"You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great." -Psalm 18:35 (NIV)

This week might have been challenging. Today might have been overwhelming This month might have you feeling like you're trapped in the twilight zone with a speed pass to the lions' den. However, THERE IS STILL HOPE, SO DON'T GIVE UP!

 

At times we all find ourselves roughing it. No matter how much we try to look on the bright side of things, we might still feel like we're stuck in the dark, because no matter which way we turn, we bump into something.

 

When you turn this way...

THERE GOES THAT BILL YOU CAN'T PAY.

 

When you turn that way...

THERE GOES THAT CALL FROM THE DOCTOR THAT YOU DID NOT WANT.

 

When you turn backwards...

THERE GOES THAT RELATIONSHIP THAT

YOU WERE TRYING TO WALK AWAY FROM.

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And when you try to go around all of these things...

YOU BUMP RIGHT INTO THAT GIANT THAT YOU DID NOT SEE TOWERING OVER YOU,

BECAUSE YOU WERE TOO BUSY LOOKING DOWN.

 

LOOKING DOWN...which is exactly where our trials sometimes take us...

BUT LOOK UP! HELP IS ON THE WAY!

 

Feeling defeated can be a normal reaction when we feel like we're doing all that we can to trust God, follow His commands, be nice, be kind, be patient, help others, and forgive like God tells us to, and despite doing all of those things that we know we are supposed to do, it does not make life any easier. 

 

There is something of extreme importance that we must all understand. OBEYING GOD IS NOT MADE TO BE EASY! TRUSTING GOD IS NOT MADE TO BE EASY! FOLLOWING GOD IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE EASY!

 

"And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem,

not knowing what will happen to me there.

I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me."

-Acts 20:22-23 (NIV)

 

Just like all of us, Paul had a past. However, once he yielded on that road to Damascus (Acts 9), Paul never turned back. Paul followed God wholeheartedly. Yet and still, that did not stop Paul from experiencing hardship. If anything, Paul's hardships were all the more because of the fact that he decided to follow Christ. Paul was no stranger to beatings, persecution, and prison, but despite it all, God made his name great.

 

Consider the amount of time Paul spent in prison when he technically HAD COMMITTED NO CRIME! Paul was innocent. But because Paul was committed to spreading the gospel of Christ, they treated him as a criminal. Whether, physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual, we must accept the fact that our commitment to God might cause us to be placed in chains of some sort. Something will always try to prevent us from moving forward in what God has told us to do as a means of hindering us from becoming who God has created us to be. BUT GUESS WHO IS THE ULTIMATE CHAINBREAKER?!

 

Did God not free Paul?

Did God not free Silas?

Did God not free Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?

Did God not free Daniel?

Did God not free His Son, placing all power and authority in his hands so that he could in turn free us?

 

We must rest assured in the fact that anything that binds us or attempts to put us in chains because of our commitment to God, will not be able to keep us there because of who we are to God. Is it not amazing that our following God causes people and things to try to hold us captive yet it is also following God that causes us to be set free from the people and things that try to hold us captive!

 

Does it at times seem unfair to have to suffer for doing the right thing. If we are to be honest, "YES, IT DOES"! But because we know that God is a just God, that means that HE WILL NEVER BE UNFAIR TO ANYBODY NO MATTER THE SITUATION. Therefore, our hope must rest in the fact that God knows
what we don't. Although it may seem unfair to us, because it is not possible for God to be unjust, then there is something in the details that only God knows that makes it "RIGHT"! There is something in the details that we are not privy of that is working for our good although it looks and feel like "IT'S ALL BAD"!

 

"Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless." -Psalm 108:12 (NIV)

 

Both Joseph and Job, with our natural eyes, experienced things that we can without doubt label as "UNFAIR"! Joseph and Job were not backsliding. They were not acting wickedly. They had not sinned against God. Yet here were these horrific circumstances that not even convicted felons who have proudly confessed their wickedness and wrongdoing, have ever had to face.

 

However, despite how unfair their circumstances might have seemed, God had a plan for each of them. There are certain circumstances that God will allow us to be placed in that make us recognize who to call upon when we need help and where to place our hope and trust.

 

Israel could not save Joseph from the hands of his other sons. Reuben might have attempted to save Joseph but his attempt did not work as he had planned. Joseph could not go to any of his other brothers for help. The Ishmaelites that bought Joseph from his brothers could not help him. Potiphar could not help him. The prison warden could not help him. And please recognize that not even Pharaoh could help Joseph. IT WAS GOD AND ONLY GOD WHO COULD DO IT. AND JOSEPH WAS FULLY AWARE OF THAT.

 

If we consider Job, his wife was of no use to him. His relatives could not help him. His friends definitely could not help him. Job was fully aware that ONLY GOD COULD DO IT! In Psalm 108:12, David reminds us that human help is worthless. Our inability to recognize that is another reason why we find ourselves... DOWN!

 

When your significant other won't do it. When your parents can't do it. When your children can't handle it. When your friends don't have the time. When your boss won't allow it. When your case worker can't approve it. When your lawyer won't support it. When the judge won't order it. When the officer won't confirm it. When the teacher won't accept it. When the government won't support it. When the school won't adopt it. When the church won't welcome it. When the pastor doesn't advise it. THEN WHO DO YOU TURN TO?! 

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Far too often, we become down and lose all hope when these individuals can't make it happen for us. We need to take a note from David and accept the fact that man is but human and their help is worthless when compared to what God could do. 

 

This is not suggesting that we are not helpers one to another, neither is it suggesting that anything that man does for us is useless or pointless, but what it is stating is that we must recognize that at the end of the day, there are certain things that ONLY GOD CAN DO.

 

THERE ARE CERTAIN BATTLES

THAT ONLY GOD CAN WIN.

 

THERE ARE CERTAIN VICTORIES

THAT ONLY GOD CAN GIVE US.

 

THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS

THAT ONLY GOD CAN APPROVE.

 

THERE ARE CERTAIN SITUATIONS AND ACCUSATIONS

THAT ONLY GOD CAN VINDICATE US FROM.

 

THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS

THAT ONLY GOD CAN BRING US OUT AND THROUGH.

 

Most importantly, GOD IS THE ONLY ONE WHOM WE CAN COMPLETELY TRUST! AND HE WON'T FAIL US!

 

Does God use man to aid us in different facets? Of course He does! We see that although Potiphar, the prison warden, nor Pharaoh had the power to save Joseph, God gave Joseph favor with them. God blessed Joseph so that he stood out in all that he did causing them to put Joseph in charge.

 

Though nobody in Job's circle could help him, God allowed the false and flawed accusations of Job's friends to draw Job closer to Him. While man can help us by use of their earthly skill, power, and authority as God allows them to, all power, sovereignty, and dominion still lies in God and God alone. And so must our trust, hope, and dependence.
 
The Wanna Be G.O.A.T.s                      

 

In Psalm 18, David reminds us that God's saving help is our shield and that His help makes us "GREAT". David was a warrior like no other. David was known for his victories. It was also his being known for his victories that caused those instigating women to sing a song about such, which caused Saul to become jealous. And from that point on, Saul wanted to take David out (1 Samuel 18).

 

God made David's name great. Whether slaying giants, his enemies, or showing us the possibilities
of temperance and forgiveness in his dealings with Saul, David was a man, warrior, and king who could not be matched. It is from the lineage of David that the real, true, one and only G.O.A.T., Jesus, comes. Psalm 18, is a psalm that was actually written by David upon his defeating his enemies and King Saul.

 

God made David's name great but that did not come without hardship. God made Abraham's name great just as he had promised He would do, but that did not come without hardship. God made Joseph's name great but that did not come without hardship. And if we can only fathom the fact that prior to Job losing everything, scripture in part states that, "He was the GREATEST man among all the people of the East" (Job 1:3, NIV). Job was already the greatest and wealthiest amongst all the people and after losing everything and enduring all the hardship that he did, scripture then in part states, "The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part" (Job 42:12, NIV). Can you imagine what that looked like? Job did not have a rag to riches story, but he had a rich to richer story that may seem like rags to riches if we focus on what he had to endure to end up "richer" than he was before. And here is the point of all of these examples of greatness...

 

Everybody wants to be the G.O.A.T., but no one wants to endure. First let's again acknowledge that there is and only ever will be but one G.O.A.T. and we call him JESUS! But for all the people who still aspire to be great, recognize that it will not always come easy. Being "GREAT" will at some point require:

 

• GREAT tears

• GREAT sorrows

• GREAT sacrifices

• GREAT trials

• GREAT battles

• GREAT suffering

• GREAT circumstances

• GREAT danger

• GREAT affliction

• GREAT trauma

• GREAT betrayal

• GREAT disappointment

• GREAT setbacks

• and a plethora of many other things that we don't want to have to endure to become "GREAT"!

 

In a world in which far too many people are out to be a G.O.A.T. for the mere pleasure of ego and self-gratification, understand that there is a difference in wanting to be a G.O.A.T. for man to idolize you, and God making your name great so that He can be glorified.

 

While the title of G.O.A.T. can only go to Jesus, as the Father has given him the greatest victory that will ever be known to man, God still chooses to make many of us great. And when God is the one who chooses to make us great, know that despite the struggles, the hardship, the pain, and the suffering, there will be a reward for such.

 

When God is the one whose intent it is to make us great, He upholds us with His hands. He helps and supports us. He pulls us through, pushes us in, and brings us out. God is a shield for those who rest and place their trust in Him.

 

David recognized that he was only great because of the hands and help of God. David knew that he was not capable of being the warrior or king that he was, without God's help. No matter what David went through he did not give up.

 

We are all dealing with something that we probably want to get rid of. But please, take a step back and recognize that maybe what you think is a thorn in your side is the thing that God is using to make you great. While there are many people who lust after greatness for narcissistic reasons, there are some whose aim is not to try to be great for the glory of man, but they are on a path of greatness because God has chosen them to be an example of His glory. Even if you might not be chasing after greatness, God might be chasing after you to make you great. So don't give up!

 

Life can be hard! And if we were to be very real, it can also be frustrating and annoying, but trust that despite all of the frustrations and annoyance, GOD NEVER STOPS HAVING A PLAN FOR YOU!

 

"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 (NIV)

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All of the turmoil and strife may not feel like it should be a plan, but it very well could be the process that is going to get you there. Don't become discouraged by confusing your process as God's plans for you. Regardless of what you have to go through to get to where God wants you to be, know that... 

• prosperity is part of the plan,

• you cannot be harmed,

• hope lies at the center of the plan,

• and there is a future that awaits you.

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No matter where you are today, this week, or this month, hang in there, trust God, allow Him to push you through, and OWN YOUR GREATNESS! However, recognize that owning your greatness might also mean accepting the trial that is attached to it.