Keep Fighting

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! First day back to work after a wonderful Christmas break...this is surely going to be a great day! :)

This week I simply want to share some excerpts with y'all from a book I am reading. The title of the book is Don't Give Up: Faith That Gives You The Confidence To Keep Believing And The Courage To Keep Going and it is written by Kyle Idleman. It is an excellent read and I would strongly recommend it to all of you.

What I want to share this morning are excerpts from Chapter 2 which is titled, Keep Fighting. This chapter spoke deeply to my soul and I thought that perhaps some of the excerpts would inspire some of you as well. I am simply going to share the things that I underlined while reading.

"In a moment of desperation, when you feel like there is no hope, will you give up or will you cry out to God for help?"

"In his book This Sickness Unto Death, Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard speaks of moments of despair as having a remarkable silver lining. In those moments, you are left with nothing to cling to, and you can only hope in something outside of yourself. You can discover God's power and presence in a way you've never experienced before."

"...God is drawn to the desperate. If you trace this idea in scripture, you'll find that God's deliverance often follows closely upon a time of desperation."

"We know that in stressful situations, people have the impulses to fight, flight, or freeze. Fighters strike back when confronted. Flyers take off; they run in the opposite direction. And others take the deer-in-the-headlights approach - they're paralyzed by fear."

"...we all make tracks when the thing we fear is gaining on us. When what we fear is fast approaching, the most natural response is to give up and run in the opposite direction."

"When we find ourselves in a situation where we don't think we have what it takes, we run away. The problem is that fear distorts our perception of reality."

"How many of our paralyzing fears are harmless props or potentials that never even materialize?"

"The challenge is real; I get that. We've all been there. but to step into your role as God sees you, sometimes you must choose to say, "Enough!" And maybe right now you can't say it from some grandiose, broad-shouldered Superman pose, but it's a gentle yet declarative faith-filled whisper to yourself: Enough. I'm not running anymore."

"Every good thing is possible. But not without a fight."

"Reflecting on a line from the poet Robert Frost, he tells us the path to blessing is not around but through. He puts it this way: "The quickest way for anyone to reach the sun and the light of day is not to run west, chasing after the setting sun, but to head east plunging into the darkness until one comes to the sunrise.""

"What if fighting your way through the darkness is the path to blessing? The quickest way through the desperation may well be to embrace it. Plunge into it. Fight your way through the darkness."

"God doesn't want to leave you like you were before the addiction, or abuse, or affair, or relationship, or financial devastation, or diagnosis, or failure. He wants to bless you and introduce you to a whole new world of meaning and opportunity. but sometimes you have to fight through the night to get to the blessing."

"If you have the courage to stop running and decide that you are going to fight through the darkness and not give up until you reach the other side, you will discover God's power and presence. But you may also discover a reconciled relationship, a renewed purpose, or a new identity and hope for the future."

"...when you most feel like giving up, you are best positioned to experience God's presence."

"So, here's an idea. Instead of running away from the darkness, run into it. Instead of tapping out, grab hold of God and don't let go. He has a blessing for you, but you may need to fight for it."

"If you'll grab hold of God and refuse to let go, you'll find that there is a gift for you there. He will give you himself.
In your loneliness, there is an opportunity to discover his presence.
In your fear, there is an opportunity to discover his peace.
In your weakness, there is an opportunity to discover his strength.
In your pain, there is an opportunity to discover his purpose.
In your shame, there is an opportunity to discover his grace.
In your darkness, there is an opportunity to discover his light."

"If you've run until you're exhausted, if you feel cornered and afraid, if you have nowhere else to turn and the darkness has become complete - Jacob has a story for you. And it ends this way: "Stop running. Don't take another step, because you're running away from a blessing. Take hold of it. Fight for it. And never, never give up.""

Oh Sweet Friends, you, your life, has so much value, meaning and purpose. I get darkness...I have walked through it many times myself. I simply want to encourage you to keep fighting. Please don't give up. This world desperately needs you - the pure, authentic, real you. Please simply pursue the greatness that is within you today and trust God to take care of the rest.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families!

Kev