Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
2 12 2024
The Lord gave me a word Sunday, may it also encourage you.
“Don’t be discouraged by the opinion of others. Yes, you can’t help but hear them but I say, be obedient and faithful to use the gifts I gave to you. Grow in them. Practice them! Let your hope be in me not the praises of others. Good or Bad. Be humble, Stay humble and I will raise you up in my time. Keep it about me and not you. Keep being intentional every day. Every day make a fresh effort to offer up something of value to me. I miss nothing. I paid the price for everything and I see every offering of praise. We exalt what we cherish. Cherish me more than the counterfeits in your life. Invite me into every action, thought, and endeavor and I will bless you according to my word and its hosts of blessings”
Honestly, I came in to worship this morning feeling good about a lot of things that were happening to me except for a couple of things I heard through others about me. Honestly, it really bothered me. I knew one of them well and it hurt. Of course, that’s my interpretation because I didn’t speak with them. It was not said to me directly and that alone should give me pause to not run off the rails because of it.
Again, I wasn’t angry at all, just hurt. And God gave me this word today. I also didn’t feel like I was alone in the encouraging word I felt the Holy Spirit wanted to give today. The truth is we are moved by the opinions of others. We are hurt by the words of others…But God… said today…Don’t focus on the negative. (Yet if something is wrong make it right). But don’t let that keep you from serving me with excellence. Don’t let it distract you from using the gifts I gave you to touch others.
Don’t let it become a stronghold within you.
That’s what Satan wants. His job is to distract us from the love of Christ, the grace of our savior, and the forbearance of the son of God. Any bit of nothing to throw our confidence off, or our resolve to follow through with being the best ambassador we can be for God in the little things of life.
Because they matter to God, and they should matter to us.
In Luke 13:32 He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!” Jesus said I am sticking to the plan even in the face of stark opposition! Some Pharisees became believers, some say they were friends trying to warn him genuinely, others say they were not friends and wanted to drive him underground. Jesus was never a people pleaser or one to offer to give a religious answer…I will pray about this.
No, with vigor he said, “Go tell the fox, I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow and on the third day I will reach my goal. Luke 13; 32 His plan was His father’s plan and he was committed to not being derailed even with a death threat.
So whatever you are in right now. Whatever this thing is that you see you are walking into, listen to his words of encouragement in the prophecy today. “Cherish me more than the counterfeits in your life. Invite me into every action, thought, and endeavor and I will bless you according to my word and its hosts of blessings”
• It reminds me of Psalm 17:8-9 – Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings from the wicked who assail me, from my mortal enemies who surround me.
• Or Psalm 26:7 “… Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.”
• Then again there is Psalm 57:1b .. .“I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
until the disaster has passed.”
Trust in the Lord. Believe that you are the apple of his eye. Seek refuge from your negative thinking and poor self-esteem in the shadow of the almighty. He is a loving father who will never give his children a snake when they need a loaf of bread for encouragement or courage. Take refuge until the PERCEIVED danger has passed and then have a party and celebrate the Lord for his faithfulness.
Matt Redman. Let there be wonder
