It’s human nature to doubt yourself when faced with dilemmas you are not prepared to solve. The question always given to those reluctant to prevail as such when odds seem insurmountable do not possess a willingness to take chances securing success. The subject here is tailored around how you can table fears standing up to giants that may have plagued you in your lifetime. This is done by using time measured efforts staying afloat in the right frame of mind doing whatever it takes to win. Well, to be honest, this sounds easier  said than done if there’s no confidence stepping out on faith. Satan is the type of enemy that is relentless and resourceful in taking advantage of weaknesses in a preventive mode. Do I hear someone say, “Wait on the Lord?” I want you to be able as time progresses to have peace, rest assuringly, and be content as you do just that—wait on the Lord. The Scripture for this essay is found in Isaiah 43:2-4. There’s an old saying that time waits for no man, and if you’ve lived through all of the years that have you where you are now, I’m sure you can look back and assess your past. I’m considering the past as I speak now because we all have lived and have been subjected to anything that has shaped our consciousness. I’ve coined this phrase — ‘never let your past hamper your future’.   Everything you’ve done relative to the choices made have been prompted by psychological premises. What I mean by that is due diligence is symbolic of a free thought pattern of adjectives describing moods, feelings, temptations, and urges. We are human and fraught with all kinds of obstacles…we live with guilty consciousness from faulty decisions stemming perhaps from a ‘coulda, shoulda, or woulda complex. This essay focuses on how you’ve progressed from then to now with me asking you questions specifically on what have you taken in consideration in facing those giants we will talk about…have you truly thought about the reality of it all? Has prayer been part of the solution introduced to you to try? I will always have the mindset allowing prayer to change things. And I will ask again, what is your passion for prayer…what part of it is meaningful to you? My overall purpose is to help you end any possible guilt trips, shameful thoughts of embarrassment, regrets that may have overwhelmed you keeping you from moving forward with positive intent. 

    Where you are now, especially what you may have gone through up to now, it’s so easy to have a ‘what’s next attitude,’ or perhaps a ‘woe is me’ frame of mind. Then again, there may be a few who have listened intently on the things brought to your mindsets and are excited about the possibilities ahead in life. You must know that the pessimistic pressure that Satan brings to you will shatter the optimism what God has in store for you. If you’re up to snuff and feel that there’s nothing to God bringing good out of anything, even if your life is piled high with hurts…even if you’re bored, even if your wings have withered and your step is without the usual pep, pomp and circumstances may dictate a dated world without you, and the influence you used to weld would be a moot point. Despite all of that, it shouldn’t have to be the last word on your lives. Pain is a barometer measuring bodily ailments, but the pure pleasure of eternal lifestyles are awaiting for you! The pain of not being understood, the pain of being passed over for anything worth you having would stop you in your tracks. Sometimes pain of being rejected somewhere in your life may be akin to you may feeling that that there’s nothing to look forward to.

  If you’re in this category I have some powerful encouragement for you. You can now sit up straight because you’re about to don a new set of wings — you’re about to fly right and soar just like the majestic eagle in Isaiah 40, verse 31 which bore the bastion of a truth where trust in the Lord is an expectation that your problems are predicated on His promises to strengthen you. You would then be able to face any giant before you. It’s a wherewithal to rise above your aches and pain. Do you believe that God loves you and wants the best for you? Can you relax a bit now that you have no choice at this point; can you be confident enough that His purposes are right for you? Are you convinced even, that He has the power to control all life on earth, even yours? Though your faith at times have waned, I wonder as I’ve wandered through my own personal ailments, when will I not be subjected to ailments of this world? I, like you should accept His provisions and not continue to flounder beyond the margins of misery. Words of comfort are inherent throughout the Bible, they are prevalent when you pray with Him having the patience to see where your next blessing will come from. It’s all about you rising above your difficulties as you truly understand that, ‘those who trust in the Lord will find that newfound strength where you can soar on good dreams of the mind. You will bask in euphoric splendor while you run and not grow weary…you will walk with purpose and not faint. God’s protective shield will give you the umbrella of a safe haven. I’ll say it for you — He is your Savior! 

  Whoever is called to stand before you as I and others have done, the messages will be about you moving forward not allowing age to stop you from realizing what God has in store for you. I won’t be the first nor the last to remind you that prayer changes things, even things you’ve struggled with, those unchangeable things that have become giants without you being confident and cordial knowing that looking up is the best option. It’s natural as long as you live in this life to swim against the grain with this world not being Eden. No, this is not Paradise you are living in now. Going through rivers of difficulty will either cause you to drown or force you to grow stronger. But…if you persist that your own strength is par for a course thinking that you don’t need protection, you are more likely to drown.

  All it takes is rising up high enough to raise your hand, let go of your worries, and let God! You want to see the side of God’s Grace that you’ve never seen before…those giants will fade away in oblivion. You will be free. If God allows probation for me to linger a bit longer, someday real soon I may be where you are now…a little more seasoned, and surely unable to do the things I used to do. And because of all the hurt and pain I’ve endured, I know first hand how the despair of intimidation feels when it’s strangling you around the neck. You feel it when you can’t clothe yourselves, when you need someone to push your wheelchair, when bathing wasn’t as easy as it once was.

    Yes, I know the kind of paralysis that can harden around you when you’re scared to death about going through with something you’ve committed to do, and time has robbed you from thinking that you’re not capable anymore. I’ve known those times, when all we feel like doing is pulling the curtains back a bit to see more sunshine, or going deeper under the covers letting sleep and slumber engulf you…even rain shouldn’t be looked at as depressive. I can also tell you that the best prescription for a good dose of medicinal value is knowing that trouble doesn't last always…that a ray of hope is yours, that yesterday is a mere memory, that today is fleeting, and that tomorrow is worth waiting for! There’s no need to fear anything as long as faith is in your hearts. In my research, I found that faith, faithfulness, and being fruitful is found 85 times in the Bible within all 36 books. That’s an awesome indication how the Lord places emphasis on you believing in Him for your salvation.

 Ending the reign of guilt, shame and regret is imperative…believe it or not, you are in the best condition to be conditioned for a transformative transition for a new lease on life, and yes, the grass is greener, light at the end of the tunnel is illuminate with a new sense of brightness with the right temperature, and the sun is not mistaken for the real Son — the Son of Man…the one who is now and forever more will welcome you only because you’ve made your election and calling sure. He said, “Come before me, and I shall allow you to slay any and all giants before you, I will make you anew…your horizons will be up close and personal, and rainbows will have just the right hues to color your canvas. Good fabric will be woven for ties to bind, and the patterns of life will be sewn with strong threads that will not come undone. Don’t you want all of this? Now is the time for you to develop or re-program your lives for integrity and intimacy. Integrity is an interesting word. It literally means to live an integrated life, a life that is whole, consistent, without compartment or without fragmentation. Proverbs 10:9 says, “People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall.” But know this. You WILL walk again! With God, it’s never too late to hope…never too late to show up and do what’s right. No matter what you experience here there should be no situation which goes untouched by your relationship with Jesus.

     The type of decision He wants you to make is indeed a life of truthful resolve…if you’re going to live that type of life then the discussion has to start with a focus in your heart, inside of you; it must be related to your soul and your character. Integrity is first and foremost an inside job. That means you have to pay attention to the development of your desire to characterize  having the courage to step up and be counted for a moral compass to defeat giants. Your relationship with Christ is like a spiritual GPS that helps you to navigate through battles that are winnable. You may sit and wonder at times when is a good time to just be obedient to wise counsel, contemplating and worrying about the life you are consigned to. Are you ready to stand up? David did this by slaying his giant. I don’t know about you but I’ve always liked David. People who possess that type of courage I’m attracted to. I don’t always have that type of courage. Battling the cancer that’s wracking my body, I’m scared. There are days when I look back on times and decisions I’ve made, and I realize that I really didn’t live by what I said I believed.

    My courage and convictions weren’t  as strong as I wanted them to be at times. But there’s something about integrity, something beautiful and powerful. I’m not talking about being perfect, always on the top of your game, but without God in your life that is not going to happen. Making the right decisions matters a lot. If you don’t remember anything I’ve talked to you about as you are reading, I want you to remember this: When you choose to do what’s right and live by your own convictions, I can’t promise you what’s going to happen…I can’t, and won’t promise you a fairy tale ending, or that everything is going to turn out exactly like you’d hoped. What I do feel is having confidence in promising you that the Lord will walk with you through whatever you’re going through now as long as you are faithful. If you have that, if you believe in your heart that the Lord Jesus Christ is your Savior, you have enough and the giants wouldn’t  stand a chance!