If you’ve ever heard me share my testimony of how I was abused by my father throughout my childhood, you know I’ve gone through some really difficult times. In fact, some things were so painful, I wondered if I would survive them. That’s why one of my greatest desires is to help others know how to trust God and lean on Him, so they can overcome their struggles too.
There’s a huge difference between a Christian who just tries to make it on their own and one who really relies on the Holy Spirit to enable them to do whatever they need to do. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to take His place here in the earth. He can be everywhere, all the time, and because He lives in us as born-again believers, He is always with us.
In John 15:26 (AMP), Jesus told His disciples, “When the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) comes … the Spirit of Truth who comes from the Father, He will testify and bear witness about Me.”
It’s so amazing to realize that the Holy Spirit is always with us, and He’s the “Strengthener” we need to get through every problem we have to face.
Victors or Grasshoppers?
In Numbers 13, the Israelites were facing a big problem. They were just outside the land of Canaan, which is the promised land God led them to after they wandered for 40 years in the wilderness. Moses sent 12 spies to scout out the land, and when they returned, 10 of them had a bad report, and two had a good report.
The spies told Moses, “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey…. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. …” (vv. 27-28, NIV). But Caleb said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it” (v. 30). In verses 32 and 33, the 10 spies “spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land which they had explored. They said, ‘The land … devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. … We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.'”
For the Israelites to possess their promised land, they were going to have to dispossess the current occupants—the giants. God had not cleared out all of their adversaries because He wanted to teach them how to trust Him and lean on Him for the strength they needed to overcome their enemies.
Caleb acted in faith because he had his eyes on God, but the spies who brought the “bad report” couldn’t see themselves as anything but grasshoppers facing giants because they weren’t trusting God.
You Can Face Your Giants
We all have giants—problems in life that we have to overcome. I don’t like them any more than anybody else does, but I’ve discovered that we learn more about how to trust God when we go through difficulties than we do in other seasons of our lives. The truth is when we don’t have anyone but God to get us through something, He can use it to make us stronger in Him, and then He can use us to do greater things than we ever imagined we could do.
God doesn’t want us to live weak, wimpy, helpless, pathetic, barely-get-by lives. That’s why He sent the Holy Spirit to be our “Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby).” Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The Holy Spirit is with you all the time, and His power gives you the ability to be a witness for Christ. This means that in Christ, you have the power to be the kind of person in this world who represents Him as a light in a dark place … who has peace in the midst of the storm … who has the power not to worry when you have a huge problem and hope even when it looks like there is no hope at all.
I want to encourage you to take time to get to know God for yourself. Spend time with Him in prayer and through studying His Word. Wait on the Lord and receive the strength He has for you today (Isa. 40:31). Put your focus on Him and pray, “God, I trust You. Please strengthen me today to do whatever I need to do, through Christ. I give you my will and want to know what Your will is for me. I need Your strength, wisdom and guidance in every area of my life. I believe You will work out all things for my good (Rom. 8:28). You are my strength and I won’t give up!”
Please note: The views and opinions expressed throughout this publication and/or website are those of the respective authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Joyce Meyer Ministries. {eoa}
