Category Archives: Challenges & Difficulty

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April 9, 2013

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Bible Stories, Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Trusting God

WE CAN KILL GIANTS!

And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us! [1 Samuel 17:47 (NLT)]

These were the words of a young shepherd boy, armed only with a stick, a sling and five stones. They were said to a nine-foot tall giant, wearing 125 pounds of armor and armed with a huge spear. The boy, however, knew he had a secret weapon: the power of God!

Oh Lord, show us how to be like David. Give us both faith in you and confidence in our ability to meet whatever challenge you present. May we never cower in the face of what seem to be overpowering obstacles. What giants do you want me to slay today?

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April 1, 2013

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Challenges & Difficulty, Prayer, Thanks & Praise, Wisdom & Guidance

TELL GOD WHAT YOU NEED

Don’t worry about anything, instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. [Philippians 4:6 (NLT)]

O Lord, it is so easy to tell you what I want, which often is not what I need. And it is so difficult to thank you for your response when you give me what I need instead of what I want. When you send me challenges, I rarely appreciate them and certainly don’t thank you for them when they arrive. Yet, those challenges are exactly what are necessary for my growth.

Teach me, Lord. Show me how to ask for what I need and give me a thankful heart for what I get.

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March 27, 2013

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Challenges & Difficulty, Thanks & Praise

THANKS FOR ALL

Give thanks in all circumstances. [1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)]

When life challenges us, it helps to remember that either God sent it or allowed it! Life’s trials aren’t punishment, they are lessons. Each experience can transform us to be wiser, stronger, and more prepared for the next challenge (if we let it). So, we give thanks in all circumstances…even those we don’t particularly enjoy!

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March 27, 2013

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Challenges & Difficulty, Fear & Doubt, Thanks & Praise

THE LORD IS MY HELPER

So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” [Hebrews 13:6 (NLT)]

Thank you, God, for the trials and adversities in our lives. Help us to celebrate them and not cower in the face of them. Let us rejoice in their challenges and in the knowledge that we are not alone. You, Lord, are with us so there is nothing to fear. Our God is greater than all of our problems!

Anything that makes us cry out to God can be counted as a blessing! [Mary Southerland]

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March 27, 2013

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Challenges & Difficulty, Trusting God

LIGHT YOUR LAMP

O Lord, you light my lamp. My God turns my darkness into light. With you I can attack a line of soldiers. With my God I can break through barricades. [Psalm 18:28-29 (GW)]

Did you ever play “Red Rover” as a child? We had to break through the clasped hands of the members of the opposing team. Sometimes life is a bit like that. Try as hard as we will, it seems like someone or something is opposing us all the way. Who and what are the soldiers blocking your way? Are there people or things in your life that might be keeping you from achieving your goals? What are the barricades restraining you from accomplishing the tasks you want to complete?

Keep in mind, if what we are doing is God’s task, with His blessing and by His power, we can, indeed, defeat any enemy and break through every barricade in our way!

O Lord, light my lamp and lead the way through the barricades in our lives.

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February 27, 2013

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Thanks & Praise

BE THANKFUL FOR LITTLE THINGS

sparrow - CLIL110-cropWEBLet all that I am praise The Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. [Psalm 103:1-2 (NLT)]

Let praise and thanksgiving change your perspective. In a dark time of my life, I started a gratitude journal, each day writing about something for which I could give thanks. Believe me, sometimes it was not easy and my thoughts were rarely deep thoughts. It may have been the song of the bird that wakened me, my fuzzy fleece blanket, or simply that I was in less physical pain than the previous day that got mention in the journal. Each day, however, I managed to find something for which to give thanks; my spirits brightened and my eyes opened to the many joys in my life.