Tuesday, October 1, 2013

By: Gwen Hitt

Overcoming Obstacles Through Your Testimony

Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him [the devil] because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony....

When my younger brother was killed in an automobile accident, my entire family went through a very rough time. If it would not have been for our strong faith in God and our realization that we would one day be reunited with him, my family could have remained stuck in our grief. We could have missed out on a great opportunity to help others faced with similar circumstances.

I recently heard a minister state that bad things happen to good people. Sadly, these bad things can happen to anyone of us. 1 Peter 5:8 gives us this warning - "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." None of us are immune to his tactics. Think about it - Satan even tried to tempt Jesus so that he could devour Him.

Thankfully, God assures us in today's scripture that we CAN overcome our problems .... our troubles .... our grief .... through Jesus as well as with the help of those who successfully overcame what we are now facing. In the same way, we can overcome additional troubles that we encounter through recalling how God helped us in the past.

An example of how we can draw upon times when God previously rescued us can be seen in David's confidence in his ability to destroy Goliath - a giant of a man reported to be over 9' tall. Instead of cowering in the same fear experienced by the Israelite army as well as the King of Israel, David boldly stated in 1 Samuel 17:37 "The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine."

David did not allow the magnitude of the problem that he now faced to influence his subsequent actions. Instead he drew strength from the times that God had intervened in his life in a mighty way.

My challenge to you when faced with incredible personal odds or when given the opportunity to give someone a boost when they are attempting to overcome a challenge that you successfully maneuvered is to recall God's prior intervention. Reflect on .... share with others ..... how God pulled you out of the depths of your despair.

Dear Lord, I desire to be an instrument for Your use. I ask that You use the problems that I face to help make me stronger ... to increase my faith ... and to utilize my testimony to help others.

I thank You, my Jesus, for dying for me. I believe that You are Lord and that God raised You from the grave so that I can have eternal life.