Category: Hebrews

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Building a Life

Our life has taken some interesting turns recently. I’m not able to share the details yet but I will later. It has been challenging to say the least. I have pulled into the Lord for His strength and direction. I have certainly learned alot about my relationship with the Father and found, once again, that He is always faithful!

Some of you are dealing with some pretty heavy stuff right now. Maybe to those looking in it might not appear to be that big of a deal or maybe it’s so big that people are telling you anyone would crumble if they were in your shoes. Friends and their words can be an encouragement and strength but they can also add to your burden and not realize it, so let’s look at what God’s word has to say about His faithfulness during difficult times.

The message is strong – “I will NEVER leave you”!

The writer of Hebrews tells us to put our faith, our hope, our perspective on the Lord and His faithfulness, not on money or circumstances. Nothing wrong with money but it cannot buy peace or be our source of strength.

Then he tells us to look at our rulers (spiritual leaders) and see how God has been faithful and moved in their lives. Their testimonies are an encouragement of the Father’s faithfulness and love. The writer of Hebrews ends with this thought. He tells us that Jesus set a precedent for moving in our lives because He IS the same – yesterday, today and forever!

“Keep your lives free from the love of money. And be satisfied with what you have. God has said,“I will never leave you; I will never run away from you.” 6 So we can feel sure and say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. People can do nothing to me.” 7 Remember your leaders. They taught God’s message to you. Remember how they lived and died, and copy their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:5-8 ERV

Every time I woke last night, and there were many, the words to this song came rushing into my heart. In fact, I laid there for over an hour just singing this anthem from the depths of my being. “Build My Life” by Songwriters: Matt Redman, Pat Barrett, Brett Younker, Karl Martin, Kirby Kaple, Karl Andrew Martin

And I will build my life upon your love, it is a firm foundation
And I will put my trust in you alone
And I will not be shaken
And I will build my life upon your love, it is a firm foundation
And I will put my trust in you alone
And I will not be shaken (Holy)

Holy, there is no one like you
There is none beside you
Open up my eyes in wonder
And show me who you are and fill me
With your heart and lead me
In your love to those around me (repeat)

The building blocks for my life are built on a firm foundation of God’s love for me. He will never abandon me – He will never leave me alone – I will not be deserted by my loving heavenly Father!

Don’t give up – Don’t quit! God is going through this with you and He will bring you out victorious!!!

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Eyes of Love

As we start this Easter week, I would like us to focus on the depth of Jesus’ love – His love for the Father and His love for us. He served the Father with loving obedience and He freely gave His life so that ours could be redeemed. He knew what His future held.

JESUS KNEW!!!

He knew what was going to happen to him and He didn’t open his mouth to defend Himself! He knew and he didn’t destroy the soldiers who came to arrest Him in the garden. He knew and he didn’t demand that His disciples die with Him or come to His aide, He simply asked them to pray with Him that He would stand strong to face the trial that was ahead.

He knew He would be separated from God. He knew the torture that He would face. It was all prophesied in the Old Testament. He knew and He loved us so much that He chose to face this awful death.

HE KNEW!! He knew the prophesy.

“My God, my God, why have you deserted me? Why are you so far away? Won’t you listen to my groans and come to my rescue?…15 My strength has dried up like a broken clay pot,and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You, God, have left me to die in the dirt. 16 Brutal enemies attack me like a pack of dogs,tearing at my hands and my feet. 17 I can count all my bones, and my enemies just stare and sneer at me. 18 They took my clothes and gambled for them. 19 Don’t stay far away, LORD! My strength comes from you, so hurry and help…31 People not yet born will be told, “The Lord has saved us!” Psalm 22

He knew and He experienced the pain!

“At noon the whole country became dark. The darkness continued for three hours. 46 About three o’clock Jesus cried out loudly, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” This means “My God, my God, why have you left me alone?”47 Some of the people standing there heard this. They said, “He is calling Elijah.”48 Quickly, one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled the sponge with sour wine and tied the sponge to a stick. Then he used the stick to give the sponge to Jesus to get a drink from it. 49 But the others said, “Don’t bother him. We want to see if Elijah will come to save him.” 50 Again Jesus cried out loudly and then died…The army officer and the soldiers guarding Jesus saw this earthquake and everything that happened. They were very afraid and said, ‘He really was the Son of God!’” Matthew 27:45-50

He knew!! He had a purpose.

“We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne. 3 Think about Jesus. He patiently endured the angry insults that sinful people were shouting at him. Think about him so that you won’t get discouraged and stop trying. 4 You are struggling against sin, but you have not had to give up your life for the cause.” Hebrews 12:2-4 ERV

HE LOVED – HE KNEW – HE CAME – HE DIED – HE ROSE – HE LIVES!

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Run the Race

This morning I am dedicating this blog to my children. They are amazing people.

A few months ago our son-in-law ran his first marathon. It had been cancelled but he traveled to the race site with our daughter and grandson and ran the course anyway. He had trained for it and he ran his race.

This encouraged our youngest daughter who, today, will run her first half marathon. She has been training for months and her race was also cancelled but today she will be running through the streets of her neighborhood to accomplish her goal.

Our children have overcome physical injury and disease and they continue to press on to achieve the goals and dreams in their heart. Their roads haven’t been easy but that’s what makes the accomplishment so rewarding.

“You know that in a race all the runners run, but only one runner gets the prize. So run like that. Run to win! 25 All who compete in the games use strict training. They do this so that they can win a prize—one that doesn’t last. But our prize is one that will last forever.” I Corinthians 9:24-25 ERV

Each of us has been given a race to run, that race is life! Our courses differ. God has given each of us a purpose. Our race is to bring Him honor and glory and He will run every step of it with us, if we ask Him too.

Remember yesterday’s verse – “I will not, I will not, I will not leave you alone or abandon you”. That’s the Father’s promise to us. We are not in this race of life alone. He is with us to protect and strengthen us. We also have a cheering section to encourage us along the journey.

“All these many people who have had faith in God are around us like a cloud. Let us put every thing out of our lives that keeps us from doing what we should. Let us keep running in the race that God has planned for us.” Hebrews 12:1 NLV

When we commit our lives to the Lord, when we receive God’s gift of eternal life, we are given a plan personalized for our strengths and talents. Jesus know the hardships we will face in life and He is here to help us all along the way.

“So Jesus had to become like His brothers in every way. He had to be one of us to be our Religious Leader to go between God and us. He had loving-pity on us and He was faithful. He gave Himself as a gift to die on a cross for our sins so that God would not hold these sins against us any longer. 18 Because Jesus was tempted as we are and suffered as we do, He understands us and He is able to help us when we are tempted.” Hebrews 2:17-18 NLV

Whatever we face in our race of life we aren’t alone. Run with confidence. Jesus is running with us. We will finish the race and receive the prize of life eternal with our Father.

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My Best Friend

Yesterday while I was out working in my yard I was letting my thoughts run. They took me to memories of friends, new and old. I was reminded of confidences we have shared, places we have gone, encouragement and counsel given and tears that have been shed, joyful and those of heart ache. Happy memories. I miss those times but the memories sustain me until I see each of them again.

But there was a time when I felt friendless and alone. In my lowest time when I felt that no cared, Jesus was there for me and He proved Himself to be the quintessential friend. He filled my heart with His love and my loneliness evaporated!

It was during that time I began to see all the individuals throughout the Bible who had a relationship with the Lord. None of them were perfect but the Lord was faithful to them even in their failures. It was the Lord who initiated the relationships.

The Lord came to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David…I think you get the point. He never abandon them and I saw how He has never abandon me. King Solomon wrote “A friend loves at ALL (my emphasis) times” – those words remind me of God’s faithfulness.

Jesus said this: “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command.” John 15:13-14 NLT

That’s exactly what He did – He gave His life for you and me. There is no greater expression of love!

I have one other verse I’d like to share with you. Fifty years ago this verse filled my heart with hope and confidence. All these years later I can honestly say that I have never felt friendless again.

“…for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]” Hebrews 13:5b

I hope those words “I will not” impact you the way they did me. God does not lie and He does not change His character. Those words were written nearly 2000 years ago but they are still true today. God’s faithfulness to those He loves will remain forever.

When I was a young girl I remember singing a song about the relationship we can have with Jesus. However, it wasn’t until some time later that the meaning of the words rang true in my own life. “No One Ever Cared for Me” was written in 1932 by an evangelist, Charles Weigel. The words here are only the first verse and chorus, there are two additional verses which I didn’t include here:

I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus,
Since I found in Him a friend so strong and true;
I would tell you how He changed my life completely,
He did something that no other friend could do.

No one ever cared for me like Jesus,
There’s no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me,
O how much He cared for me.

My greatest joy is to tell you about my best friend, Jesus. There’s no one like Him. I hope you know Him as your friend too.

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Anchored in Life

Dave and I like to watch sailing shows; there are several on YouTube where couples and families have left the sticks and bricks behind and taken to the water. They have some amazing adventures as they circumnavigate the globe.

Since the videos are never more than twenty to thirty minutes long most of the footage they show is of the “fun stuff”. Sailing in beautiful waters, meeting interesting island natives, fishing from the back deck, snorkeling – all of these are an enticement to this carefree lifestyle.

It’s not all fun and games. There’s a lot of work that must be done to keep things ship-shape. This last week two of the sailing couples each focused on the work that has to be done to keep their boats in good repair.

I was particularly interested when they showed the anchor and the chain that secures it. Sailing is a continual cycle of dropping anchor, retrieving it and moving on to the next anchorage. A good anchor is a must.

Anchors are used in both calm and rough seas. It’s important to be well anchored. If not, the boat will drift and move off course. I found that to be true with our small fishing boat. If we weren’t using our trolling motor to slowly move around an inlet we dropped anchor to keep us from drifting too close to the shoreline or getting caught up in a submerged tree or hitting a log.

We all need a good anchor. It’s an essential in life.

“God cannot tell lies! And so his promises and vows are two things that can never be changed. We have run to God for safety. Now his promises should greatly encourage us to take hold of the hope that is right in front of us. 19 This hope is like a firm and steady anchor for our souls.” Hebrews 6:18-19 CEV

Hope in God’s promises is our anchor, not just when things are rough and stormy but also when life is calm and smooth. We place our confidence, our hope, in the Father’s promises and they hold us secure. It’s easy to drift off course and lose our bearings without this anchor.

“Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. 23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News.” Colossians 1:22-23 NLT

Let me encourage you to drop anchor. Make sure you are securely attached to the solid rock of God’s word. It will keep you from drifting – it will fill you with hope!

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Formatted Correctly

Just a short time back I shared how God sees us as completely new when we accept the forgiveness that Christ provided for us on the cross. The Bible says that our past is gone, wiped clean, and we are completely new.

That’s a hard concept to grasp because we can remember our past and all of our failures so well.

Hard to imagine, that is, unless you have ever experienced a hard drive crash on your computer or, as I remembered this morning, a time when I had improperly formatted or failed to format a DVD disc.

I had been asked to make dvds of a memorial service. I tested the first two copies to make sure they were formatted correctly and then followed the same process for the others. Imagine my shock when a few days later I received an email telling me that several of the copies were blank.

What?

Our lives are a lot like that DVD when we come to Christ. Old things have passed away and all things have become new.

“You were dead, because you were sinful and were not God’s people. But God let Christ make you alive, when he forgave all our sins.14 God wiped out the charges that were against us for disobeying the Law of Moses. He took them away and nailed them to the cross.” Colossians 2:13-14 CEV

Our sins were wiped out, removed – the disc is blank!! Here’s the great thing about God, He doesn’t leave us with a blank disc.

“This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord.I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.I will be their God, and they will be my people. 11 No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Hebrews 8:10-12 NIV

We have a promise that God, our loving heavenly Father, will write His word in our hearts. It is the leading of the Holy Spirit; giving us direction, encouraging us, correcting us, inspiring us, that makes the Word of God come alive in our lives. God puts the desire in our hearts to know Him and the way we get to know Him is through reading His letter to us. Those words will burn to our disc.

I remember when Dave & I were dating – it was a long distance relationship. I waited anxiously each day for his letters to arrive and when they did I’d read them over and over again. (In fact, I still have those letters and take time to read them occasionally.)

I looked for the parts that said he loved me and that he was coming to see me soon. Those words burned into my very being and I would excitedly tell my friends – “he’s coming, he’s coming”. I had his word on it and his words became life to me.

That’s the way God’s word is to me now. It burns indelibly into my heart!

Circumstances or time can’t steal what the Holy Spirit has written there.

I know that when I press “play” the disc won’t be blank. I pray today that you have God’s word burned onto your heart!

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Some Things Never Change

Every morning I sit down to read my Bible and pray. Every morning I am encouraged by what I read. There are a few places in my Bible that have been underlined repeatedly. Some of these verses I have read hundreds of times in the last 30+ years. Each morning I read them again and am impacted by the message.

Some things never change.

I hope you all had a good weekend and that you enjoyed time with family and friends. I hope that you rested and were strengthened in your spirit but I know not all of you were. I’m not sure of the reasons, there may be many, but some of you are dreading getting up today. Some of you would just like to go back to bed, pull the covers over your head and let the world pass you by.

If that’s you I have some good news. These words were written thousands of years ago but they still hold true today.

Some things never change.

“So my spirit grows weak within me. My heart within me is afraid.5 I remember the days long ago. I think about all You have done. I think about the work of Your hands. 6 I put out my hands to You. My soul is thirsty for You like a dry land.

7 Hurry to answer me, O Lord! My spirit is becoming weak! Do not hide Your face from me, or I will become like those who go down to the grave. 8 Let me hear Your loving-kindness in the morning, for I trust in You. Teach me the way I should go for I lift up my soul to You. 9 O Lord, take me away from those who hate me. I run to You to be safe.

10 Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. Let Your good Spirit lead me on a straight path. 11 Give me new life, O Lord, because of Your name. Bring me out of trouble because You are right and good. 12 In Your loving-kindness cut off those who hate me. Destroy all those who make it hard for my soul, for I am Your servant.” Psalm 143:4-12 NLV

When we pour out our hearts to the Lord he is faithful to answer and bring the help we need. That’s who He is.

Some things never change!

Look up! He has your answer. Don’t be discouraged! He heard your prayer.

“Let us go with complete trust to the throne of God. We will receive His loving-kindness and have His loving-favor to help us whenever we need it.” Hebrews 4:16 NLV

Whenever we need help, He is there!

Some things never change and that’s a good thing. God’s love never changes, He is always there!

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But Why?

Every parent has heard the inquisitive “why” coming from the lips of their small children. Why is…the sky blue, the sun hot, grass green, etc! When those questions became greater than my limited knowledge my final answer would be “because that’s the way God planned it”.

In yesterday’s blog we saw that Jesus is our example for staying the course, not giving up in life’s race. He experienced life’s difficulties and hardships so that we can go to Him for help, knowing He has been where we are. We can draw on His strength!

But Why?…

“For a short time Jesus was made lower than the angels, but now we see him wearing a crown of glory and honor because he suffered and died. Because of God’s grace, Jesus died for everyone.

10 God—the one who made all things and for whose glory all things exist—wanted many people to be his children and share his glory. So he did what he needed to do. He made perfect the one who leads those people to salvation. He made Jesus a perfect Savior through his suffering… 14 These children are people with physical bodies. So Jesus himself became like them and had the same experiences they have.”

Why?

“Jesus did this so that, by dying, he could destroy the one who has the power of death—the devil. 15 Jesus became like these people and died so that he could free them. They were like slaves all their lives because of their fear of death… 17 For this reason, Jesus had to be made like us, his brothers and sisters, in every way. He became like people so that he could be their merciful and faithful high priest in service to God. Then he could bring forgiveness for the people’s sins. 18 And now he can help those who are tempted. He is able to help because he himself suffered and was tempted.” Hebrews 2:9-18 ERV

Jesus finished the work He came to do for us.  

Without His “It is finished” on the cross our way of salvation would not have been complete. Just like an athlete He crossed the finish line of life and rose victorious from the grave. When we cross that line there will be no fear but only hope and rejoicing as we are welcomed into heaven.

We discipline ourselves by being obedient to God’s word which keeps us from being ruled by our bodies or our emotions. Our enemy would like to draw us off course or destroy our training but when we keep our eyes on Jesus and are strengthened by God’s word we succeed. We are victorious, more than conquerors, overcomers in this life.

May I encourage you if you have felt like quitting – don’t!

Why?

“I don’t mean that I am exactly what God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal. But I continue trying to reach it and make it mine. That’s what Christ Jesus wants me to do. It is the reason he made me his. 13 Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me. 14 I keep running hard toward the finish line to get the prize that is mine because God has called me through Christ Jesus to life up there in heaven.” Philippians 3:12-14 ERV

Keep going – the reward makes it all worth while!

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Winners!

Yesterday a lot of people watched two teams of athletes compete in a football game. To be honest, I only watched a little bit. I’m not a fan but I do know the rules of the game. I also know the rules to the game of life.

“Athletes in a race must obey all the rules to win. ” II Timothy 2:5 CEV

The Apostle Paul compared an athlete to the Christians he instructed. They were familiar with the Olympic games. They had been schooled in athletic achievements in the same way that they had learned the writings of Homer, Socrates, and Aristotle. These converts were unfamiliar with the writings of Moses, King David, Isaiah and the prophets so the Apostle Paul needed to reach them in a relatable way. Athletics was a good choice.

Like the soldier from yesterday’s blog, an athlete also had to be thoroughly trained and disciplined.

Our family has some runners. Their dedication amazes me. They begin training months in advance of a competition. Their conditioning is progressive. They start with short training runs and gradually increase their distance. This builds muscle and develops stamina.

They are also conscious of what they eat and drink. Plenty of water and foods that the body can use to build muscle and burn fat. Days off are few and far between when they are training. In one word, they are dedicated…

I remember when our oldest daughter was competing in her first Ironman 70.3. We were there to cheer her on. The competition started with a 2.2-mile open water swim, followed by a 55-mile bike ride in the hills of her community and ended with a 13.1-mile run. When she passed us at one checkpoint during the bike portion, we could tell she was struggling. Her Dad called to her “We don’t quit. Keep going. You have got this”. She said those were the words she heard in her head for the next 30 miles as she peddled along. She had mechanical problems and some physical issues that she had to battle through but battle through she did. We were all there as she crossed the finish line. She was exhausted but exhilarated. She had finished the race!

We are also surrounded by a great cheering squad, it’s those who have died and are waiting in heaven. They cheer us on as we run this race called the Christian life.

“Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we are in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!” Hebrews 12:1-3 MSG

Our example is Jesus.

He experienced all the temptations and trials that we do. He did this so He could identify with us and show us that with God’s help we can be victorious like He was. He ran the race He was called to run. He was able to endure life’s hardships because He could see the finish line and the celebration there.

His life is our example and inspiration. The Holy Spirit is our trainer and coach. The heavenly Father is waiting to award us the Crown of Life and we will hear Him say “Well done” when we cross the finish line.

We are winners! Don’t Quit!

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A Clear Conscience

So many times we are stymied in life’s endeavors because of the voices we hear in our head and not the leading we feel in our hearts.

God’s righteousness makes us saints, not sinners. We were sinners but once we are saved by grace our position changes – we become saints. The introduction at the beginning of each of the letters in the New Testament greet the saints with grace and peace. Paul, Peter, James, and John all recognized the place of spiritual authority that the believer occupies and addressed their writings to the instruction and edification of the saints.

When we were sinners our righteousness was as a filthy, dirty rag. Now we are clothed in His righteousness, possessing His divine nature, and made to rule as priests and kings in His kingdom.

“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:22 CEV

A righteous man no longer needs to be plagued by an evil conscience; his conscience has been cleansed. Our example for righteousness is Jesus Christ. We are to be imitators of Him. The way He acted, talked and the things he did should be reflected in our lives too. The compassion He showed, the forgiveness He gave, His tenderness toward people and His hatred of sin, His uncompromised stand on God’s Word need to be a part of our daily lives.

Before we leave this chapter, I would like to remind you of the story of David and Goliath. David, a young shepherd, was sent by his father to check on his older brothers who were off to a battle. His father gave David roasted grain, bread and cheese and sent him off.

When David arrived at the army encampment, he was taken back by what he saw. When he went out to meet his brothers a giant from the opposing army came out to taunt and ridicule the Israelite soldiers.

“Goliath went out and shouted to the army of Israel: Why are you lining up for battle? I’m the best soldier in our army, and all of you are in Saul’s army. Choose your best soldier to come out and fight me! 9 If he can kill me, our people will be your slaves. But if I kill him, your people will be our slaves. 10 Here and now I challenge Israel’s whole army! Choose someone to fight me!  11 Saul and his men heard what Goliath said, but they were so frightened of Goliath that they couldn’t do a thing.” I Samuel 17:8-11 CEV      

David was but a teenager and the men around him were seasoned soldiers, but David had something the rest of them did not. He had confidence in the promises that God had made to Abraham hundreds of years before. God had made an unbreakable covenant with Abraham and all his descendants…

“I will always keep the promise I have made to you and your descendants, because I am your God and their God. 8 I will give you and them the land in which you are now a foreigner. I will give the whole land of Canaan to your family forever, and I will be their God.

9 Abraham, you and all future members of your family must promise to obey me. 10-11 As the sign that you are keeping this promise, you must circumcise every man and boy in your family.” Genesis 17:7-11 CEV

It was this promise that God made to Abraham, that was going through David’s mind when he heard Goliath curse the armies of Israel. David’s body was marked, like all Israelites, to remind them of God’s promise. Look what he said:

      “Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes the disgrace [of his taunting] from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he has taunted and defied the armies of the living God?” I Samuel 17:26 AMP

David was saying “this man doesn’t have a covenant with God, we do!” 

And we have that same covenant, we have God’s promises for every situation. Let’s not allow life’s giants to frighten us into standing on the sidelines. Let’s go forward knowing that we are righteous, like David, in God’s eyes.

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