Know Who Your Father Is

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26:3-4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

If you would like to have perfect peace, look at verse 3 going backwards. "Because they trust in you."

When something happened recently that shook my peace, I began to recount all the times when God was unbelievably faithful to me and my family. I started listing all of the blessings that I have. I began to praise Him for His power, for His kindness, for His resources, for His patience, for His perfect timing. By the time I finished, I was realizing that God is enough. I am not enough to handle this but God is more than enough.

Mark and I do three minutes of exercise each morning. We start by planking for 60 seconds and giving praise to God. If you recognize who your father is, your attitude changes. If I realize that my father owns the cattle on a thousand hills, why do I need to worry? If my heavenly father can do immeasurably above and beyond what I ask for, why am I afraid?

The Lord is good. He is a safe place to go to in times of trouble. He takes care of those who trust him.”
‭‭Nahum‬ ‭1:7‬ ‭ERV‬‬

Your Own Strength Will Fail You

“He said, “This is the message from the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Your help will not come from your own strength and power. No, your help will come from my Spirit.’ This is what the Lord All-Powerful says.”
‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭4:6‬

What an incredible reminder to us! When we face an army, small or large, our strength will be provided by the Spirit and not by our own power and strength.

For about 5 years, I have attended a strengthening class called Body Pump. I get excited about the progress I have made to lift heavier weights. The last couple of weeks, I have increased my squat weights again. I am able to do all the push-up routines on my toes and not my knees. I have come a long way from my old self.

However, do you think for a second that I can actually be a worthy opponent if I was attacked by a 6 foot guy? No way. How foolish it would be for me to think I have the strength to defeat an enemy with my strength! I would need someone to fight for me.

We need to be the same way when we face our enemy..the accuser, the liar, the deceiver. We absolutely cannot defeat him in our own strength. We need more power and wisdom. We need someone right there beside us to fight for us.

Do not continue to fight your battles with your own strength and wisdom. You will lose every time. Get in the Word! Develop an intense prayer life! You have to have different weapons to fight our adversary.

“The weapons we use are not human ones. Our weapons have power from God and can destroy the enemy’s strong places."
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭10:4‬

By the way, I do not lift weights by myself. I am in a class with 30 other people. I have become a part of a group of friends who care about me and they notice when I am absent from Body Pump. They acknowledge if I am lifting higher weights and they praise me and encourage me. When I use the heaviest weights for squats, they lift the weights off my back when I am done.

Same thing with a small group...you attend until you are a part. You learn everyone's name. You acknowledge when you see growth in their life. However, the most important thing you do is to pray for them when their load is too heavy.