Shepastor: "Can You Fight in the Valley?"

28 And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD. I Kings 20:28, KJV

Israel had a history and reputation of being able to fight and win battles in the hills, on the mountains. But they were believed to be vulnerable in the valleys. So the Syrians conspired to attack and overthrow them in the valley. They wrongly believed that God was only with them on the mountains and hills. But God is also the God of the valleys. God uses valleys to teach us some things that mountain top experiences cannot. We must learn how to fight against the enemy not only when we are on the mountain, but down in the valley.

Can you trust God in your valley? Can you “watch, fight and pray” while standing in the midst of the valley? If you can only praise God on the mountain top then you need to check your praise. We must learn to say like David, “I will bless the Lord at ALL TIMES His praise shall CONTINUALLY BE IN MY MOUTH!”

It’s not easy to praise in the valley. That’s why the enemy tries to fight us there – the valley is where we are vulnerable…the valley is where doubts and fears try to beat us up…the valley is where we begin to question everything that we thought we believed about God. The valley is where our faith is challenged. But it’s in the valley that we have the greatest opportunity to affirm our stance that God is with us. In the valley is where we have the greatest opportunity to build ourselves up on our most holy faith. In the valley is where we bring the “sacrifice of praise.” Can you fight in the valley? Can you stand in the valley? Can you continue to trust God in the valley? Is God still God in the valley? If God is God when we are on the mountain, then God is God when we are in the valley!

Yes, the valley is a hard place, but the valley can be a transforming place…a place that can teach you, a place that can strengthen you and a place that can show the enemy that you worship and serve God whether on the mountain or in the valley! The devil would have you believe that you cannot be delivered from the valley. Some today are stuck in the valley. They are stuck in the valley because discouragement, devastation, and disappointment have made them heavy with bitterness, anger, resentment, hostility and fear. But you don’t have to stay in the valley. You can recover from the valley.

Somebody is asking the question today, “Lord, I’ve tried and failed so many times, will I ever recover? Will I ever succeed?” And God is saying “Yes, but you must fight the battle my way and not your own.” Pain is real. Suffering is real. The valley is real!!! The enemy has tactics devised to keep us broken, keep us wounded, keep us drowning in sorrow and without hope. But greater is the God within us than the devil in the world! When we yield ourselves to God daily…submitting our hearts to the altar daily…seeking God’s face daily…God will give us the grace, the strength, the peace, the power to face each valley experience. One step at a time, one day at a time, holding to God’s unchanging hand, believing in God’s Holy Word, standing on God’s promises, God will teach our hands to war and will show us how to be victorious not only on the mountain top but down in the valley.

The song writer said,

“All the way my Savior leads me
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercies?
Who through life has been my guide
Heavenly peace, divinest comfort
Ere by faith in Him to dwell
For I know whate'er fall me
Jesus doeth all things well…”

Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com

Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris
www.shepastorchris.org

Shepastor: "Are You Hiding From the Enemy?"

11 The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Judges 6:11-12, NIV

Last week Shepastor focused upon God's direction to Gideon, "Go in the strength that you have." Today we'll consider Gideon's experience of"threshing wheat in the wine press..."

Gideon and his household were bearing the brunt of things that happened long before he was born. But what Gideon didn’t realize was that God was going to use him to break the cycle of the curses and bring about healing and deliverance. When the angel of the Lord called Gideon a “mighty warrior,” and told him that God would use him to deliver Israel from the hand of the enemy, Gideon immediately began to list all of the reasons why this couldn’t possibly be true…

My family is weak
I am the weakest of all!!!

According to the text, Gideon was hiding in a wine press, "threshing wheat."

At the time that the Lord appeared to him, Gideon was camouflaging his process of threshing wheat. Threshing is the process of loosening the edible part of grain (or other crop) from the husks and straw to which it is attached. He was hiding as he worked to get the wheat off of the stalk because the Midianites were stealing all of their food, leaving many to starve. As Gideon was going about the business of trying to secure some food for his family, feeling depressed, feeling like nothing, feeling like all hope was lost, suddenly, the Lord appeared in the form of an Angel and called him a "mighty warrior!"

Gideon certainly must have said to himself, "Are you kidding me???" Don't you see me hiding from the enemy, trying to get Something good out of a bad situation...

Sometimes it feels like the enemy has taken so much that we go into hiding...trying to separate what we can use from what we need to throw away. We go into hiding, into our psychological “threshing floor…” trying to pull some good out of all of the bad things that have happened to us.

We go into hiding in our hearts, in our minds, in our spirits because we don't want others to know that we are struggling, that we are depressed, that we are worried, that we are broken. We wear the "mask" to camouflage the pain, the disappointment, the fear that others will see our perceived weakness. We go into hiding because we've already lost so much... the enemy has stripped us of so much that we are just trying to hold onto what little we feel we have left…our dignity, our self respect, our self worth, our mind!!! So we go down to the threshing floor trying to pull something good, anything good from the mess that we are in.

But God wants you to know that He sees you, He's coming for you, He’s got you, He's got a word for you… you are not weak, you are not defeated, you are not pitiful, you are not sorry…NO! You are a MIGHTY WARRIOR!!!

God wants you to know that God is not only going to deliver you, but God is going to use you to deliver others…your family, your children, your community…GREATER IS COMING!!!

Are you hiding from the enemy, fearful of being stripped of what little you believe you have left? The Lord is saying, It's time to rise from your threshing floor! Stop hiding! Stop calling yourself by the names given by the enemy!" Instead, call yourself by the name I call you, "Mighty Warrior!!!"

Come out of the winepress...come up from the threshing floor! MIGHTY WARRIOR, God is going to defeat the enemy and use you in the process!

Get ready...GREATER IS COMING!!!

Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com

Until next Wednesday
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris
www.shepastorchris.org

Shepastor: "Go In The Strength That You Have..."

11 The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”
13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
14 The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
16 The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.” Judges 6: 11-16, NIV

“If the Lord is with me, why have all of these things happened?” That was the question that Gideon asked the angel. Gideon and his family were suffering along with all of the other Israelites because of the oppression of the Midianites. Because of continual disobedience and idol worship, the Lord allowed this enemy nation to terrorize the Israelites, taking over their land, robbing them of their food and livestock, and basically making their lives miserable!

Unfortunately, Gideon and many like him were experiencing the consequences of generational sins. But what Gideon didn’t realize was that God was going to use him to bring about healing and deliverance. When the angel of the Lord called Gideon a “mighty warrior,” and told him that God would use him to deliver Israel from the hand of the enemy, Gideon immediately began to list all of the reasons why this couldn’t possibly be true…

-My family is weak
-I am the weakest of all!!!

Gideon did not understand the might that God had already placed within him. Listen again to the Lord’s response…

14 The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
16 The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

Maybe like Gideon, you are overwhelmed by all that is happening in your life, in the life of your family and in the world around you. Maybe you are asking, “If the Lord is with us, If the Lord is with me, then why are all of these bad things happening??? Could it be that like Gideon, the Lord is calling forth the “mighty warrior” in you to make a difference? Although you may not see it, the Lord knows the strength, the courage, the authority, the power that was placed within you for such a time as this.

It does not matter that your family may be broken, “weak,” dysfunctional, oppressed. It does not matter that you feel like one of the “least of these.” When God names you “mighty,” God empowers you to do great things!

“For such a time as this…” God is calling forth “Gideons” to heal, to deliver and to set free. Instead of focusing upon your perceived weaknesses, walk in your new name… “Mighty Warrior!” Your war is not against flesh and blood, however, but against enemies that the natural eye cannot see.

Your enemy will not be defeated with human weaponry, but rather through prayer, faith and perseverance. The Lord will use you to break the curses that have daunted your family line for generations…curses of dysfunctional behaviors…curses of addictions…curses of abuse…curses of illegal and illicit behaviors…curses of imprisonment…curses of broken families…curses of cyclical poverty.

The Lord is calling forth the mighty warrior in you to bring about deliverance, healing and hope. How? “Go in the strength that you have” and God will go with you. You make the first step towards healing. You make the first step towards doing what is right. You make the first step to trust and obey God’s Word. You make the first step from dysfunction and sin to wholeness and righteous living. You are the mighty warrior called to break the chains fashioned by the enemy for your destruction.

It does not matter how weak or small you feel. Surrender your fears to God, go in the strength that you have and God will go with you. By God’s grace, God will teach you how to fight, win and become more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com

Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris
www.shepastorchris.org

Shepastor: "Relief..."

35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did itto one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ Matthew 25: 35-40, NKJV

Some years ago, the makers of a popular over the counter ant-acid used a commercial to promote their product that started, "How do you spell relief?" Wouldn't it be wonderful if there were a single pill that would erase all of the proverbial "acid re-flux" caused by the painful realities we are facing in the world today? While we don't have a pill to eradicate pain, God has given us something greater. We have each other...

Today I encourage Shepastor readers to reflect upon the painful realities below and consider how, as individuals we can bring some relief...

Relief efforts in support of Puerto Rico…
American Baptist Home Mission Societies, in response to the devastating impact upon U.S. Citizens in Puerto Rico and Islands has launched, "Rebuilding, Restoring, Renewing Puerto Rico." For details and to give online, click on the link below...
http://abhms.org/mission/themes/puerto-rico-relief/

Relief for those needing access to healthier food and quality of life…
How far do you have to travel to get to the grocery store? Many in urban areas live in "food deserts," meaning that full service grocery stores are over a mile away. This is important because many in those areas don't have vehicles. Some must take three (3) buses, literally, to get to a mainline grocery store. Statistics show that there is a direct correlation between health outcomes and access to affordable, healthy food. Today at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, I had the opportunity to listen to and discuss supermarket access. Learn more about this important discussion and how you can make a difference at www.ccbh.net and type in “Food desert.”

Relief for those lives devastated by gun violence…
Let us pray for all of those devastated by the horrific acts of a single gunman in Las Vegas, NV…the deadliest mass shooting in recent U.S. history. Let us pray for the courage and the wisdom to re-examine and change current gun laws that allow civilians to purchase fire arms and additional “military like” components that transform basic guns into war weapons.

May we pray for and engage in actions that help to bring relief…relief for those who have lost so much…relief for those who are grieving and are terrorized …relief for those who are hungry. We are the hands and feet of Jesus...

“Hear our prayers Oh Lord, incline thine ear to us and grant us thy peace…”

Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris
www.shepastorchris.org