never give up!

When God set me free from from fear and anxiety and intimidation and insecurity 10 months ago, I was so excited!  I mistakenly thought that I was done with them forever.  I was wrong!  They rear their ugly heads regularly and the battle is on again.  Some days I just want to give up and give in to the old way of life.  It seems that it would be easier to cower in a corner paralyzed than to stand on THE Truth and fight.  The Truth is that I AM FREE!  Fear and anxiety and intimidation and insecurity have NO POWER over me, but they sure keep trying to get me to give up and give in!

Feeling discouraged, I looked at the life of my favorite faith hero...Joshua.  We think of him as a valiant warrior; the man who led the nation of Israel into the promised land.  I grew up singing, "Joshua fought the battle of Jericho...and the walls came tumbling down!"  And he was that man, but he must have also fought a battle like I do.  In Deuteronomy 31, Moses says to Joshua and the people, "Be strong and courageous!" not once, but 4 TIMES!  In Joshua 1, God reminds Joshua to "be strong and courageous!" 3 MORE TIMES!  And there were even more times throughout the book of Joshua when God said, "Don't be afraid. Don't be discouraged."  Years and years of battle followed the crossing of the Jordan River, and it took the remainder of Joshua's life for the nation of Israel to possess the land that God had promised them.  

Chapter 7 of the book of Joshua stood out to me today.  The Israelites disobeyed God which resulted in their death and destruction at the hands of Ai.  Joshua laid on the ground and said, "Ah, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us?  If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan!  O Lord, what can I say now that Israel has been routed by its enemies?  The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth.  What then will you do for your own great name?"  Sounds familiar...like words that have come out of my own mouth.

I love God's response to Joshua, "Stand up! What are you doing down on your face?"  and then, to paraphrase...Deal with the sin and move forward.  The sin of Achan never comes up again once Joshua dealt with it.  He never reminds God of his "failure" as a leader.  He never questions God's call on his life.  He simply leads the people forward to the next battle and the next and the next, until finally the promised land is theirs.  Joshua fulfilled his God given destiny, but he had to fight for it his entire life!

In my imaginary perfect world, I would be done fighting fear and anxiety.  In the real world, I have been set free! Jesus won the victory for me!  But, I still have to stand on THE Truth and fight for my freedom every day!  It's up to me to keep moving forward and never give up!

eternal perspective

Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  2 Corinthians 4:16-18

When I heard that Reverend Billy Graham had joined the saints in heaven yesterday, my first thought was how many people were already there waiting for him as a result of his life and ministry.  Every part of his public life was about introducing people to Jesus.  What a glorious calling!  And it's a calling that each of us who already knows Jesus has on our lives. 

Oh, my friends, if we could live with an eternal perspective.  Focusing on the unseen and eternal glory that awaits.  Single-minded in our purpose and not distracted by the light and momentary troubles of this life.  I'll be the first to admit that I can be stalled out by the struggles of my life and as they gain my attention, they seem bigger and bigger.  And before I know it, I lose heart.  I give up and God's plan for me is temporarily thwarted. 

My prayer today is for a new perspective...an eternal perspective.  I will probably never stand on a stage in front of thousands of people and invite them to know my Friend, Jesus.  But, I can love the people in my life with the love of Jesus every day in a way that is specifically suited to me.  God can use me (and you!) to accomplish the same purpose that was so big in Rev. Graham's heart.  We are part of the very same plan!  Are you ready for a change in perspective?