Food For Thought: Do you have any BHAG’s in your life? You know, Big Hairy Audacious Giants!

God does some of his best work in our lives when we are facing BHAG’s. That was true for David when he faced Goliath of Gath…and it was true when King Hezekiah was facing King Sennacherib of Assyria. Goliath was an intimidating and imposing warrior and Assyria was an intimidating and imposing army. Both were giant problems standing between Israel and God’s will. In both cases. God helped his people to defeat these BHAG’s, and we’re still talking about these amazing victories today.

BHAG’s are the stuff great testimonies are made of! God does his finest work when we’re facing giants, when our backs are against the wall and we have nowhere to turn. Perhaps the reason that he allows us to get into these impossible situations in the first place is for the simple reason that he will receive all the glory and praise when the deliverance comes. There will be times in our lives where neither our brainpower nor our brawn, neither our bank account nor our buddies will be of any help. The only rescue we will experience will come from the Lord, and it will be perfectly clear that he alone is responsible. We never like to find ourselves in those kinds of situations, but those are the kinds of stories that great testimonies are made of.

When we find ourselves like Hezekiah—standing before an Big Hairy Audacious Giant of a problem—our best response is to do what he did: He went to God in prayer. He took the nasty message from the King of Assyria and spread it out before the Lord. It’s not like the Lord didn’t already know, but Hezekiah showed God the letter anyway. He poured out his complaint before the Lord in an honest and humble way. And here’s the awesome part of this story:

And God heard…and God saw…and God acted…and a great testimony was made!

What about you? Are you up the creek without a paddle…do you have nowhere else to turn…do you have an overwhelming enemy breathing threats against you…are you facing a Big Hairy Audacious Giant right now? Do what Hezekiah did: Tell it to Jesus!

Edmund S. Lorenz composed a hymn back in the late 1800’s that I’d recommend you meditate on if you’re facing a BHAG. Allow the words to sink into your spirit. You’ll be encouraged:

Are you weary, are you heavy hearted?
Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus.
Are you grieving over joys departed?
Tell it to Jesus alone.

Do the tears flow down your cheeks unbidden?
Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus.
Have you sins that to men’s eyes are hidden?
Tell it to Jesus alone.

Do you fear the gathering clouds of sorrow?
Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus.
Are you anxious what shall be tomorrow?
Tell it to Jesus alone.

Are you troubled at the thought of dying?
Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus.
For Christ’s coming kingdom are you sighing?
Tell it to Jesus alone

Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus,
He is a Friend that’s well known.
You’ve no other such a friend or brother,
Tell it to Jesus alone.

One More Thing… Charles Spurgeon wrote, “Many men owe the grandeur of their lives to their tremendous difficulties.”

Food For Thought: There is this haunting refrain in II Kings when the writer talks about the kings of Judah: “He was a good king, but…” He did a pretty good job, but… He was pleasing to the Lord, but… In each of these cases, the king seemed to be a godly leader with a commitment to carry out the will of God, but there was always this knock against them: In certain areas of their lives, their obedience was selective. They tolerated subtle sin—subtle in their minds, but not in God’s.

For whatever reason, Amaziah, a guy dedicated to leading the nation in a godly way, did not destroy the pagan shrines around Judah, and as a result, some of the people continued to worship there. Perhaps he thought he’d done enough to promote the worship of God at the temple in Jerusalem; maybe he didn’t want to come off as a religious fanatic; maybe he was somewhat unaware or preoccupied with other concerns; maybe he was concerned about being popular with the people—trying to please all the people all the time; maybe he just didn’t have the energy to deal with yet another demand of spiritual leadership; maybe he didn’t think it was all that big of a deal (Huh? Hello … Amaziah … clue phone … it’s for you … that’s only a violation of the first commandment!)

Who knows his reasons for sure—but what we do know is that his failure to deal with this area of his life and leadership prevented him moving from good to great as a king. Because of this inattention, his reign was limited, his nation was affected and his legacy was marred.

What a lesson for us! Paul wrote in I Corinthians 10:11-13, “These things happened to them [the Old Testament figures] as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

What are the areas of selective obedience in your life? What are the reasons you are failing to deal with them? Have you convinced yourself that you can’t tackle them, can’t overcome them? Paul gives both a negative and a positive encouragement that you’d better step up to the plate and swing for the fences in dealing with the things that are keeping you from going beyond good and on to great in your walk with God.

On the negative, Paul calls you to allow the power of hindsight to motivate you to action. Just take a look at one example after another of the also-rans strewn along the path in the Old Testament—people who “sort of” obeyed God. Frankly, there is no “sort of” in our obedience to God. In God’s eyes—and only his view of things really counts—there is no such thing as selective obedience. You’re either obedient or you’re not! So if you’ve justified in your mind that partial compliance is okay, Paul says you are not on solid ground.

On the positive, Paul reminds you that there is no area of weakness and struggle in your life where sin is guaranteed victory. No sin is too big, too powerful, to overwhelming. It might be tough, but there is always a way to win! And furthermore, God stands at the ready to offer his help to give you victory—even over the toughest temptation! If God is for you, who can stand against you? No one and no thing!

St. Augustine once said, “Will is to grace as the horse is to the rider.” So exert your will where God has provided his grace, and you will be great in the Lord’s eyes! Don’t let selective obedience prevent you moving from good to great as a child of the King!

Prayer: Lord, I don’t want people to read about my life someday and say, “he was a good man, but…” More importantly, I don’t want that to be your analysis of me. Rather, I want you to say of me, “In him I found a man after my own heart.” Give me discernment today to ferret out any area of selective obedience; give me strength and resolve to tackle that temptation; give me grace that I don’t deserve, and I will exert my will as best I can. Help me to be great in your eyes, O Lord—that is my humble prayer. Amen.

One More Thing… C.S. Lewis said, “The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.”

Food For Thought: When you have the Lord in your life, you are never alone—you are not even in the minority. You plus God always equals a majority! Like Elisha’s servant, you would be amazed if your eyes could be opened to the spiritual realm all around you. You would see that the Lord of hosts is fighting your battles for you. You are on the winning team, so you have nothing to fear!

What are you battling today? Are people opposing you? Are you on the losing end of an addiction? Are you facing an impossible situation in your family or your marriage? Are your finances going south? Is your job on the line? Are you expecting a bad report from your doctor? May the Lord open your eyes to the divine truth that there are more on your side than theirs. The Lord has put all of heaven’s resources at your disposal; His ministering spirits will fight on your behalf, for the battle is the Lord’s!

Facing overwhelming odds and certain defeat at the hands of the advancing Nazi war machine, on June 18, 1940, Winston Churchill stood before Parliament and rallied his countrymen in a speech in which he uttered these now famous words: “Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties and so bear ourselves that [a thousand years from now] men will say, ‘this was there finest hour.’”

Whatever you are up against, take courage! Face your challenge in the strength of the Lord, knowing that he is on your side. Perhaps in retrospect, people will say of you that this was your finest hour!

Prayer: Lord, open my eyes today, like Eilsha’s servant. May I see, even if it is just a glimpse, into the supernatural realm. May I see that all of my battles belong to you and that you have assigned your ministering spirits to fight on my behalf. May I face every enemy with renewed and unshakeable confidence in you. Lord, grant me victory in all of my battles, and may you be glorified in them. Amen.

One More Thing… “Doubt is a thief that often makes us fear to tread where we might have won.” —William Shakespeare