These are my notes for my teaching at the Chapel Service at Wheeler Mission for the homeless on January 17, 2016.
Life consist of many circumstances, difficulties and problems that seem overwhelming. We feel crushed under the weight of these giants. Often we want to give up as we lose heart to go on. This teaching is for you to tell you are not alone. God knows what you are going through and He is the great giant killer. In battling the giants, and the impossible in our lives, the first and foundational truth you must first know and believe is that you have immense value to God. You are important to God. God loves you with an infinite love and you are more precious to Him that all the treasures in Heaven and earth. Do you believe it? It is true. Much about life in this world seems designed to make us think that what we are or what we think or do is of no account. We feel that it really makes no difference whether we live or die. We feel that we are lost in the shuffle; we are nameless, faceless blobs in the teeming masses of humanity!
Do you realize the significance of your life to God? Now is the time to decide what direction you are going and with whom. Alone or with God? Now is the time of your salvation in God.
God is not a duplicator. Of the seven billion people on the planet earth not one has the same fingerprint. God is not a duplicator, a copycat, and a counterfeiter, but God is a Creator; God is an originator: God is a visionary. God only has one you. No one can ever be you. God only designed one you. He only has one blueprint that he masterfully used to make a masterpiece called you. God has designed you wonderfully unique and awesomely made as a true original. God has the most spectacular design for your life that is absolutely breathtaking and specific down to the littlest detail. This is a new day. Past is gone. With God move forward from this day forth. Value of your life to God. Only person on earth that would believe, Jesus would have still died for you. You are significant. You matter. The Value of One Human Life Matthew 10:29-30: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
Luke 15: The prodigal son and the loving, forgiving father. He was looking for him to return to Him and He ran to meet him.
The Bible shows you who you are and what you can become. Matthew 4:4: our spiritual diet, our food that restores our soul, that defines our being guides our path, that gives us light in the midst of darkness and gives a rock to build our lives upon. God cannot lie and He is faithful to His word. It is the truth and it will set you free.
Land of promises and land of giants.
Do you know there is a spiritual Promised Land for each Christian believer where the believer lives and breathes the promises of God? It is a place where the promises of God are experienced in all their fullness and a place where we bear abundant spiritual fruit for our God. The Promised Land is where God has called us to live as Christians and where God wants our hearts to be. The Devil does not want us to enter the Promised Land and has set hostile giants throughout the land to prevent us from taking the inheritance that God has given us. As Christians we must arise out of the wilderness and boldly go into this Promised Land and claim our rightful inheritance. As Joshua did, we need to take the mountains of giants and slew every giant in our minds and hearts that has ever prevented us from living the more abundant life that God has promised. The Promised Land and the battle with these giants is the epicenter of spiritual warfare and we must conquer every giant in Christ if we are ever to fulfill our purpose for this generation.
God is a giant killer
First of all, let’s look at just how great the promises of God are. Nothing on the face of the earth compares to the promises of God. No amount of money or wealth can even compare to the riches of possessing even one promise.
II Peter 1:3, 4 (ESV):
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
By which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
Phillips:
He has by his own action given us everything that is necessary for living the truly good life, in allowing us to know the one who has called us to him, through his own glorious goodness.
It is through him that God’s greatest and most precious promises have become available to us men, making it possible for you to escape the inevitable disintegration that lust produces in the world and to share in God’s essential nature.
God is His Word (John 1:1). It is what God has spoken. It is living and powerful and will change everything in your life. Jeremiah 23:29: Does not My word burn like fire? Does it not shatter rock like a strong hammer? Nothing can stand against His Word. Generations have tried but it lives and abides forever. This is what we need to be hiding in our hearts and meditating in our souls. This needs to be our fix in life.
The Bible teaches us the last and greatest lesson that the soul had to learn is the fact that God and God alone, is enough for its needs. This is the lesson that all His dealings with us are meant to teach; and this is the crowning discovery of our whole Christian life. God is enough!
Job 33:12,13: Behold in this you are not right, I will answer you, for God is greater than man. Why do you contend against him…?
Why do we go to weak substitutes and counterfeit gods that cannot satisfy and give you life? Why do we contend with His Word?
Then Job answered and said: If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand times. He is wise in heart and mighty in strength —who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded? — who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble; who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea; who made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the chambers of the south; who does great things beyond searching out, and marvelous things beyond number. Behold, he passes by me, and I see him not; he moves on, but I do not perceive him. Behold, he snatches away; who can turn him back? Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’ If it is a contest of strength, behold, he is mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him? For he is not a man, as I am, (Job 9:1-4, 6, 8-12, 19, 32, 33 ESV)
Nothing compares to God in this world. He is enough. He is all that you need.
“Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty? It is higher than heaven—what can you do? Deeper than Sheol—what can you know? Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea. If he passes through and imprisons and summons the court, who can turn him back? “If you prepare your heart, you will stretch out your hands toward him. If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and let not injustice dwell in your tents. Surely then you will lift up your face without blemish; you will be secure and will not fear. And your life will be brighter than the noonday; its darkness will be like the morning. And you will feel secure, because there is hope; you will look around and take your rest in security. You will lie down, and none will make you afraid; many will court your favor. But the eyes of the wicked will fail; all way of escape will be lost to them, and their hope is to breathe their last.” (Job 11:7-10, 13-15, 17-20 ESV)
Only God provides the way of escape. Without God there is no hope. Their hope vanishes with their last breath. Eternity.
Psalm 18 should be our confession in the battle against any giant in our life.
Psalm 18:1ff: I love you, O Lord, my strength.2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me;5 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. 6 In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.7 Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry. Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him.9 He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet.10 He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind. 16 He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.17 He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support.19 He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me. 21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. 28 For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness.29 For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.30 This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.31 For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?—32 the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless.33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great.
36 You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.
Job 33:28: He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit, and my life shall look upon the light. Behold God does all these things, twice, three times, with a man, to bring back his soul from the pit that he might be lighted with the light of life.
Psalm 40: 1-5: I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He reached down and drew me from the deep, dark hole where I as stranded, mired in the muck and clay. With a gentle hand, He pulled me out To set me down safely on a warm rock; He held me until I was steady enough to continue the journey again.3 As if that were not enough, because of Him my mind is clearing up.
Now I have a new song to sing—a song of praise to the One who saved me.
Because of what He’s done, many people will see and come to trust in the Eternal. Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie! 5 You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told. As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!12 For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me.13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me! As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!
We do not need to go astray after the lie anymore. He is our helper, our deliver. He will not delay. We can trust God and His promises as we enter the land of giants.
He is the Sovereign Lord. We reject the words of the enemy that bombard our hearts daily because we know what He thinks of us and what He has made us to be.
In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind. Does not the ear test words as the palate tastes food? “With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding. If he tears down, none can rebuild; if he shuts a man in, none can open. He makes nations great, and he destroys them; he enlarges nations, and leads them away. (Job 12:10, 11, 13, 14, 23 ESV)
Joshua 1:1-9-The Battle Cry Against the Giants
There is a beautiful illustration of this truth in the book of Joshua. When Joshua was about to lead the nation of Israel into the Promised Land, he faced thirty-one hostile nations that were not about to surrender their territories to the people of God. These hostile empires were thirty-one strongholds, most having heavily fortified cities, and were described as giants in the land of Canaan (Numbers 11:31-33). The Devil placed these nations right in the heart of the Promised Land. If Israel was to inherit the land God had promised them, they would have to defeat these nations and tear down their strongholds. God told Joshua that not one nation, stronghold, or person could stand against him. Joshua was to courageously advance into enemy territory and conquer every stronghold in the name of God Almighty. God encouraged Joshua to not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God was with Him. God was going to show in spectacular fashion in the presence of His people that no stronghold can stand against His mighty power. The first kingdom-city that stood in the way of Joshua and all of Israel was Jericho a formidable, heavily fortified city. This stronghold had to be demolished, but human logic and reason would label this task as impossible. Jericho was one of the greatest cities of its day, and was surrounded by a great embankment with a stone retaining wall twelve to fifteen feet high. On top of the retaining wall was a mud-brick wall six feet thick and six to eight feet high. At the crest of the embankment was another mud-brick wall that was forty-six feet above the ground level outside the retaining wall. If you were standing in front of this city, the walls would be close to seven stories high. This stronghold’s massive fortifications dared any soul, army, or nation to attack it. Joshua could have easily thought, “Are you kidding me? This is impossible! This stronghold is impregnable!” But is anything too hard for God? What people say is impossible, God says is possible with Him! (Luke 18:37).
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success[a] wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
The fall of the first giant: mighty Jericho:
Joshua 6:15ff: On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. 16 And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. 20 So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city.
Jeremiah 32:26,27: The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 27 “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?
Genesis 18:14: Is there anything too difficult for the Lord?
Luke 1:37: For nothing is impossible with God. (For no word from God will fail)
David and the formidable giant Goliath
The shepherd boy against the mightiest warrior on earth
I Samuel 17:4ff: 4 And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span (9 ft 9 inches). 5 He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze (126 pounds). 6 And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. 7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron (15 pounds). And his shield-bearer went before him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!” And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance.43 And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.” 45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, hat all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.”48 When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David.
Jehoshaphat
2 Chronicles 20: 1ff: After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle. 2 Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar” (that is, Engedi).3 Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, 6 and said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. 7 Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 8 And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s. 16 Tomorrow go down against them. 17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.”
Moses and army of Egypt and Red sea.
Exodus 14:13ff: 13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” 21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.23 The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, 25 clogging[b] their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the seareturned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw[c] the Egyptians into the midst of the sea.28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. 29 But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.
Now stand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes. I Samuel 12:16
Gideon-300 men vs. 135,000 Midianites. 450 to 1.
Judges 7:7: And the Lord said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand…19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch. And they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands. 20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 Every man stood in his place around the camp, and all the army ran. They cried out and fled. 22 When they blew the 300 trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his comrade and against all the army. And the army fled
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Daniel 3: Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king.14 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so,our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.[d] 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics,[e] their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. 22 Because the king’s order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”
We make God too small!
Daniel vs. the hungry lions: Daniel 6:16: Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” 17 And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. 18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him.
19 Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions.20 As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.
Hezekiah vs. the terror of the Assyrian kingdom
The atrocities, cruelty and savagery of the Assyrian Empire make ISIS today look like child’s play. The cruelty of the Assyrian Empire’s actions were publicized via text, colored wall paintings and carvings in stone. Historian Arthur Ferrill compared them to photos of Nazi concentration camps, and said they had few parallels in history. Artwork showing the skin being cut off of living captives, the impaling of prisoners on stakes, mass forced deportations of conquered peoples, captives being burned or having their tongues torn out and everywhere piles upon piles of human heads are highlighted. There mistake was to take on the Lord of Hosts, Yahweh.
2 Chronicles 32:9ff After this, Sennacherib king of Assyria, who was besieging Lachish with all his forces, sent his servants to Jerusalem to Hezekiah king of Judah and to all the people of Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying, 10 “Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria, ‘On what are you trusting, that you endure the siege in Jerusalem?11 Is not Hezekiah misleading you, that he may give you over to die by famine and by thirst, when he tells you, “The Lord our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria”? 13 Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of other lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands at all able to deliver their lands out of my hand? 14 Who among all the gods of those nations that my fathers devoted to destruction was able to deliver his people from my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand? 15 Now, therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you in this fashion, and do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you out of my hand!’”
2 Kings 19:14ff: Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord.15 And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: “O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. 16 Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 17 Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands 18 and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. 19 So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.” 2 “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. 33 By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the Lord. 34 For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.” 35 And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. 36 Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went home and lived at Nineveh. 37 And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword and escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.
Moses: And He said, Certainly I will be with thee” (Exodus 3:12).
Of course, if the LORD sent Moses on an errand, He would not let him go alone. The tremendous risk which it would involve and the great power it would require would render it ridiculous for God to send a poor lone Hebrew to confront the mightiest king in all the world and then leave him to himself. It could not be imagined that a wise God would match poor Moses with Pharaoh and the enormous forces of Egypt. Hence He says, “Certainly I will be with thee,”
What are you giants?
Fear? Addiction? Job? Place to Live? Past? Bad reputation? Criminal record? People? God will deliver you from them all if you trust in Him.
Psalm 91: God’s promise against any giant
Psalm 91:1ff: Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you;
One of the amazing names of God is The Lord of Hosts: Exodus 15:3: The Lord is a warrior. The Lord is his name. This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit says the LORD of Hosts (Zech 4:6). God is our warrior who will fight every battle, every difficulty and every problem for us. Nothing can withstand God!
Learn to trust God
Proverbs 3:1-7: My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, 2 for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.4 So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.8 It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.
Isaiah 64:4 boldly promises that God acts on behalf of those who trust in Him.
There is hope. We cannot be tethered to the sins of yesterday.
We cannot change the past no matter how wishful we may be. We can, however, learn from it. That’s certainly better than being held captive to its regrets, setbacks and problems. Every morning you awake to a new gift—the gift of today. It is my prayer that you will be freed to let go of yesterday—learn from it, yes, but also let go of it—and then to embrace today. For today is full of hope.
‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’ (Jeremiah 29:11).
Amazing lessons in the Bible of flawed people. Why does God show us the failures of these great leaders? Could it be He wants us to know that in spite of our fiascoes, He can still make something glorious out of our lives? The list of names in Hebrews 11 underscores this truth. In this passage, men and women of great faith are noted—ones whom God Almighty approved. One might be shocked, however, to discover how many of them were restored spiritually following failures such as deception, drunkenness, adultery, idolatry and murder. Consider Jacob. What a saga his life story is. From birth, God gave him a remarkable promise that he would be blessed and his older brother would serve him. With this kind of divine assurance, it would seem like Jacob would turn out to be the perfect saint. Instead, he became a crook who lied to his own father, stole his blessing and lived a life full of deceit. Jacob ended up wasting 20 precious years of his life. I consider his biography one of the most interesting of them all. Here is why: Numerous times throughout the Bible, God reminds His people that He is “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:15). In fact, in this same verse, God says, “This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.” Toward the end of Jacob’s journey, God changed his name, which means “deceiver,” to Israel, meaning “Prince of God.” So, why doesn’t He say, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and . . . Israel”? How strange! How come He associates His name with a cheat who wasted two decades trying to do things his own way? Through His name, His very identity, God wants to say to you and me, “I am still the God who makes failures into princes of God. I remain the God who takes broken lives—people with multiple divorces, sick in body because of sin, in prison for decades, labeled as losers, crazy folk nobody wants, outcasts with no hope—and turns them into something beautiful.”
2 Corinthians 3:4ff: Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God,
2 Corinthians 4:7: But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
Romans 8:31ff: 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be[i] against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God is for you. He is on your team. Nothing and I mean nothing can separate you from Him and His love. This makes you a super-conqueror in Christ. THe court of God has wiped your slate clean in Christ and you no longer fall under condemnation for you have been justified, freed from the penalty of sin. THis is the victory we stand in in Christ.
God wants each Christian believer to come to the knowledge of the truth according to 1 Timothy 2:4 of their new identity in Christ. Jesus tells us in John 8:31-32 that when we continue in the Scripture, reading, memorizing, and reflecting on its words, we shall know the truth and the truth will set the heart free from any prison that is holding it captive. Truth in our thinking leads to great physical, mental, and spiritual freedom in our hearts. If we want to be set free from whatever burden is holding us back from living passionately for God, we must allow the truth of the Bible to govern our thought life. Either the truth of God or a lie is controlling our thought life. God gives truth, and the Devil speaks lies and deception. We must decide which takes control of our thought life. If truth does not live and breathe in our thinking, we will eventually fall into the snare of the Devil, and our thinking will turn from the truth of God and embrace a lie. The Devil is always trying to turn our thinking away from the truth. These dungeons of bondage melt when they touch the glory of our God. God cries out to us like He did in Isaiah 45:2, “I will go before you and level the mountains. Bronze doors I will shatter, and iron bars I will snap!”
Never forget these words as long as you live:
Isaiah 41:10: Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Psalm 121: 2-8: My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.
Hebrews 13:5b, 6: For He has said: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
Double and triple negative in Greek. When God says something twice in Bible it is certainly established without any iota of a doubt.
“Leave” in Greek: (aniemi)-to desert, send back, to relax, to loosen, not to uphold, to let sink abandon.. He is not going to leave us, fail to uphold us or let us sink! One might translate this phrase — “I will in no way let you go.” “I will not relax my hold on you.” Think about these words. God cannot lie. His Word is faithful.
“Forsake” in Greek: Forsake: egkataleipo means to abandon, desert, or leave behind, leave helpless, leave destitute, leave in straits or let one down. It speaks of forsaking someone in a state of defeat or helplessness, even in midst of hostile circumstances.
Remember — When it’s just you and God, that’s enough.
“I will win her back once again. I will lead her out into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope” (Hosea 2:14–15, NLT).
I am here tonight to tell you no matter what happened in the past in the Valley of Trouble there is a gateway of Hope. Tonight is a new beginning. God is extending his hand to life up and embrace you. He is telling you, I’ve got this, do not be afraid, do not worry, Do not be anxious, I will take care of you.
God pleads, God admonishes, God commands and God calls to us every single day to not be afraid, but to simply trust Him in everything. He stands at the door of our heart and cries daily: “It is I! Be not afraid!”
Isaiah 43:1,2: But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.
Know from this day forward you are God’s through his saving work in Christ. You’re his child, his prized possession. You are His and nothing can change this. He is with you through the waters, and through the fire. He will never let you go, never abandon you and never forsake you. He is your giant killer.
