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Day 52 – Eternal Immigration

A lot has been said recently about illegal immigration and where countries and presidential ideologies clash in certain beliefs and convictions.  Regardless of what you believe in regards to this important issue, our calling as Christ-followers goes far beyond any national policy or personal conviction.  Jesus came for the whosoever, and this might take us beyond the boundaries of any one country or law.  I am not saying that we break the laws of the country we live in, but we ought to begin to recognize that Christ’s sovereignty goes far beyond any border or one nation.  In the eternal perspective race, age, gender, nationality or immigration status does not matter – we are all humans who need the love and salvation of an Almighty God.

Philippians 3:20 says this, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ…”  When Jesus came to earth he declared that the kingdom of Heaven was here.  We can begin to live this kingdom living today!  We do not need to wait until we die and go to heaven, for our Eternal Immigration has already been approved!  If we have believed in Jesus Christ as Messiah of our lives, we have this eternal kingdom already taking up residence within us in our lives.  So how can we live this eternal citizenimmigration out loud?  How can we live as kingdom people?  There are really two ways to express this…the first and most important is to the love the Lord your God.  The second is because of this outpouring of that love for God – it is the love of others…even those who may not look like you, act like you or come from where you call ‘home’.  We serve a global God, with a broad love that transcends all divides.  When His people, who are set apart and live out holiness, they are not only citizens of heaven, they begin to display this irresistible love for everyone, including our enemies.

How can you live out this eternal citizenship today?
How might you display your love for God and also this love for all who you might meet on this very day?  Pray for those you will meet today.  Ask God for wisdom and guidance in how you interact with others and in how you live out loud – this holy eternal citizenship.

Prayer:  Dear Lord, thank you for loving me!  I want to live for you alone!  Help me to love you back, and as I do also help me to love those I meet along the way.  I pray for those who are not my friends…I pray for my enemies and for those I do not get along with.  In this “living for you” grant me your eyes to see those around me.  I am your child, thank you for this great blessing of salvation!  In your name I pray these things.  -Amen.

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Dear Salvation Army, Is This Mission Drift?…

It has happened in numerous conversations.
There has been the lament of decisions made, and the ripples that flow from those decisions moving outward growing ever larger and larger.
Could it be that in some places in our Army world that we are experiencing a floundering of our mission?  How can we recognize this mission drift in our ministries and in the larger army?

Perhaps the first question we should ask ourselves is this:  What is our mission as an Army?  Have we strayed from that mission?  And if the answer is ‘yes’, then perhaps we have indeed become castaways on mission drift.

I read a fascinating article recently from The Gospel Coalition by Matt Smethurst, he was interviewing authors Peter Greer and Christ Horst who wrote the book Mission Drift: The Unspoken Crisis Facing Leaders, Charities and Churches.  In this interview, Smethurst asked Greer and Horst “Why is “mission drift” such a problem for well-intentioned Christian ministries and charitable trusts?”
Their answer really hit home with perhaps some of the issues our Army faces currently.  Here is what Greer and Horst had to say:

Through our research we confirmed that mission drift is a pressing challenge for every faith-based organization. The zeal and beliefs of the founders are insufficient safeguards. There is no immunity, no matter how concrete your mission statement is. Or how passionate your leaders are. Or how much you believe it could never happen to you.

Relatively minor decisions, when compounded by time, lead organizations to an entirely different purpose and identity.

boatDid you catch that?
Mission Drift is a challenge for EVERY faith-based organization…and I believe we are facing this imminent threat every day within our Army.  We are not immune.  We are not above this danger.  As a matter of fact, I believe that the chief danger in our Salvation Army today is mission drift within social programs, recreational programs and all other would be programs that are become increasingly devoid of any spiritual emphasis or initiative.  We have become professional outsourcers and imagined “the lost” would come banging down our doors on Sunday…yet they aren’t and our corps are dying…and we are riding wave after wave of mission drift.

When asked about money, Greer and Horst had this to say:

Q: How does money tend to factor into the mission drift equation?

“Through hundreds of hours of interviews with Christian leaders of organizations of all varieties, donor influence was identified time and again as a leading cause of drift. With almost any donation there are “strings attached.” In some instances donors—often corporate donors or government funders—will place prohibitions about how overtly Christian an organization’s work can be. Historically this restriction was perhaps most evidenced in Andrew Carnegie’s university funding, which disallowed “sectarian institutions” from receiving funding. Many colleges—including Brown and Dartmouth—cut ties with their founding Christian denominations to be eligible to receive Carnegie’s millions.”

Has money played a part of our possible mission drift in the Salvation Army?
I would say if it hasn’t, then the temptation has surely been there…and some may even rationalize “well, we will figure out a ‘work-around’ for our mission to continue as we accept these monies…” and yet the funds come and the implementation of missional, intentional Christ-centered programming gets tossed or put on the back-burner because regulations and guidelines must be followed.  Is this danger truly happening to our Army?  Is it subtle and sometimes unnoticeable?   All it takes are small, seemingly innocuous decision to take place in order for the drift to start.  Could it be happening in your corps?  Your Division?  Your Territory?

I certainly do not want to paint a doom and gloom, “let’s second guess every decision being made” – type of conversation.  But I am pondering whether we have already begun to drift away from our primary purpose for being an Army?  Later on in the interview, Greer and Horst said this, and I believe this describes my fear of mission drift in our army:

We chose the word drift intentionally. It has the image of slowly, silently, and with little fanfare carrying you away to a new destination. It’s not dramatic, and yet anyone who’s spent time on a boat of any size knows it happens.

It’s clichéd, but the moments of greatest temptation occur when you least expect it. We’ve felt the tug of secularization most when we’ve been enjoying seasons of growth. It’s so easy for success to cloud drift. But it’s always there. As Christian leaders, we must daily commit ourselves to protecting and celebrating what matters most in the institutions God has entrusted to us.

PONDER THIS:
So here is my pondering to you, Dear Army:  How do we even notice mission drift when it happens in our big Army?  And secondly, how do we course correct if our Army is Titanic and it takes all of us to turn the ship around?  Can this be done?  What are some of the indicators of mission drift that you see?  Would loss of constituents be an indicator?  Would leadership disconnect be another?  Would program not missionally based also sound alarms?  What kinds of safe-guards can we put into place to help us avoid this trap?  How might we course correct?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts, comments and concerns.
Something more for our Army to ponder today.

Source:  
Smethurst, M. (2014, March 10).  The subtle danger of mission drift. The gospel coalition.
Retrieved from https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-subtle-danger-of-mission-drift

*Disclaimer:  The thoughts and opinions written here are not necessarily the thoughts and opinions of The Salvation Army.  Reader discretion is advised.*

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Day 51 -God Given Wisdom

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” James 1:5

There are certainly days when we lack the words to speak and the actions we ought to take.  Difficult days.  Days that leave us bowled over and utterly wishing we could just go back to bed and get a redo.  We’ve all been there.  When those days come can we ask God for help?  It might seem trite, but His presence with us is very real and evident if we pay attention.  For those who are Christ-followers, it is promised that wisdom will be given and given generously.

Can we seek God in the midst of our redo-seeking days?
Can we fall to our knees and make our day – His day?  God desires our fellowship and our love.  He will never force us to accept Him, or invite Him in, but when we do allow Him access in a manner of humility and love He will always provide us what we need.

Can you place your day, all your agendas, all your plans and to-do lists before God today?  Allow Him in and receive His provisions to your set-apart life!

Prayer: Dear Lord, I commit this day to your service.  I want to live for you in all that I choose to say and do today.  Lead me and I ask that when my words and wisdom fails, provide for me your wisdom and your words. Thank you for your blessings and provision!  In your name I pray these things.  -Amen.

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Day 46 – “Have You Had Enough?

“I have had enough, Lord,…” 1 Kings 19:4b
worn
Have you ever come to the point in your life where you’re just done “adulting” for one day? Perhaps the challenges at work, or the mounting house work, or the endless “to do” list has all just gotten the better of you…and you have had enough?  Have you been there?  I would imagine many of us have had those days where you contemplated why you even got out of bed.  Some days are just life that, and it seems the entire world wants a piece of you.  Rest assured, there will be better days.  All of us have experienced bad days and even bad years.  Life is certainly challenging and it isn’t always puppy dogs and rainbows, no matter how much we wish it were.  But the encouraging thing is life, and all that happens to us will eventually pass, and we have a God who journeys alongside us.  We are never alone in our struggles…and our bad days.  Another important thing to note is that our perspective on things always makes a difference.  Having a bad day?  Will you allow it to affect your spirit and the eternal joy God has given you? I hope the answer is “no”…that we will keep on keeping on despite the bad days, the trials and the set-backs.

The prophet Elijah certainly had his fair share of bad days.  The funny thing is he had just had a monumental victorious day, when he challenged all the prophets of Baal. (see 1 Kings 18:16-46) Elijah, called down fire upon a completely soaked altar and God made Himself known thereby defeating these false prophets and their fake god Baal.  You would thing this great victory would have lasted for a while, but instead Elijah is on the run and afraid for his life.   King Ahab and wicked Queen Jezebel want him dead.  Elijah is worn and weary, emotionally and physically spent, he lays down under a boom bush in the wilderness and asks God if he could just die.   He even says to God, “I have had enough…” Imagine that!  One of the most powerful Prophets of ancient times asking to die because life had become extremely hard.  He felt defeated.  He felt alone.  He thought it would be better to be taken to heaven than live another day on earth.

We experience days like this from time to time.  Perhaps not to the extreme of Elijah…but perhaps some of us have.  When those days come, I pray that like Elijah, God will encourage you, strengthen you and remind you that you are most certainly not alone!

Prayer:  Dear Lord, I pray for those who are struggling today.  I ask that you place a hand of encouragement upon them.  Lord, I too struggle with these days, thank you for reminding me of your constant presence and that I am given strength that is not my own, but yours.  Protect me from the evil one who tries to remind me of my many failures and discourages me from carrying on.  Shine your light of hope into my life today, and fill me with your peace even amidst the many storms of life.  Thank you dear Lord for being here for me!
-Amen

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Day 43 – “A Moldy Life?”

When I was in college I had this older SUV.
I was a good vehicle, it did what it needed to do.  It got me from point A to point B.
The one issue I have with this vehicle is that it smelled.   smell
At some point in the life of this SUV, it must have gotten wet on the inside and so the carpets and fabric smelled…most likely because of mold.  I tried everything to remove the stink from my truck.  I tried car fragrances and those little trees you hang from the rear view mirror…nothing seemed to work.  I would like to tell you that I successfully removed the mold and smell from my truck, but I didn’t.  Two years later I sold it and move on – smell-free.

The thing about mold in carpets is that it can be very difficult to remove, especially in places like under seats and under carpeting that is bolted down.  Mold has to be completely eradicated in order for the smell and the spores to die.  Without a deep, thorough, time consuming cleaning, that mold will remain…and so will the smell.

Proverbs 28:13 says this: “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper,
    but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”  Sin is a lot like mold…if we don’t do a deep cleaning it will not be eradicated.  Are there hidden spaces in your life right now that sin still remains?  It’s time for a deep cleaning!  Do not be ashamed of it – get rid of it.  Don’t hold onto it any longer.  It really is mold to the soul, and it will limit even keep you from the Lord!   Relinquish it, and allow the Lord to clean it from your life today!  

Prayer:  Lord cleanse my heart again.  I confess and expose these spaces where sin remains hidden away.  Lord, help me with my thoughts and my motives today.  I long to serve you a lone.  Remind me of my purpose and this aim today!  In your name I pray these things.  -Amen.

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Day 44 “We Hate The ‘S’ Word…”

It’s a word everybody hates.
For some it means relinquishing our freewill.
For others it means becoming a slave…and naturally, no one wants to be a slave.
Still others thing of this word as strange and even evil.

s-wordIt’s the word ‘Submit’…as in submit someone else.
-submit to the rules…
-submit to the will or whim of others…
-submit who you are to someone else’s identity.
This content of the ‘S’ word certainly seems negative and cause us to never utter it again let alone live in submission to anything other than our own freewill.

But what would you do if God requires this from you?
How do we consider the ‘S’ word then in the context of who God is and desires from us?
Even then, many (including myself) struggle with the notion of full-submission to God.
James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

This type of submission isn’t something that will hurt us, instead it will heal us. submit2 Submission to God means we can finally become all that God knows we can be.  There is this potential within all of us, but it can only be accessed and fully realized when we completely submit ourselves to God’s will.  This is probably the most difficult thing we will ever do.  Full submission to God doesn’t mean that we will lose our identity, no, it means that we will finally have our full identity.  We are called sons and daughters of God…when we finally submit to Him, this title becomes our identity.  The difficulty is letting go and trusting Him.  It requires us to say, “Lord, my life is in your hands!”  When we submit in this way, the temptations of the evil one will diminish and we can resist sin – through the power of the Holy Spirit.

You might now be there yet – letting go and submitting fully to God…but He longs for you to take that step!  He will not harm you.  He loves you and desires His people be holy.

Prayer:  Lord, I confess today that I struggle with full-submission to you in my life.  I fear letting go because it could mean that I have to make changes in my life.  Help me Lord to seek you and to let go.  I want to live for you in my life.  So in my day today, show me what this submission looks like.  I desire to be like you.  -Amen.

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Day 45 – “Love Bites…”*

“(love)…it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13:5b-6

Today love is the topic for our consideration.
What is love?
How do we get it?
How do we keep it?

donaldOf course on a day like Valentine’s day, the expressions are everywhere – in the stores, in the flower shops, on commercials…you can’t go anywhere without seeing the evidence of love.  Unfortunately you can go many places and also see the void that love leaves.  This emotion, expression and way of living can be broken.  Many have experienced the brokenness of love – and it deeply hurts.  It happens when we become vulnerable to someone else.  It happens when we allow ourselves to trust someone and that trust gets broken.  Love, at times truly bites!

You can only imagine the hurt God must have felt when humanity broke His heart in the garden.  Adam and Eve walked with Him daily.  They told Him of their day.  They, creation and Creator loved each other.  But then we broke God’s heart and as punishment we were kicked out of that perfect love and into a place where atonement had to be found.  Thankheart goodness for God’s persevering, perfect love, because He made a way for us to get back to Him in the most outrageous and compassionate way – His Son.  Jesus died in our place.  While we were yet sinners Jesus died for us (Romans 5:8).  This kind of love came at an extreme cost – Death on a cross…the shedding of blood (Holy blood)…the sacrifice of the Lamb for we the hopeless, unfaithful, and broken sinner.  THIS is the love that bites.  This is the love that lasts…this is the love that Christ brings to you and me – an undeserving, love full of grace and mercy.

That love swings both ways though…will we love Him back?  Will we also reflect that love into the world?  Will we seek to be like Christ in our love for the unloved or unlovable?

Prayer:  Dear Lord, thank you for loving me!  I know that at times I have not loved you back, and I have not always lived for you.  Be with me today to express this love that I have in my life.  Help me to share that love to the world around me.  Lord, you are with me – help me to love even the unlovables in my life today.  -Amen. 

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Day 42 -“Kill Em With Kindness”

When Jesus commanded us to love our enemies, he really meant it.   Perhaps we play that game…you know the one I’m talking about – then one where we ask, “well, what does Enemy really mean?”  Sometimes we like to pick and choose who we “think” our enemies are…but never in our wildest dreams does it mean “THAT” person (you know who I’m talking about)…but indeed that is who Jesus means.  (Sorry)
love
Our enemies might never love us back, nor even show us an ounce of kindness, yet we are called to love them.  Isn’t it bazaar that we have been given that command by Jesus…and He took it to the extreme when he allowed those who hated Him to crucify Him on the cross?!  I mean, that is true love isn’t it?  It’s a kind of love that doesn’t have strings attached.  It’s a kind of love that, even if not reciprocated, is given freely.  This kind of love has truly turned enemies into friends over the course of history and permitted the Holy Spirit to work within people and the issues they had been dealing with.  Perhaps we do not know why THAT person treats others so poorly…perhaps they themselves are hurting or have been hurt in the past.  When we open the doors to even THOSE people, we begin to comprehend how deep and how wide the love of Jesus truly is.

So…kill em with kindness.
Questions:
-Do you have one of THOSE people in your life right now?
-How might you show love to them even if it is never reciprocated?
-Begin by praying for that person or those circumstances!

Prayer:  Dear Lord, help me to love the people in my life who are difficult to love.  Guide me today as I attempt to live for you in every aspect of my life.  Be with me.  In your name I pray these things.  -Amen.

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Dear Salvation Army, 3 Smart Strategies To Army Mission…

Dear Salvation Army Soldier & Friends, our mission doesn’t exist without those that push the mission and strive to see it succeed!  Without soldiers and friends working so tirelessly together in an effort to meet human need in Jesus’ name, we will fail and our efforts will be in vain.  With that being said, we serve more than just the army ranks.  For officers come and officers go, and our appraisal of those wearing red may increase or decrease depending on the character of each.  But collectively we are the army.  But without Christ at the head of our army we will be without direction and hope.

It is my prayer that we keep our eyes ever on Christ as we dole out our policy and mission steps in our world.  Dare I say that there have been times when policy and administrative decisions have not made sense and/or were not made with Christ in mind at all.  Such moments in our history, I would hope are few and far between and I am instead given over to the notion that we ought to pray for each and every leader that is appointed to lead this Army.  I cannot imagine the enormity of such a mantel, yet it is thrust on many who would deem themselves quite unworthy of it.  But, beware to those who think they deserve such a mantel, even power and leadership in our army can corrupt.  So pray in earnest for one another so that we do not fall into such a temptation of pride, ego and personal ambition.

Here are three smart primer strategies to our Army mission.  There are more subtopics and conversations to be had within this pondering…after you read these starting points, why not tell us what YOU think and what we can add to this list!

1.  Leaders – listen to the “Boots on the ground!”  

bootsI cannot stress how important it is for leaders of all positions to listen to those who are actively engaged on the ground in the fight!

There are certainly Church roles that we possess in our movement, some are appointed and gifted in: administration, some in pastoring, some evangelism…and so on, yet we all must do our very best within the positions that we have been given to glorify God and to edify and encourage each other!  Leaders who simply dictate and dole out policy but rarely listen to the boots on the ground will eventually be resented and our mission will become bogged down.  Take the time to listen to those who see the need every day!  Sometimes we as leaders have to have the guts to admit when the plan we plotted isn’t working and perhaps there is a better, more effective way.  Swallow your pride and adapt!  This goes for every position of leadership from the corps setting all the way up!

savesWe cannot afford to have polarizing visions when we should all be seeking to remain mission minded and focused.  There’s no time for that!   Leaders who listen and then lead have a better chance at successfully navigating and accomplishing their objectives in mission!  If leaders only dictate from their offices that are tucked away from mission we will fail because administration can only meet mission when it has its ear to the ground and a heart to serve in the capacity of servant-leader.    Enough with the old guard of “my way or the highway” brass!  Yes be strict on mission-mindedness but compassionate on leading and shepherding!  Be a shepherd first and listen!

2.  Boots on the ground – Pray for and love your leaders, trust them and then engage in the spiritual warfare while befriending the lost!  

do

There’s no time to jostle about and deciding which leader you will follow or trust.  There is too much at stake, too much to lose in forward progress as an army!  If we spend too much time worrying about the internal workings of our army, we will lose sight of those we are entrusted to serve and love!  Bring the mission of the lost into focus – make it your priority to keep this mission going!  Be the gate keepers of Hell so that no one slips by you and into that place of ultimate depravity!  Stand as the bridge builder who brings hope to your community!  Worry less about what others (even leadership) might think and more about what God might think with our inactions!  Get on with it!!  Fight on and be the voice for those without one.  The very progression of our army depends upon the movement of these vital infantry boots!  You will stand knee deep in the muck and mire of people’s sin and sadness.  You will witness the hopeless single mother who is struggling to put food on the table, or the children who come to your program that you know are currently living in awful places and conditions.  You must take action!

Love those who lead you.  Trust that God has placed them there to help you accomplish this mission together!  Pray for each other and for those who will come knocking on your door in search of help!  We cannot progress the good news of Jesus Christ and bring hope to a dying world if we are not first Holy people who are taking up our crosses and following Him!  We cannot look like the world and act like the world.  We are set apart to do mighty things, we cannot lack anything especially faith that God will pave this path for us!

3.  Look outside “The Bubble”!  

bubble

Lastly, do not get bogged down in your own bubble that you become ignorant of how God might be working in our world!  Be in-tune with Him!  Do not live in your corps buildings and your Divisional or territorial offices and forget to peer out the windows and walk the streets!  God is not static and He does not want us to become static!  Look beyond what we have already accomplished!  Don’t just maintain and do the same things over and over again especially if these things (or programs) are not bringing people to Christ any longer! Explore, study, become students of knowledge and strategy!  Read!!  There is this notion that any organization and mission can become so internal that it’s almost incestuous in developing its methods of mission, evangelism and mission.  Break this mold!  Take risks, and don’t be afraid to fail – even a hundred times (or more)!   We cannot live in our Army bubbles and expect people to come to us!  We have to go to them!  We have to think outside the box (or corps).  We have to stop living in the past or the glory days all the while missing countless opportunities to make history and break new ground!  If we expect revival we have to make revolution happen in our army!

pop I think sometimes what keeps us in our bubbles is the fear of what leadership might do if we try new things that don’t necessarily “look Army”.  Is there fear of reprisal and punishment for not maintaining the status quo?  Perhaps it’s time to pop the bubble!
Perhaps it’s time to refocus and realign our motives and mindsets on the mission of this world-wide movement!  But we cannot do that unless we become risk-takers and break the bubble comfort and tradition.
help
Something more for this Army to Ponder…now, tell us what YOU think by leaving comments and questions below or in your discussion feed!  I can’t wait to hear from you!

*Disclaimer:  The thoughts and opinions written on Pastorsponderings are not necessarily the thoughts and expressed opinions of The Salvation Army, reader discretion is advised!*

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Day 41 “Facing The Giant”

“Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.”
-1 Samuel 17:40

When David stood before Goliath, he didn’t come with years of battle experience, or with the armor Saul had offered to him, instead he did was came naturally.  David selected five smooth stones from the riverbed and he brought his sling – these were tools he used frequently while shepherding.  giant

It is interesting that God usually works with things that are already in existence or innate within us.  David used a sling to slay a giant and it was already a learned discipline.  God does that same with us as well.  The challenges that we face in life might seem daunting at times.  Perhaps it is rather telling if the only thing we experience is peace – something might be wrong, or perhaps we aren’t challenging ourselves anymore.  When this happens, we should be asking ourselves questions like – “What am I afraid of?” or “Why am I not pushing myself as I once did?”   Sometimes we’re tired from the fight and so we avoid the next challenge that comes our way.

King Saul and the people of Israel were afraid of the challenges of the giant.  They didn’t respond to his calls to fight – how could they?  He was HUGE and his weapons looked fearsome.  They feared they wouldn’t stand a chance against him in a fight.  David showed up to drop off home baked goods and get a report for his father, only to discover God’s people quaking in their boots…so David stepped up.

fear2Sometimes we don’t get a choice with which giants  we have to face.  We have to press onward and actually face them, because if we don’t they won’t just go away and we will be powerless and frozen in our fears.  Facing the giants also means reliance on a strength that isn’t our own.  God will provide you the strength that you need, but it also requires us to admit that we need help and that we cannot do it on our own.  When we let go of this nothing of going it alone, we are freed from the shackles of self-doubt and self-reliance.

So how about it?
What sort of giants are you facing right now?
Have you lived in fear for far too long?
Perhaps it’s time to stop hiding in fear and doubt and instead live in victory and strength!
God will be there each step of the way, but will you trust Him?

Prayer:  Dear Lord, I place before you these fears that I have in my life right now.  There are giants that I am facing and I don’t know how to combat them alone.  Help me dear Lord.  Protect me in these battles.  Lead me to victory.  Use me Lord for your glory, not mine.  In your name I pray all of these things.  -Amen.

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