Struggle

Many people today want everything without effort. We want muscular bodies, but wont step inside of the gym. We want to control our weight and be healthy, but refuse to change our eating habits and exercise. We want a good paying job, but don't want to stay in school for the years required.

The fact is; it costs what it costs and never goes on sale! It takes commitment, dedication, discipline and hard work to reach our goals.

I believe God wants to bless us and prosper us, but to get it we must go through something. Sometimes we have to struggle, we have to fight. You see there is "something" in the struggle. And that "something" is necessary to become all that God has called us to be.

In Numbers 13: 25-33, we see that God left giants in the promised land for a reason and a purpose. The children of Israel needed to learn how to fight, they needed to learn about themselves and who God is. They needed to learn how the struggles of life would make them stronger, and how they would appreciate the land more if they fought for it. When we fight for what we have we not only appreciate it more, we wont let anyone take it from us.

Someone said; "Faith is forged in the furnace of adversity"

God is looking at the development that's taking place in our lives as we go through the struggle.

The first generation of Israelites forfeited their inheritance because they would not fight. How many of God's people have forfeited their destiny, just because they refuse to fight.

What has "made you" what you are today in Christ is do to the struggle. What you had to fight for, what you had to fight against and what you had to overcome; that's what "made you".

The caterpillar goes through a process of metamorphosis, changing from a caterpillar to a butterfly. The process involves struggle to break out of the cocoon. To cut the struggle short would rob the butterfly of its destiny. That's why God allows struggle in our lives so we can fulfill our destiny in Him.

That's why the devil wants to make the struggle all about you, he wants to give you tunnel vision so your focus is only on the struggle. God wants you to understand this; the devil wants your struggle to take you out, but God uses it to take you up.

Many people try to avoid their struggle, to go around it or even run from it. God didn't deliver Daniel from the lions den, He delivered him through it. God didn't deliver the three Hebrew children from the fiery furnace, He delivered them through it. There is no testimony without a test and no victory without a battle. Daniel needed the lions den, the three Hebrew children needed the fiery furnace and you and I need the struggles.

The struggle wont last forever, weeping may endure for the night but joy comes in the morning.

The struggle is just an instrument of transition, that means your going somewhere. The struggle prepares you for the future.

The Apostle Paul faced more struggles than all of the other apostles combined. He also did more for God than all the other apostles combined.

Struggle is the doorway to destiny, let God bring you through...

Wake Up

In Numbers chapter 13 we see the children of Israel making excuses for their failure to take the Promised Land. It was their inheritance all they had to do was be obedient to God and possess it.

But the problem was, they were unwilling to "confront" their adversaries.

God was very angry at these rebellious people, except for Joshua and Caleb.

Read: Numbers 13:25-30, Numbers 14: 21-24

We must understand that we are living in perilous times, times of uncertainty, times of testing and struggles.

Read: 2 Timothy 3:1-5

We are in a Spiritual War!

Now is the time for Men and Women of God to step up and be the Men and Women of Valor that God has called us to be. It's time for the Spirit of Caleb to Rise-Up, God calls it a "Different Spirit".

Joel 3:9-10 says;

Proclaim this among the Nations: Prepare for War! Wake up the Mighty Men let all the Men of War draw near. Let them come up, beat your plow shears into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say I am strong...

There were Mighty Men at the time, but they fell asleep. Instead of fighting they were farming.Instead of being alert, they were lulled into a false sense of security.

It happened to King David, in the spring time when kings went off to war David slept in until noon. In stead of taking care of business, he was relaxing. That's when he fell into sin with Bathsheba and had her husband killed to cover his sin.

When you are asleep, your vulnerable, your not a threat to the enemy. I don't care how strong you are, how tough you are, how much scripture you have memorized, or how long you can pray. If you are asleep you are vulnerable to any and all attacks. The enemy is after our children, marriages, friends and our churches. Every thing that's good is being perverted.

Samson was the toughest man on the planet, but while he was asleep the enemy shaved his head. The enemy took his power then plucked out his eyes and stole his vision.

Our adversary wants to take our power and steal our vision!

We can't lay still and pretend the enemy will just go away, he won't.

"Wake Up"

Sometimes life has a way of putting us to sleep and we lose our passion. Sometimes we get the breath knocked out of us; things happen and we get discouraged, or things don't happen and we get discouraged. Our faith can become weak and we slip into spiritual slumber.

"Wake Up"

We are at a critical time in human history, we need to be alert to the times in which we live.

It's time to wake from our slumber.

We need the Spirit of Caleb to rise up today:

The Spirit of Boldness

The Spirit of Faith

The Spirit of Perseverance

The Spirit of Commitment

The Spirit of Obedience

Romans 13:11 says;

And do this knowing the time, that now is high time to awake out of sleep, for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

Time is Short;

"Wake Up"