FACE THE GIANTS

This sharing is taken from a devotional in The Daily Prophecy titled 'Face the Giants'. I wrote this on my journal on 19 Nov 2012 but because of my recent experiences about facing the giants in my life, I was reminded of it. The devotional was talking about not running away from situations that would try to intimidate you, for the things you run from will only continue to plague you again and again. So rise up and face the giants in your life for you are well able to overcome them.

Numbers 13:30 says 'Let us go up at once and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it.' The Israelites had the opportunity to go up and possess the land but the ten spies saw the giants in the land and were terrified of them. However these enemies were certainly no bigger than the enemies they faced in Egypt. So it seemed like they developed some fear pattern which continued to plague them and it kept resurfacing each time they faced a new challenge. But the things which you don't address today will follow you into tomorrow.

If you have been afraid to face the giants in your life, they will resurface in your future until you deal with them. Don't let the giants of your past follow you anymore. Recognise that you are well able to overcome every giant today! Ask the Lord to help you face them head-on so that you can embrace your future with freedom.

Recently the Lord caused me to overcome yet another age old stronghold in my life, another giant. Actually I wasn't expecting it as I thought I had settled this issue last year. But since this Sep, He has been showing me messages about forgiving the one who trespassed against me. I sensed that God not only wanted me to forgive the person, He wanted me to say sorry too. Already I found it so difficult to forgive, let alone to apologise! God is really asking for the impossible! 

But the Lord was relentless. He kept bombarding me with messages about forgiveness everywhere. Daily devotionals that I read, sermons that I heard and even books that I read! It came to a point where I was very sure what the Lord wanted me to do. The last straw was when Pastor Joel talked about the Lord showing him how strife in his heart, anger towards his wife opened a door to trouble in their family. With that I had no reason to resist the Lord or to run away from what He wanted me to do. And so I did the impossible. I texted the person to say sorry even though I was the person who was being trespassed against all these years!

Yet through it all, God showed me that I am truly above this person and above the situation. I have truly overcome this giant of bitterness and unforgiveness. It wasn't anything humanly possible for no one can forgive out of their own strength. It had to be the forgiveness of God. And God knows how badly I need to forgive, much more than they needed to be forgiven. It is really to my benefit that I forgive, for only then could I be truly freed from this bondage and receive the full restoration from God. 

And yes. They don't deserve the forgiveness, so don't I. I don't deserve God's forgiveness for what I have done to His Son. It was my sins that put Him on the cross. Their trespass against me was nothing compared to my trespass against God. When I truly understood the depths of His forgiveness towards me, only then I can forgive others, and set myself free. He loves me too much to leave me in this state of bitterness. I may be able to live with this state for it has been so long but it is still not His best. God may have healed my wounds and restored my soul as this issue no longer bothered me as much as before but it still wasn't full restoration from Him. Every last bit of the root of bitterness had to be totally eradicated from my heart. 

I really thank God for this giant I see today, I will see no more. God also proved to me that I am really stronger than I think. Not to boast but it is all by His grace. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. This victory is another big faith booster. Indeed nothing is impossible or too hard for God. He has caused me to come out of the other side totally free from any incumbrance or breaches that could threaten the success of His future work in me. He really could not take any chances. He helped me deal with this giant of the past so that it will not follow me anymore. Praise the Lord!