The Appointed Time

For everything there is an appointed time,
and an appropriate time for every activity on earth

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NET)

Many years ago God told me that I was going to be in a band. I got so excited about this because I had been praying for this for several years, and I thought Wow! It's finally going to happen! Days started to go by with no band, then weeks started passing, then months had started passing and still no band. So I made the decision to start a band on my own. I even prayed about who is to be in the band but all I got from God was silence. So when I found someone who played an instrument, I asked them if they wanted to be in the band. I went to several musicians asking this and eventually, over time (and I would say several months) I had a band. We then started rehearsals which went every way but smooth. I had members who wouldn't show up, ideas clashed constantly...it was something that I could certainly say wasn't of God! Eventually the band broke up. When it did, I asked God "what happened, You told me I was to be in a band, I got in a band, why didn't it work?" At that point the silence broke and God told me "now wasn't the time for the band, I will tell you when." It wasn't for another 7 years that the band God told me about happened. When God tells you something that you are to do, or something that is going to happen, He is telling you for a reason, and not that it is going to happen tomorrow. There is a "preparation time" that you need to go through before whatever it is happens. During that preparation time, you need to be patient, listen to God about the steps you need to take which may include work on your heart and work on your mind. If you are patient and do what God tells you to do, whatever it is He told you are to do will happen flawlessly and without any effort on your own. He will do it!

Take Away: There is an appointed time for everything God tells us. When God tells you something that you are to do or something that is going to happen in the future, be patient as you go through the "preparation time."

Worship Song of the Week...

When It Gets Tough, Stand in Faith

David said to his son Solomon: “Be strong and brave! Do it! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic! For the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not leave you or abandon you before all the work for the service of the Lord’s temple is finished.
1 Chronicles 28:20

Has this ever happened to you...you've been praying for God to give you a purpose or a calling, or even a job to do, and then right after He shows you, you get all excited and you can't wait to get started. Then when you get started, and it starts to get tough and difficult, you ask yourself or God "what did you get me into?" And then you give up. Yep, right here! I can't tell you how many times God has given me something to do, then I would start it, it would get difficult, then I would say, "well, it must not be God," and then I would quit. Over the years I've missed out on a lot because I stopped and didn't allow God to be God. You see, whenever God gives you something to do, its not based on your abilities, but your willingness to do something. He will do the work through you, He will give you what you need when you need it, such as strength, money, supplies, He will supply them all for you, you and I just need to REMAIN willing and not quit. God is a big God, much bigger than what we give Him credit for, so press on in faith, knowing that He will not abandon you before your work is finished.

Take Away: the next time God gives you something to do, don't give up when it gets tough, but go at it with the confidence that He will do the work through you, give you what you need when you need, and He will see you to the finish!

Worship Song of the Week...

Habits and Freedom

For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1

Have you ever had a habit of doing something that you really don't want to do, but you keep doing it anyway? I think we can all raise our hand to that, I know I sure can! Fortunately Jesus, when He died and rose again, did something for us that takes care of that, and that is He gave us freedom! He gave us a freedom where we never have to suffer from those things again. Now I know exactly what you are going to say. "Kent, if Jesus gave me freedom, then why I am still doing what I don't want to do." Jesus did give us freedom, however it is up to us to receive that gift and hold on to it. Notice what Paul was saying here, "stand firm and do not be subject again." This means we have to do something. This means that when we are being tempted to do that which we don't want to do, that we have to stand our ground and say with all our being "NO!" It means that whenever we have an opportunity to do that which we don't want to do or even think about that thing (and may I had think pleasurable thoughts about that thing), that we do whatever we need to do to change our thoughts and turn our back on that thing. It took you and I a long time, years sometimes, to get into the mess and behavior pattern that we are currently in. It is going to take some time to stand firm and consistently stand firm before you start seeing that bad habit fade away. And if you slide back into that habit, that's okay, as long as you are consistently standing firm against it and consistently turning you back and changing your thoughts on that thing.

Take Away: if you consistently stand firm and consistently stop putting yourself in a situation where you will no longer go back to that "bad" habit, you will eventually reap the reward of freedom. The key is "consistently!"

The Smallest of Details

If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
John 14:14

It seems a lot of people have problems just going to God and praying. We think He is too busy to be concerned with our own daily lives that we only go to Him for the really big things, like praying for someone who needs healing, or praying for a job, etc. But in reality, God is very concerned about our daily lives right down to the smallest details. We think God doesn't care how I landscape my yard, or God doesn't care whether I get a 42 inch TV or a 50 inch TV, or which road should I take this morning...we think those are too small because "God is only concerned with the large things in life." Take a look at the first part of John 14:14, it says if you ask Me ANYTHING. Anything means just that, anything, from the largest of things in life to the smallest of things like which belt am I going to wear today or what road should I take to get to work this morning or what should I fix for dinner tonight. God cares! He wants to be part of your daily life, He wants to be involved in your daily routine. Start today by asking Him for the input into the small details of your life. Then watch and listen to Him!

Take Away: God is not only concerned about the large details of life, but also the small ones. Start praying for God's input into your daily life, even if you think God doesn't care. That's a lie because He does care!

The Cyclist and the Car

So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith.
Galatians 6:10

I was watching a video of a motorcyclist starting to pass a vehicle, and then suddenly the vehicle that the motorcyclist was getting ready to pass swerved, hit the cyclist and drove off (but later stopped). The motorcyclist was alright, banged up but alright. Unfortunately at the time of the posting of the video his wife that was on the cycle with him was still in ICU. When they found the driver of the car, he said he purposely swerved to hit him and didn't care that he hit the cyclist. What has happened to our society? What has happened that human life means nothing to people anymore? Now I could definitely start venting, but that won't help. What will help is what Paul is saying to us in Galatians 6:10...do good to all people. It is easy to do good to those we know and like, but it gets a little more difficult to do good to those that we don't know, or don't like, or that cut us off in traffic, or are mean to us on the phone at the office. But look at that verse again, it says do good to ALL people, that means everyone, the nice people and the people that, well, aren't nice. Hey, we are not always nice either, but we expect people to extend grace to us, right? If we expect people to extend grace to us, then we better be able to do the same for others. More importantly though, God wants us to be nice to all people, and in this way we are truly witnesses to for Him.

Take Away: let's be the salt of the earth, let's be the ones who make the change to at least those around us...when you have the opportunity to be nice and do good to those that are not particularly good to you, choose to do good...we are the ones that can make the change!

Changing A Person

A worthless and wicked person walks around saying perverse things; (Proverbs 6:12 NET)

Mia Angelo had a saying, "If someone shows you who they are, believe them." When I was single I would see a woman who had a behavior that just wouldn't add up. But you know what I would say? "Oh, she will change" or even better, "oh, I can change her." Has anyone else ever said that? I'm sure all of us at some point has said that. People that are in abusive relationships, how many of them say "oh but he/she is a nice person except when they drink" or "he/she doesn't do that unless I don't do what they tell me." That is a bunch of lies that the devil has put in our human brains. Lets get one thing clear, you can't change anyone. No matter how hard you try, you can't change anyone. Only Jesus can change someone, all you can do is pray for that person. For those in abusive relationships, get some help, because that person is not going to change. Again, only Jesus can change that person.

Take Away: if you are trying to change someone, stop it, because you can't. Onlly Jesus can change a person, all you can do is pray for that person.

Idols

See if there is any idolatrous tendency in me, and lead me in the reliable ancient path! (Psalms 139:24 NET)

What is "idolatrous tendency" and why do we have to find out if we have it?  Idolatrous tendency is anything that we look to, keep our minds on continously, aim for no matter what the cost, anything that takes the place of God in our lives. It could be wealth, a large home, the perfect job, a wife, a husband, etc. All of these things in and of itself are not bad. However it is when we have these things on our minds so much that we no longer look to the One Who can provide them for us and we end up trying to get these things on our own. That is why Solomon said "lead me in the reliable ancient path!" If we focus on the words "lead me," we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us, and when He guides us, we follow what He wants for our lives and not what we want. If this makes you a bit upset, then you might have an idol in your life, something that you are following instead of God. When we totally want what God wants for us, then we are being lead by the Holy Spirit and not by our own "idolatrous tendencies." The first two words of this verse instructs us to "see" if there are any idols in our lives. If you ask God to reveal anything that you are replacing Him with, He will show you and He will lead you onto the right path.

Take Away: Ask God to show you if you have idols in your life, and if He shows you, allow Him to lead you back to where He wants you...with your eyes on Him and not the idol.

Passing The Buck

Now it is ordinarily an eleven-day journey from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by way of Mount Seir. However, it was not until the first day of the eleventh month of the fortieth year that Moses addressed the Israelites just as the LORD had instructed him to do. (Deuteronomy 1:2-3 NET)

Taking 40 years to do an 11 day journey should have raised a few red flags in the Israelites minds. It should have made them say even after the first year "hey, why is this taking so long, what are we doing wrong?" Instead, they complained and grumbled about their circumstances. Instead of going to God and asking why is this happening to us, what are we doing wrong, they chose instead to curse God, to complain against God, they chose to pass the buck and blame someone else for their problems. When you start blaming someone else for your problems, you will remain where you are at and you will never see that problem fixed. Had the Israelites chose to work with God, it probably would not have taken 40 years to do an 11 day journey, but they had the wrong attitude, they had the "woe is me" attitude. Yeah, we see how that really worked out for them. God is always there to help us with our problems, but He will only do so if we will work with Him and stop complaining all the time. It is not wrong to go to God and explain your situation to Him, in fact He wants us to come to Him with out problems and then ask Him for help. After we do this, we need to start praising Him for what He is going to do and we need to stop complaining and grumbling.

Take Away: The next time you have the opportunity to make a choice where you can take the responsibility yourself or pass the buck, choose to take responsibility for your own problems, make a choice to stop having a victim mentality and say, "God, this is my problem, not someone elses, and I ask you now to help me fix this," then start praising Him for the answer.

Rules and Regulations

For it seemed best to the Holy Spirit and to us not to place any greater burden on you than these necessary rules: that you abstain from meat that has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what has been strangled and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from doing these things, you will do well. Farewell. (Acts 15:28-29 NET)

This was part of a letter that was put together by the Jerusalem Council (a groupd made up of the apostles and elders) during the first century. The reason for this was the Jewish converts were imposing their laws and traditions on to the new Gentile converts and this was causing unnecessary burdens on the Gentile converts. The Council came together, got direction from the Holy Spirit and put together this letter (Acts 15:23-29) which states that the only rules that need to be followed were abstaining from meat that has been sacrificed to idols, meat with blood still in it, meat that has been strangled, and sexual immorality. That was it! However, we humans, doing what we do best, started making up our own rules on how to be a Christian, such as what we can and can not watch, do, say, or whatever. Jesus didn't come to place burdens on us, He came to give us freedom. If we followed what the apostles and elders and the Holy Spirit decided during the first century, there would be freedom in the followers of Christ, and most likely a lot more followers of Christ. If we stop placing our human regulations and rules (albeit some with good intentions but still humanistic) on ourselves and others, and we let God direct our conscience and hearts on what we as individuals should and should not do beyond the letter of the Jerusalem Council, we would be walking in such freedom and have a more intimate relationship with Jesus.

Take Away: start allowing God to guide your heart and your conscience by allowing Him into more and more of your life...it is then you will experience the freedom He willingly died for.

Good Boss, Bad Boss

Slaves, be subject to your masters with all reverence, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are perverse. (1 Peter 2:18 NET)

At some point in our lives, if we have a boss, we will experience the "good" boss and we will experience the "bad" boss. When a "good" boss, one that you really like, asks you to do something, you have no problem doing it. In fact you may even volunteer to do something for that boss. However, the enthusiasm of doing things for the "bad" boss, or one you do not like, really drops off when they ask you to do something. In fact, you may even be tempted to talk bad and gossip about the bad boss behind their back, especially at the "water cooler." As children of God, we are instructed that no matter what kind of boss we have, we are to obey them. In Ephesians, the Apostle Paul says that we are not only to obey our bosses, but do it with the enthusiasm as if doing it for the Lord because that is Who we are really doing it for. It doesn't matter who your boss is, if he is mean, bad, bossy, arrogant, micro-manager, or if he is good, great to work with, no matter what, we are not working for them, we are working for God. As you get this attitude in you on a consistent basis, you will find that your attitude toward work will change over time and you may actually find your "bad" boss slowly changing their attitude.

Take Away: each day, before going to work, remind yourself that you are really working for God. When you look at your work as working for the Lord, it won't matter who our earthly boss is.

Trials and Character

This brings you great joy, although you may have to suffer for a short time in various trials. Such trials show the proven character of your faith, which is much more valuable than gold – gold that is tested by fire, even though it is passing away – and will bring praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Peter 1:6-7 NET)

Both the Apostle Peter and Paul wrote about trials that we have to go through. Peter wrote this passage, and Paul wrote the passage in Romans 5:3-5. Both say that we go through these trials because they produce character. The problem with us is that most of the time when a problem rises in our lives, the resulting character is less than stellar. In fact most of us groan, complain, get angry, get frustrated, etc. What we need to be doing at these times is developing patience, because patience will produce endurance, and endurance will produce character, the Godly character that Paul and Peter were writing about. When we behave in such a way that Godly character is the result, others see this. Think about it, when a problem rises in our lives and we "fly off the handle," this will not be a good witness to others, in fact we will look just like someone who is not saved. But when we start handling problems with patience and endurance, people will notice a difference and wonder what you have that they don't! This ONLY comes about by trusting God to handle your situation. When you get frustrated and angry, that should be the "red flag" that you are not trusting God, but yourself to solve your problems. You only learn to trust God by letting go of the problem and allowing Him to handle it. This is Godly character!

Take Away: When problems rise in your life, let God handle it, and while He is doing that, be patient, don't continue to look at your problem, but look to Him and worship and thank Him for taking care of it.

Useable

Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain and there was no rain on the land for three years and six months! (James 5:17 NET)

Did you ever feel like you were not good enough to be used by God to help someone else? Did you ever think that you had too many problems or just one big problem where there was no way that God could use you? If you are feeling this way, take a look at what James is saying. Elijah was human being just like us. That means he had problems just like us and he had issues just like us. He most likely felt at times that he wasn't good enough to be used by God. And even though Elijah had issues and problems, he prayed that it would not rain, and it didn't for 3 1/2 years! The enemy will lie to you and tell you that you are not good enough to be used by God and that you have too many problems to be used by God. Don't believe that lie! God can use you as long as you allow Him to use you. If you have the attitude that He can't use you, He won't. But if you open up yourself to be used by Him no matter what, He will!

Take Away: Whenever you are feeling like there is no way I can be used by God, say with faith "Elijah was human just like me, and he prayed and it stopped raining. Thank you God, use me!"

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can this kind of faith save him?

You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. (James 2:14, 24 NET)

There is an old saying, that "actions speak louder than words," meaning I hear what you are saying, but does what you are doing back up what you are saying? Anyone can say they are a Christian, a believer, one who follows "The Way" as it was called in the 1st Century, but is what they are doing supporting what they are saying? If you are a follower of Christ, then you will be displaying His actions. in other words, you will be walking in the fruit of His Spirit, which is love, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, thinking the best of your brother, joy, humility. For a short period of time, you can change your behavior so that it is different from what you believe, however eventually what you believe will be displayed in your actions. Take today and look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself, "am I displaying the behavior of a follower of Jesus? Am I displaying the fruits of the Spirit?" Honestly, we all have our off-moments, we all have those days when we are not showing kindness, love, patience, etc. I'm not talking about those days. What I am talking about is your general behavior, not to dismiss those "off days," I just want to make clear that what I am talking about is the behavior that you generally display. If you can say no to any of the fruits of the Spirit, ask God to show you why you behave in such a way, ask Him to help change your behavior to be more Christ-like.

Take Away: Do a routine check on your behavior, and be open to hear what God is revealing to you. As He shows you areas that need correcting, don't fight it, work with Him and you will see your behavior change.

He Will Answer

I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray. (Psalms 17:6 NLT)

David was absolutely sure that whenever he went to God, God would answer Him. This is the kind of faith we need when we go to God. He even told God to bend down and listen to him, much like a dad bending down to listen to his small child. When you go to God, you need to go to Him with the surety of knowing that He is listening to you and that He will answer you. It may even help to say to Him, "God, I am coming to you because I know you will answer me, so bend down and listen to me!" This sounds kind of bold, but the writerr of Hebrews even said "come to His throne with boldness" (Heb 4:16). You may not get the answer from Him that you want, and some people might think this is an unanswered prayer, but it is not. In that case, God is saying I know what you want, but THIS is what you need. God will ALWAYS give you the answer that you need!

Take Away: Come boldy to God, knowing that He will answer your prayer with the answer that you need.

Facing the Issues

Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord that he will provide for you today; for the Egyptians that you see today you will never, ever see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you can be still.” (Exodus 14:13-14 NET)

Are you one of those that seem like you are facing the same problem over and over and over, that no matter what you do, the problem or issue is still there? The reason for this is that we are trying to solve it on our own. We go to self help books for answers, or we watch the morning talk shows for answers, or we even hope our friends will say the magic words that will solve our problems. We need to first understand that the battle (which is our problem or issue) really isn't ours, it is Gods. In order to allow God to do what He does best is to do what He told the Israelites. He told them and He is telling us today to not fear the problem, stand firm and let God work! That means when we face an issue or problem, we are to look to Him, we don't try to solve it on our own, we don't run away from it, and we let Him do His job. "But Kent, what if I am still afraid?" Then stand your ground afraid and watch God! Whenever I face a problem, I say to myself, "Kent, don't be afraid, this battle is not yours but Gods, so I am going to let God defeat this problem and if I am to do anything, He will tell me what to do, but for now I am going to let Him do His job." It isn't always the easiest thing to simply sit on the sidelines and watch God work, but the alternative is if we try to solve it ourselves, we get in the way and it never gets solved. By standing your ground and letting God fight the battle, you will be able to face even bigger problems with greater peace and stability.

Take Away: When facing a problem, stop fearing it, stand your ground, and watch God move!

Choose to Forgive

If you forgive anyone anything, I too forgive that one; and what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sakes in the presence [and with the approval] of Christ (the Messiah), to keep Satan from getting the advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his wiles and intentions. (2 Cor 2:10-11 AMP)

One of the hardest things we can say is "I forgive you," and mean it. Forgiving people, although tough to do at times, is a necessity for living a Godly life, and it keeps the enemy from taking advantage of us. When we forgive, we don't do it to make the other person feel better, we do it for us, we do it because God wants us to forgive them, and we do it so that the enemy (Satan) can't wiggle his way into our lives with bitterness, anger, animosity, etc. Once the devil has been able to work his way into our lives, the bitterness and the rest of that junk will spread like wildfire in our lives affecting more and more areas of our lives with more junk. Forgiving people doesn't mean you approve of what they did to you, it means you no longer hold it against them. Yes, that can be tough, in fact you might say "It is too hard, I can't do it." But remember that God, in Deuteronomy 30:11 says it is not too difficult for you. 

Take Away: If you are holding anger, resentment, bitterness, etc toward someone, or it may even be a company, make the choice to forgive them and ask God to bring healing to the situation. Choose to not let the enemy take advantage over you and choose to let God bring you peace.

Obeying God's Word: Part 1

No, the message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it. (Deuteronomy 30:14 NLT)

Yesterday I talked about how doing whatever God is telling you to do is not too difficult. Today I follow this up with why it is not too difficult. In Deuteronomy 30:14, God was telling the people of Israel that the only way to obey His command is to get it on your lips and in your heart. This means that just reading what the Bible says is not enough, there are two things we must do in order to obey God's word. First is we must speak the word (it is on your lips). Whenever we get a command from God, either through Him speaking directly to us, or in the Bible, we must start speaking the command, and not just once, but over and over and over, day after day after day. Each time your problem starts to rise up inside you, start speaking the word. Each morning when you wake up, look in the mirror and speak the word. Whenever I am dealing with a problem, I go to the Bible to find what God says about it. When I found the scripture, I would write it down on a piece of paper and put it in a place that I would see several times each day. Then each time I would pass it, I would stop and read it out loud. Each time that problem would start to rise up in me, I would speak the word out loud (sometimes I would say it several times). As I continued to do this, doing what the Bible said would start to become easier and easier. Tomorrow I will talk about the second thing we are to do.

Take Away: When you are dealing with a problem, and God shows you in His word what to do, write the word out, and put it somewhere where you are going to see several times each day. Then each time you pass it, stop and read it out loud. Then, whenever that problem starts rising up, speak the word.

God's Temple

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16 NET)

This is one of the things about Christianity that separates itself from all the other religions in the world. Our God is a living god, He is not dead. All the other religions serve a dead god. What makes this even more extraordinary is that not only is our God a living god, but His Spirit is living in us! Yes, when we became Christians, the Spirit of the living God CHOSE to live inside of us! Think about it, the Creator of the universe and everything in it, the stars, the moons, our earth, the trees, the mountains, the lakes and river, and us humans...He is living inside of us! Wow! If we really grasped a hold of this truth, then we would really think about how we conduct ourselves. Would we be watching on TV or the movies the same shows we are watching now? Would we be speaking to each other the same way we are speaking now? Would we be behaving like we are behaving now? This is a challenge to each person, myself included. 

Take Away: The next time you look in the mirror, look at yourself knowing that the Spirit of God is living on the inside of you and ask yourself, "where (not if) do I need to make changes in my life that glorifies the Spirit of God inside of me?"

Remembering

Think about the circumstances of your call, brothers and sisters. Not many were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position. (1 Corinthians 1:26 NET)

In this passage, Paul was talking to the Corinthians about remembering how they became Christians. In that culture, position in culture was very important, wealth was important, and wisdom was important, that meant that your were somebody...not much different that today's standards. However, in God's kingdom, none of that matters. God doesn't look at the "Who is Who" book, and He doesn't look at the "Top 10 Wealthiest People in the World" and He doesn't look at who won the Pulitzer Prize or the Nobel Peace Prize. God's kingdom is based on love, and He chose to love and accept you, so much that He adopted you into His family. According to today's standard, I am not wealthy, I don't have a position of notariety, I am not the smartest person around, I not the best looking guy around (you don't see me on the front cover of Men's fitness nor on GQ), I am not a lot of things, but what I am stands head and shoulders above everything...I am a child of God, and He loves me and accepts me...defects and all. 

Take Away...Whenever you are feeling "not worthy" by today's standards, whenever you are feeling down because you may not be rich, or smart, or whatever, remember Who calls you His. Remember that the King of Kings chose you to be in His family, chose you to have a relationship with, and above all, remember that He loves you!

Fear of Man

“17) Get up and prepare for action. Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say. Do not be afraid of them, or I will make you look foolish in front of them. 

18) For see, today I have made you strong like a fortified city that cannot be captured, like an iron pillar or a bronze wall. You will stand against the whole land— the kings, officials, priests, and people of Judah. 

19) They will fight you, but they will fail. For I am with you, and I will take care of you. I, the LORD, have spoken!” (Jeremiah 1:17-19 NLT)

God has instructed us to be bold, to step out and be a witness for Him and to speak His words of healing and comfort to the hurting. But how many times have we come across someone that was hurting, but were afraid to tell them how God could help them because we were afraid of what they might say, afraid that they would speak badly about us to their friends and family...in essence afraid that they would reject us. Our culture today is set against God and His word, but so was the culture of the first century when the church was just beginning. But that didn't keep the Apostle Paul from speaking out. Yes, he went to jail, but he also wrote two thirds of the New Testament and many were saved because he spoke out. The boldness that Paul and many others that went before us had came from the God, He is the only One that can strengthen us to stand and speak to the hurting. Yes, there will be people that will not accept what we are telling them, but remember what God said to Jeremiah, "they will fight you, but they will fail!" 

Take Away: The next time you see someone hurting, think about what God told Jeremiah, think about how Paul spoke out and shared healing words to the hurting. Use that as encouragement to battle the fear of what others would say and do, and then speak God's truth to the hurting. Remember, those fears will come, but they will fail for God is with you!