Matthew 6:27-29

Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 

Sometimes we get up in the morning and we can start the day off discouraged if we aren’t careful.  We feel like we are doing our best but it just doesn’t seem like anything is happening.  We’ve sacrificed, trained, we’ve prayed and believed but we just wonder if it is worth it.  Is it even worth it to keep trying and keep pushing forward?  Am I ever going to break this addiction?  Is my marriage ever going to get better?  Are my finances ever going to be straightened out?  Will I ever get married?  Will my child ever get it together?  Will I ever have a child?  What plagues you this morning?  Is Satan trying to get you to give up today? 

Trust me we all have those days where we just want to throw in the towel on that battle and say “forget it!” I have had days like that even recently where I just felt so beat up by Satan in my struggle I didn’t think I could keep fighting it.  I struggle in the area of trust and believe me, if you don’t trust others then you probably struggle trusting God with that area as well.  If we can turn those issues over to God and believe that He will handle anything that comes our way then our battle is over, Satan no longer has that ground.  If we choose to hang onto the struggle instead of giving it to God then we are the ones hurting and struggling in our own little world we have chosen to live in. 

Years ago my parents ended up with some little barn kittens that the mother hid until they were about 8 weeks old and they were as wild as could be.  They were so mean and wild my parents had to call and have the animal control pick some of them up because they didn’t want disease due to lack of vaccines amongst other problems wild cats can bring.  One of the kittens just stole my daughter Candace’s heart so she asked me if she could keep it and train it and find a good home for it, reluctantly I said “yes.”  We brought that kitten home in the cage they caught her in and that little squirt would hiss and swat at us if we came any where near the cage.  Candace had quite a battle on her hands trying to get that kitten to trust that she was looking out for her and trying to keep her from certain death if she couldn’t be tamed.  By the end of about a week the kitten stopped trying to bite or scratch her when she put her food and water in there and by the end of about a month she became one of the sweetest little kittens we had ever had.  Don’t worry I believe the other kittens were given to a farmer looking for barn kittens and didn’t care if they were wild, but the kitten that chose to learn to trust had the better life.

The point is this:  how often do we treat God the same way that barn kitten treated us?  How often do we swat at His hand on our lives trying to keep Him away fearing for what He might do that we think could harm us so we choose to fight the battle for our lives by ourselves?  As we learn to trust in Him we will know how much better life can be, the kitten wouldn’t have made it without the food and water Candace was trying to give it and wouldn’t have enjoyed being held and loved.  What are you missing out on or what victory will you miss out on if you don’t decide today to rely on God to win the battle for you?  Consider the lilies and then you will know how much He cares for you!  Don’t give up; the best is yet to come!  I challenge you today to keep pushing forward and allow God to give you the strength to trust Him in your situation.  Don’t give up!

Quote:  “When there is no hope in the future there is no power in the present.”  John Maxwell