“The Itsy Bitsy spider climbed up the water spout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Up came the sun and dried up all the rain and the Itsy Bitsy spider climbed up the spout again”. I was singing that the other day in the car with my three year old son and eight year old daughter. We were actually listening to the classic song “Come Around Again” by Carly Simon. Remember that one? Her song is based off the lovable nursery rhyme. What I get from her song is that things in life, like relationships can fall apart but like the sun, love will come around again and give us little spiders another chance to climb that spout again. As Christians, we too are like the spider. We venture out on our God given dreams or our path to holiness and we’re climbing up that spout but of course the rains in life come down to wash us off. It’s easy to get discouraged and give up thinking there is no way to climb that spout again. But thanks be to God for His Son who rose from the grave and conquered death so we can overcome too. I don’t know what that water spout represents for you. Maybe it’s a dream, a relationship or maybe an addiction you’re trying to overcome and the rains of life keep washing you off. Don’t give up hope, keep fixing your eyes on Jesus, whose love is more constant than the sun and focus on the promises of His word. Remember, His word is a “light unto our path”. Allow that light to burn so bright that it dries up all the rain and before you know it, you’ll find yourself back on that water spout again.

Psalm 119:105-112 King James Version (KJV)
105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Hebrews 12:2 New International Version (NIV)
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

I’ve been in a few relationships, where we had to reach the point where we couldn’t go on the same path anymore. She had to go her way and I had to go my way. Of course that dreaded word “goodbye “ was always uttered every time and usually it was as cold as ice. What happened? What went wrong? Each relationship had its own unique and different reasons for the breakup but it always had one common denominator and that was me. Sometimes we don’t want to admit it, but we play a role too in the demise of our broken relationships. I’ve been to divorce groups and I’ve talked to many going through a divorce and it’s always about their spouse. Their spouse did that and their spouse did this but very rarely did I ever hear what their faults were. I know it’s hard to admit or sometimes share because who wants to tell someone that their marriage ended because they were at fault. I know there are cases where the other spouse is more to blame but it still takes two to tango. If you are one who is going through the aftermath of a divorce, or a breakup in a dating relationship, my encouragement to you is to stop finding faults in your ex partner and begin to seek inwardly and take a serious look at what role you may have played in the breakup. Ask God to show you and confess it and then give to Him. The anger, the bitterness will eventually fade and that’s when the real healing takes place. It could be an addiction to alcohol, pornography, sex, whatever the area of sin, we must learn to first come to terms with ourselves, humble ourselves before a holy God and confess our sin. We must give up holding on to thinking we got this, there’s no problem with me and humbly admit to ourselves that we don’t have it altogether. When we do this, that’s when we will start to see the healing that God wants to do in our hearts. If we do reconcile with our ex partner or begin again with another person, we will then not be bringing the same baggage we carried before into the next relationship. Remember, scripture says you can’t love your neighbor unless you love yourself. Now I know there are two different interpretations of this. There’s the one that says, love others like yourself because we are really good at doing that. We think of ourselves all the time and so it’s easy for us to love ourselves. So love others in the same way. But there’s another view. Sometimes we self sabotage ourselves and make decisions that hurt us. Too many of us hurt others simply because we are hurting. If we can learn what it is to help ourselves we can get to a better place of empowerment and this will in turn help us to love others. Both views are right and I believe that both are applicable here. I believe that the reason we find ourselves checked into heartbreak hotel is that we failed to follow this golden rule. May God show us the areas of our lives to give up to Him so He can heal our hearts and we can love others the way God intends us to. Remember if we have put our trust in Jesus, then we have the Spirit of Love who can help us to love like Christ. Just let the God of love have your heart, stop holding onto the past hurts, give Him your baggage, he’ll know what to do with it and when someone you love says goodbye, don’t cry. Learn to let go or you’ll miss out on your next hello.

Mark 12:30-31 New International Version (NIV)
31 ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

Galatians 5:22 New International Version (NIV)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love

I read once that your life is made up of a sum of your choices. Looking back on my life, I find this to be so true. Especially when it comes to my career path and the relationships I have had with other women. In my journey in life, I have come across many a fork in the road where I was forced to make a decision. I would like to say that every choice I made was the right one. Sometimes the path I would take would lead me to green pastures and satisfaction but often the paths I took led to hardships, loneliness, and a broken heart. Then out of that broken heart, I would find another path to take and that would lead me to rejection. Then from rejection I would take another path and that would lead me to a place called addiction. Then from addiction that path would lead me to a place called shame and guilt. Then from shame and guilt that would lead me to a place called desperation and from desperation to hopelessness and eventually I would settle in a place of broken, messed up relationships and unfulfilled dreams. How about you? Do you find yourself lost, meandering in the woods, taking any path you find that comes your way? Are your choices made out of impulses and emotions? I think if you’re anything like me you can relate to this. So, why do we do the things we do? How can we stop the cycle of repeating the same toxic relational choices, career decisions or self sabotaging habits we form that make us live in our world of regrets?  I believe in order to truly find a way out of our woods, we should all start to take an inventory of our lives and ask ourselves the question, is the reason I want to be with this person, based out of fear or faith? You see whatever the choices we make, we either make them out of those two things, fear or faith. Fear says I’m lonely and afraid that I’m getting older and no one is going to want to marry me, therefore I’m going to settle with this person who loves me even though I’m not madly in love with this person. Fear says, it’s too risky for me to go for my dreams, get your head out of the clouds, get some stability in your life and stay in this job that’s safe and secure. So what do we do? We spend years of our lives, counting beans in a corner, unsatisfied, when deep down there’s this burning desire to be writing the next great novel which will inspire millions around the globe. Faith says, I’m not going to settle and rush into this relationship because I don’t need anyone to complete me. I’m content in my singleness, I’m loved by God and He completes me. Faith says I’m not going to just take the easy paths, I’m going to choose the road less traveled. I’m going challenge myself and not run from obstacles but see them as the bridge to opportunity that will eventually lead me to my God given destiny. Faith says that all things are possible with God, so I don’t have to settle for mediocrity, I don’t have to accept an outcome of defeat but one of victory. Remember, scripture says “Perfect love casts out all fear.” That perfect love is only found in the one who gave it up for us all on the cross and who rose again defeating the grave. For Jesus to live in our lives and drive out fear it’s got to come from faith and trusting Him to achieve this. It is not up to us to muster up the strength. We must give up trying and give up leading our lives. The scripture says, “that those who are led by the Spirit are sons of God”. This verse is not saying that a genuine believer is always led by the Spirit because we know that even genuine believers can at times make choices being led by something else. Scripture is full of examples of men of faith like Abraham for example, who was led at times by fear. His impulses led him at times to deceive others about his relationship with his wife Sarah and also his fears led him to have intimate relations with his mistress Hagar to try and bring about God’s promise of a child. He tried to do it in his way and as a result, God couldn’t bless his works. But whenever He let faith be the starting point, God always blessed him. Many times we too fail to trust and let faith lead us, but don’t beat yourself up, you are in good company. Just read Hebrews 11 and just about all those listed in the “hall of fame” of faith, were people like you and me who were not perfect at all. However, as a child of God there is grace and He will enable us to achieve His dream for our lives. All we have to do is give up trying in our own strength and let Him lead our lives through His Holy Spirit. All we have to do is spend time with Him in prayer and worship so that He fills our love tank, and we won’t have to fill it with something secondary. So the next time we are faced with a major decision in life, let’s tell fear to go back to where it belongs, in the grave, where Jesus left it. Wait for His leading and then move. When you follow Jesus, His path will always lead us to a place of empowerment.

1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

Romans 8:14
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

One of my favorite stories growing up as a child was “Peter Pan”.  As a boy it appealed to me because of the interesting characters like Captain Hook and the pirates but it also was fascinating because I always wanted to be able to fly like Peter Pan, and just soar above the clouds.  As an adult now with two kids, the story still fascinates me but for different reasons. I love the theme about never growing up, and staying young at heart. Sometimes as adults we lose that as we get older. We lose that spark we once had when we were young. We get stuck in the mundane of life, just going through the motions. I once was alive like Peter Pan, full of life, full of dreams and ambitions. I wasn’t afraid to dare to fly to my Neverland. However, over the years I sadly have to admit, I was settling for what I thought was the real world and eventually the dream to fly to Neverland became foolishness.  Suddenly, pixie dust no longer worked its magic, suddenly, the lost boys I once hung out with were distant and instead of playing in the woods and being free, I began to listen to the naysayers, the pirates, and the dream of walking in the clouds was replaced with both feet securely on the ground. I bought the lie that says it’s safer to live your life in reality and not in the clouds. Life’s challenges and rejections began to wear me down. I started to think of myself as a man who is talented but will never see my dreams come to fruition.  I started to believe that I would never set foot in my Neverland. But thankfully a good friend of mine, reminded me of what I once was. She held up the mirror of scripture and got me to look intently at my own wrinkles. It was a hard pill to swallow. How did I ever let myself grow up? I never thought it would happen to me but it did. I had lost that child like spirit. I was now a pirate. It seemed like I was living the plot line to the Robin Williams movie, “Hook”. Thankfully, God’s Word reminded me the truth that to follow Jesus we must become like little children. Only when we become like little children can we enter the kingdom of God. I’m convinced that the spiritual development of a Christian is the exact opposite from the regular maturation process we experience with our earthly bodies. When we are born into this world, we are dependent on everyone but as we mature, we become less dependent on others and more and more independent so we can become functioning adults. However, in the Christian life, we are told to make it our goal to become like kids. When we are born again spiritually we are adults, full of ourselves, independent, making our own choices but as we grow up in Christ, we should become more and more like children who are humbled, dependent on their Heavenly Father for everything, and trusting Him to make the decisions for our lives. When we get to that place where we are totally relying on God for everything, then I believe we will find ourselves soaring to places only God could ever imagine for our lives.  When we follow Jesus just as a child follows His parents, Jesus will take us on an adventure. You’ll notice in the scriptures there was never a dull moment with Jesus. When Jesus said follow Him, it meant walking on the waves. He wasn’t in the boat playing it safe and secure and even when He was in a boat, He slept during storms. He didn’t let fear or anything in reality stop Him from believing in His reality. He didn’t listen to the naysayers who shouted out to crucify Him and ridiculed Him for claiming to be the King of the Jews. He became a child and believed everything His Father told Him that He was. He stood firmly in His identity from the baptism to the cross and three days later defeated the grave of reality, eventually ascending into the sky, with His two feet touching the clouds. He now looks to us and invites us to come to Him as little kids. He welcomes us like lost boys and gives us a home. He wants us to follow Him into an adventure that He has planned for us. An adventure that can only be experienced when we learn to grow young, and believe. So where do you find yourself?  Stuck and going nowhere with two feet on the ground of reality? Just set your hearts and minds on things above, and you will find yourself leaving the ground for good, soaring towards your Neverland, following His footprints in the clouds.

Matthew 18:2-4 New International Version (NIV)
2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

“People stop and stare
They don’t bother me
For there’s no where else on earth
That I would rather be
Let the time go by
I won’t care if I
Can be here on the street where you live
Let me be on the street where you live”

Recognize those lyrics? It’s from one of my favorite musicals, “My Fair Lady”. This particular song was sung by the character Professor Henry Higgins, a pompous phonetics professor who made a wager and took it upon himself to transform a Cockney working‑class girl into someone who could pass for a cultured member of high society. Little did he know that as she transformed from caterpillar to butterfly, his heart began a transformation as well. He began to fall in love. The lyrics are all about a man who wants nothing but to be in the presence of the woman who makes his heart skip a beat. Just to be on the street where she lives was enough for him to know that she was near. I have talked about this before but after a worship conference I recently attended, I’ve been recently pondering this notion of longing and seeking out the presence of our God with the same passion as one who was madly in love with the person of their dreams. What if our hearts longed for God with everything we had? What if we desired and pursued Him like our lives depended on it? Yes, it is true that God’s presence is all around us and He is near but there is a difference though when it comes to “seeking His Presence”. The Bible tells us in 1 Chronicles 22:19, “Now set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God.” Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Seeking His presence is us giving our wholehearted attention to meeting with Him and us experiencing Him through prayer, worship and meditation on His Word. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:6 “ And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Notice it says He rewards those that earnestly seek Him. Not halfheartedly but diligently. When we focus all our attention on being with Him more than anything, without any distractions, the Bible promises us we will be rewarded. That reward is simply His manifestation in and through our lives. It’s not just an emotional experience too. It can be at times but spending time with Him is based out of our faith not simply an emotional high. Sometimes you’re not going to get that fuzzy feeling and that’s okay. What’s more important is that you are making every effort to seek Him more than anything else. When we do this an amazing thing begins to occur. Jesus’s love begins to manifest itself in our lives. What does that love look like? It’s found in Galatians 5:22-23. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Many scholars think that there are many fruits of the Spirit but I believe that there is only one fruit. For the Bible calls it the fruit of the Spirit not the fruits. Love is the fruit and the characteristics of the fruit of Love is joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, patience, gentleness and self control. You know it when someone has encountered the living God not because they fall over backwards and get all overly excited but because you will see the reflection of God’s love in their lives. This is always a good measuring stick for how to know we have been in His presence not some stirring experience. There are many Christians who have this incredible emotional high and look I’m not against passion but there are some who instead of seeking God, they end up seeking the feelings or the miraculous signs and they actually miss out on a real encounter with the Living God. There are those that just seek out God for His hand. God is like a Genie, rub the lamp, say a few prayers and hopefully God will give you what you want. In Psalm 27:8, David talks about seeking God’s face not His hand. “My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.” David longed to be with God. He didn’t just seek Him because he needed something from God. Christians that seek after God for the wrong reasons tend to be more selfish and struggle more with the fleshly desires. When we are truly experiencing His presence we will truly be reflecting His image. So the next time we approach God to spend time with Him, let’s pursue the relationship with everything we have. Let’s chase after Him with all our hearts, soul and minds. Let’s not go before Him chasing feelings nor go to Him just wanting stuff. Let’s just enjoy being with Him because our lives depend on it and nothing else matters. Let’s expect to be rewarded with the manifestation of His presence and be transformed to exhibit more and more the fruit of His Love. Let’s praise Him, fall down before Him in awe, because there is nowhere else on earth that we would rather be. May our hearts ache like a heart sick lover longing to be with his love. May we too sing out to the top of our lungs before our God, “Let the time go by I don’t care if I can be near on the street where you live.” Oh, God, let me be on the street where you live!

Remember the phrase, “Be Kind Rewind”? If you know what that means then congratulations, you’re a dinosaur like me. If you don’t, basically there was a time before Netflix and Hulu, people would flock to a Blockbuster to rent and take home VHS tapes of their favorite movies to watch. On the cover would be a simple reminder from your friends at the video store, that after you watch your VHS movie of the week, before returning it, make sure to rewind the tape for the next person to watch. I remember there were times I would be so annoyed after putting the tape in the VCR for the first time and finding out how the movie ended. I remember thinking horrible thoughts that I’d like to do to that person for being such a rude inconsiderate idiot. How dare they make me rewind the whole thing which maybe took a whole five to ten minutes of my life! Now this is a lighthearted illustration but there will be many times in our lives when we will have to face morons and when we do, we will be faced with one of two choices. Will we be kind, or give them a piece of our mind? As Christians we are reminded everyday to “be kind and rewind” in our dealings with others. Jesus commands us to “Treat others as you would want to be treated.” This is the famous Golden Rule, and one that most people are familiar with and would agree on. However, where most people fail in this area, is that we only think we are to show kindness to those who are kind back to us. That’s not at all what Jesus is saying here. Jesus isn’t referring to just loving lovable people. If that was the case, who would need a Savior to help you do that? It’s easy to treat people with respect when they are nice to us but what about those that are just plain rude or hurtful? No, this verse is applying to everyone especially our enemies. For Jesus goes on to ask in Luke chapter 6 verses 31-36, what good is it to love others who love you? For even “sinners” do that. He then goes on to point out that we should do whatever we can to show our enemies love to them, even lend them the cloak on our backs. This is not easy but God promises us that He will reward us. You see, too many people practice love to others who will love them back because they know they are getting something in return. But Jesus doesn’t want us to love others to expect anything in return from anyone. He wants us to be totally dependent on the Father’s love for us, so that the only expectation we should have is that our Heavenly Father will provide for us. In doing this we prove that we are truly sons and daughters of God. How did we become children of God? It is only by God’s mercy. Scripture says “when we were still sinners, Christ demonstrated His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us”. We were once objects of His wrath but His unconditional love rescued us from sin and death. Remember, His kindness leads us to repentance and only those who have been loved much can love much. Is this easy? Absolutely not and sometimes we will fail to respond in love but take heart, you weren’t saved because of your goodness. God is gracious and kind and will always rewind, giving us another chance to start over.

Luke 6:31-37 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
31 [a]Treat others the same way you want [b]them to treat you. 32 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, [c]expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. 36 [d]Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Romans 5:8 New International Version (NIV)
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

When your car breaks down do you ever take it for repairs at your local dentist office? If you do, you probably wouldn’t get the desired results you want. Your dentist may own a car but his or her knowledge of how a car operates is very limited. Now if you need your wisdom teeth taken out, then of course the dentist is the person you can trust to conduct the proper procedure because that is what your dentist specializes in. Your dentist knows everything about your teeth and what makes them healthy and what the root issues are that need to addressed. So whether we have a tooth ache, or a leak in our engine, we will call the so called experts in that particular field to fix the problem and offer us the best solution. It’s just common sense. Then why is it as believers, we take our broken hearts and our hurts and instead of going to the only expert on our lives, we turn to something else in this world that is less experienced? Instead of trusting in our Creator who knows us best, we turn to toxic relationships, addictions, and other things in this creation that really only numb the pain momentarily but end up making things only far worse than they were before. The scripture says in Psalm 139:1-6,
1
“You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
2
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4
Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
5
You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
6
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.”
Notice that God searches us and knows us. In these first six verses just count the number of times it says to know. Observe the words perceive, discern, and familiar. What does this tell us about our God? He is omniscient, He is all knowing. Think about it, God knows everything about us. He knows what makes us tick, He knows our every thought, He knows what makes us happy, what makes us sad. He is familiar with all our ways. That’s comforting news for us who believe in Him. What this tells us is that God understands us. He understands the why and the what that causes us to act in certain ways. When others might not understand our pain or our situation, God does. This should be great encouragement for us that when our lives are a mess, we have the God of the Universe who loves us and knows us completely. He knows exactly what we need. Are you in need of a tune up? Stop trusting yourself to some Gomer Pyle body shop, and trust yourself to the One who knows you more than you’ll ever know yourself.

If you ever listen to any successful athlete speak in an interview, they will exhibit a confidence in their words and demeanor. There is always an inner strength inside of them that carries themselves even through a tough loss. Even successful athletes like quarterback Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, has had to face many challenges both in life, and in the game but he always finds a way to overcome.  It pains me to do this because I am not a Patriot’s fan but I have to admit, I have never seen such a fierce competitor like Tom Brady. Down for the count, the Patriots were losing badly to the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl and everyone watching including myself counted them out. I had all but left the Super Bowl party and went home thinking it’s over, only to wake up the next morning to find the Patriots mustered up one of the greatest comeback wins in football history.  You see, what makes an athlete great is the ability to see the obstacles as a means to victory and not a hindrance to the goal of winning. If Tom Brady and the Patriots saw the game as most of the fans did,  they would’ve given up hope and thrown in the towel but they didn’t, instead they saw a greater reality, they saw possibility. So, I got to thinking, as Christians, why don’t we display this same attitude when faced with obstacles that come our way in life?
Ever read 2 Kings 6:14-23? I wasn’t real familiar with the story. It’s about how the Syrians had a massive army sent to surround the city where Elisha was staying with his servant to kill Elisha. And it says when the servant woke and saw the massive army he became afraid and asked Elisha what do we do? And Elisha told him not to fear but prayed that God would open his eyes to see. And then the servants eyes were opened and he could see that there were angel armies with chariots of fire surrounding them. What does this mean for us? Whenever we are faced with difficulties or up against situations that seem overwhelming, we can either look at them from a starting point of defeat and negativity like the servant who was afraid or we can view them through the eyes of faith like Elisha and open our eyes to see the reality of the situation. In every difficulty there is an outcome that is going to bring us a victory. We must renew our minds in this truth and hold on to his promises. May He open our eyes like He did Elisha’s servant to see that He is surrounding us today and no matter the situation we are up against, we don’t have to respond in fear but in faith. He loves us and has nothing but the best for us.

I remember as a father taking my daughter Natalie swimming. Natalie’s eight now but when she was younger, and not a strong swimmer, I used to encourage Natalie to swim in the pool with me in the deep end. For some reason, she just wanted to stay in the shallow area but being a loving Father I yanked her by the arms and dragged her into the deep end with me. I remember her saying “daddy don’t let me go, daddy don’t let me go”! I would just smile and reassure her that I wasn’t going to let her go. She was safe in my arms and I wasn’t going to let anything hurt her. Today, Natalie is a good swimmer but for her to get to that point, she first had to learn to let go of her fears and trust me to teach her. God our Father is like that with us. He takes us out into the deep waters of life to challenge us and to teach us and He says , “trust me my daughter, trust me my son”, but of course we tend to fear the unknown, it’s uncomfortable for us, and we want to go back to the shallow area where it’s safe. But I want to encourage you to let your guard down, to trust and dive in, even if the waters seem so deep and overwhelming and you’re so far from the shore. I just know there is a blessing to be had in all of this. Not a strong swimmer? Dont need to be. Daddy’s with you, He is always with you! Just let go of the swimmies and hold onto Him, He will never let you go! HE WILL NEVER LET YOU GO!!!!!!!

Deuteronomy 31:8

“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

“What’s going on at the airport?” I looked down at my phone and saw the text message was from one of my coworkers from a group chat. “Someone tried to jump”, another colleague of mine replied. The next text message popped up on my screen from another coworker.  “0MG, who was it?” The text messages went back and forth, as we tried to figure out who this person could be and what exactly happened. To my dismay, I discovered that it was a successful suicide attempt.  I stood there in disbelief and shock, wondering what would I have done if I was at work that day. I just couldn’t believe it, that a fellow coworker of mine would plunge to his own death from the tenth floor of a hotel balcony at my local airport. What was going on in his mind? Sadly, there are people like him everyday who struggle with depression and anxiety to the point where eventually it destroys them. I have friends and know people that struggle with it on a daily basis. I am no expert on the disease of depression and if that is you, I want to encourage you that there is nothing wrong with seeking medical attention and therapy. Please, if that is you, do whatever you can to get the help you need. But for most of us, we may not require medical attention but from time to time we encounter moments of depression and fear. Whenever we encounter these feelings, they can be like giants coming against us, ready to devour us. They can also halt us in our tracks from moving forward in life. I had a moment like this just the other day. I’ve been moving forward in a particular area of my life and it’s been amazing to see God work. However, sometimes life happens and doubts creep in trying to slow down God’s work and the next thing I know, I’m looking up at the Giant of Fear and Depression. They just stood there blocking my path of victory and soon it became no longer a path of victory but a path of uncertainty. The Giants just laughed at me and taunted me all day. I felt frozen in my tracks, overwhelmed with  worry. Later that day, I sent out a helpline to a few friends who I know are prayer warriors. I asked them to battle with me in prayer and they did. Later that day, I took my three year old son for a walk at the Waterfront Park. As I pushed him in the stroller, I was just listening to worship music trying to hear from God. I was getting nothing from Him but I kept pressing in. Then I heard it. It wasn’t coming from the worship music but it was coming from my own son. I took off my headphones just to hear what this youngster of mine was shouting out. I listened and as I heard him, I started to get the goosebumps. My son was shouting with such fervor over and over and over. He cried out at the top of his three year old lungs, “You scared? No not me! You scared? No, not me! You scared? No, not me!”.  He wouldn’t stop, he would yell it out with such passion to every jogger and bicyclist that passed us by. I guess, he wanted to let the whole world know. It was at that moment, I realized, it wasn’t a message for the whole world, it was a message for me.  God my Father was speaking through my son. God was reminding me that I need not be afraid but to remember that He is not scared. Where my faith fails, His faith will see me through. Then I thought of my son, he reminded me of the child like warrior David from the Bible. David was just a boy but he had more faith than any of the hundreds of Israelite men did that day when they faced the giant Goliath. All of them were shaking in their armor that day but David faced him with the living God. He shouted out affirmations to Goliath that he was going to be defeated. Look at the passage in scripture where David is talking to Goliath. Notice what he says in 1 Samuel 17:45-47.
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, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that 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.”
Did you notice it? The word “will” is used over and over. “I will strike you down”, “he will give you into our hand.” David spoke out and confessed declarations against his giant. He didn’t say the words if or maybe. No, he declared it confidently boasting in His God saying that it would be done.  You and I face giants everyday and if not today, don’t worry they will come.  The giants have different names too from Fear, Depression, Anxiety, but whatever the giant, my encouragement to you is this.  Remember, as believers the same God of David is our God too. He is bigger than any giant that comes our way.  Declare your victory with confidence, believing it’s already accomplished.  Not that it might be done but that it will be done. And when He delivers us and we’re standing over our giant, remember to give Him the praise,  for it’s all for His glory anyway.  What is it that’s coming against you from seeing the promises of God fulfilled in your life? Rise up warrior child and declare your victory! Listen, do you hear it? It’s the sweet sound of triumph coming from the mouth of a babe. “You scared? No not me! You scared? No, not me!” May this be our battle cry!

1 Samuel 17:50
50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him.