The Damsel in Distress

It's worth repeating from John 10:10, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I CAME to give real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of."  (NIV and Message combined; emphasis mine)

I must admit there is a part of me that is SO INTO stories about chivalry, knighthood, men of honor, the Round Table, King Arthur, Robin Hood... stories where courageous people STEP IN and rescue people.  They make wrong things right.  They stand for justice, peace, and freedom!  And they end up falling in love with a beautiful damsel who needs to be rescued...aaahhh..love those stories.  Robin Hood and King Arthur and Sir Lancelot are some of my favorite "rescuers".

I have been STRUCK by this verse in John 10 for the last few days.  Sure, I have read it before, have had it in my memory banks since I was a little kid, but the Holy Spirit made it come alive in such a strong way this week that I had to share it with you.  This verse moved beyond information to my mind to revelation to my spirit, and it has transformed my mind!

The thief comes...yes he does.   He sneaks in, he finds a crack in our armor, he weasels his crafty lies into our minds.  Sometimes he even comes with a heavy ambush and we feel crushed!!  And he does it to destroy us!!  Maybe you are under attack from enemy forces right now... The thief has come to steal your joy, your peace, your victory, your family unity.  The thief has come to kill your dreams, your faith, your hope.  The thief has come to destroy you...to take you out.  It is true... the enemy hates you.  He does not want you to have hope, joy, or peace!  He will try to pin you under his thumb.... But...

Can you see Him on the horizon?  Here He comes... to not only save the day, but to save YOU! Your hope, your peace, your dreams, your family!  JESUS CAME!  He came because He loves you and wants to rescue you from the attacks of the enemy.  He intervenes in our lives... He fearlessly steps between the enemy and you, says "ENOUGH", fights the battle FOR YOU, and then scoops you up as His Bride and rides off in victory... "Thanks be to God who ALWAYS causes us to triumph in HIS NAME"!

The thief comes...yes he does.  But there is so much hope in the very small phrase in John 10:10, "I CAME!"  When you feel the doubts and fears and anxieties that we all feel from time to time, remember HE CAME!!  He came to give you life.... to rescue all the damsels in distress!

Blessings!

Get off your face...get up and praise!

It's worth repeating that the time comes when we need to "stop praying about it and start praising God for it!" (Mark Batterson, in his blog)

It takes me a while at night once I lay down to fall asleep.  No, I am not an insomniac.  My brain just decides to start thinking about all the details in my life right when my head hits the pillow.  Sometimes it makes me crazy... then, I feel like I need to get up to write things down so I don't forget, but what I really want to do is JUST FALL ASLEEP!

For a while, I was praying that God would give me a good night's sleep... "Dear God, PLEASE allow me to fall asleep quickly tonight and just shut my brain off right when I lay down...Amen."

However, I am starting to take a new approach.  The Word of God says that God gives rest to the ones He loves... and He gives perfect peace to those whose minds STAY on Him.  Those are great promises...so instead of praying that God would grant me a good night's sleep and peace when I lay down, I am praising Him in advance for the promises He has already made.  It gets my focus off ME and onto HIM... I have even started praising when I lay down...thanking God for sweet rest...

This principle can be applied in so many areas of my own life... maybe you are feeling the same way.  Maybe you have been praying for a "prodigal" child to come home... and it's time to start praising God IN ADVANCE for his/her return.  Maybe your finances are in a mess, a family member has been laid off, and instead of begging God, you need to start prasing Him that He provides ALL that we need.  Maybe your marriage is falling apart, and instead of continuing to pray for reconciliation, you can start praising that God is working behind the scenes in ways you can't even see with your physical eyes...

However this may apply to you... maybe it's time to get up off your face, and get up and praise!!  Don't get me wrong, prayer is a NECESSITY.  I wholeheartedly believe in the power of prayer... BUT I also believe in the power of praising our God who is so much bigger than anything we ever face... and when I praise Him and see how big He is, it makes me that much surer that victory is on the way!!

Blessings!