A friend was in northern wilderness of British Columbia hunting elk. He and his hunting buddy were positioned on a hill overlooking hundreds of acres of range. Suddenly in the distance they spotted four adult grizzly bears charging down a ridge toward them. Fear gripped their hearts. There was no point in running; there was no place to hide or to find safety. The only hope was to stand their ground and do all they could hoping the bears would never reach them. They knew, even with high powered rifles the odds of dispatching four adult Grizzlies was slim. In the seconds it took to form a plan the bears disappeared into thicket just below them. They only had about a 20 meter window from the thicket to their position. The plan was to make as much noise, yelling and screaming to hopefully spook the bears. In the minutes that followed they could smell the stench of the bears. After exhausting their vocal cords and every ounce of adrenaline they stopped and waited! The bears never came. They must have entered the thicket and proceeded down the creek bed to the valley below. My friend understood in a new way the dangers of the wilderness!!!

When I heard this story it occurred to me, “What are the Grizzlies in my life?” What are the deadly beasts I hope never reach me? What are the things that would destroy my life? The list included some of the big destroyers: adultery, addictions to alcohol or pornography, love of money and possessions. There are some more subtle ones like pride, bitterness, laziness and jealousy. What are yours? The real question is what am I doing to make sure they never reach me?

There are many things to do, here is a few. First, identify the Grizzlies. They will be different or each person. Second, don’t put yourself in harms way. People that play with fire get burned. Are your activities pushing you toward danger? Third, draw on God’s wisdom by spending time in reading the Bible. Forth, realize there is a real spiritual battle. Consider the following:

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him firm in your faith, the God of all grace, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” 1 Peter 5: 6-10

By Mike Woodard
used by permission

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“Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, ‘We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.'”  Numbers 13:30 (NIV)

God wants you confident in the truth that, through him, all things are possible.

Every day of your life, you have a choice:

• You can focus on the bigness of the giants that stand before you, or …
• You can focus on the bigness of the one, true God who is pouring his strength into you.

Your focus will determine your behaviour, and it will influence your faith.

When the Israelites first approached the borders of Canaan, Moses sent scouts into the Promised Land to assess the situation. Ten of the scouts came back with reports that focused on the giants in the land, men so big and powerful the scouts feared they could not be defeated.

However, two of the scouts remained focused on the promise from God that he would hand the land over to the Israelites. One of those scouts, Caleb, silenced the others when he said,

“We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it” Numbers 13:30b (NIV).

He was focused on the magnitude of God, not the magnitude of any giant challenges ahead. Today you may see many giants that challenge your faith — giants of time and energy, finances and resources, fear and faithlessness.

God wants you to be confident that he’s pouring his strength into you so you can do whatever it takes to defeat these giants. God says you can take possession of an abundant life because he is with you.

By seeing his hand sweep away the personal giants in your life, you’ll be even more confident that you can do all things through him who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13).

Thoughts:
•    What giants are you facing today?
•    Meditate on the greatness or “bigness” of God. How do your problems compare?

By Jon Walker
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

•  A Bible Study on Waiting on God
•  Hearing God’s Voice – a Study by Charles Stanley

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

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