by Sadie Robertson Huff | Feb 4, 2019 | Life Advice |
We all have those things that we know will make us laugh harder than anything else. Maybe it’s a certain movie scene. Just hearing a quote from a particular movie will make some people laugh over and over. Then, there are those rare-gift-of-laughter people. You know the ones. They are blessed with “contagious” laughter. They are the ones you want to sit by in a movie, because once they start laughing, the whole room starts laughing. For about 99% of human beings today, it’s a favorite meme, YouTube video or a fail video that will make them pee their pants, no matter how many times they have seen it.
One of the funniest things in the world to me is when little kids try to smile. Literally, as I am typing this, I am shaking from laughing because I’m picturing my little cousin’s face with a painfully awkward smile on it as we try to take his picture. Just keeping it real here–I’m not the one to talk about awkward little kid smiles. For some reason the lip curl was my staple move when someone said, “smile” to me. I am here to tell you that the lip curl is NOT the move, but it does make for some hilarious pictures.
When I was going through my “awkward smile” stage, I do remember getting frustrated with my smile. So frustrated that I decided, as I think other kids must do, that I just wasn’t going to smile anymore. Nope. Done. I simply would refuse to smile. This is when my parents would resort to the famous reverse psychology move. Once that move was in play, and it would work every single time, the lip curl would begin. I’m sure some of you were victims of this technique too. It goes like this:
Parents say, “Don’t you dare smile”
My brain:
Don’t do it
Don’t do it
Don’t do it
Don’t do it
Don’t do it
Don’t do it
Don’t do it
Don’t do it
Me: (lip curl) “CHEEEEEEESSSE!!!!”
As I was thinking about sharing a message to encourage people to be happy in today’s world, I couldn’t help but think of my “smiling” frustrations. It’s silly, I know, but I felt some serious pressure to have a good smile. When it wasn’t happening, I made up my mind to not smile at all. At least I tried not to until my parents used that reverse psychology stuff on me. And I’m glad they did. Because, I didn’t and don’t want the world to see me as a person who doesn’t smile.
Sadly, there are a million reasons to not smile. A million life stories that are sad. A million world events screaming at us, causing us to see the bad in the world and not smile. Just reading the news could cause us to stubbornly refuse to ever smile again, and I understand that I am probably writing to so many of you right now who have decided to stop smiling. But, don’t give in. I think we need to let that childlike instinct to “smile” when we’re challenged to “not smile” kick in every time the world sends us the message “don’t smile.” That’s the time to press past the awkwardness, curl our lips (or not), show the world what Jesus did for us, and belt out a loud “cheese.”
I’ve been talking about smiling and laughing, but my topic today really is happiness and joy. Of course, I wanted to go to the bible to see what scripture says about it. Happiness and joy are two words that get thrown around a lot, but what do they really mean? They seem like the same thing, but they aren’t. They are connected though, or at least, they should be. One way I like to look at is this–happiness is a mood and joy is a fruit. Think about it this way. A mood is a temporary state of mind. Usually it is the result of a circumstance–what is going on around you. It’s like when your best friend says she’s coming over for a movie night. That’s an instant happy mood. But, a fruit, like joy, is the result of the work going on inside of you to see Jesus in His word and the world around you. So, happiness, being a mood, is shown in your behavior. Joy, being a fruit, is sown in your heart, but it should also be shown in your behavior. If you have joy (like the down-in-your heart kind of joy) you will want to show it in your actions, attitudes, and behaviors.
Read these scriptures that talk about joy:
Proverbs 10:28 AMP
“The HOPE of the righteous [those of honorable character and integrity] IS JOY, but the expectation of the wicked [those who oppose God and ignore His wisdom] comes to nothing.”
Proverbs 16:20 AMP
“He who pays attention to the word [of God] will find good, And blessed (HAPPY, prosperous, to be admired) is he who TRUSTS [confidently] in the Lord.”
Romans 15:13 AMP
“May the God of HOPE fill you with all JOY and peace in BELIEVING [through the experience of your FAITH] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises.”
John 15:11 AMP
“I have told you these things so that MY JOY and delight may be in you, and that your joy may be made full and complete and overflowing.”
Joy is all about your hope, faith, expectations and trust, rather than your present circumstance or even your own reasoning. While happiness is about what is going on around you, joy is about the state of mind within you.
Over the past ten years of traveling, I have noticed that the people in the poorest of the poor countries, with nothing to their name are, most of the time, happier than people who live in wealthier places and have everything. As fascinating as this has always been to me, reading these scriptures lets me see why this is true. If joy is more about what you are hoping for than what you have, everyone has the same opportunity for joy. I love how in Proverbs it says that the HOPE of the righteous is JOY, but the expectation of the wicked is nothing. If we spend our days hoping for things to make us happy instead of being content in our hope for the righteous, we will not be happy people.
What are you hoping for? Where are your expectations? Answer that and you are on the right path to finding joy. The definition of hope is: a feeling of expectation and a desire for a certain thing to happen. This verse tells me that I will have joy, not when I GET certain things, but when I HOPE for and desire certain things. This is the same for you. When you begin to fill your mind with the word of God, the promises of God, and the presence of God, then you will be filled with joy. They go hand and hand because joy is a fruit of who He is. And that is something to smile about.
Now that we know how we can fill ourselves with joy, let’s look at when, where, and why we should be happy based on scripture and plug this into our 24/7.
Psalm 16:11 AMP “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.”
This verse knocks out “where” and “when” by telling us that joy is in the presence of God. It is not at the end of the path; it is on the path following the guidance of His right hand.
Philippians 4:4 AMP “Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, take pleasure in Him] again I will say, rejoice!”
This verse also gives us the “when,” and it says ALWAYS. I know what you’re thinking… (Eye roll) how is it even possible to rejoice always? I believe this has a lot to do with contentment. The bible says in 1stTimothy that godliness and contentment are great gain. When the things of God are the things you delight in and take pleasure in, you can rest knowing you have all you need all the time. Resting in a place of contentment assures a state of happiness and an internal feeling of joy. I also love how the writer of Philippians repeats the word rejoice at the end of the verse. Sometimes we just need to tell ourselves to rejoice, and if you find yourself not listening to yourself, say it again!
In spite of everything you have read and heard, you may be asking why does it even matter if I am happy or have joy? In today’s world, moodiness seems to be an accepted mindset or attitude, so why be happy when being happy would take more effort? I think, and it’s been my experience, being happy is a more enjoyable way to live; it’s a better way to spend your 24/7, and it makes life more enjoyable for those around you. Besides all of that, I believe there are legitimate biblical reasons to have joy and show happiness. Some of them we have already read about. Here is another:
Nehemiah 8:10 say, “…And do not be worried, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and your stronghold.”
I love that Nehemiah reminds us, “Do not be worried.” He basically says to replace worry with joy. The truth is, the choice between worriedness and happiness are like two roads you come upon. Both roads come with expectations and trust for what is to come. Both require a certain state of mind that allows you to pick one over the other. But the road to worry and the road to happiness are as different as one road going left and one going right. Worry produces fear; happiness produces faith. Worry travels with a heavy heart; happiness travels with a light spirit. Each way depends on trust and an expectancy of the future. Not one of us can predict the future, but we can control the state of mind we face it with.
We all have a 24/7, how do you want to live in yours?
by Sadie Robertson Huff | May 21, 2018 | Sisterhood, Testimonies |
[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]I want to share advice I would give my sister and friends from lessons I learned over the past few years… some the hard way 🙂
As a sister, let me save you some time and emotion.
When it comes to your confidence… you need to realize that there is nothing you could have now, nor will have that will make you a more confident person then who you are now. Your confidence is only a choice to believe in the originality of who God formed you to be when He knit you together in your mother’s womb. Hear me again… your confidence is a choice. Chose to be confident in who you are right now, in where you are right now, and most importantly in who God is now and forever. He will always remind you of who you are. Do not look to the left or right at your sisters and compare. God did not compare them to you when He created you, so your comparison will only bring forth things that are not of Him. Comparison is a tactic of the enemy. It attempts to steal your confidence, bring about jealously and insecurity. Remember you are strong. I believe that what God put in you is exactly what the world needs for such a time as this. His perfect love for you will eliminate any fear in sending you out in the world. Rise up to that call.
When things get scary… this is when your confidence in Him is really going to come into play. When things get scary you need to already know who HE is, so that you can be still, lock eyes, and know He has you. You’re definitely going to need a confident trust. Things will happen during your lifetime that will cause fear to want to flare up in you, and it will come in many forms. But my friend take heart; He will always be fighting on your behalf. Remember He sees it all, and HE is in control of it all. He is for you. When you are in a place of fear, everything in you will want to run, but I challenge you to run to it. It will build your confident trust in Him when you see that the very place that fear is, is the same place that fear will be conquered. Be encouraged by what God did for Moses, Joshua, Daniel and shoot, what He has done for me time and time again. When you let God lead, you might find yourself in some rather scary places, but remain steadfast in Him and confident that HE will bring provision and fight on your behalf. It’s in those times that miracles happen and nations change. Our definition of fear is the belief that something is a threat to you and will bring forth harm. Right now, instead of taking belief in fear, take belief in faith and know that no weapon formed against you shall prosper. Nothing is a threat to the mighty hand of God.
When things in life change… even the angels who surround God day and night say, “Holy, holy, holy is He Lord God almighty who was and is and is to come.” When nothing feels constant in your life, He is he only thing that will remain the same. People will come and go, but HE will be forever, and there is not one thing that you could do to change that. He will send those angels on your behalf to encamp themselves around you. Even when you might sometimes feel alone, and the anxiety is tempted to spark up, remember that you are never truly alone. HE will consistently be there.
When you do not know truth from a lie… in the world you will always be faced with choices and temptations. The enemy’s plan is not original. He has done it since the first of us were created… Adam and Eve. The enemy will make you question the original truth. That’s why it is very important you remind yourself of the truth and are aware of the lies, otherwise they will begin to blend and you will find yourself in a place you were never meant to be in. Always remember what the enemy meant for evil God intended for good. Look at some of the things you are insecure about right now… stare them down… yeah that very thing may be just the thing God wants to use for your weapon of strength. Just shift your lens. Choose to no longer look at those things in your life as the problem, but look at them as the potential of something God wants to make good. You have to know scripture and know God to see that. Start reading it, so that you can start speaking it.
When you do not know where to go next… let His peace lead you. There will be moments that you will have to trust, and know that God’s peace will always meet you at every destination. His love knows no end. God will provide at every season the things you need, and He will match the pure desires of your heart. Be open-minded. What you think you need may not be best for where HE has you going, and what He will give will be what sets you a part for the purpose He has been waiting to reveal in you.
When love has hurt you … I want to tell you to not give up on love. I am sorry if you have heard the world throw out the word love, and it has hurt you and made you afraid of being known and afraid of stepping into relationships, but I want you to know God is the Redeemer. He is the creator, and He is the very essence of what Love is. When you experience the love that He created, you will experience freedom, you will fully be yourself, fully be known, and fear will be far away. Perfect love is only found with God our Father on this side of heaven. We are flawed; sometimes we hurt one another, and we have to ask for forgiveness, but be encouraged that love is real and those who know God know love. We can be made more perfect in His love. I love looking in the Bible at how Jacob pursued Rachel. Wait for that. You deserve someone who will wait for you, who will pursue you. Also, in a dating relationship don’t spend time fighting over the things that “MIGHT” happen in the future because looking back I believe that is just a tactic that the enemy will use to steal your present time. I regret the years of arguing over the future that never even came to be. The truth is you don’t know the future, and God’s word tells us not to worry about tomorrow that it will take care of itself. Be in the present, experience God’s perfect love and don’t give up on loving His people.
When it comes to beauty… you look in the mirror and do not feel beautiful do you? The reason you have not recognized beauty when you go to the mirror every day is because beauty was not what you have been looking for… that is why you have been missing it. You were looking for an image the world gave you, and you limited the definition of beauty to the standard the world gave you. The trick to the world’s definition of beauty is an unrealistic standard set to compare and compete, and we always need more or less of something to obtain the standard. It will send you on a journey to obtain this, but you will never really reach it because there actually is not a realistic image to reach. The trends will always keep you feeling like you’ve just missed. If you hold to tightly to the standards of the world for beauty you will never feel beautiful. It’s designed to always make you feel not quite there because it’s not real, and it wasn’t God’s design. When God created you, He created a work of art… not meant to be compared to any other form of creation. The image of beauty you were designed to reach is right in front of you. He created a new. original design for the world to get the joy of seeing. Go look around and you will not find one other piece of creation that looks exactly like you. Right where you are you will find all the beauty in the world and understanding this, you will find long lasting contentment. I hope you are reminded of what beauty is. You are beautiful because you were created in the image of God. There is no one else like you. Who you were made to be is more than enough than for what this world needs and I hope my dog love wet puppy food. You were born lacking no good thing, so never feel the urge to strive
Now, sisters and friends I want you to do something… go look in the mirror… take off the lens you have had on of insecurity, jealously, comparison, negativity, and self hatred… and stare at yourself. You are all together beautiful, my darling. Wow, He takes such great delight in you. Look at the color of your eyes, look at the strands of your hair, and look at the unique shapes and features. He made you and you are exactly how HE intended you to be. He created those details in your mother’s womb, details no other person on the earth has so He could reveal a new image of beauty and another side of Him. On this day for the rest of your life, choose to turn your eyes away from the ideal standard of what is supposed to make you confident, and choose to fix your eyes on the one who gave you the look He did to carry out with confidence.
Do you remember what beauty was to you before the world showed you what it says it’s supposed to be? Regain your confidence in that, because the truth is the world needs more of that and that’s why He made you as you are. You are lovely, desirable, chosen, called, purposed, a child, and deeply loved with great intention.
One last note, I want to send you off this summer with this: good times and bad times will pass, so really be intentional with your time. There is no time to waste. Don’t wait till your older and don’t wish you were younger. You are who you are and you are where you are so thrive in it, babe.
Oh and one more thing… something I have come to realize with God … If He can stop the waves of the ocean with just once touch then He can stop the waves of my emotion with just one touch and He has time and time again. When you feel overwhelmed just reach to Him.
I love ya girl – I get you girl – I’m with you girl
xo Sadie Rob[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
by Sadie Robertson Huff | Apr 30, 2018 | Life Advice, Testimonies |
I have never been a runner, just the thought of running makes me tired! I am not trying to be dramatic, but people who like to run are like immortal to me. I just stare at their toned legs, with a confused look at the muscles I did not even know existed and admire their outfits. I have tried to buy the clothes to inspire me, but it just doesn’t do it. One of the definitions of running is, “moving in a hectic and hurried way”. This is relatable, because I don’t look like a gazelle when I run–I look like a sweaty, out of breath, panic attack with legs. If you ever see me running, you should start running too, because I’m probably running AWAY from something. I think you get the point. It has always been my least favorite form of exercise.
When my mom first asked me to run a half marathon, just pondering this thought in my head of me running in a half marathon…with all of these immortal super humans made me laugh out loud. It also brought a flash back to the time my track coach put me in the 2-mile race as a sophomore and I got overlapped by all 6th graders. As each person overlapped me, I was faced with the daunting realization that I am about to have to do the last lap by myself with everyone watching. Que the prayer: Jesus, take me now. Like I said, “not dramatic at all.” 🙂
I was so embarrassed and honestly exhausted. As I ran across the line to take that last lap, the nicest human on the planet, John Luke Robertson, my brother himself ran out on the track and joined me in the last lap—all while playing it’s the heart of a champion (my favorite work out song) and got the crowd going. It went from being this overwhelmingly daunting, embarrassing lonely race, to one of the best and most hilarious memories of my life. And to be honest, when he came out, it was like he came with strength, energy and life to give to me.
At times, life can feel like that last lap, right? You’re tired, you’re out of breath, you do not see much value in even running it—because the winners are already announced, and it can look lonely if you let it. You get physically exhausted, you get mentally exhausted and you get spiritually exhausted when you try to run in the 21st century Marathon alone, and sometimes, it seems like there is no end in sight. Everyone around you and on social media seems to be succeeding, everyone seems to know what direction they are going…and you are sitting there wondering, “God why do I feel like I’m running alone, and what is my purpose for even running? My run really doesn’t matter.”
“Therefore, since such a great cloud of witness’s surrounds us, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us…” Hebrews 12:1
When my mom asked me to run the race with her, I had actually said yes. Laney, John Luke and I all signed up, but right before, I fractured my foot and couldn’t run. Laney had to back out and John Luke had to go on a last-minute trip, so my mom realized that she had to do this race “alone”. I thought for sure she would back out as well. She did just the opposite and set an example to me that I always hold on to and learn from. She said these words, “I did not sign up for this race for y’all, or to do it with y’all. I did this because it was something that I wanted to do.” God put inside of my mom a desire to accomplish a half marathon. It was the race that was marked for her, and we all got to go and cheer her on while she persevered through each mile. I cried proud tears and was left so inspired by everything I saw.
I realized that the day of the race it was such a race of unity. There were people from all over running in the same marathon together with the same end goal to cross the finish line, but every person had a different motive and/or purpose for running it. In life, I like to believe all of us have the same end goal in mind to cross the finish line— fulfilling the purpose that God has set before us to the fullest. But sometimes, in doing that, it can actually look like a lonely path, if you’re looking at it through the world’s perspective. The originality of your specific purpose might look different than everyone else’s, but I want to encourage by saying this: there are a lot of people running the marathon, and a lot of people cheering you on. And if you find yourself walking down a path alone, it is not to isolate you. God is running with you, creating something new that is different than purpose of the person beside you. My mom admitted after the race that right before she started running, she got a little sad that she was doing it alone and it made her a little nervous. But then she said that along the way, it was the kindness of strangers, the desire for others to succeed and the encouragement by everyone that made the race so fun.
“For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord, plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
“But those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength and renew their power, they will lift up their wings and rise up close to God like eagles rising towards the sun, they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not grow tired.” Isaiah 40:30
These are promises of strength, so that you will not get too exhausted to run the race He has set before you. In fact, you will become even more passionate about the purpose behind why you run. There are gifts and creativity you will reach along the way of your run with Him. There are promises and provision to grab hold of as you run. God’s desire for you is to reach all of them along side of Him, so that as you run, you can give life to the world. The race is worth the run. Mom said at one point, this lady handed her on orange—it was the best orange she had ever had in her life and it gave her energy to finish. God is going to hand you gifts that will be the best you have ever received and it will give you strength to finish. You are not alone. I am cheering you on as a sister, and God is running with you as a father. Keep running. The world is better because of it.
by Sadie Robertson Huff | Apr 13, 2018 | Life Advice, Testimonies |
When a scary thought first works its way into your brain, you have a choice. You can camp out on that thought in your mind, like my Two-Mama says not to do. Or you can deal with it right away to keep it from becoming bigger and scarier than it already is.
I’ll guarantee you, if you camp out on a fearful thought long enough, the next thing you know you’ll have another fearful thought, then another, then another. And before you know it, you’ll have a first-class ticket on the crazy train. I’m going to tell you what the crazy train is later in this chapter, but to help set it up, I first want to mention something that makes the crazy train possible. It’s an old acronym for fear: False Evidence Appearing Real. You can read about it in the next section.
HERE’S A QUESTION:
How do you respond physically to fear? Wouldn’t it be nice if that didn’t happen anymore?
HERE’S A CHALLENGE:
Probably the very best Bible verse there is about the mind is Philippians 4:8: “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (nlt). My challenge to you right now is to memorize this verse. Then whenever you have a fearful thought, remember these words and ask yourself, “Does this thought fall into one of these categories?” If the answer is no, stop thinking it and think about something that does.
HERE’S SOME ENCOURAGEMENT:
You don’t have to be afraid. You can stop fear where it starts—in your mind. HERE’S HOW YOU CAN PRAY: God, help me to take captive every thought in my mind that is not of You and silence the whispers of the enemy in my ears. I choose to fill my mind with thoughts that are pleasing to You.
This is an excerpt from Sadie’s new book, Live Fearless! Order today!
by Sadie Robertson Huff | Mar 30, 2018 | Life Advice, Testimonies |
You need to know something before I start this message…the same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives inside of me…and can live inside of you. Okay, so if you didn’t quite catch that, let me just say it again…you can have the SAME POWER that was being cultivated inside of that tomb for 3 days inside of you. The Creator of the universe is waiting for you to rise up and BELIEVE that all things that are dead in your life WILL come to life by the same power of JESUS CHRIST. It is by that kind of faith that you will walk forward to pursuing your promises and fulfilling your purpose.
And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you. Romans 8:11
I want you to grab a pen, open your journal, grab a piece of paper, or write in the comments because you need to write to yourself today instead of just reading.
I’m not writing this to encourage you in what I believe, but I truly want to help lead you into what you believe. Knowing what I believe may help you, but knowing what you believe will change you.
I want you to think about the current position you are placed in in life right now and who you are as a person.
I want to ask you a question. Do you believe there is more to your story then what you currently see?
Now read this message, and at the end, I will have more questions for you.
It is Good Friday. The day Jesus died on the cross. The day he took on sin and shame for the sake of all of mankind. It was a day that came after the mocking, the beating, the bruising and the pain, and the journey was close to the heart-wrenching end, he uttered the words, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Wow…not a Good Friday. Actually, it probably seemed like the worst day in the whole world this Friday.
I heard Pastor Chris Durso preach on the seriousness of getting stuck in a “Friday mentality.” He highlighted a man in the Bible who got stuck with a Friday mentality. The man was Judas. Chris posed the question, “What if he would have just waited until Sunday? Then he would have known that actually Jesus was not defeated, in fact, DEATH was defeated. He would have known Jesus died to take HIS sin. He would have known life had only just begun, and there was so much more for him to do. Instead, he got fixed on a Friday, and he hung himself because he believed there was nothing more, and he was worth nothing else.”
You need to realize that when we get fixed on Friday, you come into agreement with death and defeat—but if you would just fix your eyes and focus on Sunday, you would step into the promises you have already been given, you would step towards fulfilling what you have been put on this earth to do, and you would be forgiven and delivered from the bonds of sin that hold you back.
Bob Goff told me once and has written in his new book, Everybody Always, that we need to wait to title our chapters. For example, that time in your life you once thought would be titled “Rejection” may later be “Release”. “Good Friday”, is a later chapter title. What once was defeat is now our victory, and that is why it is good. On that cross, where the mocking, the bruising, the pain, and the feeling of being forsaken happened, was actually where Jesus fulfilled his purpose on earth and the promises that had been given. On Good Friday, Jesus walked out what he had come to do. A day that looked like everything came to a close, was actually the start of eternity for you and me.
What if the very position you are in life right now, that you have believed would defeat you, is actually the spot where God is preparing you to fulfill the promises He has for you. Perhaps you have been so stuck on Friday, that you stopped moving towards Sunday. Do not let Friday steal your promises and swipe you from your purpose. Fix your eyes.
“Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we FIX OUR EYES not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
promises waiting for you
· Purpose… do you believe you have it? If you do, you will stop comparing, stop feeling insecure, and get rid of the competition mindset even though everyone around you is doing amazing things. Move on from Friday.
· Known by name… do you believe that? If you do, you would not allow yourself to believe you are invisible even though that is the way the world has made you feel. Move on from Friday.
· More than a conqueror in Christ Jesus… do you believe that? If you do, you will stop accepting the lie of defeat you are being faced within your workspace, in your relationship, in yourself, or even in the timeline you created for yourself. Move on from Friday.
· Strength and increase in power of the weak… do you believe that? Even though right now you have never felt so weak? KEEP MOVING.
· a love that will not be shaken… do you believe that? Even though the world has not done a good job of showing you what a love that last looks like? KEEP MOVING.
· A covenant of peace… do you believe that even though chaos is all around you and you’re in a stressful situation? KEEP MOVING
· No weapon formed against you shall prevail … do you believe that even though you feel like you are getting exhausted fighting a battle? KEEP MOVING
· You are the head and not the tail… do you believe that, even though you have never felt good enough? KEEP ON MOVING
Hebrews 11 says, “Faith is the confidence in what you hope for and assurance in what you can not see.” When you lose confidence you will lose hope, you will lose heart, and you will lose a life. Stealing faith is stealing life. Remember Judas…he didn’t have the faith to see Sunday.
Faith is your momentum, and in life and in faith you have to keep moving…
· What if Noah stopped building 20 years into building the ark?
· What if Moses’ mom didn’t put him in the basket to ensure his safety, and just accepted the fate the world had given their child?
· What if Moses didn’t believe that by the power of God in His rod, the waters would part the sea so they never even tried to flee?
· What if Joshua quit walking around the walls of Jericho on day 5?
· What if Joseph believed that the pit he was in when his brothers threw him in the well was the end and gave up on life?
· What if Abraham and Sarah just believed they were way too old to have children and thought God’s promise was a lie?
· What if Ananias was too afraid of whom Saul was and didn’t go lay his hands on him for his healing?
· What if Saul believed he was too far away from redemption and allowed shame to stop him from becoming who he was called to be?
FAITH activates the fulfillment, and what I think is important to remember is God’s timeline is ETERNITY. That is the direction He is moving and is wanting to move in us. IT IS NEVER THE TIME TO GIVE UP. It is also important to remember when he uses one of us, he has all of us in mind. Your movement is creating the movement.
Read this from Hebrews 11…
“And what more shall I say? For TIME will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who BY FAITH [that is, with an enduring trust in God and His promises] subdued kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promised blessings, closed the mouths of lions, 34 extinguished the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became mighty and unbeatable in battle, putting enemy forces to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, refusing to accept release so that they would be resurrected to a better life; 36 and others experienced the trial of mocking and scourging and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were lured with tempting offers [to renounce their faith], they were put to death by the sword; they went about wrapped in the skins of sheep and goats, utterly destitute, oppressed, cruelly treated 38 wandering in deserts and mountains and [living in] caves and holes in the ground. 39 And all of these, though they gained [divine] approval through their faith, did not receive [the fulfillment of] what was promised, 40 because GOD HAD US IN MIND and had SOMETHING BETTER IN MIND FOR US, so that they [these men and women of authentic faith] would not be made perfect [that is, completed in Him] apart from us…”
THAT IS THE KIND OF LIFE I WANT TO LIVE. You may have to face a Friday, but you get to be a part of a Sunday. A day that a dead man walked again, the day Jesus rose from the grave, left his Spirit with us to lead and guide us, and is sitting at the right hand of the Father on behalf of us. I choose to believe He has something better in mind for me, and I do not want to miss out.
So here are my questions after all of that…
Do you believe there is more to your story then who you are right now? Do you believe that Jesus rose from the dead on that Sunday and can bring you from death to life? Do you believe that the very power that lives inside of Him can live inside of you? I want to ask you those and give you the opportunity to speak out what you truly believe. Fix your eyes. Write it down. Step into faith.
