become our subjects and serve us .” Then the Philistine said , “ This day I defy the armies of Israel ! Give me a man and let us fight each other .” On hearing the Philistine ’ s words , Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified ~ 1 Samuel 17:8 - 11 NIV
For forty days no Israelite dared to step forward to face Goliath . They feared him . They saw in him a warrior who could not be defeated easily given his height , the bronze armour he wore , the bronze helmet , the bronze armour that protected his legs , the bronze javelin that slung over his shoulder , his spear that was as thick as the bar on a weaver ’ s ' loom , its iron head that weighed about seven kilogrammes and his shield that a soldier who walked in front of him was carrying . They must have been thinking they were no match for him , yet Israel was not as hopeless as they thought . These were the same people who had fought and won countless battles in the past . They had a God who had promised to match before them and give them victory over their enemies . But this time round , something was wrong somewhere . They kept on retreating and running away from their enemies ; a clear indication that they went to the battle alone , without God . They went to fight with their own power – the best way they knew how . I guess they were so much used to winning battles that they thought they would win this one without much effort , but the situation was different .
Created to enjoy life and live in freedom
Someone has wisely said ; ‘ If you don ’ t stand for something , you will fall for anything ’. If this is true , and I believe it is , then many of us are victims of indecisiveness . I believe there are a lot of people who don ’ t know what they want in life or why they exist in the first place . This means that these people live by the flow of life , which is a dangerous situation to be because such a person cannot enjoy life to the fullest . Many have bowed down to external pressures and have found themselves doing things which they don ’ t enjoy at all . Others have allowed themselves to be belittled by others . They ’ ve given them full access and control of their lives , literally allowing others to be in the steering wheel of their lives , thus driving them wherever and however they wish . As a result , they ’ ve ended up trashed and diminished to an extent that they don ’ t know who they are .
The truth is that if you allow others to describe you and dictate how you are supposed to live your life and do things , you will end up living a life full of limitations and boundaries . You will also be imprisoned by their opinions thus making it difficult for you to live in freedom . Anytime you find yourself feeling guilty because you are not living upto or meeting someone ’ s expectations , check yourself because you could be a prisoner . These are some of the things that bring unnecessary pressures into our lives thereby causing us to live unfulfilling and unsatisfying lives .
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy . I came that they may have life and have it abundantly ~ John 10:10 ESV
Jesus came to give us abundance of life , but how many of us experience it in our lives ? The real problem lies within us ; the way we see and perceive ourselves , as well as how we measure our worth and value . If we keep seeing ourselves through other people ’ s eyes , or measuring our worth and value by how much we have or haven ’ t accomplished , our status , physical beauty or even where we come from , we can ’ t know freedom and abundance of life . We must discipline ourselves to see us as God does . It ’ s from here where our perspective towards us and life would change . We would become unlimited and begin to live our lives as God intended us from the beginning .
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