Get Up

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
Proverbs 13:12 NIV

I've mentioned before how I like to read quotes and one of my favorites is from American inventor, Thomas Alva Edison. In response to someone's statement that he (Thomas) had failed so many times in trying to invent the light bulb, Edison replied, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

I love his attitude, but it's one of the reasons I could never be a scientist or inventor. They have to keep record of how many unsuccessful attempts they've made so that they don't make the same mistake twice. I'll just tell you - if it had been left up to me to invent the lightbulb, we'd all still be using candles. I wouldn't want to know that I'd been unsuccessful 10,000 times about anything, let alone keep a record for the world to know...

How many times have you tried to do something and not been successful? For me, it's too many times to count. That can be very discouraging. Often we interpret 'unsuccessful' as a nicer way of phrasing 'failure;' however, being unsuccessful is not the same as having failed. Have you ever been so tired of trying that you just quit? The truth is we only fail when we actually give up or quit trying.

Worse than that would be to not even attempt or try to do something because you don't know if you will succeed. That's fear of failure. It can be crippling. You know what I'm talking about. 

How many times have you heard someone say, "I can't be a Christian. I've tried. It's too hard." How many times have you heard the words, "I've tried. I can't. There's no hope for that..." Whatever 'that' is, you can be sure it is a stumbling block put there by the enemy of your soul to discourage you. To make you quit.

Let me give you some hope today. It does NOT matter what the facts are. The TRUTH is found in the Word of God. And God's Truth overwrites the facts.

...for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again... Proverbs 24:16a NIV 

So, get up...

Prayer:

Father,
           Open our hearts to see and know the Truth - and Triumph - of Your Word over every situation in our lives. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Starting Position - One of my favorites

Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.

Psalm 50:14-15 NLT

I've talked many times before about giving thanks in the midst of life's trials. You may have heard my story about Does your eyebrow hurt, Mom? Then can we give thanks that your eyebrow doesn't hurt? Well, we often do the same thing when we're struggling with repeated mistakes in our lives. We listen to the lies of satan. I must not be saved. I always do that. I can't be a Christian and still struggle with that. I'll never get victory over it. I might as well give up... Any of that sound familiar?

How did we learn to walk when we were children? Did we just decide one day that it was time to walk and then up we got and walked our little selves all over the place? No, it was Get up. Fall. Get up, step, fall. Step, step, fall. Get up, fall. Get up, fall. Fall. Fall. Cry. Resolve. Get up... Even if you've never had children, more than likely, you have watched a little one's first steps or attempts at walking.

As children, the first thing we learned was to pull ourselves up on something sturdy to see if our legs would hold us. Then we fought to get balance...and we struggled to keep our balance. Sometimes, we no sooner got that first foot up off the floor, then we found ourselves back on the floor in the starting position. The good news is we eventually learned how to walk, right? You may not remember the process, but your life is the proof.

It's the same principle with our Christian walk. Get up. Fall. Get up, step, fall. Step, step, fall. Get up, fall. Get up, fall. Fall. Fall. Cry. Resolve. Get up... Proverbs 24:16a NLT reads, The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.

So often, we find ourselves focusing on our mistakes rather than giving thanks for what God has made new in us. I would like to point out that the starting position is not getting up. The starting point is while you're on your knees or face down on the floor... Don't beat yourself up over it. Jesus was already beaten up for it. Use His Cross as the one sturdy thing that you can utilize to pull yourself up. Okay, everyone! Starting positions...

Prayer:

Father,

          Your goodness and mercy and grace overwhelm us. Your Word is a continual lamp for our feet and light for the path You have chosen for us. Help us to walk in it. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

A Helping Hand

And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
Luke 22:31-32 NKJV

I am often surprised that we (myself included) allow ourselves to be deluded into believing that since we are Christians, nothing is supposed to touch us. That we can be shocked and confused when something less than wonderful comes our way… or when we fall down… Let me encourage you in the Word because after all, we are supposed to encourage one another while it is called Today.

Proverbs 24:16a - The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.

Job 5:19 - From six troubles He will deliver you, Even in seven evil will not touch you.

Selections from Psalm 37:
24 Though they stumble, they will never fall,
for the Lord holds them by the hand.
25 Once I was young, and now I am old.
Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned
or their children begging for bread.

34 Put your hope in the Lord.
Travel steadily along his path.
He will honor you by giving you the land.

39 The Lord rescues the godly;
He is their fortress in times of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them,
rescuing them from the wicked.
He saves them,
and they find shelter in Him.

Jesus said, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.

Prayer:

Father,
          I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ. I pray that we will be strong in the power of YOUR might – that we will lean on Your arms and not trust the strength of mere man. Let that same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead and that now resides in every follower of Christ RISE UP and cause us to be the overcomers You intend for us to be! You’ve done Your part – the shed Blood of the Lamb. Give us Your strength to do what You have planned for us to do. I pray for everyone reading this, whether on the Promise list or forwarded by a friend, for a renewing and a reviving of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Pour in, Father. We need more of You. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen