“Everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” (1 Samuel 17:47 NLT).

In the story of David in 1 Samuel, he actually had to fight four other giants before he got to Goliath. They weren’t physical giants, but they were giants in his mind.

You are far more likely to have to face those giants than a Goliath, but they can be just as big and intimidating, and they can keep you from becoming who God wants you to be and fulfilling the dream that God has put in your heart.

The first giant in facing your dream is delay.

No dream is fulfilled instantly. God gives you the dream on one day, but he doesn’t fulfill it the next day. It may be years before you see the fulfillment of your life dream. There is always a waiting period.

In David’s case, his dad held him back from the dream. After Samuel anointed David as king, Jesse told David to get back to tending the sheep!

When God’s plan contradicts somebody else’s plan, there’s going to be a delay, and people are going to try to hold you back — sometimes even the people who love you the most. But God is faithful, and he will complete his work in you in his time.

The second giant you may face is discouragement.

Goliath created a climate of fear in Israel, and everybody was convinced they were going to lose the battle.

Who are you listening to who says it can’t be done? Who is putting down your dream, saying it won’t ever happen?

Sometimes you just need a fresh voice — a kid from the village with fresh eyes who says, “This guy’s nothing. We can take him down.”

The third giant standing in your way is disapproval.

In David’s case, his own brother questioned his motives and disapproved of him going after Goliath.

When other people are afraid of your God-given dream but you go for it anyway, you will be misjudged, maligned, and misunderstood. You have to decide what matters more to you: the approval of other people or the approval of God.

The fourth giant you may have to face is doubt.

Nobody was a greater expert on war than King Saul, and he told David he was crazy for thinking a boy could fight a warrior like Goliath.

Maybe the expert is saying you can’t do it, either. That’s enough to make you start doubting yourself.

The reality is that God has powerful and unique plans for your life. Make sure to stop today and begin discerning what those plans are.

Blessings,

Chaplain Rob

Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people! – James 4:7-8

This world is tough and maintaining one’s integrity is hard. Temptations are everywhere, and the devil (evil), it seems, never takes a day off. Your challenge is to see those temptations for what they are: dangerous and destructive.

In his letter to Jewish Christians, Peter offered a stern warning: “Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 NASB).

What was true in New Testament times is equally true in our own. Evil is indeed abroad in the world, and it continues to sow the seeds of destruction far and wide.

All one has to do is turn on the news to see a litany of evil actions that are carried out on a daily basis.

In a very real sense, our world is at war: good versus evil, addiction versus moderation, hope versus suffering, praise versus apathy.

As Christians, we must ensure that we place ourselves squarely on the right side of these conflicts: God’s side. How can we do it?

By thoughtfully studying God’s Word, by regularly worshiping with fellow believers, and by guarding our hearts and minds against the subtle temptations of the enemy. When we do, we are protected.

It’s out there, and it can hurt you. Evil does exist, and you will confront it. Prepare yourself by forming a genuine, life-changing relationship with God. There is darkness in this world, but God’s light can overpower any darkness.

There is nothing evil in matter itself. Evil lies in the spirit. Evils of the heart, of the mind, of the soul, of the spirit—these have to do with man’s sin, and the only reason the human body does evil is because the human spirit uses it to do evil. – A. W. Tozer

Light is stronger than darkness—darkness cannot “comprehend” or “overcome” it. – Anne Graham Lotz

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. – Edmund Burke

TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear God, thank you that greater is He who lives inside me than he that is in the world. Thank you, Lord that at your name demons flee. In my times of trouble and temptation help me to remember that there is power in Your name.

Rob Dunbar, Chaplain, Maj,

Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him for God is our refuge. – Psalm 62:8

Have you ever noticed the significance of the number forty in Scrip¬ture? Moses worked as a shepherd forty years before God called him to lead the Israelites from captivity. Moses was atop Mount Sinai forty days receiving the covenant God made with the Israel¬ites after redeeming them from bondage. God led His people in the wilderness for forty years of testing before entering the Promised Land. Jesus was tested in the wilderness forty days before begin¬ning His public ministry. And it rained forty days and forty nights when Noah built the ark.

As you can see, it’s not only the number forty that’s significant, but the events that this number helped to define. Each event is a period of passage and transition—in the unfolding of God’s gracious and redemptive activity.

Are you in a period of transition? We’re all living through seasons of life if not specific, shorter transitional phrases in life. It’s the way God designed it. Every end is a new beginning. Remember that God walks with us through every season, every transition. He is in control, enjoy the ride.

Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again. – Sarah Ban Breathnach

TODAY’S PRAYER

Dear Jesus, thank you for every season that I find myself in, in the winter help me to remember that your provision is coming, in the spring help me to be thankful for new beginnings, in the summer help me to relish the warmth of your grace and mercy and in the fall remind me to rejoice in the harvest. Amen

May God Bless each of you this weekend,

Chaplin Rob

“Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts” (Proverbs 4:23 GNT).

God is far more interested in changing your mind than changing your circumstances.

We want God to take away all of our problems, pain, sorrow, suffering, sickness, and sadness. But God wants to work on you first, because transformation won’t happen in your life until you renew your mind, until your thoughts begin to change.

Why is it so important that you learn how to manage your mind? Let me give you three reasons.

Manage your mind, because your thoughts control your life.

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts” (GNT). Your thoughts are powerful and have the tremendous ability to shape your life for good or for bad. For example, maybe you accept the thought someone told you when you were growing up: “You’re worthless. You don’t matter.” If you accepted that thought, even though it was wrong, it shaped your life.

Manage your mind, because the mind is the battleground for sin.

All temptation involves the mind. Paul says in Romans 7:22-23, “I love to do God’s will so far as my new nature is concerned; but there is something else deep within me, in my lower nature, that is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. In my mind I want to be God’s willing servant, but instead I find myself still enslaved to sin” (TLB).

One of the reasons why you get mentally fatigued is because there’s a battle in your brain 24 hours a day. It’s debilitating because it’s intense, and it’s intense because your mind is your greatest asset. Satan wants your greatest asset!

Manage your mind, because it’s the key to peace and happiness.

An unmanaged mind leads to tension; a managed mind leads to tranquility. An unmanaged mind leads to conflict; a managed mind leads to confidence. An unmanaged mind leads to stress. When you don’t try to control your mind and the way you direct your thoughts, you will have an enormous amount of stress in your life. But a managed mind leads to strength and security and serenity.

“Letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace” (Romans 8:6 NLT).

Blessings,

Chaplin Rob

“Surrender your heart to God, turn to him in prayer, and give up your sins — even those you do in secret. Then you won’t be ashamed; you will be confident and fearless. Your troubles will go away like water beneath a bridge, and your darkest night will be brighter than noon. You will rest safe and secure, filled with hope and emptied of worry” (Job 11:13-18 CEV).

The Bible says in 1 John 4:18, “Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love drives out fear” (NCV).

So how do you learn to live in God’s love so that you can live free of fear?

Every day, you have to surrender your heart to God.

When you wake up every morning, before your feet hit the floor, you have to say, “God, before I even start this day, I surrender my emotions to you. I want you to be Lord of my feelings. I want you to control my mind and my emotions. I surrender my heart to you. I want you to fill me with your love.”

Job 11:13-18 says, “Surrender your heart to God, turn to him in prayer, and give up your sins — even those you do in secret. Then you won’t be ashamed; you will be confident and fearless. Your troubles will go away like water beneath a bridge, and your darkest night will be brighter than noon. You will rest safe and secure, filled with hope and emptied of worry” (CEV).

There are three commands and eight promises in that Scripture. God says you do this, and then he’ll do that. Every promise has a premise.

First, he gives you the commands: Surrender your heart to God every day. Turn to him in prayer. And give up your sins, or confess your sins to God.

Then, notice the eight benefits: You won’t be ashamed, you’ll be confident, you’ll be fearless, your troubles will be like water under the bridge, the dark night you’re going through is going to be brighter than noon, you’ll be able to sleep well because you are safe and secure, you will be filled with hope, and you’ll be emptied of worry.

Wow! Who wouldn’t want to experience those benefits? You ought to write that verse on an index card and put it somewhere you’ll see it throughout today and this week. Let it remind you to do those three things — surrender your heart to God, turn to him in prayer, and confess your sins — so that God’s love will fill your life and cast out all your anxiety and fear.

Try it this week, and then watch how God fulfills his promise as he fills you with his love.

Blessings to each of you!

Rob Dunbar, Chaplain, Maj

“Since he did not spare even his own Son for us but gave him up for us all, won’t he also surely give us everything else?” (Romans 8:32 TLB).

The major cause of stress in your life is worry. You worry because you wonder if you will have what you need when you need it. But anytime you expect other people to meet your needs instead of God, you’re going to be frustrated and disappointed, because nobody can meet all your needs.

Only God can do that.

If you want a cure for stress, you need to learn to look to God to meet your needs.

Some people find their security in their job, and when they lose their job, they lose their peace of mind.

Others put their security in their marriage. Then their spouse dies or they go through a divorce, and they ask, “Who am I? What is my identity?”

Or maybe they put their security in their money. There are a lot of ways to lose money.

I recommend that you never put your security in anything that can be taken away from you. You can lose your job, your health, your reputation, your spouse, and your mind. But you cannot lose your relationship to Christ.

When you put your security in that promise, you can trust God to meet all your needs.

Romans 8:32 says, “Since he did not spare even his own Son for us but gave him up for us all, won’t he also surely give us everything else?” (TLB).

If God loved you enough to send Jesus Christ to die on the cross, don’t you think he loves you enough to take care of every other need in your life? Yes! Of course he does.

Every time you start to get stressed out, pause and say, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1 ESV).

God’s going to provide. He’s going to take care of you. Instead of stressing out, look to him to meet all your needs.

Blessings,

Chaplain Rob

God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. – Hebrews 2:4

If you’re a Christian, you have spiritual abilities . . . and it may be the case that you have some spiritual abilities that you’re not aware of—unwrapped gifts just waiting to be opened. The Bible says God’s given some people a gift for declaring His truth with power and clarity. Some possess the gift of encouragement—the ability to provide comfort and cheer, even in the worst situations. Some have the gift of giving; what fulfills them is sharing what they have to bless others in need. Still others have the gift of mercy; they enjoy helping people in hardship or trouble without blaming or judging.

When these gifts are used and developed, the church/ Christians becomes a dynamic place where lives are transformed and God’s Kingdom is built. When you find and use your gifts, you’ll see God’s love and generosity more clearly, and you’ll feel fulfilled like never before. Discover your gifts, and use them!

What is your Gift? Are you using it today?

God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called. – Unknown

Your spiritual gift tells you what to do for Christ; your passions tell you where to do it; your personality tells you how. – Jim White

Rob Dunbar, Chaplain, Maj,