Rinnâ

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4KEgwLDLHw

Don’t Tread on Me ~ We the Kingdom

The Lord your God in your midst,

The Mighty One, will save;

He will rejoice over you with gladness,

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.

~ Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV

I grew up in a pool, and for many years, on a swim team. Though I competed in other events, I preferred backstroke, because I could see my friends cheering me into the wall. It helped to have friends and family cheering. It’s a lot harder to keep up the discipline of a strong finish when no one’s there for you. I use the analogy of swimming, because it’s what I know, but it’s true of every sport and all of life. The reason stadiums hand out annoying noise-makers is to encourage the players, especially when their team isn’t winning. It helps to know you’ve got someone in your corner, someone who’s on your side.

As I sat down to pray this morning, the line “He will rejoice over you with singing,” from Zephaniah 3:17, seemed to leap out at me. The phrase, “over you with singing,” is the Hebrew word rinnâ, which means, “shouting for joy.” I have some friends who are walking through hard battles. Sometimes, especially when the battle is long, it can feel like God is “busy elsewhere,” and has forgotten us. But the truth is, He’s always with us and never loses sight of us. In fact, He’s constantly cheering us on, encouraging us, and shouting with joy and pride at our progress:

Come on, Son! Come on, Daughter! You’ve got this! You’re more than a conqueror! You’re an overcomer! Don’t give up! I’ve got you. Don’t quit! Just a little bit more. Just a little farther. You can do this. I’m right here with you!

Hebrews 12:1 says we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, people of faith sent by God to encourage us and show us the way. Just like it encouraged me as people cheered for my swimming, we’re encouraged and strengthened when we know we’re not alone. Regardless of who’s telling us we can’t, God sent His Spirit to dwell within us, reminding us of what we can do in Him. My prayer is that, as we allow God’s love to quiet us, shutting out the noise, we’ll hear Holy Spirit cheering us all the way to a strong finish.

©Heather Potts 2021

Don't Get Derailed

 https://youtu.be/o4KEgwLDLHw

Don't Tread On Me ~ We the Kingdom 

Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour. ~ 1 Peter 5:8 AMP

When we were little, it was common fun to lay coins on the railroad tracks, then see how the train had flattened them. At some point, however, a report came out, saying that coins on the tracks could derail the train, damaging the train, and possibly killing the engineer. Though the report was later debunked, it was reported that snow, ice, and rocks had caused trains to derail.

If a small pile of rocks are enough to derail a train, how much more could the cunning, conniving devil derail us from God’s plans? Think about it: the average train travels about 26 mph and weighs anywhere from 1,500 to 18,000 tons. In comparison, the African elephant, the largest land animal, weighs between 2 and 7 tons, and the Blue whale, the largest of all creatures, weighs about 198 US tons. It’s doubtful that the elephant or the whale would get put off course by a few rocks, and yet a train, which weighs 10 times or more than either animal, is in danger of derailing from what wouldn’t bother them. 

How does that relate to us?

1 Peter 5:8 says the devil prowls around like a lion, looking to devour you. He’s hunting and studying you, waiting till you’re weak and easy prey. Maybe he won’t kill you, but as long as he can derail you from following God’s plans, he’s won. Perhaps as a young child, you felt God’s call on your life, and knew where you were to follow. Then in college, someone you highly respected was harsh towards you. After a few more similar blows, you chose to take another path, turning away from God’s initial calling.

We live in a 3D world with time and space constraints. But God, who is a Spirit being, lives outside of time and space. He, who was before the beginning and will be after the end of time, knows all of time and is not restrained or defined by its rules, (Revelations 1:8). Though the enemy thought he’d won, because at age 20 you followed another path, God used all those years, trials, hurts, and victories to shape you and the calling you would step into much later in life. If God, who is no respecter of persons, will do that for one person’s calling, won’t He also do it for others, including those called to be teachers, parents, astronauts, dancers, painters, writers, pastors, doctors, lawyers, zoologists, park rangers, presidents, actors, and anything else He lays on your heart? The answer is yes, for everyone who turns to and follows Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Maybe you're realizing that you let hurts and other things derail you from God's calling. Don't despair. Remember God's promise from Ephesians 2:10, that He has a plan for you. Now that you know, do three things: 1) Pray. You’ll never get anywhere without God’s guidance. Ask Holy Spirit to guide you each step of the way. 2) Stay Focused. This world has lots of distractions--many, even good. But the world’s good will never measure up to God’s best for you. Be determined to follow where God leads. 3) Stay Alert. The devil is still trying to thwart God’s plans, and he’ll keep using hurts, lies, and distractions to do it. Fortunately, you're no longer ignorant to his schemes. Now, stay alert and don't get derailed!

©Heather Potts 2021