Enjoy this word today through Demontae Edmonds. Demontae always has real encouragment from the Lord!
And while I have you, can I prevail on you to see this note below about year-end giving?
We are in urgent need to help fund the 2019 operations of this ministry. Can you help us during this very crucial time of the last few days of the year? (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)
Please know that our gratitude to you knows NO BOUNDS. Derene and I are praying that all who give to us will have MORE than a 7-fold return BACK TO YOU!
The Holiday Season
For many, the holiday season brings thoughts of gifts, joy, cheer and Christmas melody. Sadly, for others, it is a time of dismay and heartache. Financial hardships and an inability to bless others with gifts the way one desires can cause discouragement. For others as the end of the year approaches, it is a reminder of all that did not happen in their life. Also, the enemy may plague one's thoughts with the idea that they're not where they wish to be in life. For these individuals, a feeling of disappointment often sets in during the holiday and New Year season.
| "The truth is God is a good God. God is a great God and He wants to help deliver you from your present circumstances." |
There are also those, like a friend of mine, who have lost a loved one during the holiday season. Especially if the loved one was close to them, like a child, parent or sibling. Grief and depression may often visit them each year. At the far end of the spectrum are those who deal with hopelessness during this time of year.
God told me to tell you, "STRENGTHEN THE THINGS THAT REMAIN." These were the exact words spoken by Jesus to the church at Sardis in Revelations 3:2: "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain..." You may have suffered loss but the Word, faith, hope, prayer and thanksgiving remain in your heart. Use these spiritual tools to strengthen yourself as we cross into the new year. Your 2018 and present may not be perfect, but God has a prophetic plan for your life. The fact that you are still breathing and able to give praise to God is a sign He is not finished with you yet. Your best is yet to come.
David's Dilemma
King David was not unfamiliar with grief, heartache and feeling helpless. While in Ziklag, King David and his men were all overcome with a tremendous sense of loss and hurt when the Amalekites attacked their camp. The Amalekites burned the town of Ziklag, and even worse they kidnapped all of the women and children (1 Samuel 30). Imagine your entire family and the families of your beloved friends being abducted all at once.
To add insult to injury, "...the people spoke of stoning him..." He became "...greatly distressed" (1 Samuel 30:6). In a time of helplessness there is always help from above. In a time of hopelessness there is always hope from above. David decided to strengthen the things that remained. He lost his worldly possessions, respect and family, but he still had God.
1 Samuel 30:6, "...David encouraged himself in the Lord his God." There are times when we do not receive a direct word from a prophet, or a preacher is unable to lay hands on us and solve all of our internal conflicts. During these times we have to learn how to encourage ourselves by meditating on the Word, speaking the Word of God over ourselves, and reminding ourselves of the promises of God over our lives.
David not only encouraged himself but he "...inquired of the Lord" (1 Samuel 30:8). In the face of insurmountable odds, David musters up his faith and seeks God. He poses the question to God in 1 Samuel 30:8, "Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them?"
God's Answer
David could have given up hope when all seemed lost, but the audacity of his faith provoked a response from God. 1 Samuel 30:8, "And He answered him, 'Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.'" David's hope was renewed with that one prophetic word from the Lord. (Photo via Unsplash)
God is speaking to many of us today what He spoke to David in pastimes. God is telling us, "Don't... (continue reading)
