God Helps Those Who Help Themselves…??

"...For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:6-9 

How many of us have heard this quote "God helps those who help themselves"? And how many of us have believed that it came from the Bible?? Or, even if we don’t believe it came from the Bible, how many of us believe that it is still good wisdom for a Christian? If so, I am probably just as guilty as anyone else and at one time I too believed this. But the more I get to know God, the more this quote rubs me the wrong way. And now I believe that it is in direct opposition to what God teaches us in the Bible.

Just so that we are clear, this quote and message is NOT in the Bible. So where did it come from? I did a quick search and this is what I found:

"Although he didn’t invent it, Benjamin Franklin is generally held to have popularized this motto in his Poor Richard’s Almanac. Here’s how it appears in the 1757 edition: …let us hearken to good advice, and something may be done for us. “God helps them that help themselves,” as Poor Richard says, in his almanac of 1733." …

The real origin of the motto probably lies in ancient Greece, when the storyteller Aesop wove the proverb into one of his tales:

A WAGGONER was once driving a heavy load along a very muddy way. At last he came to a part of the road where the wheels sank half-way into the mire, and the more the horses pulled, the deeper sank the wheels. So the Waggoner threw down his whip, and knelt down and prayed to Hercules the Strong. “O Hercules, help me in this my hour of distress,” quoth he. But Hercules appeared to him, and said:

“Tut, man, don’t sprawl there. Get up and put your shoulder to the wheel. “The gods help them that help themselves.” 

(Reference: did-you-know-the-saying-god-helps-those-who-help-themselves-isnt-in-the-bible)  

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." Proverbs 14:12   

I think that, if we did believe this quote to be true, and are told it isn't, we tend to do the old proverbial pendulum swing the other direction and think or say... "What!? Are you saying that I can just sit around and do NOTHING and God will take care of me!?" No, that is not at all what we are saying. There is a happy medium and a balance here. You don't have to be a slug or couch potato to rely on and trust the Lord completely. 

But here is the problem with the message of this quote. The tendency, when we hear this quote, is to think, "I need to help myself first, do my very best, and try to do life, love, career, family... on my own and then when I can't do it anymore, THEN God will come down to help me out." Right? This is not the behavior or the will of the God I know to be the TRUE God. This is a god that watches from afar and waits for you to fail and then maybe steps in when he is needed. And if you notice, I am inserting scriptures that indicate that we can be clueless as to what is actually “good” for us!

The other thing that tends to happen is that our pride will rear its ugly head when things go well with what we do in our own way, timing and strength, then we can get overconfident and think to ourselves, “I really don't even need God. ‘I can do this!’ I know what I am doing and besides, God won't do it the way, manner and timing I want anyway so why do I need Him...? "

"The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice." Proverbs 12:15

   

As I was pondering this topic, the Lord started showing me some scriptures that will help me explain to you why this quote is "anti-God". But first let me express my third concern over this quote. The part that says "helps themselves" is a huge problem! Without God's wisdom, understanding and guidance, we can "help ourselves" to a whole lot of pain, misunderstanding, difficulties, wrong choices with consequences and prideful conclusions! If we are paying attention we can clearly see that the Bible is full of men and women who tried to do things on their own, helping themselves, in their own way, wisdom and timing, and screwed up royally! Look at all the kings in Israel and Judah that did not seek the Lord or rely on Him and their reign ended in destruction and disaster because they leaned NOT on the Lord but on their own understanding. 

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones."  Pro 3:5-8

King David comes to mind as an example for both scenarios. In his early days he was faithful to God and "inquired upon the Lord" for many things and God was there for him. He was in no way “weak” or “wimpy”, he was a warrior king, but most importantly, he was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14):

"...and David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" "Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue." 1 Samuel 30:8 

"In the course of time, David inquired of the LORD. "Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?" he asked. The LORD said, "Go up." David asked, "Where shall I go?" "To Hebron," the LORD answered." 2 Samuel 2:1 

"...so David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?" The LORD answered him, "Go, for I will surely hand the Philistines over to you." 2 Samuel 5:19 

"...so David inquired of the LORD, and he answered, "Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because that will mean the LORD has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army." So David did as the LORD commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer." 2 Samuel 5:23-25

As you can see, each time David inquired of the Lord, God answered, gave him instructions, and delivered him. David was a seasoned warrior and won many battles so it would be easy for him to say, “I got this!” and NOT inquire of the Lord. But David was very wise and humble then and knew he needed God to be victorious. Because the Lord knows and see’s SO much more than we do, His guidance is paramount to our success!

"He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe." Proverbs 28:26  

Here are some examples of the kings NOT inquiring of the Lord:

"Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD; he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance, and did not inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse." 1 Chronicles 10:13-14   

"It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the LORD our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way." 1 Chronicles 15:13 

Those were just a couple examples but there are many more like these in the Old Testament, but now let’s move into the New. Let's look at Jesus and what HE did. If anyone could "help himself" and make right choices it would be Him, right? But no, He did not;

"Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does." John 5:19 

"By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me." John 5:30  

This is another "counter intuitive" situation with God and the Kingdom. God WANTS us to include Him in EVERYTHING in our lives! When we are weak, He is strong, and compared to HIM, we will always be weak! When we truly “get” this concept, and see that we were created to be “weak” so that we could rely on Him, we can trade our weakness in for His strength and find a freedom that brings an amazing peace and joy!

“That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10

“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” 1 Corinthians 1:27

Just look at the Sermon on the Mount; “Blessed are you who are poor… Blessed are you who hunger… Blessed are you who weep… Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you… Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven…” Luke 6:20-23

Maybe we have a problem with the word “weak”? It seems undignified and undesirable in a world and society that admires the strong “go getters” and people who take the “bull by the horns” and forces situations to go their way. But how long can these people maintain this lifestyle? Inevitably they will burn out and fade away because they were never designed to be “that” person… essentially becoming an idol or god in their own life. Stress, nervous breakdowns, illness, addictions… are all a result of trying to “be strong” and “helping  themselves” to a life they felt they should have instead of trusting God for the life He has for them. I have been there, done that and now I am learning to “rest” in the Lord’s will for my life instead of trying to force it to go my way. I am submitting to His will and ways and man, I have to tell you, while this is SUPER hard to do, it is SO much better on so many levels! I have more peace and joy, more time and a much better relationship with God than I ever did before. I have learned to embrace my “weakness” and defer to God and HIS strength and it feels good and not at all undignified. Weakness is yet another word I have come to redefine in my life from being a “bad thing” to a “good thing” in the eternal perspective.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” Proverbs 16:25

As I was thinking about writing this blog I read this article that spoke to this topic well so I thought I would share it with you:

August 21st Denison Forum - Daily Article:

Paul described the source of his ministry: “For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me” (Colossians 1:29). As we work, God works. When we give our best, God gives his best.

But when we depend on ourselves more than we submit to and rely upon him, we miss all that Almighty God can do in and through us. That’s why I have warned often over the years that self-sufficiency is spiritual suicide.

 “I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.” Psalms 34:4-5

I will end with this little nugget. When I was talking to Tom about this blog and read to him what I had written so far, the first thing he said was; “So, if that quote is true, then The Lord only helps those who need Him the least!” Wow. Read that again! That simple phrase struck me as “that’s IT in the nutshell!” If God only helps those who can help themselves, then what about all the ones who can’t help themselves? The broken hearted, the financially devastated, the sick, the weary, the abused, the orphans, the widows… will God wait to help them until they can help themselves? Need I say more?

I am SO thankful that this quote is NOT true because I for one need ALL the help I can get!!

I thank you Lord that you are so full of compassion, grace and mercy and don’t need us, or want us, to “help ourselves” first without you! I thank you that You are my Strength, my Fortress and my Deliverer, my God and my King who rescues me from myself and from others. I will gladly surrender my strength and become weak to have you in my life in all ways possible. Amen!

“For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.”  1 Corinthians 1:25-29

His Song...

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

This is going to be a different type of blog for me. Actually, I would rather not do this one because I don’t like making waves, ruffling feathers, creating controversy or bringing attention to myself. But for some reason it keeps coming to me that I need to do this, so I will be obedient and see what the Lord does with it.

Recently my oldest granddaughter turned 15 and that is an important age on so many levels. My testimony is not something I can share with a young child, as it is rated more like PG. So, with this birthday, I thought she was old enough now to read and understand it so I went ahead and sent it to her and my oldest grandson. They have heard some of my story but most of what is in my testimony they have not heard. Doing this got me to thinking about my past again and the things that I did when I was young. Which brings me to the point of this blog.

One of the things listed in my testimony is that in 1977 I had an abortion at the age of 17. I had run away from home at 16 and was doing my own thing and made some poor choices. During that time I was living in a long term hotel room with my boyfriend, and working the night shift in a small restaurant that was within walking distance since I didn’t have a car. When I got pregnant, at first I thought I had mono because I was getting sick and feeling rotten all the time but one of my regular customers was a nurse and she suggested that I get a pregnancy test. She was also the one who helped, guided and directed me, and made it possible for me to get the abortion. She even let me move in with her for a little while afterwards.

The timing of this blog is really interesting with all the uproar in the media with the "Pro-Life" and "Pro-Choice" debates going on. I have thought about this a lot lately and I think that we are all pro-choice and pro-life… we just make different choices and chose different lives. We can choose to be abstinent, use birth control or not… And we can either choose our life or the baby’s life. Either way we are making choices and choosing a life. I do understand that most people have already picked a “camp” that they support on this topic and my intention is not to change anyone’s mind, or to judge you for your choice, but just to share my story. Everyone is on their own journey and I have learned to respect that and have learned that my job is to love people wherever they are on their journey and not to judge or condemn them. That is not my job. With that said, my hope and prayer is that my story will resonate with you, if you have had a similar journey, and make a difference for you or someone you know.

Even though I am a Christian now and lean more on the “pro-life” side, I have to say that I do understand the mindset of the pro-choice because that is where I was when I made my "choice". Like I said, I was 17, I was not a Christian at the time and I had run away from home. I had no home of my own and NO way to care for a child. That was a really scary place to be! If I decided to keep the child, my life would change drastically and I wasn’t ready nor did I desire that kind of change. To be brutally honest, the pregnancy and the thought of having a child at that time in my life was a huge "inconvenience" to me. Because I didn’t know the Lord then I was able to "de-humanize" the baby which made it easier for me to be able to have the abortion. Another brutally honest truth is that there was still a part of me that knew it was a baby, and not just tissue, but I couldn’t allow myself to even think about that in order for me to be able to terminate the pregnancy. I had to shut my mind down and not think about it at all (Picture me holding my ears, closing my eyes and saying "lalalalala").

There are two* distinct times in my life that I have thought to myself, “why didn’t anyone tell me that I would feel this way!”  The first is regarding the abortion. I have never heard anyone talking about the emotional trauma that we go through after the abortion. As women I believe we are “wired” to have babies and to nurture and care for our children. It goes completely against our “grain” to abort this process so it stands to reason that we will inevitably go through a grieving process whether we want to or not. It doesn’t necessarily happen right away. In fact in my case it was years before I started to face and experience my pain. But why don’t we talk about it more? I don’t remember hearing anyone talk about the “aftermath emotional pain”… or maybe I haven’t looked hard enough or I intentionally avoided or ignored it? I don’t know. Granted, there are probably many women who do not go through what I went through, but if I went through it, the chances are pretty good that there are others who have gone through it as well, will go through it or are going through it now so this is why I am sharing. Maybe you haven’t heard about it either?

But this is my story, I made my choice and I am living with the consequences of that choice… and I hope and pray that my story will help someone… even if it is only one person, it will be worth it.

My journey involves several phases of realizations and emotional healing with this choice that I made. I was married 10 years before I was even able to talk about it with my husband. The first phase was in 1990…ish. I was working-out in my garage and was listening to a program called Focus on the Family. That day they played an audio version of a story called "Tilly". This story was about a woman who had had an abortion and through a series of miraculous circumstances met her daughter, Tilly, in heaven and the grace and healing that transpired for this woman was the tool God used to open up the door in my heart that I had shut those many years before. My workout ended with me falling on the floor in a heap of sobs... finally acknowledging and releasing the emotions I had shoved down and ignored for so long. Through this Tilly story I realized that I would one day meet my child, and that he may even wonder WHY…? Why wasn’t he wanted? Why wasn’t he loved? Would he want to meet his mom… me? Would he be hurt and angry? Would he forgive me? Could I forgive myself? But most importantly through this Tilly story I felt God telling me that I was forgiven by Him and that my child was with Him. (Here is a link to this same story, only about 8 minutes long: Storytelling of Tilly by Frank Peretti - NITOC 2014).

The second phase of healing was in ‘96. The Lord was working on me again and he prompted me to read some of my old journals and I ran across my journal that documented the abortion. That got me to thinking about it again and I started to write a poem. I knew in my heart that the child was a boy so I named the poem "His Song". Writing this song/poem helped me to process my emotional journey a little more and, with many more tears, it helped me to go deeper. I was able to put into words the things that were in my heart and mind through the years… the story of a lost child (me and my child) and the longings and musings through the years about what and who the child might have been if I had made a different choice. Here is the poem I wrote:

“HIS SONG”

This is a story of a girl you may know,

who made some wrong choices

and didn’t know where to go.

She is lost and confused, and very much afraid,

because, in a moment of passion,

a new life was made.

She was young and had run away from home,

Though surrounded by friends,

she still felt very alone.

Her life and future were ever before her,

but for the life growing inside her,

It’s future was very unsure.

(chorus)

If only she had known the truth,

If only someone had shared,

this story may have had a different ending,

and a life may have been spared.

She was told she wouldn’t feel any pain.

That it was simple and easy,

no big deal, your whole life to gain.

Just go to sleep,

Tomorrow is a new day.

But her life would never be the same.

There is nothing that you can do to hide,

the knowledge is down deep inside.

You can’t run from what you did,

no lies, drugs, or alcohol can keep it hid.

Sometimes she wonders who he would be.

She calculates the time gone by,

to figure out how old he’d be.

Would he like baseball, football, soccer, or skiing?

Would he like art, drama, music and singing?

She missed the chance to look in his eyes,

to kiss his face,

to hold him tight.

To comfort him when he cried.

(chorus)

This road we walk can be full of pain,

heartaches, fear and shame.

But through the life,

death and love of Christ,

we have so much more to gain.

This story has a happy ending

because Jesus has set her free.

He has forgiven all her sins

and gave her eternity!!

Now her child and her will finally meet,

and she will wonder no more,

about what he looks like, or who he is, like she did before.

(chorus a little changed)

So, if you get a chance share the truth,

and show someone you care.

You may have a chance to change a story,

and a life you may spare.

by Linda Daniels  1996

The third phase was in 2008. A good friend of mine's daughter started attending a church that was REAL old school and traditional and she volunteered to help them do some Easter preparations so I went with her to help. Again, this was completely orchestrated by God, for me. When I was there helping, there was also some preparation going on for a retreat they were planning. So I asked what type of retreat... the answer I got cracked the door open again. This church holds retreats for women who have had abortions and helps them to find healing and forgiveness. Two key parts of the retreat that hit me were first, to have the women name the child and second, to hold a memorial service for them, officially putting them to rest. When I heard that, I got choked up and felt tears welling up in my eyes… I knew right then and there that that was what I needed to do. This was the toughest thing of all! You see, it was so much easier for me to have the abortion, when it was a no-named piece of tissue. But, if I give him a name, it makes him a "real" person and solidifies even more the reality of what I had done. I didn't go to the retreat but I knew that I needed to take those principles and apply them to myself. I made some time, and with intention, asked the Lord what to name my child and I heard the name “Joshua”. So then the Lord and I held a memorial service for him. There were many more tears shed and I experienced an even deeper healing. My son has a name now, and Joshua is now real and alive in my heart and in eternity.

I believe that each one of these steps were important for ME and my journey to Know God and my emotional healing. With each one of these healing experiences I thought I was done, thinking I had gotten it out of my heart and system, but God continues to surprise me and apparently there is so much more healing needed than I ever imagined or realized! There are many layers to this “onion” and because of His great love for me, the Lord will go as deep as I will allow Him to go. And even now, I feel like the Lord is going deeper still with me because of this process of sharing this story with you. More emotions have been stirred up and I have found myself shedding even more tears in the telling of this story to you…

You may be asking right about now, “So…what is your point!?” And that is a good question. I mentioned earlier that I hadn’t heard anyone sharing what happened “after” the abortion and the emotional trauma they went through, so that is why I am telling my story. I have been dealing with my choice for 42 years now. Everyone has different stories, some with more trauma than others but we ALL go through it to one degree or another. The bottom line here is that there is a “cost” no matter what you choose to do. It doesn’t end at the abortion. There is a cost in keeping the child and a cost in aborting the child… They are both “lifelong” consequences but look different and affect us differently. I think ultimately the bigger question in this scenario is… which cost are you willing pay? The struggle and difficulty of raising a child, putting it up for adoption, or terminating it? Again, each one of us will experience the cost in different ways and degrees. But I think we can make better choices when we are better informed of the cost for all of the choices that are out there. I can’t speak to the adoption process but I would encourage you to look into that as well before hand so you can make an educated decision there too. And the other area I can’t speak into is the pregnancy as a result of rape. I have heard an amazing story of a women keeping the child after a rape and the blessing that child was to her… but that was her choice.

Like I said in the beginning, I don’t want to ruffle feathers or offend anyone, but my prayer is that my story will help someone on their journey to healing and/or make an informed choice. And if you have already made your choice like me, may you find peace, forgiveness and a deeper healing than you ever knew possible through my story.

Father, I thank you for this journey and I thank you that you care about every little detail in my life, as well as the big ones. I pray that you will bless this blog, anoint it with your LOVE, GRACE and FORGIVENESS so that others will see You in new and wonderful ways. Thank you for taking good care of Joshua and the healing process you have orchestrated for MY good and YOUR Glory. With much love, your daughter Linda :)

(*The second time I had the thought “Why didn’t anyone tell me that I would feel this way!” was when my daughter got married. I was sitting in the chair watching the ceremony and was overwhelmed and unprepared for the huge wave of emotion I had no idea would come!! This emotion welled up in my throat, choking me, and it was all I could do to keep from sobbing out loud and making a scene! I don’t even know if I can describe it other than having the enormous realization that I was letting go of a precious treasure that I had held so close and dear to me for 19 years, and handing it over to someone else, entrusting them to care for her as I did or better… That is quite the feat for those of us who are control freaks, LOL! Just say’n… :))

To Him Who Overcomes…

"To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations-- 'He will rule them with an iron scepter..."  Revelation 2:26-29 

  

This "overcoming" theme has come around many times in my journey to know God… and in my blogs! Recently it has come about yet again in a different way through a couple of different circumstances and people that God has tied together so neatly. I guess God really wants me to get this! LOL!

"...To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." Revelation 2:7   

We have a tendency as humans, and as a body of believers, to think of negative, painful and difficult things as "bad" and something to avoid at all cost. But I continue to understand more and more how that is not true or truth! I am learning to redefine “good and bad” and see these circumstances as "refining fires" and "tools" that the Lord uses to shape and mold us into the people that He desires for His glory and His Kingdom purposes. While Satan may be involved, God uses him as a tool as well as other people and circumstances... We can take what happened to Jesus as a perfect example. God was in control the whole time, but Satan thought he had the upper hand... But, as we now know, he did not. God is MUCH bigger and MORE powerful than Satan, and since he was created by God, there is nothing he can do that can best God. Nothing.

"...He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death." Revelation 2:11  

A few weeks ago Tom and I redeemed a massage gift card that a friend gave us for Christmas. During the massage the therapist and I conversed on a few different topics. At one point he mentioned how we, as kids, don't really "know" our parents... he said "They try to put their best face forward and don't really share the "dark side" of themselves so we, as their children, don't really know them like we think we do". I thought about that for a minute and said, "The dark side is all I really saw in my parents! They were very broken and used alcohol and drugs to medicate their pain because they were really hurting people." He was surprised and asked me how that affected me as a kid and as an adult now. After a short pause I said "While my childhood and teenage life were really hard and difficult, I wouldn't change a thing because those are the very things that God used to shape, mold and form me into who I am today!" And I like who I am now and who I am becoming. Overcoming childhood pain and trauma brings wisdom, compassion, and grace for others.

"...To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it." Revelation 2:17   

Another thread to this topic was during a recent conversation with Tom's dad on Father's Day. Tom and his siblings decided to interview their parents last year, while they were still of sound mind and able, and asked them a bunch of questions about their childhood and growing up and life in general. It gave his parents an opportunity to talk about some things that they may not have otherwise had a reason or opportunity to share. Tom's brother did some editing of that interview, reducing it to 4 hours long, and sent it out to the family so we could all listen to it. During the Fathers' day conversation, Dad had mentioned that he took the time to listen to it so I asked him what it was like to hear, or listen to his own story. He mentioned talking about the hardships and tough aspects of his childhood and he was almost apologetic about talking about it. But I said to him, "Some of the best books are the ones with the struggles, tragedies, difficulties and traumas that people overcome! It would be a really boring book if nothing "exciting" ever happened and there wasn’t anything to overcome!" And then Tom said "David Copperfield is a good example of that, we like stories about people who overcome hardships and difficulties and come out on the other side and better for it!" There is something really inspiring about hearing people’s stories who overcome their pain, struggles and hardships, don’t you think? I think it is because it gives us all hope that maybe we can endure and overcome in the same way!

“He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.” Revelation 3:5

In the addiction life coaching ministry that we do, we work with some men and women who have been married a LONG time, despite the pain and hardships that addiction brings/brought to their marriage! When they work on themselves and get the healing they need, their marriages are SO much better because of it! They overcome the pain and trauma that the addiction causes, and the trauma that caused the addiction in the first place, and are in such a wonderful place of healing and intimacy that they never dreamed was possible! Overcoming brings strength of character and a better relationship and intimacy with others as well as with the Lord! 

“Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.” Revelation 3:12

And then Tom and I were talking about this in the car the other day and he brought up all of the Biblical characters that endured tremendous hardships. They endured and overcame a variety of pain, trials, difficulties and challenges to become amazing men and women of God and examples for us to be inspired by! Hebrews 11 is the "faith" chapter listing all the people of faith who suffered and endured tremendous hardships in their life, yet they overcame them all and are listed among the patriarchs of FAITH; Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Esther, Ruth, Gideon, David... Just to name a few, and of course, there is Jesus. Here is what the author of Hebrews says at the end of chapter 11:

"​...Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.​ Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison.​ They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated--​ ​the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.​ These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.​ God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." Hebrews 11:35-40

Wow. These people went through A LOT!! But “the world was not worthy of them”…!! What if we have been taught incorrectly our whole lives?? What if pain, trials, suffering and hardships are GOOD, important and something to look forward to in our life of faith, relationship with God, and our character as children of God?? What if the life of leisure, ease and comfort is BAD and detrimental to our walk of faith!? What if the “eternal perspective” is that this life is “Boot Camp” and these difficulties and struggles are a TRAINING ground to prepare us for our eternal purpose, and without them, we would be like untrained, wimpy solders thrown into battle without the training to endure the battle physically, mentally or emotionally??

“To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.” Revelation 3:21

We have heard many stories about what heaven is like but do we really know for sure? And sometimes heaven is depicted as a life of leisure, and we are floating around on clouds and strumming harps… Do we really believe that? But… what if the TRUTH is not even close to the things we have been told? Do you remember the first scripture I listed? Here it is again but in its entirety:

“To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations-- 'He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery' -- just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star.”  Revelation 2:26-28

Wow… That is intense! If we overcome and do His will to the end we will have “authority over nations”… “we will rule with an iron scepter…” and “dash them to pieces like pottery…”?? This sounds nothing like harps and clouds to me… We will have authority and we will be ruling over people…This sounds like something we really need to be prepared for and READY for!

​I did a search for the word "overcomes" in the New Testament and found the scriptures that I have placed throughout this blog. The scriptures in Revelation ALL have these words, either before or after the scriptures I posted here; “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches..."  ​With this phrase included in ALL of these Revelation scriptures, it impresses me that the words He is telling us should be VERY important to us.​ Do we have an "ear to hear" what God is saying to us? Are you in the middle of a difficult situation right now? How are you viewing it? I want to encourage you to take heart and hope that this is a refining fire and a tool that God is using to shape and mold you, do not fret but take heart! This is not the end of your story! “…God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." Hebrews 11:35-40. Let’s look at these overcoming scriptures again. What will Jesus do for those who overcome?:

To him who overcomes; "... I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." Revelation 2:7. "...He … will not be hurt at all by the second death." Revelation 2:11. "... I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it." Revelation 2:17. “… I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.” Revelation 3:5. “… I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.” Revelation 3:12. “… I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.” Revelation 3:21.

“He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” Revelation 21:7

"...for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." 1 John 5:4-5

Thank you Lord for showing me this again, and again so that I can get this concept deep into my heart, mind and spirit! Help me to continue to redefine “good and bad” into YOUR eternal perspective and definition and reformat my mind and heart. Help me to continue to see ALL of my circumstances as opportunities to grow in You and refine my faith and relationship with You. Not MY will be done, but YOURS my Lord! Embracing boot camp, your daughter, Linda :)