WAR STORIES

Psalms 50:14-15 "Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”

THE PRAYER OF FAITH

1 Samuel 1:10-18 NLT
Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. And she made this vow: "O Lord of Heaven's Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut." As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. "Must you come here drunk?" he demanded. "Throw away your wine!" "Oh no, sir!" she replied. "I haven't been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. Don't think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow." "In that case," Eli said, "go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him." "Oh, thank you, sir!" she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.

1. Hannah walked away with total confidence that God not only heard her, but that her request was granted.
2. She put off her sadness and resumed her life as usual.
3. She did not see the need to ask again.

The result was the supernatural birth of "God's man", the prophet and judge, Samuel; whom God raised up to restore the spiritual integrity of the priesthood.

The Awesome Power Behind the Faith and Integrity of a Godly Mother!

DUMP THE PROPS - ITS CHRIST OR NOTHING!

Spiritual growth consists of Father's loving process to eliminate our dependence on props.

This process can be extremely painful, depending on our level of attachment.

Props are the temporal things of the natural realm; people, places, positions or things, that we tend to depend on to help cope with the pressures of our lives.

Props provide us with a "perception" of security,  safety, support and comfort - deceptively so. 

We are convinced that they are necessary to help us to "weather our storms" - to endure, or to totally avoid experiencing pain or discomfort.

The problem with props is that they have a tendency to fail under extreme stress. 

It is during these times of extreme stress that we are "encouraged" to realize that our props are not only dreadfully unreliable, but they may end up enslaving us.

Father wants to remind us that props, no matter how convincing, will never do!

We have a Cornerstone not a prop to provide us with all the security, safety, support and comfort, we will ever need - He is Christ our Rock!

Matthew 7:24-27
"Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash."

                          ITS CHRIST OR NOTHING!