Paul likened this life and our Christian journey to a race. A race to the finish where the test is not one of speed but endurance. Everyone who completes the race will receive the prize and the reward is a place in heaven. We cannot run with everyone and athletes train with others who can motivate and help them. I am not talking about becoming self seeking, but there are others who are not determined to run or who anticipate you carrying them along. We should stop to aid wounded friends and time spent to nurture those that are wounded will not cost us in the race. We have to be wise because there are some who choose not to run and you cannot slow down the pace to accommodate them.

Paul warns us to lay aside the weights and distractions that would become a stumbling block in our way. So that when we run we are lighter and not weighed down by heaviness. When you run, you have keep looking ahead. “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2).

When our eyes are fixed on him then we will not stumble. When Peter walked on water he had to take his eyes off the storm and fix them on Jesus, in order to stay afloat (Matthew 14:22-33). I know the storm and tide around you can at times be dreadful, but don’t you know that Jesus can speak to the wind and they obey. Keep your eyes on him and run your race to finish and win, so that in the end we can testify like Paul. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬).

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Jesus taught his disciples how to handle rejection and there are things that we must learn from his teachings. He reminded his disciples that he was hated by those who hated the things of God. It is possible to do everything within your power to be at peace with others and still experience rejection. We all make relationship mistakes and at times we can act in ways that cause offence. If you are aware of an action that you did that caused offence, then you can apologise and try to make amends.

Sometimes you may not even be aware of what is causing others to be offended. Once you know that you have done the best that you can do, then be at peace with yourself. When Jesus sent out his disciples to minister in different towns, this was his advice to them. “And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town” (Matthew 10:14).

Jesus was saying to his disciples, that not everyone will accept you or accept what you have to offer and that is ok. Take your gifts and talents somewhere else and don’t hang around hoping to be accepted. We have to know when to keep it moving, as we can waste precious time in the wrong places, when there are others who will gladly embrace what we have to offer.

Rejection can also come in the form of persecution or lead to us being persecuted. ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you (John 15:20). Jesus also warned us that persecution would come, but he also promised that we are blessed when we are persecuted for the sake of righteousness. Jesus says that we should rejoice because we have a great reward in heaven (Matthew 5:10-12).

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Not everyone will accept us for who we are and not everyone will appreciate our gifts and talents. In fact, it can be the main reason why some people will resent us. Jesus was our example and the more miracles that he performed, the more the Pharisees hated him. In fact, He came unto his own and his own people did not receive or accept him. “But to those that received Jesus he gave power to become the sons of God. The sons were not necessarily born of flesh and blood but of God” (John 1:11-13).

The reality is that our gifts can cause some people to feel insecure and resentful. We are all gifted and talented in different ways, but insecurities can cause us not to accept and appreciate what we have been given. Instead of nurturing what God has given to us and relying on him to maximize our potential, we can waste precious time being envious of another person’s gift.

Let us examine how Jesus responded when the Jews and Pharisees resented him. He went to those who would receive him and to them he gave power. Do not waste your time waiting and wishing for acceptance from people. Some people don’t even accept themselves and can easily transfer their insecurities and self hatred unto others. Surround yourself with people who appreciate and accept what you have to offer. Your gifts and talents were made for a purpose and you were created to bless others. Find out where your gifts can be used and focus on using your gifts in that area.

“So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil” (Romans‬ ‭14:16‬).

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The Amalekites were the nation that encamped near Canaan and brought the first challenge against Israel as they neared the promised land. Moses told Aaron to choose men who could fight, while he stood at the top of the hill with the staff of God in his hand. (Exodus 17:8-16) The Israelites defeated the Amalekites and continued their journey into promise. When Moses shared with his father-in-law the victory he had over the Amalekites and how God has delivered them from Egypt, his father-in-law said. “Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, He was above them” (Exodus 18:11).

God had an inheritance for the children of Israel, which had been entrusted by God to Abraham for his descendants. After the Israelites were freed from slavery, Moses led them towards the promised land until he died and Joshua took over leading the people. The people mourned for several days after Moses died and then God commanded Joshua to move forward with the people to take possession of the land. “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel” (Joshua 1:2). God also reminded Joshua what he had promised 40 years earlier, when he and Caleb brought back a good report after spying out the land. “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses” (Joshua 1:3).

The enemy has been sitting on, standing on and occupying positions that belong to the children of God. God is not slack concerning his promises and there are things that God has promised us that he needs us to go forward and take possession of. Hold fast to your faith, use the word to decree what shall be established and fight for that territory on your knees. What God has said will come to pass so do not settle for less than what God has promised. “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you”
‭‭(Joshua‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬).

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As you read the end of the book of Joshua, we learn that the Israelites had driven out the inhabitants from their promised land. The land was divided among the tribes of Israel, so that each tribe had their own lands to establish their people. Once again, God had fulfilled his covenant promise to Abraham’s seed. The people were now settled and no longer needed to fight for what God had promised them. They could rest in their land and have freedom and peace from their enemies.

“Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass” (Joshua 21:45). God looks forward to keeping his promises to us. Most times, God is waiting for us to move forward and do what he says. The generation of Israelites in the book of Joshua, did not make the same mistakes that their parents made. Their parents were too afraid to move forward to possess the land, when God told them that it was time. The result was that they died in the wilderness while their enemies lived in their land for another forty years.

We are grateful to God that he restores. So a missed, opportunity due to fear or lack of faith, will often present itself again. That is how faithful God is and he will create many opportunities for us to walk in his will. We sometimes miss out on the rest and peace of God through lack of faith. There are burdens that we have carried for longer than necessary, because we have not entrusted them to God. There are opportunities that we have missed out on, because we have chosen to take matters into our own hands. “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).

Our God is faithful despite our human failings and he is ready to forgive and to cleanse us from all disobedience (1 John 1:9). We can choose to start over at any time and once we submit ourselves to God, he makes all things new. “for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his” (Hebrews 4:10).

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Nebuchadnezzar built a statue of gold and placed it in the centre of Babylon. He made a decree that when music was played, that everyone in the kingdom needed to bow down and worship the image. The challenge was that there were some Jewish men in captivity, who would not bow to any other God, but the Lord. When the king learnt of their defiance, he was furious and summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. The king threatened to throw them into a furnace of fire, if they refused to bow to his image. They did not bow and the king had them thrown in. In his rage, the King had the furnace heated up seven times hotter than normal. The men who threw Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into the fire were actually consumed because of the heat. As for the Jewish men, not only were they not burnt, but the king saw them walking around in the furnace.

In addition, the king saw a fourth man whose countenance was like God. To everyone’s amazement, the three men came out of the fire unharmed. Not one hair on their head or body was even slightly burnt and the men did not smell like smoke. The king was so amazed that he praised their God and decreed the Lord is the true and living God. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were promoted as a reward for their faithfulness and boldness in serving God. You will not look like what you have gone through and God will not allow you to look like where you have come from. God’s grace is sufficient and he is able to keep us from falling and to keep us faultless before his glory with exceeding joy (Jude 1:24).

God is able to keep you through fire and tribulations and people will not be able to tell that you have been through a storm. They that trust in the Lord shall be like mount Zion that cannot be removed but abides forever (Psalm 125:1). Persecution can cause us to feel ashamed and the enemy wants us to experience disgrace. The intention is to try to assassinate our characters and steal our reputation and credibility. It cannot work when we put our trust and confidence in Jesus.

Though you go through the fire it will not consume you and through the flood, it will not overcome you (Isaiah 43:2). God will keep your mind in perfect peace and preserve your body from the effects of stress and sickness. “Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more” (Isaiah 54:4).

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Do you have a need that seems impossible to meet. Give it to God because that is his speciality. The Isrealites were trapped between the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army in hot pursuit. They had no other way out but to lift their faith and wait for God to respond. God made a way through that red Sea for his children to travel to safety and then closed the sea on Pharaoh’s army (Exodus 14).

Mary and Martha wept for their brother Lazarus who had died. Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died (John 11:21). This was Martha’s expression to Jesus when he arrived. What Martha did not know was that Jesus had been there all the time. God’s ways are higher than our ways and time is not a concept to him. He is never too late and never too early. He defies time and exists in the realms of infinity. Not even death signaled a boundary for him. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead to signify his strength, wisdom, power and might.

“What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him” (Matthew 8:27)? Even Jesus disciples did not have him figured out and marveled at his miracles. These men spent every day with Jesus and still were confounded by his resurrection from the dead.

It is not over until God says it’s over and God has the final say. He is our Physician and defies what medicine and science concludes. There is no end to his understanding and his power. I know what that report says and I know that it seems impossible for things to have any other outcome than what man predicts, but the Bible is full of examples of how God transcends the impossible. Expect God to work beyond what looks impossible.

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When the Ammonites and the Moabites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20, Jehoshaphat set his face to seek the Lord. Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. And all the people of Judah gathered together with Jehoshaphat to seek God in fasting and prayer. Jehoshaphat prayed in the midst of the people and cried out to God for help (2 Chronicles 20:3-4).

And as they were gathered, the word of the Lord was spoken through the Levite. God’s answer was, ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.’ The Prophet gave further instructions concerning what the Lord had commanded the people to do in preparation for the battle.

The people rejoiced and gave glory to God because he had heard their prayers and had sent an answer to their request (2 Chronicles 20:18-19). Such was their confidence in God that although they had not seen the physical manifestations of victory, that a word from his Prophet was enough to calm their fears. They worshipped and praised God in advance because they knew that God would do what he had said.

God has heard your request and he has heard the cry of your heart. When you set yourself to seek God in prayer and fasting he is ready to give an answer. His answer is that the battle belongs to him and he has given us the victory. We lift our hands in praise and worship to our God because we have confidence in what he has said. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you (2 Chronicles 20:17). Now we lift our hands in worship and offer to God our praise.

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There are angles assigned to assist us in our assignment on Earth. Many times in scripture we see them acting as messengers, agents of protection and the executors of justice and vengeance. The angels appeared to the shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus Christ. “And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10).

We see one angel in (2 Kings 19) defeating an entire Assyrian army, which came up against Judah and attacked the city. “And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies” (2 Kings 19:35).

There are also angels assigned to protect regions and territories and who contend with demonic forces in the heavens. During Daniel’s fast, an angel was sent to deliver a message to him. This angel was held up by a demonic Prince until Michael came to his defence. “The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia” (Daniel 10:13).

We saw an army of angels in chariots of fire surrounding Elisha, when the King sent his own army to capture him (2 Kings 6:16-17). God wants us to be conscious of the daily presence of angels around us, who can also take on human form. No matter what is happening around you, be mindful of the fact that you are never alone. Heaven’s army stands ready to protect and defend you and there are angels assigned to daily assist you. “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Hebrews 13:2).

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Nothing can stand between us and God. No person, no system, no law, no protocol or etiquette, dictates our ability to approach God in times of need. We can be happy that we have free access to God. We do not need to make an appointment with his personal assistant, or check his diary and see when his schedule is free. We have often tried in vain to have audience with people in positions of power. It can be frustrating when we have something important to say and have to go through layers of checks before we can have access to someone.

Jesus died on the cross so that we can approach the throne of God, with boldness and confidence, knowing that, we shall receive grace and mercy to help us in the times of need (Hebrews 4:16).

Our time in prayer brings us in direct communication and access to God. When we pray God also responds. It’s funny that people think it strange when we talk about hearing from God. Who sits and talks to someone everyday without getting any responses from them? Speaking to God is not like speaking into an empty vacuum. God has a lot to say in response to our prayers and requests to him. When we pray we also need to make time to listen, so that the Holy Spirit can train our ears to hear.

God created us for relationship and he does not want any distance between us. We do not need a religious leader to grant us access to God. Yes they are important for leadership and direction, but God desires a direct relationship with us. Prayer connects us to God and draws us closer to him. Let us maintain our connection through prayer and reading of the word and cherish the fact that nothing can separate us from God.

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