When the prophet Samuel goes to Bethlehem to choose a new king from among Jesse’s sons (1 Samuel 16), the very first son presented to him, he immediately believes to be the chosen of the Lord. The Lord, however, immediately stops him with these words: “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (v.7)
    God does not see or understand things the way we do. In fact, Isaiah 55:8-9 says that His thoughts and ways are not ours, rather they are higher than ours. Our perspective is limited, God’s is limitless. We are limited because we so often focus on what we can see and on our ability. God is not limited because He knows that with Him, nothing is impossible. As Matthew 19:26 says: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”     
    It is therefore interesting, the dialogue that takes place between David and various persons on the battlefield as they await someone to take up Goliath’s challenge. 
    When David goes before Saul as the one brave enough to take on this challenge, Saul immediately looks at his appearance and so judges his ability to fight: “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” (v.33) Instead of being daunted by his king’s words, David replies: “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.” (v.37) David does not focus on his ability. He knows that he is only a youth. He knows that Goliath is way bigger than him. He knows that he is not a trained soldier. He knows all that he is not but he also knows all that his God was and is and that his God could do the impossible. While others were focused on the obvious, David was focused on his God.
    Even Goliath himself disdained David when he saw him (v.42) and threatened to feed him to the birds and the beasts. Yet, David was not afraid. He kept his focus on his God who could do all things: “…for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.” (v.47) David never once flinched in the face of this seemingly impossible challenge. He knew his God and he knew what he could do because he had experienced God’s power in his life. He kept his eyes fixed on Him so that while everyone else was afraid, he remained calm and confident. In short, when others were focused on outward appearance and on man’s ability, David focused on God’s ability to handle the problem effectively.
    Similarly, when the doctor’s report, the health challenges, the marriage challenges, the financial issues seem daunting and discouraging, keep your eyes fixed on the God who is able to do the impossible. No matter what the situation is saying to you or even shouting at you, let God be the final authority, the One with the final say on any matter. He is the One who has the ability to handle whatever comes our way, we don’t. He can handle what is bigger than us, what is way beyond our ability. 
    So, be encouraged, the God of this universe, is not going to sit idly by and watch you be crushed and defeated by the challenges of life. Once you keep your focus on Him, you will be encouraged, you will be strengthened because you know that you know that the battle is still the Lord’s and He will not fail you. 
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is not a man that He should lie. If He says that the battle belongs to Him, it belongs to Him and He will fight for you, He will not fail you. 
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    Noel kept noticing a recurring number in scripture - 8 11 - and felt that God was speaking to her. One day, while she and her son were playing hide and seek, she discovered Romans 8:11 in a healing scriptures book: “And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit who lives in you.”
    She wondered what God was showing her. Later that night, she began experiencing chest pains. It immediately came to her that if God showed her this verse in a scripture healing book, then He wanted her to speak that scripture over her life for healing. And she began to do just that. Each day she would declare that scripture over herself as she experienced the chest pains. As if that wasn't enough, God also directed her to watch testimonies on healing.  As she did so, she started to feel better. She finally heard a word of knowledge that someone was experiencing heart palpitations and chest pains but God was healing them. She felt God directing her to look at the time the word of knowledge was given in the video. It was shared at 8 minutes 11 seconds. When she saw “8:11” she knew that God was speaking to her because the word of knowledge could have been shared at any other minute or second in that video. Within a couple of days, the pain completely disappeared.
    This testimony reminds me of the reality of the power of the Word of God. We take God’s Word for granted many times but more and more I am learning to believe and trust that His Word is indeed powerful and it is alive! As we face situations, let’s honestly ask ourselves which is more real and alive to us - God’s Word or the situation that we are facing? Of course, if we are honest, when we are actually in a negative situation, that situation seems and feels so real that the Word of God can seem so small and insignificant in comparison. Yet, God’s Word has the power to make big, intimidating situations shrink and become tiny and insignificant. 
    Chest pains are not something that we would take lightly. I am sure that when Noel felt that pain in her chest, she was concerned but she recognised that if God had given her that portion of scripture before she started experiencing the pain, then He had given her the solution to the problem before the problem even began. And that’s the thing. God has given us the solution to the problem before it even manifests itself. The problem is, we become so scared and intimidated by it that we forget that the Word of God is alive and powerful.
    Jesus was the Word of God in human form (John 1:1,14). Whatever He spoke, came to pass. His Word was and is so powerful, that it is not affected by distance or time. I recall the story of the centurion’s servant (Matthew 8:5-13). The centurion sent a message asking Jesus for healing for his servant who was sick. He did not ask Him to come to his home but instead to speak the word and his servant would be healed. That centurion had enough faith to believe that Jesus simply had to speak a word of healing and his servant would be healed. He was right. It happened just as he believed and Jesus did not even have to come to his home.
    The Word of God is powerful, it is real. We may be in the habit of not backing up our words with our actions, but God’s Word and His actions go hand in hand. We can trust His touch and we can also trust His Word.
    So, no matter what you are facing today, remember that God’s Word is powerful, it is alive. Do you need healing in your body? Do you need restoration in your home and relationships? Do you need a turnaround in some area of your life? Whatever it may be, speak God’s Word over your situation. There is scripture for any and every situation you may be going through. God has truly equipped us with all we need to survive and thrive in this life. Whatever God speaks in your ear or in your heart, whatever He says through His written Word, believe that it has the power to transform any situation and bring deliverance and restoration where needed. God’s Word will not return to Him void but it will accomplish what He purposes (Isaiah 55:11).
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is not a God who does not keep His promises or His Word. If He says it, that settles it. You can trust Him to fulfil His own Word and to bring about His very best for your life.

    The book of 1 Samuel 17 recounts the story of David and Goliath. The Israelite and Philistine armies were at war and they each formed their battle lines against each other. A giant from the Philistine army came forward and challenged the Israelites. If one of their men could fight and kill him, the Philistines would become subject to the Israelites. However, if he, Goliath, killed the Israelite, the Israelites would serve the Philistines. This challenge was presented for forty days, morning and evening.
    David was not a soldier in the army. In fact, he was a shepherd boy, faithfully tending his father’s sheep. One day, his father sends him to the Israelite camp to carry some food for his three oldest brothers who are soldiers in the army and to find out how they are going. When he gets there, he overhears Goliath’s challenge but he notices something else - when Goliath issues his challenge, all the Israelite soldiers run away in fear (v.24). 
    A few things came to my mind when I read that line in verse 24. These soldiers were trained for battle yet, they were running away in fear whenever Goliath issued his challenge. The sad reality is that if we allow it, fear can cripple us and prevent us from being who God has called us to be and from doing what He has called us to do. We can all testify of those times when fear crept into our lives and we felt paralysed. We could not see anything but that fear and that fear started to dictate our thoughts and actions. 
    In my own life, I have allowed fear to play an all too important role. Many years ago, I realised how much fear can and was crippling me and preventing me from being and doing my best for God. Even today, there are times when I still battle to prevent fear from dictating my life. How many of you can relate? These Israelite soldiers were trained for war. Any of them could have taken on Goliath but because fear was blinding them, they kept running away from the challenge instead of facing it. 
    Another thing that comes to my mind is the reality that if God gives us a job to do, He will equip and enable us to handle it. As I said before these soldiers were trained for war. On top of that, they had God on their side to fight their battles for them. Unfortunately, all they could see was Goliath’s size and hear his defiant words striking fear into their hearts. They couldn’t see what they needed to see because their focus was on the wrong thing. 
    God has enabled us to handle what He has called us to do. Just because circumstances and challenges come our way, does not mean that we are unable to handle it. Maybe all we need to do is shift our focus. Take our eyes off of the challenge and reposition it to where it’s supposed to be in the first place - on God. The battle is still His … but the job is still ours to fulfil. 
    David was not a trained soldier but he knew his God and what his God was capable of doing. He witnessed God helping him to kill the lion and the bear that had come to attack his sheep. He knew that this same God would not allow Goliath to kill him but would instead deliver him into his hands. When David went out against Goliath, he faced him with a slingshot and five smooth stones. David was equipped to do the job but the battle was still God's to fight and win.
    So right where you are, be who God has called you to be and do what God has called you to do. He has equipped you, He has enabled you. Don’t let fear stop you from being and doing your best for Him. The battle you may be facing is still His, but what He has called you to do and who He has called you to be, is still yours to fulfil. 
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God has not given you a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). Simply put, God has given you all you need to carry out His purpose and plan for your life. You don’t have to be afraid, you just have to trust that your God will see you successfully through whatever comes your way.
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    There is an interesting story in 1 Kings 17:7-16, about a widow God uses to provide food for the prophet Elijah. But, here is the interesting part: this widow did not have what was required but when she chose to be obedient, God used her and blessed her abundantly.
    It so happened that the prophet Elijah had declared a drought over the land. God sent him to Zarephath where he met a widow who was gathering sticks. He asked her to bring water for him to drink and some bread for him to eat. She in turn responded that she did not have any bread. All she in fact had was a little flour and oil with which to prepare a final meal for her and her son. After this, she expected to die. Elijah, however, encouraged her and insisted that she first make a small loaf for him and then also for her and her son. He added that the Lord promised that her flour and oil would not run out until the day that He sent rain on the land. She obeyed and the Lord did as He promised and she was able to feed Elijah and herself and her family all the days of the drought.
    What comes to my mind with this story is the fact that the woman was preparing to die. Because things seemed hopeless and a turnaround impossible, she simply gave up and prepared for her and her son to die. How many times do we feel the same way in challenging situations? We don’t see a way out and our attitude and actions show that we have given up. Yet, when God steps into our situation, there is always hope and there will always be a way out or even through our challenge.
    The other thing that comes to my mind is the fact that that widow had very little to offer. In fact, all she had was just enough for her and her son. When Elijah came along, she was not trying to be selfish or rude. She knew that what she had was not enough for him also. Yet, when she chose to be obedient, God did the miraculous for her and her family. 
    It’s the same with us. When we are going through challenges, we may feel as if we have nothing to offer. We may feel too sick to be of any help or use to anyone; our resources may be too low or non-existent to be of any assistance to someone else; we may feel too discouraged and overwhelmed to be able to offer strength and encouragement to someone who needs it. Yet, the reality is, we may not have the strength or resources to help someone else, but God does. And, when we choose to give the little we have to Him, He is able to multiply it and use what we have surrendered to Him to be a blessing to others. 
    At the same time, God is not blind to our sacrifice. When we give what we have and do the little that we can, God will make sure that even what we need is supplied. It may be the extra strength to keep going; it may be much needed resources we did not have before. Whatever we need, God will provide because of our simple act of obedience to be a blessing to someone else. 
    In my own life, there are times I may not always feel that I have enough for myself and others. Recently, I prayed for someone when I myself would have loved for someone to pray for me. Yet, I was able to identify with what the person was going through because I was going through pretty much the same thing. I could have left them alone, after all they did not ask for prayer. But, I felt the Lord directing me to pray with them for the exact same thing I desperately needed myself. When I obeyed and prayed, God also provided what I needed even though I did not get prayer for myself. 
    God is not blind to what we are going through. He sees, He knows, He cares. Yet, there may be times when He will ask us to give when we feel we don’t have enough or do some task we don’t feel equipped to handle. Yet, God is faithful. When we choose to obey Him, He will enable us to handle the task and bless us in ways we did not expect.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God will never ask you to do something or to give something He has not enabled you to handle. When you choose to obey, He will meet your needs in ways you would never have dreamed or expected.
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