Stand Tall

No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or forsake you.

Josh 1:5 (HCSB)

Do you have what it takes to be a great man or woman of faith? Can you live up to the testimony of the great Christ followers of history. Well two truths for you today.

1. You don't have too. It's not a competition. You don't have to compare to Paul or Joshua or Moses. You just have to be a faithful you.

2. We are successful in the Christian life because God is with us not because we do great things. It is God's empowerment, His presence in our lives that make the difference.

read these words of Henry Blackaby:

As you read the accounts of God's miraculous work through men and women in the Bible, you may wonder if God still performs such miracles today. Be assured that the same God who walked with Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Peter, James, John, and Paul now lives within you. No power can defeat the God who guides you. The God who blessed them is just as capable of working out His purposes through your life. The same God who gave them victory over seemingly invincible enemies, who provided for them when their own resources were insufficient, and who guided them in their decisions, is prepared to work as powerfully in your life today. The heroes of the faith had one thing in common: They were all ordinary people with no power of their own. The difference is the mighty presence of God. Times may change, but the effect of God's presence remains the same.

Henry Blackaby —Experiencing God Day by Day (July 31)

A Person God will Use

Now in Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. And the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias!”“Here I am, Lord!” he said.11 “Get up and go to the street called Straight,” the Lord said to him, “to the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, since he is praying there. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him so he may regain his sight.” 13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.

Acts 9:10-13 (HCSB)

If God is all powerful why does it seem that we don't see Him working like He did in the Old Testament or the New Testament. Could it possible be that the problem is not God but our unwillingness to be obedient.

Henry Blackaby writes:
"The reason God has not brought great revival to more places is not that He is unable or that He is unwilling. He first looks for those willing to have their lives radically adjusted away from their self-centered activities and placed into the center of God's activity around the world."(Experiencing God, Devotional. May 23)

We really must stop and ask ourselves, "do I see God working around me?" If not why not? It's not God He is at work. It certainly may be our willingness to respond to Him.

Run the Race

Do you not know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. However, they do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one.

1 Cor 9:24-25 (HCSB)

How are you running the race? Are you serious about the race set before you? The words of Dr. Blackaby challenged me about many areas of my life.

Are you striving to bring your body into subjection for the glory of God? Are you training your mind to think the thoughts of God rather than thoughts of the world? Are you disciplining your life in prayer? When others are sleeping, are you interceding? Have you studied God's word so diligently that you are prepared to find answers to the challenges you face? Have you equipped yourself in evangelism so that you are ready to share your faith? Have you prepared yourself as a Christian in order to qualify for the imperishable crown that awaits you?
(Henry & Richard Blackaby —Experiencing God Day by Day. July 7, Pg. 189)

I want to run the race in such a way as to win. To give my all to my savior and Lord. I want to be serious about being a Christ follower and not someone who goes to church and does some Christian duties. I want to be completely and whole heartedly sold out for Him.