liv4hvn

2 Samuel 23:9-10 “Next in rank among the three was Eleazar son of Dodai, a descendant of Ahoah. Once Eleazar and David stood together against the Philistines when the entire Israelite army had fled. He killed Philistines until his hand was too tired to lift his sword, and the Lord gave him a great victory that day. The rest of the army did not return until it was time to collect the plunder.”

For the past couple of months now, I have really been wearied by my trials. Just as I was starting to get used to the “new normals of life” I was hit with even more battles. I have been having severe coughing attacks where it is hard for me to breathe. The pressure my body exerts while coughing, causes blood vessels to burst, which then cause me to start coughing up blood. On top of that, the fact that my one working vocal cord is now failing, has caused me not to be able to breath well when I talk and it basically feels as if I am hyperventilating. Oh, and did I mention that I started not being able to swallow my own saliva and so I have been drooling when I go to talk. Let’s just say that this is beyond humbling. To be honest, I have felt as if I am in a never ending war and my body, soul, spirit, and mind have been completely worn out. Sometimes, I feel as if I can’t go on. The fight seems too hard, the enemy seems too big, and the win seems far beyond my reach. I long for the rest, a “health body” would bring. I long to be able to eat again, and talk again, and breath again!! It is during these times that I have to cast my eyes on my Commander and Chief and remember who I am fighting for, what I am fighting for, and the fact that the victory will be far worth the effort!

As I think about soldiers in battle, a certain man comes to mind. This man’s name is Eleazar. I think we can learn much from just the few sentences that are mentioned about him in scripture. First of all, Eleazar stood together with David. This man was loyal. He wanted to be found with the people of God, fighting for the cause of God. Secondly, he fought when the entire army of Israel had fled. The other soldiers must have looked at the enemy and considered the fight too risky. They wanted the spoil, for we see that they returned to collect it when the victory was won, but they did not want to put in the effort of the fight. Too many times, I find myself like these soldiers. I want the blessings of God without the effort it takes to be obedient and fight for the Truth. I want the victory, withouth the bloodshed of battle. Eleazar, however, fought until his hand was too tired to even lift his sword. He perservered through the hard times. He didn’t only follow when it was convenient or when he was getting something, he followed when he had to give of himself. He fought for the sake of his king and his countrymen. This verse states that the Lord gave HIM a great victory that day. Do you notice that the great victory was not stated as given to Israel’s army, nor to the soldiers that fled, but to the man that was willing to fight.

My prayer is that I will be an Eleazar. I want to be found standing with my King, fighting the battle. Yes, I must admit that at times I find myself getting weary in the fight, but may I keep going. May I not be one who just returns for the “goodies” and then flees when there is work to be done or when sacrifices need to be made for the sake of the kindom but may I fight until the end for the sake of my Savior. When He comes, may I be found clinging to my sword, even if my hand is weary. I want to be one of Christ’s Mighty Warriors. So let’s stand together, weary soldiers, and continue to fight for the great victory is close at hand. Soon we will see the King we have been fighting for, and just one glimpse of His precious face will make it all worth it.

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Lately, I have been thinking about miracles and what makes a miracle.  A precious brother in Christ gave a sermon on Sunday about the fact that God still does miracles, and I give a hearty AMEN to that!  Often times, however, in our longing and praying for a miracle, we miss the miraculous going on daily in front of our very eyes.

I have to counsel myself often on this subject.  Many people, (bless their hearts and I am very grateful), have prayed over me for my complete healing.  Don’t get me wrong, I would be so happy if I were to get my voice back and my ability to eat and sing.  I know that the Lord could perform that miracle with just one word, but in praying for that miracle, I do not want to miss the fact that the Lord works miracles in my life EVERY SINGLE DAY!  His sustaining grace to get me through my daily trials, is a miracle in itself.  The fact that I am not secluding myself from people or in a severe state of depression, shows the very hand of God on my life.

My friend, too often we believe that the miracle will be in the Lord taking away our trials, when He is whispering in our ear, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”  The miracle may come in the Lord walking through the fire with you, instead of sparing you from it.  It may be His presence taming the lions, instead of keeping you out of the lion’s den.  It may be sustaining you in prison, and giving you the ability to rejoice behind the bars, instead of the bars crashing down.

The whole purpose of Jesus performing miracles, was not to just heal someone’s body, but to heal their souls and bring them to the Father.  Often times, we point people to the Savior, as they witness our endurance through our trials.  For instance, my friend Joni Eareckson Tada, who is a quadriplegic, draws thousand of people to Christ by the fact that she radiates joy IN HER WHEELCHAIR.  Again, the Lord could easily heal her body, and that would be miraculous, but He chooses to leave her in that wheelchair.  The miracle is not in removing the wheelchair, but in turning the wheelchair into a platform to display the glory of Christ.  He turned tragedy into triumph and what a miracle that is.  Whenever I see Joni, I think of Jesus.  There could be no greater privilege for a person than that.

Today, if you are praying for a miracle, remember that miracles come in all shapes and sizes.  Don’t miss the miraculous while praying for your miracle.  The Lord may not take away the cancer, but He may give you an awesome opportunity to witness in the chemo ward or the radiation waiting room.  He may not give you the child you have been praying for but He may make you a spiritual mother to many.  He may not take away the stress at work, but He might just give you the grace to smile and be a testimony in the chaos.  Look around you my friend, the Lord’s hand is working miracles every single day!  

“And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through His Spirit who lives in you.”  Romans 8:11 HCSB

My dear friend, as we celebrate Easter today, may our souls bask in what Jesus’ resurrection means to us.  Jesus overcame death and hell.  Light broke through the darkness.  Sin’s punishment was completely paid for and Satan was defeated.  Those phrases are so wonderful, but do we really take in the fact that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us?

Death no longer holds us in its grip.  We may walk through its shadow, but shadows have no capacity to cause harm.  In fact, death is now only a vehicle that carries us into the presence of Christ.  We may be living it what seems like very dark circumstances.  Our frail, pain wracked bodies may cry out in pain, but now we have the complete assurance that one day our cry will be answered with a heavenly shout.  Light will burst through the darkness.  Our bodies will be transformed, and we will have new, perfect, bodies not affected by sin, sorrow, or sickness.  We no longer have to be chained by our past failures and mistakes, for Jesus has paid the price for every one of our sins and has thrown them into His Sea of Forgetfulness. 

We now have the power to overcome sin.  Our flesh no longer has dominion because  “He who is in us is greater than He who is in the world,”  The Holy Spirit can reign supreme and we can say no to Satan and His lies.  No mountain is too big for us to climb, no sorrow is too much for us to handle, no temptation is too big for us to say “NO” to, because resurrection power dwells within us.  The Holy Spirit brings light into our darkness, brings hope into our despair, and gives us a reason to face tomorrow with joy. 

May we not live like Jesus is still in the tomb.  May we live with resurrection power, for that power was paid for with a very high price.  Jesus gave His very own life so that we could know what it is like to really live.  He did not go through death so that we would live in sorrow, He overcame death so that we can live with power. 

“Thank you dear Jesus for the hope that Easter brings.  I can now face tomorrow because you live and for that I am forever grateful.”

“Multiply there; do not decrease”  Jeremiah 29:6b

Tonight, as I was having my devotion, I came across a verse that hit me in a way it never had before.  I was reading in Jeremiah 29.  This chapter is a letter that was written to the Israelites that were taken captive into Babylon.  In this letter the Lord was telling them that this captivity was going to last 70 years and that after those 70 years He would restore them.  Think of it friends- 70 years in captivity!!  For most of the Israelites who were in their adulthood, that meant that they would most likely die there in Babylon.  This was going to be a trial that they were in for the long haul.  Now, they had 2 options of how they could live out the remainder of their lives.  They could wallow in self pity and blame God for their situation or they could choose to thrive even in the midst of their hardship.  In Jeremiah 29:6, the Lord was telling them to choose the latter.  He was basically saying, “My children, use these years in captivity as an opportunity to grow.  Do not waste these years; drink in every lesson that I can teach you in the midst of the pain.”

All of us have hardhsips that we face in our lives.  We may feel as though we are being held captive in bodies that are ailing or in marriages that are less than perfect.  We may feel isolated and trapped by fears that haunt us.  We may feel pressured by our jobs or consumed by the mundaneness of everyday life.  It is in these very circumstances that the Lord is saying, “Multiply there; do not decrease.  Use this opportunity for growth.”  I personally have a tendancy for my hardships (such as my voice), to make me want to shrink back and isolate myself.  The Lord is telling me, however, to use these very trials as chances to grow in patience, to grow in love, to grow in dependency on Christ, to grow in knowledge of His promises, to grow in longsuffering, to grow in grace, to grow in courage and to grow in faith.

I encourage you today to choose to THRIVE in the place that you are in, even if that place is tough.  The Lord will give you the power to grow in grace and you will soon see yourself bursting through the place that has held you captive, into a realm of endless possibilities, because you have chosen to grow where you are planted.

Well, dear friends, I said I would be open and honest with you, and I do not want to go back on that promise- so here it goes…

For about a month now, I have been having laryngitis like symptoms.  My voice is like a whisper and I find it very hard to breath when I talk- it’s almost like I’m hyperventilating.  At first I thought it was my asthma, so I went on prednisone and upped my breathing treatments.  That did not seem to be helping and so I set an appointment to see my ENT doctor, just to make sure nothing was going wrong with my throat.  (All the while having it in the back of my mind that that’s what it could be.)  Anyways, today was the day I saw my doctor.  The news was definetely not what I wanted to hear.  It seems that the one vocal chord I had, that was somewhat functional, is now giving out on me.  Therefore, I am basically talking using a half of a vocal chord, a paralyzed tongue, and practically non-existant soft palate.  Due to the fact that both of my vocal chords do not come together like they should when I talk, the air is leaking out too fast from my lungs, making it much harder for me to breathe.  The verdict, from a medical perspective, is that this is my “new normal” and there is a chance, down the road, that I could loose my ability to talk completely.

If I am being completely honest with you, I feel like I have just been given a life long prison sentence- trapped in my own body.  Many times I know exactly what I want to say, but I cannot communicate it in a intelligible way.  Plus, physically it is much harder for me because I am basically gasping for air when I talk.  I am kind of overwhelmed and tired.  There is nothing that the doctors can do about my situation.

I feel as if I am sinking and so I am taking my burdens to the Only One who can help- Jesus.  I know what the doctors say, and I know what my emotions are telling me.  Right now, however, I have to just look at the truth.

The Lord is still sovereign in my prison

The Lord is still good in my prison

The Lord is still present in my prison

The Lord is still my joy in my prison

The Lord is still my hope in my prison

The Lord hears my cries in my prison

The Lord is still my Sustainer in my prison

Therefore, like Paul and Silas, I can still sing in my prison.

Friends, I ask for your prayers today.  Please pray that I will keep my eyes focused on Jesus.  Pray that praise will flow from this prison cell and that the Lord will be glorified.

 

 

“The share of one who goes into battle is to be the same as the share of the one who remains with the supplies.  They will share equally.”

1 Samuel 30:24

My friend, do you ever wish that you could do more for the Lord, but find yourself bed bound with illness or sidelined in some other way?  Do you feel mentally, emotionally, and spiritually worn out?  I’ve had those times where I longed to be a missionary helping the disabled in foreign countries, but I know that my health will not permit it.  I would also love to be a mom, and adopt kids who need a forever home, but with my current circumstances it does not seem to be the Lord’s plan for me.  I dream of being able to speak and share my testimony but my voice is very hard to understand.  I sometimes think… if I just wasn’t sick-think of all of the things I could do! 

I was reading in my devotion tonight about David and his 600 men.  They had just returned to their town of Ziklag, only to find that it had been burned to the ground by the Amalekites and everything they owned had been taken- including their wives and children.  Needless to say, they were devastated!  They “wept so loudly until they had no strength left to weep.”  David however, found strength in the Lord and asked the Lord if he should go and fight against the Amalekites.  The Lord said ,”Pursue them, for you will certainly overtake them and rescue the people.”

David took all 600 men with him and went as far as the Wadi Besor.  At that time, they stopped and 200 of the men were just way too exhausted and weary to even cross the water.  Those men then stayed behind and watched over the provisions, while the others continued the pursuit.  They arrived at the Amalekites camp, and found them celebrating because they had taken so much plunder from the land of Judah.  With the Lord’s strength, David and his men slaughtered the men, took back their wives and children, and also left with spoil because they gained the flocks and herds of the Amalekites.  They shouted, “This is David’s plunder!”

On their way back home they came to the 200 men that had been too weary to fight.  Some of the soldiers, said “Because they didn’t go with us, we will not give any of the plunder we recovered to them except each man’s wife and children.  They may take them and go.”  David, being the man of God that he was exclaimed, “ My brothers, you must not do this with what the Lord has given us.  He protected us and handed over to us the raiders who came against us.  Who can agree to this proposal?  The share of the one who goes into the battle is to be the same as the share of the one who remains with the supplies.  They will share equally.”

You may be thinking, great story- but how does that pertain to me?  My friend, the Lord may not be asking you to be in the front of the battle, but He is asking you to stay and watch the provisions!  I, personally, may not be able to travel to foreign countries, but I can collect wheelchairs that are shipped to those countries.  I can pray for the missionaries, sent to far off lands.  I can spend time lifting up the disabled and encouraging the downcast in the place where I am at.  I may not be able to be a “mom” but I certainly can be an influence to the children the Lord has placed in my life.  I can love on them and hopefully lead them to Jesus.  I may not be able to speak all over the world, but by the grace of God, I can write down the things that the Lord has done for me and share that with others. 

Too many times we are focused on the fact that we are too exhausted to fight and the Lord is whispering to our hearts, “My child- just be faithful in watching the provisions.  That is all I’m asking of you.  Be faithful with what you can do and don’t spend your time dwelling on what you can’t.”  The Savior is so precious because He still divides the spoils with us.  We WILL BE blessed if we are faithful to our calling. 

So my friend, remember that even though you may be watching the provisions, you are still a vital part of the battle.  Be true to the Savior in whatever circumstance He has you in and watch the Lord shower you with spoils of spiritual growth!

“Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to (successfully) resist and stand your ground in the evil day (of danger), and having done everything (that the crisis demands), to stand firm (in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious).”  Ephesians 6:13

My friend, today I am going to let you in on one of the biggest battles of my life.  I don’t know what you may struggle with, but I know everyone struggles with something.  One of my greatest enemies is my feelings.  I am going to try and be open and honest because I really feel that someone reading this needs to hear these words that come straight from the heart of Jesus.

Depression, anxiety, fear, lack of self worth… these are things I battle with on a daily basis.  I used to feel so ashamed because I believed that if you were a true Christian, you should not struggle with these things.  We should be anxious about nothing, we should be filled with joy, we should view our worth through the eyes of our Saviour, right?  Mental health issues should never be associated with Christians, right?

I have come to have a very different view on things as I have matured in my walk with Christ and have faced many circumstances of my own that have made me cling to Jesus on a daily basis.  You see my friend, I have an anxiety disorder, I have OCD, I also have something called Misophonia (which translated literally is a hatred of sound.)   Basically, normal, every day sounds that most people do not even notice are like finger nails on a chalk board to me.  Chewing, whistling, tapping, etc. are things that are amplified in my ears like 100x.  Those sounds make me feel very anxious.  Along with sounds, I am also very sensitive to movements.  Someone shaking their leg, or tapping their fingers make me feel like I am going to implode.  Honestly, it is a very hard disorder to live with.

I struggle with anxiety.  Because I have such a hard time talking and my voice is messed up, I get very anxious when I have to hold a conversation with someone, or go up and introduce myself to a new person.  Actually, I get anxious about many different things.  And yes my friend, I also struggle with depression.  Thoughts of worthlessness, doubts, thoughts straight from the enemy.  These thoughts made me feel like something must be wrong with me.  Why do I feel this way when I am a firm believer in Jesus?  I did not want to share because I felt alone in this struggle.  I didn’t want people to think I was a hypocrite when I talked about the joy of the Lord being my strength, or the peace that passes understanding.  I have prayed and prayed for the Lord to take my anxieties away, but I believe He has chosen to leave these things in my life, so that I learn to rely on fact not feeling.

The fact of the matter is that I love Jesus.  I am His child and I am saved by His blood.  My eternity is secure not because I “feel” that it is but because I have trusted in what He did on the cross as the basis of my salvation.  I “feel” worthless when I open my mouth because my voice is so messed up.  The “fact” is that the Lord uses my broken voice as a platform for His glory.  I am worthy because I have been bought with a price- the precious blood of Jesus Christ.  I may not “feel” like praising the Lord in my pain.  I may not “feel” the joy of the Lord but the fact of the matter is that I don’t have to feel joyous or thankful when I praise.  Sometimes, everything within me may be shouting “what do you have to be thankful for, look at you- 36 years old and you’re eating through a tube in your stomach, you are single, you can’t talk clearly…”  The important thing is that at that point, I choose to offer to the Lord a “sacrifice of praise.”  I go against my feelings, and remember the fact, that I have everything in the world to be thankful for.  I am saved, I am loved, I am His child.

Many faithful Christians over the years have suffered with depression.  Charles Spurgeon, one of the greatest preachers of all times, suffered greatly with depression.  Was he not a faithful servant of Jesus?  Was his depression a sin?  No my friend.  Many of these things are medical issues that need attention just like any other illness.  Yes, you need to check and make sure you are right with the Lord, but if you are and you have feelings of anxiety or depression, that does not make you unfaithful.  I believe that Satan attacks most, those the Lord is using the most.  He wants to bring us down and if he can’t block our salvation, he wants to block our walk. He wants us to feel like we are isolated and alone in our struggles.  He whispers “Don’t share how you are feeling with anyone because they will look at you differently.”

My friend, you are not alone in your struggle, whether it be depression, anxiety, lonliness, ect.  The fact is that we cannot let our feelings dictate our faith.  We have to demand that our faith dictate our feelings.  When the devil shouts out lies, we have to lash back at him with the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.  When we feel alone, we have to lean back on the Lord’s promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us and that we are engraved on the palms of His hands.  When we feel worthless, we have to look at the cross where the Lord of Glory died, because He wanted us to be with Him for eternity. 

Don’t be afraid to share what you are feeling with a mature christian.  (We need to use wisdom with those whom we share because some new christians cannot handle these things yet.)  You will probably discover that they too struggle with similar things.  Do not isolate yourself.  Get help.  We are meant to run this race together.  I Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind…”  Everyone has their own burdens they bear, but when we share with each other we lighten the load.  We share the burden.  Most of all, lay your burdens at the foot of the cross.  Know that despite your feelings, Jesus knows your heart.  What matters most is not how you are feeling, but that you are getting up and fighting, and that in the end you are found faithful. 

So take my hand.  Together we will run this race.  I would love to hear from you if you have anything you would like me to pray about for you, or even if you just need to share what you are going through.  My email is liv4hvn@me.com, or you can leave a comment in the comment section.

(Also, my friend, I just wanted to add that some disorders do need medicine.  If you need medicine for your anxiety or depression- do not feel guilty.  I believe the Lord provided medicine for our needs and that mental health is another part of our body that needs an extra bit of attention some times. )

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Today is a day focused on love. When you think of the word love, what comes to mind? I used to think love was about romantic words, roses, hugs and kisses. Love was that wonderful “feeling” that took over you when you looked in the eyes of someone special. Over the years my view on love has changed. Now I believe love is more of a choice, followed by an action, rather than a feeling.

I have come to learn that love is choosing to stay, in the hardest of times. Love is choosing to help others bear their burdens, even when the load is heavy. Love is choosing to serve, even in your pain. Love is taking the garbage out when it’s raining so your dad doesn’t have to. Love is choosing to wake up in the middle of the night with the baby so your spouse can get that extra hour of sleep. Love is choosing to shower someone with encouragement even when you, yourself are discouraged. Love is not just staying with someone when they are digging a trench, it is getting down in the mud and digging it with them. Love is choosing to show kindness to someone, even when they have no kindness to show in return. Love can be chosen even if the warm fuzzy feelings aren’t there. Actually love is proven most when you choose to be loving to someone even when everything in you wants to do the opposite.

Jesus chose to love me even when I was His enemy. There was nothing good in me that deserved His love. He could have just washed His hands of me, but instead He chose to let those precious hands be pierced on the cross of Calvary so that He could be my Savior and my True Love. I am forever grateful that I can choose love because He chose it first.

Hi my friends.  Sorry it has been so long since I have posted something.  Unfortunately, I fell last week and fractured my rib.  Let’s just say it has not been too fun!  I was going through some things I had posted in the past and this one caught my attention and I thought it was worth posting again.  So here it is..

This morning my devotion was centered around the verse “Where is God my Maker, Who giveth songs in the night.” Job 35:10. I was pondering what this meant and a thought came to me- Jesus not only provides me with a song in the night- Jesus IS my Song in the night. He is the reason why, in the midst of the blackest midnight, I can sing for joy. “Jesus”- His name alone floods the darkness with brilliant light. My friend- Jesus can not only provide you with everything your heart longs for- He IS everything your heart longs for. He is Light, He is Joy, He is Love, He is Salvation from bondage, He is your Best Friend, He is Your Shoulder to Cry on, He IS…….. Today turn your hearts toward the Great I AM and watch Him be everything you need!

 

He was trembling in fear as he hid in a wine vat threshing wheat.  The Midianites had been destroying all of the crops and he feared that his plot of land was next.  “Please God, don’t let them see me.”  Suddenly the Angel of the Lord (which happened to be the Lord himself)  appeared to him and said “The Lord is with you, oh valiant warrior.”

Gideon was full of questions.  “if the Lord is with us, then why has all of this happened to us?  Where are the miracles that our fathers told us about?  Surely the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”  The Lord then said to him “Go in this might of yours and you shall save Israel from the hands of the Midianites.  Have I not sent you.”  Gideon had to hold back the laughter.  Surely the Lord did not know who he was talking to.  “Umm…. wait a minute here Lord- how can I save Israel?  My clan is the weakest and I’m the youngest in my family.”  I love the Lord’s response.  It was short and to the point.  “But I will be with you.”

The story goes on and Gideon asked for a sign to make sure that the Lord was really talking to him.  The Lord honored his requests and showed him a miracle by taking his staff and consuming, with fire, the gift of meat and bread that Gideon had placed before him .  Later that night the Lord asked him to tear down the altars of Baal that his father had erected.  Gideon obeyed, but he did it in the shadows of the night because he was afraid of the men of the city and his father’s household. 

The enemies then gathered to fight the Israelites.  Gideon again asked for a sign, just to make sure the Lord was really going to use him to win the battle, as He had promised.  Overnight, he set out a piece of fleece and if the dew was on the fleece and the ground was dry, then he would know God was with Him.  Once again, the Lord honored his request and when Gideon woke up, the fleece was wet and the ground was dry.  Bless Gideon’s little heart.  That sign was not enough for him. So he went on.  “Um Lord, I know I am asking for a lot here but can I just ask one more favor… Uh, this time can you make the fleece be dry and the ground be wet?”    I can only imagine the Lord saying with a smile, “sure son, I will do this so that your heart will be settled.”

The Lord then whittles Gideon’s army from 32,000 to 300 men.  He did not want Israel thinking it was their own power that won the battle.  From there He told Gideon to have the men carry trumpets and empty pitchers with torches inside.  They were to win the battle by blowing the trumpets and smashing the pitchers.  That night the Lord appeared to Gideon and said “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand.  But if you are afraid to go down to the camp by yourself, take your servant Purah.  Listen to what they say, and then you will be strengthened. “

Of course, Gideon was afraid and so he and his servant went down into the camp and they overheard two men talking about how one had had a dream that Gideon was going to destroy them.  Gideons heart was strengthen and he and his army went on to defeat the enemies with just some empty pitchers, torches, and trumpets.

What struck me about the story of Gideon, is that when you evaluate his life- he was anything but a valiant warrior.  He was fearful and full of questions.  He doubted the Lord’s presence.  He needed signs in order to have assurance.  He was from a weak tribe and not only that he was the youngest of his household.  He obeyed, but in secret, so that he would not be seen.  What was the Lord seeing in him that would make Him call Gideon valiant- let alone a warrior?  You see my friend, the Lord was not seeing what Gideon was in himself.  He was seeing what Gideon was when He was with him.  Gideon was only a valiant warrior because he had the God of Angels Armies on his side. 

What is the Lord saying to you today?  Is he asking you to do a task that seems impossible?  Is he calling you to give when you are low on money?  Is he calling you to reach out in encouragement to someone when you, yourself are feeling depressed.  Is he calling you to speak out when it feels awkward for you to talk in public?  Is He calling you to fight a battle as a brave soldier, when you barely feel enough energy to get out of bed?  My friend,  if the Lord has called you to a task, it is because He knows you can achieve it.  Not because you, in your self, are sufficient for the the task, but because He is more than sufficient.  He is with you and that is all that matters.  So today, go out and claim your victory as a valiant warrior, knowing that the God of Angels Armies is fighting on your side.