tree had “withered from its roots.” Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

Listen to what Jesus said next …

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours,” (Mark 11:20-23.)

We use this verse in a figurative sense, comparing a mountain to any obstacle in our lives and I’m sure that applies. But I’d like to point out that Jesus had cursed a fig tree—a living object in real life, not a figurative one—and it literally withered up and died. So I don’t think it is far-fetched to think that He was also talking about real, earthen mountains as well.

Now, I know I do not have the faith to tell a mountain to go throw itself into the sea. But I want to! I want to have the kind of faith that believes God can do ANYTHING. Even what I am believing Him for right now.

Faith Right Now

So I’m writing to you from the “in-between” and declaring that I do believe. If this had already happened, it wouldn’t require any faith! When my miracle happens, you’ll know that God came through, just like He said, and that I really have been believing Him and working toward believing Him more all along. I can’t wait to write that post!

So, let’s not count ourselves out of any of God’s promises. They are ALL for each one of us. Reach out and believe. It takes faith to activate and appropriate the promises of God in our lives. Believe and do not doubt. Ask in prayer. Believe and receive.

“Every good and perfect gift is from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows,” (James 1:17.)

Seasons of Promise

With spring just around the corner—well, a very long, curved corner in northwest MT—I can’t help but think about the areas in life where I’m looking for spring to come. It’s interesting how the seasons in our lives work together. Some are long. Some are shorter. They often overlap. Some seasons take longer than we think they should and sometimes we can’t wait for the next season to get going already!

I have circumstances that are ready for spring. And I’m hoping it won’t be a “late spring,” the kind that takes a few extra weeks to arrive! I have some promises from God that are yet to be fulfilled. I know in my spirit that fulfillment is imminent. I’m just trying to keep my soul on track. The mind, will and emotions that basically want to freak out and wonder if God’s going to come through in time.

So I take myself back to all the other promises God has fulfilled. On time. In His time, but never late. He has done amazing things. God has answered so many prayers. Countless, really. He has healed me. He has provided for me. And best of all, He has directed my steps and my path. Over and over, He has arranged circumstances to bring me to the next thing He had for me to do, the next place He had for me to be. I’m sure you can look back on many answered prayers as well.

The Nature of God

Sometimes we have to remind ourselves of all God has done so we can take the next step of trust for our future. Especially if the next step is bigger than we’ve taken before. (The phrase, “leap of faith” comes to mind!) God has never failed us. He’s not going to start now. It’s not even in His nature to do so. He IS faithful. He always has our very best in mind. We have to remember, no matter how long the winter, spring does come. Ever year, without fail, the leaves grow back on the trees. The grass turns green. The flowers bloom. Spring takes hold and then gives way to summer.

Encourage your soul that spring is on the way! Don’t let the icy grip of winter freeze your heart to new possibilities and to what God wants to do next. Lift up your head and trust that the Lord has a plan and that it’s a good plan. He won’t let you down. He will raise you up for all to see, a reflection of His glory, of His power and might. He will come through for you. So, stand firm on those promises. Know that this season will change. We can have every confidence because of Who God is.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens … He has made everything beautiful in its time,” (Ecc. 3:1, 11.) The Lord knows exactly what season we are in for every area of our lives. He hasn’t forgotten. We just need to keep trusting Him and moving forward with the things He has given us to do. Spring will yet come.

Big Problems

Sometimes we are facing circumstances where we feel like the Red Sea is in front of us and Pharoah’s army is closing in behind us. Sometimes our problems and concerns really are Huge. Whether they are physical, emotional, financial or relational, some situations are much bigger than our ability or power to change them.

When the people of Israel were in this situation, God said some very interesting things to them. It had already been a long battle trying to get out of Egypt. Moses and Aaron went before Pharaoh over and over again. God showed His power and His judgment over and over again. Finally, Pharaoh let the Israelites go and they fled Egypt in the night. Then, the Lord led them to the Red Sea right when Pharoah’s army came chasing after them.

Overwhelming Fear

I understand how the Israelites felt. “They were terrified and cried out to the Lord,” (Exodus 14:10b.) I get that. When our circumstances are so far beyond our ability to fix them, when we feel like there is no way out, fear takes over. The Israelites went to Moses. “They said to Moses, ‘Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” (Exodus 14:10-12.)

Their argument has some logic and they certainly weren’t afraid to say what they thought! But they were missing the whole point. God was bringing them OUT of bondage and OUT of slavery. So, no, it would not have been better to stay in Egypt as slaves. Now, at this moment, it *seemed* like they were going to die —and isn’t that how we feel, like we’re never going to survive this one!— but God had a much bigger plan.

Here’s the Plan

“Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still,” (Ex. 14:13,14.) The Lord didn’t say to turn back towards Egypt and fight against the enemy bearing down on them. He said to “stand firm.” He said HE would fight for them and to be still. In our hearts, we need to stand firm and be still. We need to trust the Lord. We need to believe Him. We need to remember that He is fighting for us.

But after Moses gave this message to the people, he must have still been praying to the Lord for deliverance because the very next verse says this: “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen,” (Ex. 15:15-17.)

God of Miracles

And that’s exactly what happened. “Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land,” (Ex. 15:21a.) The Israelites crossed the Red Sea on dry land. All of them got across, and Pharaoh’s army did come in after them. But as the sun came up, when all the Egyptians were crossing that sea bed, the Lord caused the waters to come crashing back down on them, drowning them all. The Israelites were truly free, once and for all.

It’s so interesting how the Lord tells the people to “be still” and to “move on” at the same time! While we “stand firm” and “be still” in our hearts— in other words, we hold fast to a firm belief and trust in God’s power and plan, then with our feet and our face, we “move on.” We turn away from the bondage, the problem, the enemy that is chasing us down and we look forward and take the next step God gives us to take. We move forward. We do what we’re supposed to do and trust God to do the rest! We look for that path that God WILL open up before us and we walk. Step by step till we are across the Red Sea and God destroys the enemy behind us.

Be Still and Move On

God has a plan for us to be free. God has a plan that breaks every bondage in our lives. He still does miracles. In every area of our life, He can and will perform the miracles we need to be truly free once and for all. We just need to keep following after Him. We need to believe Him. We need to do what He tells us to do. We need to seek Him and cry out to Him. Then, once He gives us a plan or opens up a path through the sea, we need to follow Him, step by step. We have to anchor our heart to Him and get our feet in motion. We will see the enemy destroyed behind us. We will experience God’s complete deliverance. We need to set our face forward and take the next step.

A two-step path to victory. Be still. Move on.

This is the beginning of a great week for Scott and me. It’s the beginning of a great season. He’s been working in North Dakota for the past 4 1/2 years. He would work over there for two weeks, be home here in MT for five days, and then gone again. He would fly in on a Wed. night and he would fly back out on Tuesday morning. BUT, this Tuesday morning, he is not flying back because he is home to stay!

We are so happy to make this transition. We have been feeling this season was coming to an end. It was getting harder and harder to be apart. Then, a couple things changed on his job and we knew this was the time.  He gave his notice. His last day was last Wed. He packed up and drove home.

Home At Last

I’m so relieved! It’s so great to have him home. It’s wonderful to think that he will be here day after day. It’s awesome to look at the calendar ahead of us and to not ask the question of every event and holiday, “Will Scott be here?” Yes, he will! Yay! To realize he will be in church with me every weekend and able to consistently serve in kids ministry (where his heart is) brings such joy.

Already, I look back and wonder how we were ever able to do this. We hate being apart. We got married because we like being together! It was the grace of God, to be sure. And we grew through this season. I certainly learned to be more independent and yet, to be more dependent on the Lord. We grew even closer as a couple, knowing we were operating as a unit even though we were apart. We talked every day, if possible, and made decisions together. I always felt we were together in spirit. And of course, he was home every two weeks, the shortest rotation there was in Williston.

We needed the job and we were very grateful for it, especially because Scott worked for perhaps the best company over there. But in the midst of our thankfulness, about two years in, I started to just barely whisper to the Lord to please find a way for Scott to come home. People would ask how long we were going to “do this.” I had no idea. He was working for such a great company, but I didn’t think we could do this until Scott was ready to retire. But maybe? I told myself lots of other couples have jobs that keep them apart at times, but then the whisper, “Lord, please find a way.”

Asking for this Change

As time went on, I started to ask the Lord “for real.” My heart’s cry got louder and louder.  I knew others were praying as well. I could see being away was wearing on Scott. It was wearing on me. A few times the Lord helped us renew and reset. And that was the right thing for those seasons. (I wrote about those times here.) But then … the Lord promised me He would bring Scott home. I knew it would happen, just wasn’t sure when.

In the first part of this year, I started to sense it would be this fall. In the late spring and early summer, we knew more and more that this season was ending. We started to look toward how and when he could come home. The economy has changed. There are jobs at home now. (Scott has interviewed and is expecting a call soon to go to work for another great company.)

We Need to ASK

But let’s look back at the Ask. There were a couple of things that kept me from asking the Lord to bring Scott home at first. It looked impossible and I didn’t want to be ungrateful for what the Lord had provided through Scott’s job in N.D. But I knew it was in God’s will to ask for Scott to be home. Of course the Lord wanted us to be together. He’s the One who came up with the idea of marriage. He’s the One who designed us to need a companion. And for the past year in particular, with all the kids out of the house, I’ve been all by myself and Scott was certainly by himself too.

We need to ask the Lord for what we need. We need to ask the Lord for what we want. The Bible is clear on this. “Ask and it will be given to you,” Matt. 7:7. “… but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God,” Phil. 4:6. And there are many more Scriptures telling us to ask the Lord for what we need and desire.

The Lord Will Answer

So, I encourage you to ask the Lord today for what you need and for what you want. If it looks impossible, still ask. We serve a God who can do the impossible and who loves to bless His children. He gives good gifts! (James 1:17) When we surrender to the Lord’s will and ASK, He will do great things. I know this is true. I’ve seen it over and over. And today, we can say that God answers prayer: Scott is home!

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There’s lots of life lessons in football, but one of my favorites becomes even more intense during play off season — It’s not over till it’s over. Ok, sometimes a team dominates the score board and the game is “over” early on. But when you have two strong teams (play off games!) or when the score is close, the last seconds are the most critical. (We certainly saw that this weekend in the Seahawks vs Vikings game!!)

This means you can’t give up at half time. Or in the third quarter. Sometimes you can’t get that first touchdown on the board until the 4th quarter. Doesn’t mean you won’t win the game.

What’s the Score?

So how are the football games of your life going? How is the Work game going? How is the Marriage game going? How is the Prayer game going? How about that Personal Growth game?

Are you in the first quarter and up by 10? Awesome! Keep it up. Are you feeling wiped out by a tough first half and headed to the locker room to regroup? The Lord will meet you there and help you get back on the field again.

Staying Power

Is there a situation in your life that feels like the game is “over” even though it’s not? Are you still fighting or have you given up? I mention this verse often, but it’s a good one to remember: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up,” (Galatians 6:9.) If we do not give up. As I ask these questions, I’m taking inventory in my life and I find there are some things I’ve been praying for that need renewed faith.

I find myself wondering if I should call a particular game “over,” giving up on a real victory from God, settling for a loss. If you’re an athlete, you know how important the mental game is. Once you think you’ve lost, you have. I need to renew my mind! (Rom. 12:2) I need to stay in the game, to continue to present my requests to God and to walk in His peace, knowing He will answer. (Phil. 4:6 & 7) I need to pick up the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:17) and apply Bible truth to every situation.

The Fourth Quarter

Maybe you’re in the 4th quarter and down by 21. If you feel discouraged by a situation in your life (or something you’re praying for in someone else’s life,) don’t give up now. Dig in. Dig deep and keep going. Renew your faith by fixing your eyes on Jesus, by remembering how big and great and capable and faithful God is. Remember the One in Whom you have placed your trust. There is nothing to worry about. He can handle it and He will do it. Keep praying. Keep believing. And He will give us wisdom in all things. We have only to ask. (Don’t forget to ask!) James 1:5

Finishing Strong

The big difference between our life and a football game is that we know our final outcome will be a WIN, but we still have to fight for it.

All. The. Way. To. The. End.

Everything that happens before those final seconds in a game definitely matters, but games are won and lost in the final countdown time after time. This means if we want to win, we have to finish strong.

I used to tell my kids they needed to “finish strong” as they started the fourth quarter of the school year. It’s hard to do, especially once you come back from Spring Break and the end is in sight. It’s easy to “check out” and just let the game clock run down, not caring anymore about the score. But we can’t do that. We have to finish strong if we want to WIN.

So don’t give up. Face whatever the biggest challenge is in your game. Take it to the Lord–again. Pray about it–again. Release it–again. God will bring you the victory. Keep moving down the field.

But then … the pivotal moment comes. A ray of light, a helping hand, a brilliant idea, a game-changing intervention. The music swells, the plot turns and we know that victory is in sight. We love these stories because they give us … HOPE.

If the change comes because of a person, it gives us hope in humanity, hope that there are still good people in the world. If the change comes from a brilliant idea, we have hope that problems can still be overcome with thought and hard work. If the change comes by Divine intervention, we have hope that there is still a God is heaven who loves us.

Where to Place Our Hope …

We all need hope. The Bible talks about hope over 180 times. Psalms and Proverbs tell us again and again that the best place to put our hope is in God.

“No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame,” (Ps. 25:3.) “But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,” (Ps. 33:18.) “There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off,” (Prov. 23:18.)

A Safe Place …

When we put our hope in God, our hope is well-placed. We are not hoping in the sense of an empty wish. In fact, that’s not what hope means at all. Hope is “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen; grounds for believing that something good may happen; a feeling of trust.”

When we talk about putting our hope in God, it’s not with a negative expectation. Meaning, sometimes we use the word hope like this: “I really don’t think there’s any way this is going to happen, but I hope so.” A thin thread of possibility. The hope God offers is so much better than that. When we hope in God, we can have an “expectation and grounds for believing;” we can trust that something good is going to happen.

A Good Place …

We know this because of Who God is. He is a good God who does good things (James 1:17) and even turns all the bad things in our lives around for good! (Rom. 8:28, Gen. 50:20) If we stick with God, we can’t lose! Either something good will happen or He will take something not so good and make it good.

Join me in choosing to trust God. Put your faith and hope in Him. Soon you will hear the music crescendo in the background track of your life, the plot will turn and you will see God working things out. Victory will be in sight. God will do something good and He’ll do it in a way that will propel you forward on your journey with Him.

Listen to His Voice

Isaiah 30:21 describes the blessing of being led by the Spirit. “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’.” I love God’s direction and knowing I’m doing what He wants me to do. But sometimes we start the day with a plan–a good plan, nothing wrong with it–and then the Holy Spirit puts a person on our heart and we feel a strong urge to call him. Even if talking on the phone isn’t our favorite thing (“Can I just text him, Lord?”) we need to respond right away.

Sometimes, we lose time second-guessing and procrastinating. When we know the thought wasn’t from our own thoughts or plans, and the direction is in keeping with His Word and character, we can know it’s Him and should move forward right away.

Did I Hear That Right?

Sometimes the Holy Spirit speaks to us and what He’s asking us to do makes us say, “Was that really you, Lord?” What we really mean is, “I really hope that wasn’t You, Lord! Do I have to?” But the blessing is in obedience.

If we’re standing in line at the grocery store and we feel like we should speak to the person next to us and ask how their day is going when we wouldn’t normally do that, it’s probably the Holy Spirit. We tend to panic and worry that God is going to ask us to jump up and down and make monkey sounds. Really? He’s going to ask us to spread His love and His life. And yes, it may be a little nerve-wracking to speak up and ask someone if we can pray with her, but it’s always worth it.

Planting Seeds

I had the opportunity to make a last-minute, surprise trip to CA this week. On my second flight, I was sitting next to a lovely, professional woman. We had chatted a bit and when we were getting close to landing, I wanted to tell her how God healed me of motion sickness. I felt like the Holy Spirit was confirming that I was supposed to do that. So I told her that I used to get sick every time I flew, but that on one trip God completely healed me and it was the best miracle ever! She looked right at me and asked me what I did. Did I just pray? So I was able to tell her more about it. She said that was cool and that was it. So glad I spoke up. I was planting seeds. One plants, another waters… I Cor. 3:8. We just obey. The results are up to the Lord.

Lifestyle of the Spirit

Sometimes we get away from that lifestyle of being ready for the Holy Spirit to speak to us at any time. We forget to keep an ear open for Him to speak to us and to keep ourselves in an attitude of willingness to change our plans and to obey. But that is easy to re-align. We just need to turn our heart toward heaven and ask the Holy Spirit to work through us. We just need to be willing. “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25.)

It’s a wonderful feeling to know you’ve heard and obeyed the Lord and that He’s working through you to show His love to someone. Ask the Lord to give you a special person assignment today!

When was the last time you did something at the Holy Spirit’s urging?

Do We Leave Our Weapon Behind?

Our weapon in spiritual warfare is the Bible, the Word of God, but sometimes we head out the front door and into our day and we leave it behind. Not that we have to physically carry a Bible with us at all times (although if it’s on our phone or tablet, it is with us!) but we need to be hiding God’s Word in our heart so we are ready to use it in battle. Which means, we need to be reading it every day.

Even though we may agree with this concept or even deeply believe it, it’s so easy to have days slip by without reading the Word. Our lives are busy and we have a flood of incoming information every day. Sometimes it’s that flood that crowds out what we really need to be taking in: our best defense against the enemy in times of trial or temptation.

Our Spiritual Defense

We have the same spiritual defense that Jesus had. He is our example and He withstood the most vicious assault of temptation ever loosed on a man. (Matt. 4:1-11.) Jesus had been fasting for 40 days. He was at the end of that fast and He was hungry. His body was ready to eat. That’s when the enemy came to tempt Him, at a very weak physical point. Satan tempted him with three powerful temptations (including food!) but Jesus replied every time with one weapon and one weapon only: the Word of God. He quoted Scripture to the devil and the devil had no reply. Three tries and the devil left Him. Jesus had won!

Read the Word

What if Jesus had not studied the Word? He didn’t arrive on the earth with all the Scriptures that had been written to that point downloaded and stored in His mind just because He came from heaven and was the Son of God. He started out as a baby, just like us, and had to learn the Scriptures, just like us. He knew the verses He quoted to the devil because He studied ahead of time. He memorized them. He went to the synagogue. On one trip to Jerusalem, Jesus stayed in the temple so long “sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions,” that his parents left for home and didn’t realize he wasn’t with them! (Luke 2:41-52)

We need to be reading the Word of God and studying it as well. We especially need to be memorizing it. Bible verses are like arrows that we need to have ready to pull out and fire at a moment’s notice. They are like every swing, every thrust and jab, of a sword in battle.

Weapons!

If we are afraid, we remember II Tim. 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

If we need forgiveness, we know that, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” according to I John 1:9.

If we are anxious, we remember Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you.”

If we are tempted, we know that “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it,” (I Cor. 10:13.) Then, we take the way out!

If we need encouragement that we will overcome the enemy and have victory:

“For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” Duet. 20:4

“With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.” Psalm 108:13

“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Cor. 5:7)

Whether we  have been studying the Bible our whole life or if we met Jesus yesterday, each of us need to be in the Word every day. We need to be reading and learning more. We need to meditate and memorize, so we already know the verses we need to use in the heat of battle to reply to any accusation or attack or temptation of the enemy. For with our God and with His weapons, our victory is sure.

Can I get an “Amen?”

For example, is there something in life that you want to do or accomplish, but you haven’t made it happen yet? You’ve tried. And failed. And tried again. And failed. And given up. And tried again. Or maybe you haven’t failed yet because you haven’t tried yet. Ever feel like you’re going in circles and not making any real progress? We all have things like this — or maybe it’s just me. (I hope it’s not just me!)

The Unfulfilled Desire

Many things can fit into this category. Perhaps you have a project you want to tackle, but just can’t get it done. Perhaps you want to develop more patience or kindness and then find yourself snapping under pressure. Maybe there’s an advancement in your career you want to make that hasn’t happened yet. Perhaps it’s that fitness or weight goal that is so elusive. Maybe you want to write a blog, but after a few posts, life gets in the way or you get sick and are unable to be consistent. Oh wait, that’s me again.

No matter what it is, I’m here to remind you — it’s not too late to begin again. It’s not too late to try again. You can accomplish what you set out to do. You have only to begin. Or begin again. After all, you are reading this blog right now, right? There’s “living proof” for you. Just be willing to try again. And then start. Take the first step. And the next. And the next. Over and over.

The Key to Success

Persistence is the key. Many have talent, but persistence is the difference between potential and success. Persistence is to continue on a course of action in spite of difficulty, opposition or previous failure. The Bible puts it this way, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9.)

We must not give up. If we have given up, we can begin anew. Get back to planting the seeds that will bring about the harvest we desire. We are planting seeds into our life and future every day. Let’s make sure it’s the right seed. The time to start again is right now.

Today.

What step will you take today to “begin again?”

Maybe it’s just where I live and the people I know, but there are many who feel they are under an attack from the enemy. And that does happen. It is not our imagination. The enemy comes to “steal, kill and destroy,” (John 10:10.) He also comes to distract and draw off course. He comes to tempt, for sin will destroy us as sure as a deadly disease. The enemy will try anything to weaken our faith, to cause us to question God’s goodness, anything to get us to turn away from our Lord.

Satan’s Motivation

Remember Job? Satan’s motivation is revealed to us in this story. Satan, speaking of Job, says to the Lord, “But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face,” (Job 1:11.) When that didn’t work and Job, by God’s own testimony, “maintained his integrity,” (Job 2:3) Satan wanted to try again. “But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face,” (Job 2:5.)

Satan wanted God to take everything away from Job and to put him in physical agony just so that Job would turn away from God and stop serving and loving Him. Satan wanted Job to curse God to his face. He wanted Job to strike out against God in anger and rebellion and to sever their relationship. Job didn’t do that. Job clung to his knowledge of God in faith. God, in return, used the situation to teach Job, bringing him even deeper in his knowledge of God and then healed him and blessed his life twice as much. (Job 42:10.)

Faithful Under Attack

In the midst of our trials, we need to remember Job. We need to remember that it is Satan who wants us to turn away from God in doubt. We must remember to always turn TO the Lord and never away. We must remember that John 10:10 does not end with the thief coming to steal and kill and destroy. Jesus Himself was speaking and He said, “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.”

When we are under attack and are suffering loss or suffering in our body, we need to be like Job and remain faithful to God, refusing to turn and curse Him. Instead, we remain faithful in our love for Him. Faithful in trusting Him. Faithful in prayer. I saw someone post on Facebook recently that she didn’t understand God’s plan for her life, but she loved Him still. That is a beautiful statement of faith. We have to remember that while God may have allowed this trial to come, He is with us and He will bring us through it. If we will trust Him, we will come out stronger and twice as blessed.