"The Battles of Life"

1 Samuel 13:2  "Saul selected three thousand special troops from 

the 

 

army 

 of Israel and sent the rest of the men home."

It's in the difficult times, in the battles of life, where we are able to see who or what it is we really trust in....it's were the true measure of our faith is revealed...often times, to our surprise.

You've heard it said, "when times are tough, the tough get going"....well that described Saul.  But the problem with that--he wasn't all that tough... NO ONE IS!  The truly tough, stand in the strength of the LORD.

"Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,"  

 

says the Lord of hosts" Zechariah 4:6a

Might focuses on collective strength..like an army.  Power focuses on individual strength.  God says, "not by the resources of many or one, but by My Spirit."  When we trust in our own resources - we aren't trusting in God.  It was revealed of Saul, that he was trusting in the power of his army and his own abilities when he should have been trusting in God.  

You've heard me say this before, but I love to look at Daniel's life as our example of how to survive difficult times and make godly choices.  When faced with persecution and even the threat of death....Daniel remained strong and unyielding because of his faith in God.  “...And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.”  Daniel 6:23b

This trust, this great faith that Daniel had in God came about by spending time with God.  It's too late in the moment of crises to cultivate a relationship.  The kind of faith needed for a crises must be cultivated and developed over time as we sit under the teaching of God's Word, spending time with God in prayer....and walking in obedience.  

Throughout the Scriptures we learn that the battles of life...temptations and trials... are to be responded to, not by trying to meet them in the power of our own abilities.  Nor by the might of our armies or other resources.  And not by running from them or trying to avoid them either.  We face the battles of life by  by drawing near to God daily in faith.  So when (not if) we face our trial we will be able to stand and will be found to be Men/Women after God's own heart.

Blessings!

Sharon