Hiccups

Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. ~ Ephesians 6:13-18 MSG

Hiccup: a minor difficulty, interruption, setback ~ dictionary.com

I was thinking about hiccups this morning as little Elizabeth had them, causing my whole stomach to jolt with each one.  Hiccups inside the womb are rather comical.  Hiccups in your infant when she’s almost asleep are frustrating, as there are so few “tricks” to stop them.  Hiccups in life can be just as frustrating, as they seem to come out of nowhere.  And even though they are “temporary,” in the midst of them, they can be all-consuming.

But Ephesians 6 reminds us to be prepared and to take all the help we can get.  You see, we may not know exactly when the hiccups will come or how they will come—as a job loss, as a sickness, as financial difficulty, or the failing of promise fulfilled—but we can take comfort in knowing that God has already given us everything we need so that after the dust settles, we will still be on our feet.  This passage also reminds us that God’s Word is an indispensable weapon.  Joshua 1:8 instructs us to meditate on it day and night so that we will prosper and succeed in everything we do.  We are also to keep our eyes open by praying for ourselves as well as each other so that we will be strong during this ongoing warfare and so that no one will fall behind.

So what are the hiccups in your life?  What are your setbacks, interruptions, and difficulties?  Unlike some of the tricks—drinking water upside down or holding your breath till they pass—you’ll need real weapons to get through them.  Just as Ephesians 6 instructs, learn how to apply truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation to your life, meditate on God’s Word, and be continuously in prayer.  Only then will you be able to stand through your hiccups.

Father, help us to remember that hiccups are only temporary and with the weapons You have entrusted to us, we can make our way through them.  Help us to remember to turn to You, as we are up against far more than we can handle on our own.  In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

© Heather Potts 2014

When Do We Need Perseverance?

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. ~ James 1:12

When do we need perseverance?

 When there’s opposition.

When is there opposition?

Whenever God is about to do something great.

Perseverance is “the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings,” (blueletterbible.com).  That means when God has made us a promise to do something great in our lives, we must stand firm on His Truth, press deeper into His Word, and put on the full armor of God as never before.  When God makes a promise to us the enemy is also aware of it and he will stop at nothing to ensure God’s promises are not fulfilled in our lives.

What does opposition look like?  It’s anything from people’s words and attitudes to mountains of bills to attacks on your home and your health.  Opposition is tailored specifically for you by an enemy who has studied you a long time.  He knows what things still make you tick and what things you’ve already overcome.  Any area you’ve already overcome, he won’t bother you with because the enemy’s purpose is to defeat you as quickly and as thoroughly as possible.

But do not lose heart, because God says, “My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please…What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do,” (Isaiah 46:10-11).  God is on your side and wants nothing more than for you to succeed and have victory over the opposition you are facing.  And God knows we do and we will face opposition, which is why he prepares us in advance by sending us His Word and surrounding us with believers who will pray us through.  God knows that when we have victory over the opposition, when we persevere and do not give up, the praise and glory He receives is great.

Father God, many of us are facing great opposition today.  But as great as the opposition is, You are greater.  As strong and as hard as the battle, You are mightier.  Lord, Your Word promises that You will not allow the righteous—that’s us—to fall, but You will restore us.  Lord, as we press into You today, reveal to us the Truth or the promise that we need to succeed and overcome the opposition we face today.  Lord, as we read your promises, our faith and excitement grow as we move toward the great victory we will have over this opposition.  Lord, be with us today and reveal at least one new truth to us.  In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

A Spirit of Self-Control

Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it. ~ Genesis 4:7

It’s been reported that in the third trimester of pregnancy not only do the symptoms of the first trimester come back, but they are intensified.  Yesterday was the day that it all seemed true for me.  I couldn’t find anything to calm my heartburn and everything, including drinking water, seemed to trigger it.  I was exhausted, having gotten very choppy sleep.  And emotionally, I was both drained but at the same time, charged.  Something happened at work that frustrated me.  I wisely, decided I would ignore the situation until another day, when I thought I would be calmer.  All the way home, I questioned my reaction to the situation: was I reacting to due to stress, due to lack of sleep, due to hormones, due to pride, or a combination?  In talking with my husband, he said it was just a test, saying that the end of the marathon is never easier than the beginning, but crossing the finish line in victory is so sweet.

This morning when I woke up, I realized that while physically, medically, my hormones may be coursing through my body, effecting my emotions, my thoughts, and my reactions.  Spiritually, I didn’t have to succumb to any of that.  God whispered His promises to me and those are the things I’ve chosen to stand firm upon: I have the mind of Christ; I was not given a spirit of fear, but one of Power, of Love, and of a Sound-Mind and Self-Control (1 Corinthians 2:16; 2 Timothy 1:7).  And because of that, I have the power to keep myself calm in the fact of temptation and of adversity.  I don’t have to let my emotions control me.  I have been given the tools and the power to overcome them.  Just because many have fallen prey to it doesn’t mean I have to anymore.

Thank you, Father, for this beautiful and amazing promise you have given to me today.

For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. ~ 1 John 5:4