VALGOOD

“Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.” 1 Samuel 14:6b

Lately I’ve come to the realization that I’ve been limiting God in my mind. I look at circumstances and I feel hopeless, even though I believe God is all powerful. I focus on my own faults that brought me to the situation, the lack of my own personal ability to get out of it, and I feel that nothing will ever change. If you’ve ever felt this way, too, I have some VERY good news for you. NOTHING can hinder the Lord from saving. Say it out loud with me: “NOTHING can hinder the Lord from saving!”

In my reading of the Old Testament, I’ve come to situation after situation where God acted on behalf of His people in unusual ways. For example, when Gideon defeated the Midianites only 300 Israelites went into battle against numerous opponents; when the 300 blew their trumpets, the Lord cause the men throughout the Midianite camp to “turn on each other with their swords” (Judges 7:22).  Another example is when Samuel subdued the Philistines at Mizpah: “But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites”  (1 Samuel 7:10). Later, in the excerpt from where the above verse was taken, only Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed 20,000 Philistines who were routed when “…panic struck the whole army – those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding parties – and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God” (1 Samuel 14:15). In all three situations, the odds were stacked heavily against the Israelites, except for in one important area – they had God on their side!

When I was first embarking on this journey to lose weight, I had very little hope that I could possibly change on my own. After all, it was my own laziness and overeating that had gotten me into this situation. And, I didn’t think I had the energy or the willpower to ever change. The situation looked hopeless at best. But, I was forgetting that NOTHING CAN HINDER GOD FROM SAVING!

In 1 Samuel 10:6, Samuel told Saul (as he was anointing him king) that “The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.” Later, we see “As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day” (1 Samuel 10:9). I’ve been praying that God would change me into a different person, beginning by changing my heart.

I understand when people say “you don’t reap what you don’t sew” BUT for the person who needs a major life change, sewing looks like an impossible task. My suggestion to you is to start with the first steps, which is trusting in God and asking Him to change your heart. He’s the only One who can make You desire healthy choices. He’s the only One who can fix your broken situation that looks impossible at best.

In my readings of when God acted on behalf of the Israelites, their actions preceding His intercession was “mourning and seeking after the Lord” (1 Samuel 7:2), “returning to the Lord with all their hearts,” “ridding themselves of foreign gods,” “committing themselves to the Lord and serving Him only” (1 Samuel 7:3), “fasting and confessing their sin” (1 Samuel 7:6), and “crying out to the Lord” (1 Samuel 7:9).

If you are in a desperate and dire situation – if you’ve tried everything you know how to change something in your life – and you need help, this is the place to start. Don’t focus on hunkering down and exercising your own will power. Instead, confess your sin, return to the Lord with your whole heart, and cry out to Him. Then, praise Him for when He works His mighty wonders on your behalf!

I’m getting very close to the mark of having 50 lbs gone. If you would have asked me if this was possible at the beginning of this year, I would have probably said it wasn’t likely. But, NOTHING CAN HINDER GOD FROM SAVING! Praise Him with me today!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word. We who deserve nothing are continually blessed by You, our compassionate Heavenly Father through it. God, thank You that You can do all things. Lord, I want to personally praise You for acting on my behalf. And now I’d like to take the time to pray for those who are reading this right now – whether their situation is losing weight, finances, or some other difficult situation, I pray that You would have mercy on them and act as only You can. Help them, Lord. May we be humble and confess our sin before You, may we return to You with all our heart and rid ourselves of anything that’s become a useless idol in our life, may we serve You and honor You in all we say and do. Lord, come! Have Your way! Forgive us and save us as only You can! May we be reflections of Your holiness – may You be glorified through us. Thank You that NOTHING can hinder You from saving! In Jesus’ Name, AMEN!