"Through and with God we shall do valiantly, for He it is Who shall tread down our adversaries."--Psalm 108:13(AMPC)
"New Year 2018"
The beginning of a new year, typically marks a season of "new beginnings"-- a fresh start, if you will. There are New Year's resolutions and a renewed desire to set goals and see them to completion. There's exuberance and expectation--nothing will can stand in your way!
You may be saying, "Blah, blah, blah..." Right, I hear you. For most of us, this is not our first rodeo; we start out with ambition. Bursts of excitement, enthusiasm, and dogged determination are motivating--yet these things often fizzle fast. Self-effort, sans the power of God at work in our lives, will be limited and fleeting; often leaving us feeling frustrated, defeated, and at a loss.
Psalm 108:13 is God's promise to us that when invite and include Him into our lives, our dreams, our goals, our desires we will excel in strength, might, and ability. In so doing, God assures us that he will defeat our adversaries. This is good news from the word of God that we can take to the bank!
Consider the following Hebrew Word Study for further prayer and contemplation:
Valiantly (H2428)-chayil: strength, might, strong, power, wealth, efficiency, to display valor and to show one's self strong
Tread down (H947)-buwc: tread down, desecrate, trample to pieces
Enemies/adversaries(H6862)-tsar: trouble, distress, affliction, foe, anguish, tribulation
Is there an area of your live in which you desire to do valiantly? Is there an adversary that you are able to identify? Perhaps it's a vice, a habit, an addiction? Maybe an unresolved area of hurt, pain, shame, guilt, or offense? Perhaps there is a strained or contentious relationship? Or, maybe you struggle with explosive anger or anxiety or envy or lying? Is it a family secret? A problematic behavior in a child?
Anything that is bringing trouble or distress to our souls is an adversary. Anything that is impeding our capacity to live the "zoe" life (John 10:10) that Jesus promises, is an adversary. We all have an adversary, but it's no match for God! The tragedy is that so many of us become tired and weary on our journey, that we become desensitized to our adversary and begin to "live with it" or accept it. This is not God's desire for his children.
May I encourage you to take some to time to reflect and process the promise of God as indicated in Psalm 108:13? Identify the adversary in your life. Is it new or has it been hanging around for a while? Is it a generational adversary? If you can identify it, you have begun your journey. If you invite the help of God, you are on your way to doing valiantly and experiencing victory in 2018 and beyond!
***Hebrew word study derived from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance***
The beginning of a new year, typically marks a season of "new beginnings"-- a fresh start, if you will. There are New Year's resolutions and a renewed desire to set goals and see them to completion. There's exuberance and expectation--nothing will can stand in your way!
You may be saying, "Blah, blah, blah..." Right, I hear you. For most of us, this is not our first rodeo; we start out with ambition. Bursts of excitement, enthusiasm, and dogged determination are motivating--yet these things often fizzle fast. Self-effort, sans the power of God at work in our lives, will be limited and fleeting; often leaving us feeling frustrated, defeated, and at a loss.
Psalm 108:13 is God's promise to us that when invite and include Him into our lives, our dreams, our goals, our desires we will excel in strength, might, and ability. In so doing, God assures us that he will defeat our adversaries. This is good news from the word of God that we can take to the bank!
Consider the following Hebrew Word Study for further prayer and contemplation:
Valiantly (H2428)-chayil: strength, might, strong, power, wealth, efficiency, to display valor and to show one's self strong
Tread down (H947)-buwc: tread down, desecrate, trample to pieces
Enemies/adversaries(H6862)-tsar: trouble, distress, affliction, foe, anguish, tribulation
Is there an area of your live in which you desire to do valiantly? Is there an adversary that you are able to identify? Perhaps it's a vice, a habit, an addiction? Maybe an unresolved area of hurt, pain, shame, guilt, or offense? Perhaps there is a strained or contentious relationship? Or, maybe you struggle with explosive anger or anxiety or envy or lying? Is it a family secret? A problematic behavior in a child?
Anything that is bringing trouble or distress to our souls is an adversary. Anything that is impeding our capacity to live the "zoe" life (John 10:10) that Jesus promises, is an adversary. We all have an adversary, but it's no match for God! The tragedy is that so many of us become tired and weary on our journey, that we become desensitized to our adversary and begin to "live with it" or accept it. This is not God's desire for his children.
May I encourage you to take some to time to reflect and process the promise of God as indicated in Psalm 108:13? Identify the adversary in your life. Is it new or has it been hanging around for a while? Is it a generational adversary? If you can identify it, you have begun your journey. If you invite the help of God, you are on your way to doing valiantly and experiencing victory in 2018 and beyond!
***Hebrew word study derived from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance***
