Day 347: Fight For It

Genesis 32:22-29

22 During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two servant wives, and his eleven sons and crossed the Jabbok River with them. 23 After taking them to the other side, he sent over all his possessions.

24 This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. 25 When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!”

But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

27 “What is your name?” the man asked.

He replied, “Jacob.”

28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel,[a] because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”

29 “Please tell me your name,” Jacob said.

“Why do you want to know my name?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.

This is one of the most interesting and compelling stories in the bible, and I want to just break it down and look at it in a more literal context today.

Jacob wrestled for a blessing, even when he was in pain he would not let go until he received what he was fighting for. Jacob’s hip was out of socket, his hip! I’m not sure if you’ve ever hurt your hip but it HURTS. It’s hard to stand and even harder to walk. If you’ve ever broken a bone or dislocated anything you know the kind of pain it is. It’s hurts so much. Let’s think about this for a second, this man's hips was out of socket and even then he would not let go because he did not want to miss his blessing. He kept fighting with a dislocated hip, he had to push his limits physically to receive what he was fighting for. Even a dislocated hip could not make him let go of the angel because the angel had something he needed and wanted. Not only did he fight with a dislocated hip but he had already been fighting all night long. I can imagine that he was tired and exhausted, and the pain really didn’t help that. This was so impressive to the man he was fighting that he had to know his name. He had to know who this man was.

When we think of this in context we have to realize that Jacob fought for what he wanted. Jacob refused to let go even when he was in pain. I can’t imagine how much pain he was in, but what he was fighting was so much more important that he could deal with the pain another time. What I’m saying here is, we have to fight for what we want. We have to hold on to the things we think are worth fighting for, even if it means we have to deal with the pain of holding on. We sometimes think that the things that bring us pain are not for us. We think that because we have to endure the pain to get to where we are going that it’s not for us. Pain isn’t always an indication of something going wrong, pain can be good at times. We can have growing pains, healing pains, enduring pain. We cannot let the pain stop is from fighting on make us let go of the things we are holding on to. Because most times the things we want are beyond the pain, we have to deal with it to get what we want. Sometimes we have to fight even when we are sweating and tired, exhausted and in pain. The harder it get the more valuable the fight and the reward becomes to us.

What I want you to take from this is, there are things worth fighting for and things that we must let go of. Find those things that are worth fighting for and fight. Fight with everything you have and when you want to stop fighting keep fighting. When people tell you stop fighting, keep fighting. Fights aren’t easy, they aren’t going to be soft. No, fighting hurts, you have to take hits and keep going, if you get knocked down you get up.

There are too many people that give up too easily. We are so easily influenced and swayed by our circumstances. I know that life can hurt, and I know that when we are reaching for something it seems like every battle comes up against us. But please I beg you don’t allow your pain to make you stop fighting. If anything let it fuel you. Let that pain be worth it, let it mean something.

All this to say, if you’ve found something worth holding on to, fight for it. Don’t let go, even if it hurts. If you know that this is for you, if you are holding on to God’s promises, and you know that HE has something for you, you fight for it. SOmetimes we even have to fight for the things God wants us to have.

Reflection

1. Can you relate to what we discussed today?
2. What are some things in your life worth fighting for?
3. What are some things you have to let go of?
4. What are the things you have to let go of in order to continue to fight for what you want?

Prayer Time

Allow the answers to the above questions guide your prayer. Talk to God about what we discussed today. Whatever is on your heart at this moment reveal it to God.

I love you so much and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 348!

Day 109: Help Me Maintain

Psalms 119:28

My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.

Today’s devo is inspired by a very honest and beautiful song. The song is called “Maintain” by Jonathan McReynolds and it speaks about needing God and maintaining this life, and wanting to be where He is. My favorite lyric from this song is,  “Yeah you gave me all the weapons but it’s still a fight.” What a profound statement, and how honest it is, that God has given us everything we need to fight the battles we face, but none the less there is still a fight. There are things that we face daily there are battles we have to fight, and they are not the easiest things to go through.  

There are a few quick points to make today.

1. As Christians other people and even sometimes ourselves, we forget that we are human.

Meaning we forget that sometimes we will be weak sometimes we will not want to fight, sometimes we will doubt and that is okay, we are human. We wouldn’t be human is we didn’t have these doubts. It is in those doubts that God will show us just how faithful he is, my friend annisstar told me that. I think we often afraid to show our real feelings  out of fear that we are sinning by having them. The truth is sometimes life is hard and we would rather not deal with it. Sometimes we just want to walk away, sometimes we get tired. We are human, but it is in these moments that we are reminded exactly who it is we serve. We serve a mighty and magnificent God and He won’t leave or forsake us.

2.  We have to fight for what we want.

Some of us have to fight with everything we have, we are fighting day by day just to live, or get up in the morning. We know that God has given us everything we need to fight, we put on the full armour of God, we are equipped with His strength, and reminded of His faithfulness. Yet there is still a fight, we still have to go out and fight. We are fighting for our sanity, our salvation, our relationship with God, our faith. We are fighting everyday to keep our faith. I believe that everyone can agree that sometimes we get tired of fighting, there are moments when we just want to stop. And if I’m being completely honest there are moments when we don’t see the use of fighting anymore. We have faith, and we know God is right there in our corner, hydrating us and strengthening us, but we still have to fight. Even when we’re tired of all the blows, even when we get knocked down we have to get up and keep swinging. We have to fight until we can’t fight anymore and even then God gives us enough strength for one last swing.

Imagine God as our boxing coach, He is our corner, He is strengthening us after every round making sure we are okay to keep fighting. He’s giving us water and healing for the bruises and wounds, and he’s constantly pouring into us. Whenever we open our mouths He’s there with water to hydrate us. The only thing He asks is that we keep fighting. Even when we feel we are losing, keep fighting. Don’t give up, keep those hands up, stand up and fight. Because we are fighting for so much more than a win. We’re fighting for our lives.

Now let me get real honest real quick. We talk a lot about the getting up when we fall, continuing to fight when we’re tired, and continuing even when we don’t have the strength to do so. But what about when we’re on the ground and we don’t want to get up? What about while we’re in the fight, what about our thought process when we are getting tired? There are crazy thoughts we face while we’re in that boxing ring trying to get through another round. We Sometimes getting knocked down takes so long to get up because we are battling on the ground too. It’s easy down there, it’s safe down there, we can escape the pain and the blows. Sometimes we don’t know how to get up. Often we feel like we deserve to be sown there. When we’re knocked down and tired, it sometimes feels like that’s where we need to stay. At times getting up is harder than the fighting itself.  But God… God gives us strength, at our weakest points God gives us  understanding. God gives us peace. Yes we still have to go through the fight, and as hard as it is, we aren’t going through it alone. God is right there, giving us everything we need making sure we come out with a victory. Victory lies in our King and that we can depend on.

3. We just have to keep the faith.

Easier said than done, huh? I know it’s hard. It is especially hard when it seems like God is taking all the time in the world to get to us. One thing is for sure is that He is on the way to you. He always comes right on time. His timing is perfect.  

1 John 5:5

Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

We overcome through Christ. At our weakest  moments, that is the time to hold on to Christ the most. These are the times to stretch our faith a bit further. To go that extra mile. It’s the moments when we are the weakest that we find God to be the strongest. The moments when we are doubting that we find God to be faithful. God is always there, we just have to have an ounce of faith.

Matthew 17:20

He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

All we need is the faith of a mustard seed. Keep the faith, hold on to it, even if you have to fight with everything you have. It’s worth it. God is so faithful.

Reflection/Prayer Time

Today whatever is on your heart pour it out to God. Whatever you need ask God for it. Take the time to pray for yourself, you know what you need. When you are done, take the time to pray for someone else, whoever is on your heart, just lift them up in prayer today.

I love you, I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 110!

Day 65: Recap

Thank you everyone for continuously reading the devo, I hope you are growing in your faith and are challenged daily. Today, I'm going to change it up and do the recap differently than what I've been doing up to this point.


Day 58 - Put Up A Fight
Today we focused on Nehemiah 6 and how through all the opposition they received they still completed the work they set out to do. We have to fight for things we want, and know that if God has ordained it, nothing and no one can come against it.

Day 59- How Far Will You Go (Part 1) 
Today was the start of the three day series with the headlining question, 'How Far Will You Go?'.  We focused on Matthew 19:21-24. We talked about dropping and giving up everything to follow Christ. Considering He gave up everything for us. If God asked us to, would we be willing to give up everything?

Day 60- How Far Will You Go (Part 2)
Day two of this little series we talked about forgiveness, and how it is a long and bumpy road. The scripture we focused on today were Matthew 5:43-48. Can we allow ourselves to look past our own anger and pain, and truly forgive someone. In the same way God has forgiven us, can we forget about it and love them as if they never did anything? Harboring unforgiveness is a heavy burden to bear.

Day 61- How Far Will You Go (Part 3)
Today we brought our small series to an end with talking about loving each other. We looked at a few different passages today: Luke 5:18-19, Acts 4:32-37, Luke 10:25-37, and 1 John 3:18. How far we're willing to go to show someone else they are loved, whether that means going out of our way, sacrifice, or just being there with someone. Taking the example Christ gave us and modeling ourselves after that. When we learn to love like Christ and use that love towards others we are showing people what it means to know the love of God.

Day 62- The Cost of the Cross

I'll never know how much it cost, to see my sins upon that cross. The scriptures we focused on today were: Galatians 3:13-14, Matthew 22:42-44, and John 15:13. Today we talked about how much Jesus gave up so that we could be saved. The price He paid so that we would be free from our sin and able to be in a relationship with the one and only God. He took our place and died so that we wouldn't have to. Everything boils down to love, love kept Him on that cross.

Day 63- Respond with Love (Dealing with People)

We ended the week by talking about how sometimes people are hard to deal with, and just all around run and disrespectful, and sometimes we are those people. We jumped around with the scriptures today: Proverbs 29:11, 15:1, Luke 6:27, 22:48-51, Exodus 14:14, and Psalms 141:3. Sometimes we have to learn to bite our tongues and shut our mouths, when we want to go off on someone. We haveto learn how to respond with love. We have to respond with love, even to the most  grotesque things that comes our way. We have to let God handle the battle, as only He can.

I love you all, I hope you have an amazing Sunday, and start of your week. If you're on Spring Break like me, enjoy every second of it. Make sure you come back tomorrow for Day 66! Have an amazing Day or Evening.!

Day 59: Put Up A Fight!

Most times when you are doing something good, there will be opposition, Some people just don’t want to see you do good, especially when they aren’t doing well themselves. When opposition comes we have to put up a fight and push against it. We have to fight for the things we want, we have to fight for what we believe in and what we love. This brings me to the story of a man by the name of Nehemiah, who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem despite all the opposition he received.

Nehemiah 4

When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?” Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of] the builders. So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry.  They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat. Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.” Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.” Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.” Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work. From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me. Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!” So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and as workers by day.”  Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.

We have to fight and push, like these men who didn’t let threats scare them. They didn’t let opposition get them down, and when they did, it wasn’t for long. They continued to build that wall and was prepared for anyone who was trying to stop them. They were going to get that wall built and nothing was going to stop them.

Nehemiah 6:9

They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.”But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”

No one can stop what God is doing, they can try but they won’t succeed, We must know this because sometimes things come to a pause in our life but a pause is a temporary interruption. To stop something means to bring it to an end. When it comes to the work God is doing in us, for, us, with, the only one who can stop it is God. people will try everything they can to bring you down, society will try, they will come every way they can but don’t fall for it, Put up a fight, if you love something fight for it, if God has called you to a specific position or place, fight for. If God has given you a vision or laid something on your heart, fight for it. The opposition will come but when God has sent you, no one can stop you, you keep fighting like nehemiah until the task is complete. If anything, allow that opposition to strengthen you. In the midst of ask God to give you the strength to fight harder. We often let ourselves be stopped because the opposition is too great, we pause ourselves indefinitely, but God’s work in us, on us, and through us is meant to be completed. There will be lies, gossip, threats but fight. No one can stop you unless you let them.

Nehemiah 6:11

But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!”

Stay focused on the mission not the opposition. We can’t get scared and run away, we can’t let people try to deceive us into running away. When God has placed us somewhere, nothing should be able to move us. God will finish what He has started. We must protect the calling God has placed on our lives, and know that no matter the opposition we will complete whatever God has set us out to do. This means the dreams we have, the visions God has given us. When it’s set up by God, the only person able to tear it down is God.

We have to stand firm on His word and promise. Put up a fight, don’t let the opposition stop you.

Revelation 3:8

“‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

One last thing, fight for your dreams, believe in them. Don’t let anyone tell you they’re impossible or unreachable. If God gave you the gift you have, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be using it. Do what you know, some dreams are harder to reach, but if you love it, fight for it.

Proverbs 18:6

A man's gift makes room for him and brings him before the great.

Reflection

1. What are you fighting for?
2. Have you come up against opposition?
3. How has that opposition fueled or strengthened you to keep pushing and fighting?
   
   

Prayer Time

Allow you answers to the questions above guide your prayer. Ask God to strengthen you in the midst of opposition. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide and protect you.

Know that God’s word never returns to Him void. If you know that God has called you to do something. Do it unapologetically and fearless, He has your back.

I love you! I hope you have an amazing day or evening, make sure you come back for Day 60
 tomorrow!