You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great. You enlarged my path under me, So my feet did not slip. – Ps. 18:35-36
Sometimes we may feel as though the rug is being pulled out from under our feet. This causes us to question where we stand. In those times, we wonder if we will slip and fall. Sorrow fills our heart; a sense of heaviness envelops our being, and we pray fervently for God to come to our rescue.
Time after time, God enlarges our path so we do not slip.This enlargement defies the tight place we may think we are in and makes way for God’s delivering power. He makes a way out of all troubling circumstances. We may almost slip and fall, almost give up, almost breakdown, yet God comes through with His amazing grace. The foundation on which we stand is strengthened and enlarged by the Christ we believe in—our sure foundation.
When we almost fall, Christ sustains us to the utmost. He upholds all with His right hand and He never permits the righteous to be moved. He delivers us out of all our afflictions. Let’s pray, believing He sustains us and gives us safety to stand every place we step, from glory to glory!
There we saw the giants’ (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); ‘and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.’ – Numbers 13:33
When the spies looked at the Promise Land, they encountered a land flowing with milk and honey and brought back beautiful, huge grapes. The people rejoiced in seeing the grapes and concluded it was a beautiful and fruitful land. The report of ten of the spies said there were giants in the land, ignored the fruits, and saw themselves as grasshoppers compared to them.
Do we see ourselves as timid grasshoppers or capable giants? When we see ourselves as grasshoppers, others do as well. Our actions show others our self-perception, which either helps or hinders the confidence we portray that we have in God. What are we saying we are? We never should see ourselves as grasshoppers, but as spiritual giants in God.
Is there a problem we face that appears to be a giant in our land? Compared to the ultimate giant Christ Jesus, who dwells within us — they are the grasshoppers. In Christ, we conquer giants and do not let them subdue us. We yield to the Lord and step forth in victory over any opposition, from glory to glory!
And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. – Mark 3:5
Jesus told the man to stretch out his withered, paralyzed hand. It was asking him to do what he couldn’t do. As he did, God restored his hand as whole as the other. Even though we may not have a withered hand, our emotions, finances, or some other parts of our body may be in a weakened condition. When the Lord directs us to do the impossible, we can trust His ability.
The Lord tells us to rise when we cannot move because of pain. It’s difficult for us to forgive, yet He will tell us to. A situation brings fear to our soul and He’ll tell us not to fear. The moment we obey Him, He touches the situation in unexpected ways. His authority comes with His ability. As we press through the natural, the unction to function flows from the Lord in and through us.
By faith, we stretch out our withered conditions and stand on the Word of God, trusting His promises. The Lord desires and delights in touching and healing what we stretch out, believing He is able and faithful. As we obey His Word, He releases His ability, from glory to glory!
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.- 1 John 4:18-19
Love conquers all. If we detect fear in any area, we must remember, receive, and apply God’s unconditional love. His love comes with protection, provision, and miraculous intervention. We go through trials and tribulations without fear because our Heavenly Father watches over us.
Any thought that can lead to a fear-based decision needs to be taken captive. When we have gone through many trials, we may expect things to go wrong. We fear the worst, so that when it happens, the pain is not as severe. We try to protect ourselves with fear; fear is having faith in the worst outcome. Worry does not know what is going to happen. We must guard against having faith in what we fear. Our faith should be for the best outcome.
Whatever we experience, we can trust God’s love, care, and ability to help us through impossible situations. Our faith is in the victory we have in Him and is not guided by our circumstances. We walk by faith and not by sight, from glory to glory
But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, “The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you. – Luke 10:10-11
Rejection tries to cling to our feet to slow down our progress and hinder our walk of obedience. It happens when we least expect it. Because it catches us off guard, offense and anger can rise quickly. When we don’t have time to process it, it lingers and increases in its negative impact.
To reject rejection, we release it unto the Lord, trusting our election in Him. Our heart is to be pleasing unto God, not others; not to look for human approval or seek praises of men …but seek first the Lord and His Kingdom. When we know who we are in Christ, we don’t let others define us.
We can shake the dust off our feet, refusing to be offended. We wipe off rejection against our adversary and see his plans come to nothing. Instead of dust on our feet, we walk away with glory. We release the glory of the Lord everywhere our feet tread; and we never carry rejection with us to the next place. We move forward, from glory to glory!
Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. – 2 Tim. 1:6-7
Doris experienced a feeling of intimidation as she was about to vocalize her thoughts in response to a question asked during a women’s meeting at her church. This fear paralyzed her, kept her silent, and made her anxious. She just shook her head no and sensed relief when the coordinator went to the next person. The defeat and discouragement she went through afterwards prolonged her ordeal, and she sought the Lord for freedom until she finally experienced it.
We don’t always recognize intimidation quickly enough to stand against it. As we notice it, we must quickly resist it by turning our focus to the Lord and submit to His ability. The moment we do that, we come against its effects.
When the Holy Spirit leads us, we can trust He will empower us. The Spirit of fear does not come from God. The Spirit that comes from Him is power, love, and a sound mind. Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world. We do not have a spirit of fear… and we never have to receive one. We overcome intimidation and move with holy boldness, from glory to glory!
