OH SO CLOSE

OH SO CLOSE

The included picture is entitled “Three-feet-from-Gold.” How many times have we seen ourselves or others quit just before achieving the success we were after? Too many times we are tempted to give up on something we really wanted. But isn’t that part of the devil’s plan? John 10:10 tells us specifically: “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I [Jesus] came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows] (John 10:10 AMP}.

 

The devil is a personal enemy who wants to steal, kill, or destroy any benefit God plans to give us. I found that out when I was getting to retire from the painters’ union. I knew I would have to do my part to get what I was owed, and they didn’t make it easy! I was on the phone for over an hour with an agent from the pension plan. I needed some paperwork that was delayed because of the coronavirus. The agent was super helpful, and after several tries, she got the packet sent in an attachment that I could download and print. I thought I was finished, but as I read the paperwork, I couldn’t find anything about the extra amount I was promised from working extra years beyond the normal age for retirement. I was bothered, but since I was exhausted, I wanted to wait until the next day to call back.

 

Jane could see that I wanted to quit, but she also knew I wouldn’t be able to let it go. I would be worried, irritated, and grumpy, and probably wouldn’t sleep well either thinking about it. And besides that, I couldn’t be assured of getting the same agent who had taken the time to help me, so Jane urged me to call them back right away. I didn’t want to do it. I wanted to quit, but I knew she was right, so I called, and in a matter of a few minutes, everything worked out great. What helped me to get to the prize? The words of a friend and bad experiences in the past from giving up too soon.

 

I found an interesting article about how and why people want to quit things right before success. The author talks about how culture has changed over the centuries, but our brains have not.

 

“Why we quit (often right at the tipping point of success)” by Jay Parekh

 

“Success doesn’t suddenly come barreling down on you all at once. Though it does tend to sneak up on you, without you noticing, if you’re putting in the work everyday.

 

That is exactly the hard part, because our brains tend to overestimate immediate rewards and underestimate rewards in the future.

 

Why is this?

 

Imagine the world when man first emerged. In this world dominated by predator and prey dynamics, man’s priority was the present moment. The hunter gatherer lifestyle fared much better when immediate rewards such as shelter, food, and sex were given priority.

 

Fast forward to our modern world, and most of our day to day activities are geared towards long term rewards. For example, we work at our jobs to get a paycheck at the end of the pay period, we exercise today so we can look better in the future, we invest today to prepare for retirement.”

 

Though we live in a world where actions that benefit us long term turn out to be more valuable than those that benefit us immediately (usually), our outdated brains still view the world as it always has.

 

The author goes on to say that because our brains tend to want the instant gratification still, the only way to do something about it is to re-train our brains. That’s what the Bible teaches us too.

 

When Moses died, Joshua had to lead the people of God. In the very first battle, God taught Joshua about the benefits of pushing all the way through to the end.

 

God told him how to take down Jericho and get what God intended for him and his people to have. But the way God told him to take the city was grueling. He and his whole army and all the men, women, and children too, had to march around the city for seven days, around and around, not saying a word, and then on the seventh day they had to march around seven times and then blow the trumpets and shout.

 

Don’t you think those people got tired going around and around for seven straight days? Just think of how their feet felt, for one thing. They had to get up at dawn every day too. The children probably were rowdy, and they were instructed not to say anything, so you can imagine what it must have been like for those poor parents. So many aches and pains. And never mind that it seemed like a pretty silly way to capture a whole city, right?

 

But Joshua led the people in God’s ways, and the people followed. They all pushed themselves to the very end, without quitting.

 

“And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times.

 

“And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, ‘Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city.’

 

“So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city” (Josh. 6:15-16,20).

 

When we get to the place where we feel like quitting on something we really want, and we’re pretty sure it’s the Lord’s will, let’s get determined, maybe get a trusted friend to honestly advise, then kick into high gear and make that extra effort to get to the end. God’s rewards are always worth it.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

 

LISTENING TO GOD ABOUT NIGHT SEEDS

LISTENING TO GOD ABOUT “NIGHT SEEDS”

A few days ago, the Lord reminded me about planting “night seeds.” I heard Him say it very clearly, but did I immediately put it into practice? No, and the days following have not been so good--frustrating to tell the truth. I’ve learned that if the Lord gives you an instruction and you ignore it, well, He’s not likely to give you something new until you follow through on the last thing He said. The thing is, when He reminded me, I remembered how great night seeds worked, but I didn’t take it as an instruction that I needed to do that very night, and when the idea came to mind, I took it as more of a fleeting thought than an actual “do it tonight” kind of thing.

 

But we need to be more sensitive to the subtlety of the Lord. He’s not always going to be yelling at us or speaking loudly. I missed it, and the result was kind of awful. So, I repented. I’m so sorry I didn’t pay attention. I know God loves me and I want to hear every little thing He says! It’s always going to be for my good. This incident reminds me a time when God wanted to talk with Elijah.

 

And angel told Elijah: “Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire, a still small voice. (1 Kings 19:11-12).

 

God spoke to Elijah in “a still small voice.” And when Elijah heard it, he was humbled. God was showing him that He (God) didn’t have to always roar, but that He could be quiet and gentle as well. Elijah heard it and responded. In humility “he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering of the cave” (v. 13). Elijah was ready to listen to God without all the fanfare of wind, fire, and earthquakes. We need to become more aware of God’s still small voice like Elijah did. We need to pay attention to those odd-ball thoughts that just seem to pop into our minds periodically, not seeming to connect to much else that we were thinking about.

 

When I sat down to my computer this morning, I was still in a grumpy, frustrated state of mind, so I asked the Lord what to do about my Preach letter today, what did He want me to send out to His people? He said very clearly: “This one is for YOU!” So, then He directed me to go to some of the Preach letters I’d written in 2019, and when I came to the one on “night seeds,” I remembered the incident a few days ago when that concept popped into my mind and I pretty quickly dismissed it. Well, when I came to that Preach letter in the 2019 group of letters, I knew I had to read it and do it. And then the Lord wanted me to write about what led up to me putting it out today. You can be assured that I will be planting those “night seeds” tonight! It’s God’s will and His blessing and I’m not going to miss it! I hope you’ll plant some night seeds tonight too, and remember to listen better for His still small voice. Here’s the article on night seeds:

 

NIGHT SEEDS

“Behold, He [God] who keeps Israel [and us] shall neither slumber nor sleep.” God is Spirit, and He doesn't sleep. We, as Spiritual beings, don't sleep either, but it's our body and soul that do need the sleep while we're here on earth. If we sleep three hours out of 24, it's an eighth of our day. If we sleep eight hours, that’s a third of our day taken up! How can we make those sleeping hours count spiritually? One way is to plant night seeds.

 

Night seeds: The thing that is so amazing and awesome is that Spiritual faith can work through the night, uninhibited by our doubtful, fearful, and oh-so-rational minds! Things are working in our unconscious, spiritual hearts, freely.

 

The two following sections of scripture are vital to me in getting great results from planting night seeds:

 

Jesus taught this: Mark 4:26-27: “And he said, ‘So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.” Notice that Jesus said the man planted the seed, then he immediately went to sleep! I just love that.

 

If we plant seeds right before we go to sleep, no rationale or emotional reaction can get in the way to block our faith! Who we are spiritually as sons and daughters of God Almighty, and our relationship with His son Jesus goes ahead to work while our bodies and souls take a rest, and the solutions come as the seeds sprout.

 

Then the second vital verse is Psalm 17:15: “I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness.” I looked up the Hebrew word for “likeness” so that I could better understand this verse. It is “temuwnah,” and in this context, it means “what You [God] have fashioned,” what You [God] have formed,” “the manifestation of Your favor.”

 

So this verse is saying that when I wake up, I can feel blessed by what the Lord did in the night. He works with our seed and helps it to get sprouting.

 

I’d learned this principle a while back and forgot about it until I was scrolling through some old Preach letters and decided this was a great principle to start using again. Here are some results from when I used this method before.

 

It was Christmas time, and I got a last-minute invitation to a Christmas party. I’d already scheduled a hair appointment for several days after the party. When I called to reschedule, there were no appointments available. After more than a week went by, I started getting a little worried. I decided to try out my new discovery of planting a night seed. In light of the worry I was feeling, I knew I needed peace about whatever the result would be with my hair. So I claimed John 14:27, which says, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

 

Even though I was feeling stressed, I prayed and planted this peace seed. When I opened my cell phone first thing in the morning, I had a text from my hairdresser offering to do my hair on a Saturday. Not only did I get an appointment, but it was on a perfect day, so I didn’t have to miss any work.

 

My best friend Jane also planted a night seed. Her seed was concerning the promotional business she does for my writing. Facebook was blocking the usual routes of her promotions. It was as if they were trying to starve her out and get her to quit, and she knew it had to be changed around.

 

Jane didn’t get out her Bible and read the scriptures, but she told God His own story back to Him about the lepers outside the wall in Samaria. (It’s in 2 Kings 7). There was a great famine in the city because it was surrounded by an enemy army, cutting off the food supply. The lepers did as they were inspired by God, and He did a miracle. The enemy fled, leaving all the food and goods behind. The next day, the famine was gone and the commerce thriving!

 

When Jane woke up the next morning, there were more downloads on her promotion than there had been in the last three promotions!

 

This stuff works. Remember, Spirit continues to work while we sleep. Let’s make our sleep count in a spiritual way to enhance our lives. Plant a few night seeds this week.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

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ADDING MORE JOY TO YOUR DAY

ADDING MORE JOY TO YOUR DAY

God tells us, “Every man should enjoy the good of all his labor, it is the gift of God” (Eccles. 3:13). How often have we not taken the time to do this?

 

We enjoy the money we get from a job but there are lots of things we make an effort to do in a day where we don’t get paid with money. We need to take a minute to acknowledge and celebrate those too. What about those small, seemingly insignificant tasks? God says we are to enjoy the good of ALL our labor.

 

This morning I reminded Jane of the one thing we needed to get from the store this afternoon: drinking water. Instantly it came to my mind that we have been keeping up on our emergency supply of water, toilet paper, meds, rice, and other things since 2013! I said to Jane, “Hey, we’ve done a great job at that!”

 

We aren’t supposed to just work and work and work until we exhaust ourselves. Most of us need to celebrate more. God says we’re supposed to “ENJOY THE GOOD OF ALL HIS [OUR] LABOR”, not just the good from the paycheck we get from our jobs, but the good we get from anything we work at. Do we get a good feeling and satisfaction from a small victory? We should. Do we get a thank you from someone? Enjoy the blessing of someone recognizing what you may have done for them. Do we tell ourselves how happy we are because we took on and learned a new skill? How about celebrating ourselves for accomplishing something we’ve been procrastinating for a while? There are many good results from our labors and lots of reasons to celebrate because we work at a variety of tasks.

 

Just think of some things you work at: Do you work at eating well? Reading the Bible? Are you working at hearing from the Lord more often in a day? Celebrate, acknowledge, and enjoy it. What about getting enough sleep? Do you allow yourself a nap so you can feel more alert? Be happy about it. Do you work at not gossiping? At paying your bills on time? Do you work at saying something kind every day? Do you work at spending more time with your kids?

 

Think of two things you worked at today. Whatever it is, God says we need to take the time to CELEBRATE and enjoy the good of our labor. It’s His gift to us. We can say, “Hey, I did pretty well at that. Great job! I did it!” The Lord wants us to be blessed and this is just one way He’s given us to put a little more joy in our day.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

I just finished the editing of all the chapters for Volume 2 of BIBLE LESSONS FROM NATURE! I’m taking a moment to enjoy that, and tomorrow I start with the Introduction, formatting, and some other technical stuff. I’m trying to get it out by Christmas or early in the new year. Here’s the link to Volume 1: https://www.amazon.com/BIBLE-LESSONS-NATURE-Carolyn-Molica/dp/B0BV4GC859/ref=sr_1_1?crid=QACB0S8NH0BF&keywords=bible+lessons+from+nature&qid=1676485121&sprefix=%2Caps%2C222&sr=8-1

If you’ve read it, I’d love to get an Amazon review. Thanks 😊

 

WHEN GOD CLOSES YOUR MOUTH

WHEN GOD CLOSES YOUR MOUTH

Jane needed to go into the Department of Motor Vehicles office to get her driver’s license renewed, but when she called the DMV over a month ago, the only available appointment wasn’t until this week, only one day before her license expired! We were both a bit nervous about it. And then an amazing thing happened.

 

The Lord silenced us completely about the driver’s license. He didn’t tell us not to talk about our hesitations or fears, but He just silenced us about the whole business. It didn’t hurt or anything like that, and we kept talking about many other subjects as usual, but neither of us expressed even one negative word about the appointment and what was extra odd is that we didn’t even try to say any positive affirmations about it either! It just wasn’t in our parameters of speech. The silence just happened supernaturally with no thought or effort at all!

 

I went with Jane to her appointment, and everything went smoothly and congenial—so congenial, in fact, that the fellow forgot to ask Jane to do the eye test. He gave her the temporary license and sent her over to get her picture taken for the permanent license and off we went!

 

When we got in the car, we rehearsed what the Lord had done, and Jane was rejoicing, “Jesus rocked it, Jesus rocked it, JESUS ROCKED IT!! She was so happy she called her sister right away to give her the good news. After rejoicing, we finally confessed our unspoken fears and found out we both had the same thoughts: “What if she didn’t pass her eye test? And what if she couldn’t drive?” Since she uses the car every morning to go out and do her internet work, what kind of hoops would we have to go through if they didn’t give her a license on this last day before her old one expired?” We never spoke a word of this until that moment after the appointment when the license was secured. Of course there is a good chance that Jane would have passed the eye test, but if God had allowed us to speak our hesitations and fears, the devil would have heard them too, and all kinds of mishaps could have taken place. God wouldn’t allow that to happen and so He orchestrated an awesome miracle for us.

 

God, of course, knew that we both are very strong in believing together, and what we both agree on, comes to pass. This principle works in the positive for us, but it can work in the negative too, as God explains regarding the rebellious ones who sided with Nimrod’s defiance of God in Babel.

 

“And they said, ‘Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.’ And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

 

“And the Lord said, ‘Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

 

“Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.’ So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.” (Gen. 11:4-8).

 

Here in Genesis, we see that the people spoke the same language. Not only did they speak the same dialect, but they agreed, and God said that because they agreed with each other, they could accomplish what they agreed upon, and in this case, they were building a city and a tower to exalt themselves above the true God. So the Lord confused their language so they no longer could talk to each other and had to stop building their evil city.

 

We see this same principle working with Zacharias in the book of Luke. Like with Jane and me, God needed to shut us up for a bit, to get His loving blessing to us.

 

Zacharias and his wife, Elisabeth “were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years” (Luke 1:6-7).

 

Zacharias was a priest, and it was his turn to burn incense in the temple. And as he was praying, “there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, ‘Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord” (Luke 1:11-15).

 

God had great plans for Zacharias, Elisabeth, and especially their son, John the Baptist. But the angel quickly detected the fears that this couple would discuss, and God wanted them blessed, so He couldn’t let the fear take over. 

 

“And Zacharias said unto the angel, ‘Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.’ And the angel answering said unto him, ‘I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season’” (Luke 1:18-20).

 

So, sure enough, Zacharias got the message, and he was unable to speak until his wonderful son, John, was born.

 

God needed to perform a miracle for Zacharias without Zacharias interfering, and God needed to perform a miracle for Jane without her interfering as well. This is just one of the ways that our Lord uses to keep the blessings flowing to His people. So don’t be afraid if one day you find that the Lord has shut your mouth for a time. He’s just in the process of getting an amazing blessing to you, His beloved son or daughter!

 

Love, Carolyn

https://www.amazon.com/BIBLE-LESSONS-NATURE-Carolyn-Molica/dp/B0BV4GC859/ref=sr_1_1?crid=QACB0S8NH0BF&keywords=bible+lessons+from+nature&qid=1676485121&sprefix=%2Caps%2C222&sr=8-1

 

 

PRAISE AND WORSHIP GOD

PRAISE AND WORSHIP GOD

Last night I was in a state of half-asleep and half-awake when I began to praise God. I didn’t have my eyes open but I was conscious of what I was saying. I told God over and over: “I praise you; I worship you; I praise you; I praise you; thank you.” I went on like this for hours until I actually woke up about 5 a.m.

 

As I thought about this, it hit me that there are many Christians who no longer go to a traditional church building to worship and praise. But praise and worship still need to be a part of our lives. Praise and worship are an important part of our interaction with the Lord God. To praise Him doesn’t change Him, but it changes us!

 

When Paul and Silas were thrown in prison, they prayed and sang praises to God. And what happened?

 

“At midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed” (Acts 16:25-26)

 

Paul and Silas were free.

 

David was being chased and pursued by Saul, who wanted to kill him. When David was alone, he praised God. And God rescued him and gave him insight on how to get away from Saul. “I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies” (Psa. 18:3).

 

There are many verses about praise, but these two show us that praise opens prison doors. Praise can free us. David shows us that praise can save us from our enemies.

 

So even if we don’t go to an actual church building, and even if our Christian fellowship is only online or only a small group of people or even if we are by ourselves, we still need to take time to praise and worship God. We praise and worship Him for who He is and how thankful we are for Him being in our lives.

 

Even in awful circumstances: hurricanes, fires, jail, or persecution, we still need to praise and worship God. It’s probably our one and only true escape from our own self-destruction. David said: “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance” (Psa. 42:5). David was a smart man. There’s a phrase we hear these days, “Pay it ahead.” But David knew that “Praise it ahead” was even better. He said: “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving” (Psa. 69:30).

 

When I woke up from praising and worshipping the Lord in my sleep, I realized I needed to praise Him even more when I’m fully awake. I need to make more time to worship Him. He is the absolute most important one in my entire life and I should tell Him more often!

 

Love, Carolyn

https://www.amazon.com/BIBLE-LESSONS-NATURE-Carolyn-Molica/dp/B0BV4GC859/ref=sr_1_1?crid=QACB0S8NH0BF&keywords=bible+lessons+from+nature&qid=1676485121&sprefix=%2Caps%2C222&sr=8-1

 

 

PART 2 - LIFTING UP OUR HANDS IN VICTORY

 LIFTING UP OUR HANDS IN VICTORY

Last week I talked about Moses lifting up his hands while Joshua fought the enemy below. God told him that he was to lift up his hands for victory even before the physical battle began. That reminded of another Preach letter I wrote in 2021. Here it is. Enjoy 😊

 

When I was working on a special finish for a hotel in California, I had to match an existing piece. I worked at it, but it was difficult. I started to feel the pressure, and I was getting more and more fearful as the day went on. The deadline was growing bigger than the possibility of a solution.

 

Finally, I had to get both of my bosses outside to take a look at the pieces I’d done and get some suggestions. All the suggestions included mixing more paint, starting from scratch, and going through all the steps again. Yikes!

 

But at least I was going to have help. We all went our separate ways for lunch, and I took the opportunity to pray. I prayed for Jesus to help me. I really needed Him, and I told Him so. His first direction to me was to look at the story of Ruth in the Bible. As I was soaking in her story, the scripture came into my head: “Lift up the hands that hang down,” from Hebrews 12:12.

 

That scripture coming to my mind was evidence to me of the love of Jesus and the mercy of God to answer my cry for help.

 

I remembered a TED talk I saw on the internet. It was about nonverbal communication, and they did a test to show how nonverbal communication could affect a good outcome. The challenge was to lift your hands in a show of victory. You had to keep your hands up for two minutes. As it turned out, when the people did it, their blood levels of testosterone went up, and their level of the stress hormone of cortisol went down and they felt more confident.

 

 I decided now was the time to try it.

 

I went into the restroom. I laid down my cell phone on the sink and looked at the time. I lifted my arms above my head as if I’d just won a race, and I said out loud: “I have the victory through Jesus Christ, I have the victory through Jesus.” I snuck a look at my phone, and I’d only done it for one minute, so I stretched out my arms a little more and said it a few more times till 2 minutes were up. I left the restroom and doggone it if I didn’t feel more confident. I really did! I felt invigorated and even a little carefree.

 

It worked! I lifted my hands like it says in the Bible. And the experiment shown on the TED talk showed me how to do it for two minutes straight.

 

When my one boss came back from lunch, he started working on the pieces with me, and we had some good laughs as we both came up with almost the same exact colors. We took them outside to see how they looked against the sample; they were way off! We both looked at each other with wrinkled brows. We shrugged our shoulders, and off we went to try again.

 

The goofy thing is that the piece we were looking at appeared to have mustard color in it when we saw it outside, and the same color appeared reddish when we had it inside! We got out a fan deck of colors and took the piece outside to match it up. We were sure we’d do better the next day. At least, I knew I’d have a better attitude, and I’d start with my hands lifted in victory.

 

As well as lifting my hands, I prayed for God’s mercy and kindness to me. I knew He would help me come up with a solution to our problem. “With everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer” (Is. 54:8).

 

Sometimes it’s difficult to keep working on something that seems so hard. God knows this, and speaks plainly to us. He says in Hebrews 12:11-12: “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands.” We can do it, and we are victorious!

 

I finished the sample; it was approved and now decorates the outer walls of a major hotel in Southern California.

 

That was the past and now it’s time once again to employ this 2-minute victory pose to some new situations. I hope you will try this out too. The victories we see in our own lives will help us to teach a victorious life to others as well.

 

Love, Carolyn

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=WINGS%3A+A+Journey+in+Faith+by+carolyn+molica&crid=3GBPN2RO8RZMF&sprefix=wings+a+journey+in+faith+by+carolyn+molica%2Caps%2C257&ref=nb_

FAITH FOR VICTORY - MOSES AND JEHOSHAPHAT SHOW US HOW

FAITH FOR VICTORY – MOSES AND JEHOSHAPHAT SHOW US HOW

Before I got out of bed in the morning, I used to pray, “Lord, with You, it’s going to be a great day.” Then I hit some hard times, and my prayer became “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, help me, help me, help me.” Not that it’s necessarily a bad prayer, and of course I do need His help always. But this new prayer was motivated more by dread than hopeful expectation. So when I realized what I was doing, I stopped and changed my prayer back to the “It’s going to be a great day” prayer.

 

The Bible tells us we should always expect a victory of some sort or other if we are walking in alignment with God. And if something isn’t going to be good for us, He lets us know and shows us the way out, around, through or over. And in the end, we still get the victory with Him.

 

One of the names for God in the Old Testament is Jehovah-nissi, “the Lord our Banner.” The victory banner is what we are to hold up BEFORE going into any battle. Moses and Jehoshaphat show us how to do this. Exodus 17 gives us a great example of how Moses claimed God’s triumph before and during the battle.

 

The Amalekites came to attack Moses, and God told Moses to go and take the same staff with him that he used for parting the Red sea. The staff represented the presence and victory of God. Moses had faith in God’s presence. Whenever Moses held up this rod, he had faith that God was there to give him victory. Holding up this rod, Moses absolutely believed he already had the sure triumph of God, even before anything happened.

 

The Amalekites came to attack Moses and God’s people. “And Moses said unto Joshua, ‘Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand” (Exod. 17:9). Moses had faith before the battle even started that with God on his side, he would win. 

 

“So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.  And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed” (vv. 10-11). Right here is an amazing lesson for us: Keep lifting the rod of God; keep saying, “I have the victory.” Even though we may get weary, we hold fast to the conviction that we are going to be winners. We can’t let dread get the best of us. God says: “I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” (Isa. 43:19).

 

“But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun” (v. 12). Another great lesson: Lots of times we need help to keep our faith for victory its strongest. We don’t have to always do it by ourselves.

 

“And Joshua discomfited [overthrew and flattened him] Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. And the Lord said unto Moses, ‘Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi [the Lord our banner]” (vv.13-15).

 

By faith, we go into every battle shouting the victory from the beginning, and seeing it manifest in the end.

 

We find another great example with Jehoshaphat in Second Chronicles 20. In this record, three different armies collaborated to defeat Jehoshaphat and his people, and take over their city and all its profits. The enemies even brought much wealth with them in the form of jewelry and other riches, probably intending to bargain after overthrowing Jehoshaphat. They would split up the spoil and sweeten the pot with their own riches if they wanted something specific.

 

But they weren’t going to win. Jehoshaphat got the people together, and they prayed to God about what to do. They acted on their faith.

 

“Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow go ye down against them” (v.15-16). “And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa” (v.20).

 

Then look at this amazing act of faith. Before they even started the battle, they began singing and praising God. They had faith that they would win, and they began to sing about it and praise God for victory. And look what God did:

 

“And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten” (v.22). This is awesome! The people didn’t SEE what God was doing; they had faith He would do it. They praised Him for the victory BEFORE they saw any evidence. And it was at the moment of their pre-evidential praise, that the Lord ambushed the enemy. And look how He did it:

 

“For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another” (v.23). Wild, huh?!

 

And when the people came to see what happened, “behold, dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much” (vv.24-25).

 

Many other Bible records show the blessed results of having faith for our victory before we experience it. And like in the case with Jehoshaphat, it was AFTER they had faith for success and praised God for it, that God set up the ambush where the three armies killed off each other!

 

So don’t be like I was. Be more like Moses and Jehoshaphat. We can’t let dread get us down. Instead, let’s hold up that victory banner. God wants us to be His champions every day.

 

Love, Carolyn

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