SuperChamp

You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, shall revive me again – Psalm 71:20

Consider a flooded house. It has to be gutted in order for it to be restored. Sometimes, the same is true with us. We have to be broken in order to be built back up the right way. Sometimes, God allows us to see great and severe troubles to get us to the point where we have a broken spirit and contrite heart. To be clear, God is not the author of evil but brings forth good through evil that exists. Furthermore, brokenness is not His preferred way to get our attention; He would rather that His words get our attention. But just like a child who is hard-hearted and hard-headed needs a different approach, so God uses sometimes uses trouble to get through to us. Now, the wonderful thing is that He does not leave us in a troubled state. He revives us and ensures we are better than before. He loves us too much to leave us behaving in a way that will cause irreparable damage. His hope is that our hardship leads us to Him so that He can redeem and revive us.

God will turn my troubles into triumph

I will go in the strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only – Psalm 71:16

Jesus has become our righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30), and the Holy Spirit is our strength. To go in God’s strength is to submit our lives to the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit. To make mention of God’s righteousness is to keep our heart on the Lord Jesus (for indeed out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks). Being holy (set apart) in all areas of our lives is the result of us keeping our heart on Jesus and conforming our steps to the leading of His Spirit. The result of living a lifestyle of holiness is that we live out our identity as kings and priests in Him (see Revelation 1:6). You have been identified as a royal and influential person. So why not reign in life? Why not choose to be influential in the life of others for good? Today, choose to be set apart as God is set apart by allowing the Holy Spirit to lead you. Choose to live by His strength and yours will be a life that wows.

I choose to live as royalty today and always

For You are my hope, O Lord God; You are my trust from my youth – Psalm 71:5

Some people trust in their bank accounts while others trust in their own abilities. Still, others trust in rulers, leaders, and political parties to ‘make things great again’. This same situation existed in biblical times. The psalmist wrote that ‘some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God’ (Psalm 20:8). We put our trust and hope in God because we know that He never fails. Hope is defined as the expectation of a sure thing. The only sure thing in this world is what has emanated from the mouth of God because He cannot lie. This is why hope in Him does not disappoint. Friend, whatever God says is backed by His name and is a sure thing. Whereas everything and everyone else are bound to leave you disappointed and sour in due time but God is the only One you can always depend upon. This is why God should be your hope and your trust. Is God your hope and trust or have you given your hope and trust to something or someone else?

If I am going to get my hopes up, it is going to be in God alone

The humble shall see this and be glad; and you who seek God, your hearts shall live – Psalm 69:32

Seeking God carries many benefits. One of those benefits is that our hearts come alive. We no longer live according to the dictates of our own thinking and reasoning but live to God. We no longer live by default, but we live by God’s design. We find enjoyment in everyday things and joy fills our heart. These blessings are not material and not monetary. They come from the Spirit of God who lives within us. Are you feeling empty and not enjoying everyday life? It is a sign that it is time to put down your idols and seek God. What is it that is taking the place of God in your life? What is it that is stealing your joy? Nothing can never satisfy as a life lived with God. No one can ever fill the God sized hole in your heart. Rededicate yourself to Him once more. Let Him be the center of all you do again and your heart will come alive. You will go from simply existing to truly living

Everything about my life is better with God

Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me – Psalm 69:9

You can be sure that there will be people that turn against you when you decide to follow God. If you decide to live morally, you will be judged as thinking you are better than everyone else. If you live confidently, you will be judged as arrogant. When you start enjoying the blessings from above, people get jealous, call you greedy, and start plotting your downfall. No matter what you do, there will be people who reproach you. They reproach you not because of who you are but because of who they are not. Jesus already warned us that we will face persecution. Therefore, don’t allow the persecution of others to change your course. Stay the course of righteousness and watch His manifold blessings  chase you down. Keep your zeal for God; keep your seal for righteousness; keep your zeal for His presence. When you are blessed enough, those same people who hate you at first will secretly admire you and wish they had taken the same path as you.

I will not let persecution keep me from serving the Lord

Let not those who wait for You, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed because of me; Let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel – Psalm 69:6

King David was by no means perfect and made a lot of mistakes, so he did not want his sins to be a stumbling block for others. His heart’s cry to God was that people should not turn back from God or be confused about whether to serve God or not because of him. No matter how much you and I try to be a perfect example for others or try to ‘guard our testimony’, we get it wrong. Trying to pretend like we do not make mistakes simply makes others think that we are hypocrites. Rather than pretend we are perfect, we should pray that our imperfections are not stumbling blocks for others. Rather than pretend to others, we should tell others of the great, underserving love of God towards us. When we do, we may find out that our imperfections actually draw people to God as they see God’s perfect love play out in our lives. Remember, it is not that we are good on our own merit, it is that we are enjoying the goodness of God in our lives. Rather than try to guard our testimony to promote God, we should rather allow God to promote himself through the testimony of His love in our lives.

My perfections and imperfections can be a testimony to His name

The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people – Psalm 68:25b

We have been imbued with strength through the Holy Spirit as children of God. But just because we are strong does not mean we have power. Power is strength in motion or strength that has been activated and is in use. It is an unfortunate situation to be so strong and yet fail to exercise the strength that is in us. It is unfortunate to be defeated by an opponent who is weaker than us because we fail to tap into the strength within. The enemy is weaker than we are because we have God’s strength. So, how do we activate the strength that is within? We do so by walking in the Spirit or acting in accordance with the guidance of the Spirit. Aligning our actions with God’s will releases the power of God. By doing this, we can overcome any obstacle the enemy puts in front of us. Let us not just live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:25). When we walk in the Spirit, we walk in the strength of God. When we walk in the strength of God, we walk in power. Therefore, the secret to walking in power is to walk in obedience.

I am stronger and more powerful than I know