I watched a scene once between Breanne and Bryson, mesmerized by what was taking place…when it was over Breanne looked at me and said ‘now, that’s a motivation!’ I had to agree.
When Bryson was younger, one of his joys was fighting with toy swords. We have had many sword fights, and let me tell you, this boy is tough…it’s really not safe for a Nana to sword fight with him…I could get hurt.
One night Bryson came running in the living room with two swords and said ‘who wants to battle with me?’ I kept quiet and Breanne took a sword. With the sword in her hand, she swooshed it across his little body, close, not touching, but close enough that he could feel the wind off it. He stepped back and flinched. She did it again; again he stepped back and flinched.
She did it again, this time he didn’t move, but he still flinched. She did it again…and again…until he no longer moved and didn’t even blink an eye. He stood his ground with her as close as she could get to his nose and he did NOT flinch. I watched this little boy as he became braver and braver with each swoosh of the sword until he no longer feared it and no longer flinched at the thought of it hitting him. When fear was totally absent, even from his little eyes, Breanne looked at me and declared ‘now, that’s a motivation.’
Oh, that we wouldn’t flinch at what the enemy throws our way. We may not like God’s ways but this is a lot like His ways, at least from my experience. I recall one time when I was going through a particularly difficult season of life, I couldn’t understand why God was allowing this…after all, He is God, He could change it at any given moment, yet it continued. I cried out to God in despair and pain and He said ‘I will harden you to difficulty.’
I thought ‘surely that is the devil, that can’t be scriptural.’ Then God led me to Isaiah 41:10; ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’
Sounds like a great scripture doesn’t it? Now, let me share it with you out of the Amplified. ‘Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice.’
The enemy comes along and he takes a shot at us, the first time we flinch and back up. God pushes us back in the fight and he takes another shot at us, we flinch again, but we don’t back up as far, we know that God is back there and He has our back. Again and again the enemy comes at us until we realize he has no real power – we stop flinching eventually and realize that God is doing just what He said He would do…hardening us to difficulty.
I wonder if it gives God as much pleasure as it did Breanne and I, as He watches His children stand there and stop flinching, as He sees fear of the enemy leave and us firmly hold our ground…it was certainly a scene to behold.
God is saying to you today ‘fear not, there is NOTHING to fear, don’t flinch at the enemy’s tactics, he has no power over you, he can’t touch you…hold your position.’ I love when God shows me things through daily life – this lesson was burned into my mind and I will treasure it for a long time.
