Joe and Jessa when I taught I used to start each class with a little illustration and Bible verse. Out of all stories this one in particular I have always remembered. "One day, Alexander held court in Nebuchadnezzar's great palace in Babylon. He sat upon the great golden throne, pronouncing sentences for the crimes charged to his soldiers. The sergeant-at-arms brought in one soldier after another and read their crimes. No one could deliver them from Alexander's severe judgments. Finally, the sergeant-at-arms brought in a young Macedonian soldier and read aloud his crime: fleeing in the face of the enemy. This cowardice Alexander could not tolerate. But as he looked on this young soldier, Alexander's countenance changed from stern to soft. Smiling, he said to the lad, Son, what is your name? The boy said softly, Alexander. The smile left the king's face. He said, What did you say? The young man snapped to attention. Alexander, sir. The king turned crimson and shouted, WHAT IS YOUR NAME? The boy began to stammer and said, Al Alex Alexander, sir. The king burst out of his chair, grabbed the young man by the tunic, stared him in the face, then threw him on the ground and said, "Soldier, change your conduct or change your name! " - Story told by D. James Kennedy Because I struggle with fear this illustration hit home for me. As a Christian the Bible most repeated command is not to be afraid. In the middle of a crisis I don't have the right initial response. In the .........// It was at this point that I stopped typing to get a hold of someone to come suction my lungs and my computer froze. I had woken up early and was still in my hospital bed and everyone else was still sleeping. As time passed my lungs filled up more and I was panicking. My heart was racing and pounding out of my chest. My lungs were so full that I wasn't able to absorb enough oxygen. I felt like I was going to die. The only thing I could see was this blog frozen on the screen in front of my face. As the minutes turned into a hour God reminded me of Job. God allowed Satan to take everything from him, but not Job's life. I was crying but at the same time confident that Satan could not kill me if God said, "No." AND... thanks to a sermon by Francis Chan this last week...To die is gain! As a soldier in God's army I will endure hardships, that is war. However, I will never be a POW. I won't be left behind, or out of God's reach! Thank you Jesus for dying for my sins. As a Christian I am on the Victory side. Please let me know what you are going through too. It would be good if we could pray for each other to be confident in what God is going to do!
Psalm 18:35
You have given me your shield of victory.
Your right hand supports me; your help has made me great. See A Victory | Official Lyric Video | Elevation Worship