HEROES IN THE FAITH

Several years ago, as I was praying for our TLCCM team of workers in Tijuana, and the Lord gave me a Word for them. Our team of workers are heroes in the faith. They really are! They work long hours without pay, in various areas of the ministry. Many of them work behind the scenes where nobody really sees their dedication and faithfulness. Nevertheless, they do what they do with joy and in unity. They are heroes in the faith.

In this BLOG, I want to encourage those of you, who serve the Lord in whatever area of ministry you have been called to serve. Mostly, I want to encourage the ones that work behind the scenes or in a capacity that many times your work and dedication is not understood or appreciated. I especially want to bless those who might feel like an “unknown” even if you are always surrounded by people.

Many of you reading this article are heroes in the faith! Most of you just don’t realize it.

The Lord uses various situations and difficult times in our lives to build our character and to bring forth the hero in us. He will often bring to the forefront a good and talented christian person that would otherwise stay unknown in their own environment. He will use situations, problems and adversities to reveal a real person of faith, a hero in the faith. I sincerely think that the Lord seeks to bring out “a hero in the faith” in all of us.

Through those various situations and often difficult times, the heroes in the faith come forth with strength, peace, dedication and wisdom. We are not all called to be Billy Graham. But, every day, we are certainly are all called to do make a difference around us, no matter who we are or where we are.

Pastor Paul Goulet of the International Church of Las Vegas once said something that deeply touched my heart. His words were: ”Can we change the world?” Many people think: “No, I can’t change the world. But the fact is that we can. If each of us does what the Lord asks us to do, we can change the world one person at a time, no matter who we are or wherever we are.

Your age is not important, your education although important, is not mandatory. What is important is having a pure and humble heart and a willingness to serve.

1 Samuel:17 we read that David was such a person. Like many of us, David was an unknown. But, he had a servant’s heart.  He was young. For the most part, he was out in the fields near Bethlehem taking care of his father’s sheep. Not a very prestigious job.

He was a shepherd boy. He was not even on the battlefield with his brothers. He only went to the battlefield when his father Jesse asked him to bring food and to inquire about the well-being of his brothers.

After he had brought the food to the keeper of the supplies, he ran to the battle line to see his brothers. As he was talking with them, Goliath the champion soldier of the Philistines came out of his lines to harass and threaten Saul’s army. For 40 days this aggressive giant had come out of the lines of his army and shouted defiance to the Israelites.

Today was going to be different, David was there in front of Goliath. David the little shepherd boy, David the unknown. Today, things were going to change. While David studied the situation, all the Israelites ran away in fear.

David was brave. He had killed a lion and a bear to protect his sheep. But when he came forward to offer to fight Goliath even one of his brothers made fun of him.  He even asked him with whom had David left his few sheep. He accused David of being conceited. 

He made David feel like he had no value. Did this ever happen to some of you? It has happened to me, and more than once. It certainly is not a good feeling. It is difficult for our emotions and self-esteem when someone cannot find anything positive to say about you, about your calling or about your everyday decisions. It takes faith, determination and the knowledge that you know who you are in Christ to be able to shake those negatives comments. It takes faith to believe that because of Jesus you have value.

David was not one to give up. So, he stepped away from his brothers and went to the other soldiers. But they also mocked him. Out of sheer frustration, he said: “Can’t I even speak? ”  He was more of a diplomat that I would have been. I would have said: “What is your problem?”

Finally, he told Saul: “Do not to lose heart on account of this Philistine, your servant will go and fight him. Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.”

David completely depended on God.  In verse 37 he says: ^“The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." He did not say, might deliver me, possibly he will deliver me. NO, he said He will deliver me.

Crisis, trial or difficulties forces to get on our knees and completely depend on God. I know that to be true. I’ve been on my knees a lot in the past several years. I would not have made it without completely trusting God to take care of me.

David knew how to depend on God.  How else would he have had the faith and confidence to face this 3 meter's giant with only a few small rocks?.

We must face our crisis or difficult situations with the same faith David faced Goliath.  We must speak the Word of God in faith and tell our giants the same thing David told Goliath.  With faith and authority we must say: “Devil, you come against me with situations, problems, difficulties…… but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty….Devil this day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I will defeat you and the whole world will know that the Lord is my God.

David had great faith in God. He was confident that the Lord would resolve a very dangerous situation. Actually, for David, it could have meant death.

He might have been just a shepherd boy, but David had the faith of a giant. 

We must all learn to trust the Lord with the faith of David.

In 1983, Roger and I traveled to Israel. Our travel guide took us to an olive grove to show us how they made olive oil. For this procedure, olives are put in a round cement container (tank). Over the olives, they install weights to long pieces of wood.  The donkeys are then harnessed to those weights and pieces of wood. They then proceed to go around and around the cement container. While they go around and around the weights put pressure on the olives.  It is a long procedure, but eventually they get oil

In times of crisis we are like the olives, we are pressed on every side. We feel the pressure.  But if we learn to trust to Lord, the “oil” of His strength, the “oil” of His peace, the “oil” of His love will pour out on us and get us through our crisis. This is how we grow in our faith, this is how we overcome the enemy of our soul.

I personally know many of you who read this BLOG. In my eyes you are heroes in the faith.  You have been through some very difficult times, but I have also seen you completely trust the Lord. Trust the Lord with the same faith David had when he faced Goliath.

Through those difficult times, you have learned to let the oil of His peace, the oil of His love, the oil of His faith be your strength. You have been through some rough situations, but you have always come out on the other side, praising God, being a good witness and continuing to serve Him. I call you: Heroes in the faith.

For those I do not know, in whatever crisis you may be going through right now, may I please encourage you to have the faith of David. Trust the Lord that He will be  

with you and give you the strength you need for your own situation. There is no Goliath that the Lord cannot help you conquer.  Sometimes He will deliver you from your fire. Other times He will let you go through the fire. But always, He is with you in your fire. (Pastor John Haggee)

Let your prayer be: “Lord give me faith of David to go through this crisis, be with me in this difficult situation. Pour out your oil of love, peace and strength over my life.” Amen!

Please, don’t lose heart in the face of your crisis because our God is faithful, always so very faithful.  Amen! By keeping faith in the Lord and continuing to serve Him through the good days and through the hard days, you will become or continue to be heroes in the faith.

Most important never forget to always be grateful and to give God all the glory.

Denise
Please note: Reading 1 Samuel chapter 17, will help you understand what I wrote in this BLOG.