STAND FIRM AND HAVE FAITH! GOD HAS YOUR BACK!

Good Morning My Loves,

Have you been carrying a heavy burden? Are you riddled with anxiety and having a hard time feeling relief? I’ve gone through seasons like that, but I didn’t stay there. I’ve had to learn to “cast ALL my cares on the Lord” and stand strong (firm) in “faith.”

It’s not enough to cast all your cares on the Lord, you must stand strong (firm) in faith. It will feel like you’re casting those cares several times throughout the day, but as you keep doing it, you’ll feel lighter and lighter.

The truth is that faith makes heavy burdens light; but unbelief makes light burdens heavy!

The Word of God says that satan prowls around like a roaring lion looking to devour the one who is weighted down with anxiety, and that the only way to resist him is to be firm (stand strong) in our “faith.”

It’s also helpful to talk with others who have gone, or are going through similar situations, and are still standing firm in their faith!

Sometimes knowing you’re not the only one going through suffering helps. Just having someone of faith who can identify with you, encourages you to be strong and ride out the storm. There is strength in numbers and the testimonies of how God imparted blessing and favor to others after a season of suffering, and is going to do the same for you, brings a sense of hope and joy to endure your season.

Peter addressed this perfectly when he said:

1 Peter 5:7-11 (AMP)

7 casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]. (In other words, stop picking them back up. Once and for all, means.....well....ONCE AND FOR ALL!)

8 Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, be firm in your faith [against his attack—rooted, established, immovable], knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being experienced by your brothers and sisters throughout the world. [You do not suffer alone.]

10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace [who imparts His blessing and favor], who called you to His own eternal glory in Christ, will Himself complete, confirm, strengthen, and establish you [making you what you ought to be]. 11 To Him be dominion (power, authority, sovereignty) forever and ever. Amen.

On a side note: I was watching National Geographic last night. There was a pride of hungry female lions hunting food. They were capable of taking down very large animals if they attacked in numbers. They would just keep biting the large animal until it became so weary and worn out that it gave up. Then they killed and devoured it. The large male lion rarely does any hunting unless the females cannot get the job done due to the “strength and height” of their prey.

This particular pride of lions was not having success against a water buffalo. They spotted a giraffe and attacked it, however the giraffe’s kick was deadly. The giraffe kept kicking lions off of it as if they were light as a feather. They couldn’t seem to bring it down due to it’s height and strength.

Finally, the strong male lion decided to get involved and attacked from behind. (This reminds me of how satan sends his demons to try and wear us down. When they are unsuccessful he tries to attack us from behind himself, only to find out that God is our REAR GUARD, AND HAS OUR BACK!) He was only able to bring down the giraffe because of his strong teeth. As I was watching this, the Lord reminded me, “THE DEVIL HAS NO TEETH!” He’s only “LIKE” a roaring lion. If that giraffe had stood it’s ground against a lion with “no teeth” it would’ve never came down. I want to encourage you:

-Stand firm and have faith.

-The enemy is not going to take you down.

-Trust God.

God is not only imparting blessing and favor to you, He’s completing, confirming, strengthening, and establishing you in this season.

I love you all! PV