Philippians 4:13 – “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
A very well-known verse that reminds us that when we put our faith in Jesus, nothing is impossible.
In fact, the above can be reinforced further with another bible verse, Matthew 19:26 – Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Every single one of us goes through challenges and difficulties, very often it’s when we can’t see a way forward or when things get too tough that we throw the towel in.
This is usually the case when we have a dream we want to accomplish or a heart desire we want to become a reality so badly. We know it’s a part of our future, we know it is what we were called to become or have, but because of the opposition, we give up on it when the going gets tough.
But have you ever noticed that when we do, there is that still small voice on the inside, that small feeling for it that is still clawing at us, kicking us to go back after it?
This is one of the reasons why I started Manna of Cannan, to help you go back after them and my blog’s motto is: Accomplish your Dreams and enter your Promised Land.
The Promised Land represents your dreams, your prayers, and your heart desires, the journey was never promised to be easy, but the destination upon arriving will always exceed expectations.
The most rewarding things in life are never easy. Those journeys very often take the longest.
The Bible talks about a short path with many obstacles and a long path with very few obstacles. The most common response is to head to the shorter path as it won’t take as long; very few people go along the longer road.
The people on the shorter road make great progress, but because of the obstacles and the amount they face, it becomes too much and they give up.
Giving up means turning their way back over everything they have already overcome to pick up the other road that leads to their destiny.
By then, those who walked the longer route were already further ahead than those who walked the shorter route.
Part of this is patience. Those along the longer path were willing to take their time, to not let life’s worries affect their journey and continue on a brisk pace knowing that each step brought them closer to their dreams.
Whether we take the shorter or longer path doesn’t matter, nor does it come down to how many challenges we face, it comes down to the person. Very often we let the circumstances determine our actions.
David is an example of how he didn’t let things get the better of him.
When Goliath challenged the Israelites to a one-on-one duel, there was not one person willing to step forward, despite Goliath’s ongoing taunts, the Israelites remained passive.
Fear was also a factor as Goliath was a giant standing much higher than anyone else on the battlefield. When things appear bigger, the most common reaction is to shrink back. Sometimes we do nothing or walk away, even run from that situation entirely.
But out of everyone in the land, David was the only one willing to make a stand against him, he was offered armour and weaponry from Saul, but because he couldn’t move and use them properly, he took them off and went out with only a pair of sandals and a single layer of clothing.
The armour could have offered good protection and it offers anyone who wears it a better chance at survival. But by not wearing this, three things can be learnt from this:
- The odds being so against you make the victory to happen even more impressive.
- Defeating things that are bigger, tougher and more challenging provides a great testimony for you to tell others.
- People around you will be amazed and inspired by you.
There is a David in us all and we each have Goliaths in our lives, if you will be patient, but also have hope and faith, then those giants will topple and you will emerge victorious.
When David stood to face Goliath, the giant laughed and taunted even more, particularly at the weapon of choice David bought, a sling and a stone.
David being about 5 foot in height faced a mountain of a man who stood at around 9 – 10 foot tall. That didn’t intimidate him in the slightest. As Goliath charged, with one stone and throw of his sling, David took down the giant and he was rewarded greatly for what he accomplished.
David remained patient, he wasn’t willing to let Goliath, an incredibly big and tough obstacle stop him. While he could see that Goliath was big, he knew that God was bigger than him.
Everyone who was witness to that day was left speechless.
Zechariah 4:7 says – “Obstacles as great as mountains will disappear before you. You will rebuild the Temple, and as you put the last stone in place, the people will shout, “Beautiful, beautiful!”
Every obstacle is conquerable, every challenge can be overcome. You were created to be those things, conquerors, overcomers, victors, vindicators.
Some things may be very difficult, but the most rewarding things are never easy to obtain. Be the example, be the inspiration and show what happens, when you keep going. You will be the inspiration and the testimony to others and you and even help them achieve what they are hoping to accomplish.
In my next blog post, I will be writing about a couple of challenges I faced. These examples I hope will encourage you to keep pushing forward. It may not be the same thing you’re looking to do, but the journey we are all on is very similar.
Always cheering you on.
Stay the course hero.