Light Steps: I am coming to you in the name of the Lord!

Friday, May 29, 2020

I am coming to you in the name of the Lord!

Sometimes I look at this painting from Caravaggio...

I like to think of the Great Hero of the Bible. I like to think of God. I like to remember how all of the victories and victors of my favorite Bible stories are not the true heroes. God is the hero! He is the author of every victory and the power behind every victor.

How could a ruddy, sheep-keeping boy find such courage? How could an overlooked little brother strike down a giant of a warrior? How could the lunch delivery boy find the boldness to step forward in battle, deliver the lines of a conqueror and boldly face a nation's champion? Simple; if God be for us, no one can stand against us. Period.

I saved a picture of Caravaggio's painting to my computer and I look at it from time to time. 1 Samuel 17 floods to my mind. Here's my favorite part: "David shouted in reply, 'You come to me with a sword and a spear, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of the armies of heaven and of Israel—the very God whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head; and then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And Israel will learn that the Lord does not depend on weapons to fulfill his plans—he works without regard to human means! He will give you to us!'" (paraphrase of verses 45-47 from "The Living Bible")

Very often, I tell my problems these bold truths. Problem, you are coming to me with ___________, but I am looking you square in the face, and I'm coming at you in the name of the Lord! Today, Problem, God will conquer you!

Problem, the Lord does not depend on the weapons of this world to fulfill His plans; He works without regard to human means.

Thanks, David, for trusting God. I appreciate your example.

Thanks, Caravaggio, for giving the world this painting. I appreciate your talent.

Thank You, Father, for being the Warrior I need, the Father I crave and the Friend who sticks closer than a brother. I appreciate Your everything.

No comments:

Post a Comment

This Says it for Me!

Every Christian is a contradiction to this old world. He crosses it at every point. He goes against the grain from beginning to end. From the day that he is born again until the day that he goes on to be with the Lord, he must stand against the current of a world always going the other way. God expects him to be "beside himself," "a fool for Christ's sake," "drunk on new wine." If he allows it, men will tone him down, steal the joy of his salvation, and reduce him to the dreary level of the general average. If the devil cannot keep us from being saved, he next endeavors to make average Christians of us, and in this he usually succeeds. He tames the holy recklessness of God's dare-saints until they sink into the drab pattern of most of us, "faultily faultless, icily regular, splendidly dull." The devil does not mind our joining church if we behave like most of those who are already inside. But when a real, wide-awake Christian breezes along, taking the Gospel seriously, the devil grows alarmed and begins plotting his downfall. He gets plenty of assistance right in the church, for many church folk do not like to have their Laodicean complacency upset by these who turn the world upside down. So they conspire with Satan to turn the young Christian's fever into a chill. There are always plenty of human wet blankets to smother the zealot's flame, and they have put out more spiritual fires than have all the skeptics and infidels. -- Vance Havner

A Little About Me...

I was born in South Boston, VA, but was raised on the state line in the Person Co., NC - Caswell Co., NC - Halifax Co., VA region. I always tell people you know you are a country boy when your idea of being a "multi-national" means you've been to three counties in your lifetime.

Enough of my geographical meanderings...I became a Christian (ask me about THAT!) at the age of 25 and have done my utmost to serve God since that day. I worked as an associate pastor for 4 1/2 years and now serve in the role of Executive Director of My Life Matters, where I've been since March 2005, and I also serve as the pastor of East Rock Community Church, a church plant, along with fellow elders, Brett Carver & Casey Adams, where we've been since June 2007.

I love to write. I share a devotion in our local paper each week. This blog site is really just an extension of my writing. I really hope to share the Word of God with people...any kind of people, every kind of person. I also do a weekly podcast called "Light Steps Live," which can be found on several platforms.

Thanks for "stopping by"! Y'all come back now, ya hear?