As I was worshiping the Lord the other day, I heard this word 'Arise'! The Lord just dropped this word 'Arise' in my mind. And as I sought the Lord more, this is what I heard:
"Arise, My children! It is time for you to rise up! Rise up from your sorrow and mourning! Rise up from your fear and bondage! Rise up from your offense and resentment! Rise up from your failure and disappointment! Rise up from your self-undermining and insecurity! I recognized you from the moment you were conceived. I will never give up on you. Turn and look to Me. Draw what you need from Me. I am your Source and your Father who is able to strengthen you and help you. So, rise up My sons and My daughters, because there are more good things in store for you. Rise up and look to Me!"
I could literally feel the heart and the love of God for you. Trust me, God understands your feeling and your situation. There is nothing that can be hidden from Him. Look to Him and let Him help you to rise up from whatever difficult situation you are in. Amen!
Are you having a difficult situation in your life, that you feel you are cast down to the pit? And no matter how you've tried with all your strength and ability, you keep slipping back to the pit, and you feel as if you are drowned by the sea of troubles?
I am going to give some examples of people in the Bible who were in difficult situation, but they chose to rise up and look to God. And their lives were changed tremendously.
Let's start with David.
1. Rise up from your sorrow and mourning
2 Samuel 12:19-20 (NKJV)
'When David saw that his servants were whispering, David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore David said to his servants, "Is the child dead?" And they said, "He is dead." So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate.'
If you haven't known the story, King David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and plotted for her husband to be killed. The Lord was not pleased with King David and caused this child, his child with Bathsheba, to be ill. David fasted and laid down all night on the ground, and pleaded with God for the child. But eventually when the child died, David rose up, worshiped the Lord, and lived as normal again.
You see, when someone we love died, or a pet died, or even a used-to-be successful business failed and closed shop, we tend to feel guilty, and we tend to keep reflecting on ourselves if we could have done better to save the person, the pet, or the situation. Some people even blame themselves, dwelling in unending sorrow and self-condemnation for an extended time.
But here, you can learn from King David. He was not a perfect person. In fact, he was rather coward and wicked to plot the death of his faithful soldier just to cover his own sin. However, eventually, he chose to settle his situation with the Lord, to humble before the Lord, to repent before the Lord, to receive the Lord's forgiveness, and to move on with his life.
If you have been dwelling in sorrow and mourning, whether it's the consequences of your own mistake, or the deceit of others, or just a circumstance that was beyond your control, I pray that you will be able to rise up from your situation, forgive yourself, and let the Lord strengthen you to move on with your life. Amen!
2. Rise up from your fear and bondage
We're talking about Elijah here.
1 Kings 19:1-4 (NKJV)
'And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time." (It means Jezebel was threatening Elijah, and she's saying that she's going to have him killed!) And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, "It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!"'
You know what, Elijah had just performed a powerful miracle the day before, calling down fire from heaven to burn the water-drenched evening sacrifice. As a result, many people turned back to God. He also seized and executed all the prophets of Baal on the same day. What a great miracle!
But with one death threat from King Ahab's wife (Jezebel), Elijah was overcome by fear and ran for his life!
Do you see how subtle it is, the way fear attacks one's mind and emotion? What more when Elijah was spiritually, mentally and physically drained after the great spiritual ministry he did the day before. It was so overwhelming that Elijah felt totally worn out and so lonely doing the work of God by himself, and he felt he had lost the meaning and purpose of life, so much so that he told the Lord to take his life away!
But God sent an angel with food and drink to strengthen Elijah instead. Elijah then rose up to eat and drink. And with the food and drink that he had taken, he was able to journey forty days and forty nights non-stop!
Are you in a situation where you are overwhelmed by fear, the fear to face the future, the fear of losing your loved ones, the fear of losing your health, the fear of losing your wealth, the fear of losing your purpose in life, etc?
You see, fear is the opposite of love. God is love, and so, there should be no fear in Him. Now, I'm not talking about the fear or reverence for God that will lead one to His wisdom. But I'm talking about fearful emotion that can lead one to devastation or destruction. Sometimes the feeling of fear one experiences is not just an emotional feeling. It might be from the spirit of fear! Yes, there is such spirit in the spiritual realm that is called 'the spirit of fear'. It is real and it manipulates the way you think. Now, if you are susceptible to fear, abstain from reading articles, books, or watching movies that will generate fear in you. For example, violent story, horror story, etc. This is one of the ways to protect your feeling and emotion, and to keep you away from fear!
There is one immediate solution to resist fear. Whenever you feel the threat of fear, speak the Word of God against it immediately. Then, take authority in Jesus’ name, and command it to go away! Say, "In Jesus' name, fear, I command you to go away!"
You can speak these words of God that I have personalized for you against fear.
2 Timothy 1:7
In Christ, God has not given me a spirit of fear, but He has given me a spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind.
Luke 10:19
In Christ, God has given me the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing shall by any means hurt me.
Keep speaking these words to yourself and to the atmosphere around you until you stop feeling fearful. I believe you can do it! If you have been overwhelmed by fear, do not keep it in and try to handle it by yourself! Besides speaking the words of God and taking authority against it, come before the Lord, worship Him, and allow Him to strengthen you and to minister to you in the way that He knows best for you.
3. Rise up from your offense and resentment
We're talking about Jonah now.
Jonah 4:9-11 (NKJV)
'Then God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?" And he said, "It is right for me to be angry, even to death!" But the Lord said, "You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?"'
Jonah was told to prophesy and warn the wicked people of Nineveh to repent from their sins, or the city would be hit with disaster. But Jonah refused to follow God's instruction because he didn't think the people of Nineveh deserve God's forgiveness. He ran away to the opposite direction, but he ended up in a storm and in the stomach of a big fish. He repented in the fish's stomach, of course. God gave Jonah a second chance and God made the big fish vomit him out.
Eventually, he reluctantly prophesied and warned the people of Nineveh. And the people of Nineveh actually repented, and God relented from the disaster that was supposed to strike the city of Nineveh. As a result, Jonah was very frustrated and offended. He was even angry with God. To think about it, God was so patient with this quick tempered, stubborn and self-righteous prophet!
So, God purposely made a green plant to grow to shade Jonah from the sun in a day, but made it wither the next day. Certainly, Jonah was again angry and full of resentment because of what the Lord had done to the plant. But God taught Jonah a lesson about His ultimate right over His own creation, and especially His mercy towards the people He created.
You see, no one can judge others except God. Therefore, let's not harbor offense and resentment toward each other, because all of us deserve God's mercy and forgiveness! Just like it is written in Luke 6:37 (NKJV), 'Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.'
Now, I have ministered to quite a number of people with serious illness in the past. And most of the time, the Lord told me they need to be released from offense and resentment. So, I told them to release a prayer of forgiveness to those who have hurt them before. True enough, many were healed as they released forgiveness from their hearts.
You see, when you harbor offense and resentment, you are suffering your own soul and body. I know it is not easy to forgive those who have hurt you. But you can ask the Lord to help you and to give you the peace in your heart to release forgiveness, so that you can be set free from offense and resentment, and live a happier and joyful life. Amen!
4. Rise up from your failure and disappointment
Joshua 7:10-11 (NKJV)
'So the Lord said to Joshua: "Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff."'
Joshua and his people just had an immense victory conquering the city of Jericho. But when they went to attack the city of Ai, they lost miserably. They were so grieved and they questioned the Lord about His promise to them. And the Lord told Joshua they had gone against their covenant with Him because someone had kept some accursed things in their midst.
You see, the problem here is that, most of us, believers, when we face failure or disappointment, we tend to be quick to doubt God's promise or even 'blame' Him for not helping enough, instead of reflecting if we have done things correctly according to the will and the way of God, or not.
As for Joshua and the people, after they had cleared away all the abominable things and soon received a new strategy of war from the Lord, they finally overcame the city of Ai on their second attack.
If you have suffered from failure, instead of blaming God, ask the Lord for wisdom to rectify the situation and a better way to do things in your life. Now, I am not saying that you will fail if you do things in your own ways. But I can guarantee you that if you do things according to the instructions of the Lord, you will surely see good results. This is what I have experienced in my life.
So, if you have been suffering from failure or disappointment in life, seek the Lord today for His new strategy for you. May His favor, blessings and success be with you. Amen!
5. Rise up from your self-undermining and insecurity
Judges 6:14-16 (NKJV)
'Then the Lord turned to him (Gideon) and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?" So he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." And the Lord said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man."'
During Gideon's time, God's people were living in poverty under the oppression of the Midianites. The Midianites would come to snatch and destroy whatever God's people had, whether it's wheat or livestock. God's people could only thresh their wheat in secret, hiding from the Midianites, just like what Gideon did at the winepress when the Lord came to him.
So, when the Lord told Gideon that he was chosen to be the one to save His people from the Midianites, Gideon could not believe it. Now, due to his family background and the difficult circumstances he was in, Gideon had developed a very low self-image of himself!
But the Lord saw the potential in Gideon. The Lord promised to be with Gideon and to help Gideon become the person He wants Gideon to be. True enough, the more Gideon followed God's instructions, the more he saw victory and success in his life. Gideon eventually found security and his self-esteem in the Lord. Even when God's people wanted Gideon to be their king, he refused the glory and said that God should be their Ruler instead. And there was great peace in the land when Gideon was the judge and overseer over God's people.
Have you been living with the sense of insecurity and low self-esteem, just like Gideon? Have you been admiring other people who seem to be more successful, and you wish that you could be like them? Well, look not to the left nor to the right, but look to God! Because He can change you to be the person He knows you can be, if you allow Him! Amen!
Whether it was David, Elijah, Jonah, Joshua, or Gideon, and the lives of many more people of God we have read in the Bible, it is so reassuring to know that the Lord does not give up on those who still look to Him, no matter what flaws or weaknesses they have.
These are just some of the examples I can show you this time. Some of these may not be in any way related to what you have experienced in your life, but what I can assure you is that, if you look to God, He is able and He can and He will help you to rise up from whatever situation you are in. Amen!
Let us pray.
"O Lord, we worship You and we look to You. We know that You love us and You care for us. We surrender all our situations to You today. We want to rise up from sorrow and mourning! We want to rise up from fear and bondage! We want to rise up from offense and resentment! We want to rise up from failure and disappointment! We want to rise up from self-undermining and insecurity! We want to rise up from all the situations that held us captive. We want to be set free from all the negative emotions, thinkings and behaviors that stop us from becoming who You want us to be. And we believe that You can help us, and You will help us as we look to You. We thank You in advance for all the breakthroughs that are coming our way. In Jesus' name. Amen!"