A Step of Faith that can Walk Us Away from Despair...

Bible readings... 
“And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came, and drew nigh to meet David that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. (49) And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. (50) So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. (51) Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.” I Samuel 17:48-51
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Hello everyone! Welcome today, to Sunday Inspiration…at the Risen Hope Ministries! Whether you don’t have a church to attend…or whether you live with chronic pain and illness…or maybe you just need an extra word of encouragement…no matter what…you are always welcome here! My prayer is that God will give you that piece of hope you need to hold to today, while facing your own moments of circumstance!
 
One thing I have learned the most, over a lifetime of pain and heartache; is how we can allow fear or any other negative feeling to cripple us and keep us from moving ahead in life. We need to realize today; that Satan is not only out to afflict us; but to also control these moments of affliction, in a way that will keep us in bondage…where he will always have control.
 
One thing I really love about the story of David and Goliath; is that David wasn’t focused on the giant that stood before him; but rather, he was more focused on the power of a great and mighty God. Can you imagine standing before a giant like Goliath, with only a few stones and a sling shot? I’ll tell you…it took a lot of faith for David to do what he did; but because he was willing to take a step of faith in God’s direction; God’s power entered the stones that were thrown at Goliath and the power of God brought the giant to the ground.
 
Do we realize what really happens, when we allow fear to dictate our lives? The way I’ve experienced fear within my own life, is best described as a place where a person is shut off from life. They are isolated within a world of their own, where Satan can step in and control and manipulate them, as a means of keeping them out of commission with life and with God.
 
I remember a time…quite a while back, when Keith was working on our car and he was going to walk down to a parts store, to get a part for the car. Not too long after he had left, the doorbell rang and I thought that Keith had come back and didn’t have his keys; so I opened the door and to my surprise, a young man was standing there…and from there, he pushed open the door and came just inside the door. This person had been stalking other people in this neighborhood, where we once lived but they couldn’t arrest him because he hadn’t done anything to be arrested for. Anyways…I began to freeze and didn’t know what was going to happen. I made it seem like Keith was upstairs but I think he knew that Keith had already left the house. As I stood there…not knowing what was about to happen, I began to see Keith walking back. I kept quiet, until Keith reached the yard and then I yelled to him for help. I guess what I’m trying to say through this story; is that the experiences we go through in life…or even the circumstances that enter our lives, can attempt to convince us that it would be easier to just live in a world of fear, rather than the real world. I know…because it took some time for me, to just go across the road and get my mail after this experience; but I learned that as I took little steps each day…steps of faith; I was eventually able to get back into life.
 
You know…sometimes we can be led down a road with our circumstance and when it’s over and it’s time to return back into the land of the living; we find it very difficult to be able to know that we can return back, without being hurt again; so we fall prey to fear. One thing we must remember…is that we need to take the steps of faith that will walk us completely away, from the moments that Satan once used to cripple us and keep us in bondage. Sometimes, we just need to take that first step; to be convinced that we can make it. Even though that first step can be a very difficult one to take; we find later that each step that follows becomes easier.
 
When we can talk hold of God’s hand…just as David did and allow our faith to take us above these moments of fear; that is when we will see how God’s power can destroy the works of darkness and bring evil to its knees.
Blessings on your Sunday!
It’s Always & Only Because of Him…
Diane
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