Facing the Giants

Facing the Giants is one of my favorite movies. I love the "feel" good movies anyhow, but then you throw in God and football, it should have won the academy award. Well, at least the "Fighting Heart" award. We love the stories where the "underdog" beats the powerhouse giant. That's why one of the most beloved stories in the Bible is David and Goliath. Most of us have heard this story of the little boy who defeated the Giant, but I want to talk about the less talked about story of God's people being defeated by the giants before the battle ever began.

This story takes place in Numbers 13:

(v. 1)The Lord now said to Moses, "Send out men to explore the land I am giving you,

the Israelites...(v. 3) So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He sent out twelve

men. (v. 17). Moses gave the men these instructions as he sent them out to explore the

land:"Go north through the Negev into the hill country. See what the land is like, and

find out whether the people living there are strong or weak, few or many..."

(vs. 27) This was their report to Moses: "We entered the land you sent us to explore, and

it is indeed a bountiful country-a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit

it produces. But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large. We even

saw giants there... (v. 30) But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before

Moses. "Let's go at once to take the land. We can certainly conquer it." But the other men

who had explored the land with him disagreed. "We can't go up against them! They are

stronger than we are! So they spread this bad report about the land...(Numbers 14:1)

(v. 3) "Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to die in battle?" (vs.7) Moses said to all the people, "The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us." (v 10) But the whole community began to talk about stoning them...Ad then the Lord said, "How long will these

people treat me with contempt? Will they ever believe me, even after all the miraculous signs

I have done among them....(v. 21) Surely as live, and as surely as the earth is filled with

the Lord's glory, not one of these people will ever enter that land."

God was giving them this land. He said, "send them out to explore the land I am giving them." The God of the universe promises these people this land, land flowing with milk and honey. Land like they have never known, but yet they never got to experience it because they chose to focus on the Giant and not God. It sounds crazy to us right? Wouldn't you believe the God of the universe? If God is for you who could be against you? What could giants do to you when you have God telling you, "Im giving you this land." It's sounds crazy, yet we do it ALL the time.

Jesus said, "I have come so that you may have life and have it to the full." (John 10:10) That is our promised land....and life to the fullest, more than we can ever imagine. But then there are the Giants.....

-Giants of fear

-Giants of depression

-Giants of disappointment

-Giants of regret

-Giants of discouragement

-Giants of doubt

-Giants of failure

-Giants of being overwhelmed

-Giants of thoughts of inadequacy

And Giant after Giant after Giant....all keeping us from entering the promised land of life to the full. So...how do we become a David and defeat the Giant and not an Israelite, wondering aimlessly because of the Giant? We don't tell God how big our Giants are, we tell the Giants how Big our GOD is!!!!!! God asked, will they ever believe me after all the signs? We must choose to remember time and time again that God has been faithful in the past and will be faithful again in the present and future. We remember all the little victories on this journey of life and trust God that more Victories will come. We will Believe God when he says, "I have come so that YOU may have life, and have it to the full!" We were not created to just stroll through life, but have it to the full. We were not created to just survive this life, but to have it to the full. We were not created to just "put up" with this life, but to have it to the full!

What Giants to you need to kill in order to have life to the full?

HOPE

So I was reading the book of Romans and I came across a passage that God used to speak to me and HOPEfully to you too. It is on HOPE. I have written messages on Faith and Love, but can honestly say never hope. It is a word that didn't enter in my vocabulary unless it was something like, "I hope my baby sleeps tonight" or "I hope we win" or "I hope that dress goes on sale." I don't think this is what Paul meant when he said, "So now Faith, Hope, and Love remain..." Where do I learn about Hope? Then I read Romans 4:18-21

"Even though there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping-believing

that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him,

"That's how many descendants you will have!" And Abraham's faith did not

weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as

good as dead-and so was Sarah's womb. Abraham never wavered in believing

God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.

He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises."

Have you ever felt hopeless? No matter what you say or what you do or how much you pray, your situation just seems hopeless? If you said yes, like me, then I pray you find strength and encouragement in Abraham. Abraham had "no reason to have HOPE." He was too old, Sarah was too old, but he had one thing that kept him HopeFULL: "For God had said to him."

His situation seemed hopeless, but his HOPE didn't come from his situation, but from His God's Promise to him. Whatever your situation might be, a struggling marriage, an overwhelming job, a sick child, an inability to have children etc., you CAN find HOPE in the promises He has given you. Yes! God has given you promises!

For God had said to her....."I will work ALL things to the GOOD for those who love him and are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

For God had said to her...."The righteous call on the Lord and the Lord hears them, He is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in Spirit." Psalm 34:18

For God had said to her..."being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

For God had said to her..."The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." Romans 16:20

For God had said to her..."If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

For God had said to her..."Therefore, there is now NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1

For God had said to her..."He will remain faithful even if we are faithless. 2 Timothy 2:13

For God had said to her..."In this world you will have trouble, But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

And there are sooooo many more!!!! In God's Promises we know he is working for us, that the enemy has no place in our lives, no matter we have done-we are forgiven, we know that we are loved, and that he will be faithful. And because of these promises we have HOPE. HOPE that good things can come out of a broken marriage. HOPE that God is watching over your child. HOPE that God will give you the strength in your job. HOPE that God will lead you when you just feel like wandering.

YOU have HOPE because of the Promises God has given you in JESUS CHRIST!!

The Question

I love to ask questions to anybody about everything. I love asking serious questions, funny questions, pointless questions, and really any question that comes to my mind. Here are some of my favorite questions I like to ask and maybe you would like to answer: "If you had a dinner party, what 5 people would you invite (no friends or family and they can be dead and alive)? If you were on death row, what would be your last meal? If you could follow anyone around for one day, who would it be? What event in the Old and New Testament would you like to have been at? Why do I like questions? It's not the questions I like, but the different answers people give. It tells me about their personality, their likes, their passions, etc. Questions provoke thought and discussions and though you may be talking about nothing, you really are talking about something: you. I love questions! And even though I ask other people questions all the time, there is one question that I ask myself almost every day.... Is Grace Enough? Knowing that God saved me from what I deserve, is that enough? Knowing that because Jesus was beaten, hung on a cross and died a painful death so that I could have a relationship with His Father, is that Enough? Knowing that Jesus went through rejection from man so that we would never have to go through rejection from God, is that enough? If God never did anything else for me again while on this earth, would the Grace He gave me on the cross be enough? I ask this question to keep my emotions in check for if I focus on what He did do, it's harder to focus on what I "feel" he's not doing. I ask this question to keep my mind on the eternal perspective and not the momentarily happenings. I ask this question to thwart off any thoughts or ideas that I am entitled to more than what He has already given me. Does asking myself this question work in every single one of these areas every day? I would love to say yes, but the answer is No. There are days when I throw my child-like temper-tantrums and answer the question with...No it's not. And it's these days that I find out a lot about myself and my relationship with God. I realize that I am a sinner who still needs that Grace everyday. It is my prayer, that no matter what trial or circumstance I am facing, I can answer everyday,with complete humility.....Yes! Jesus said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." ~2 Corinthians 12:9 Today, Is Grace enough for you?

God speaks through Twitter?

God speaks through Twitter? That was the question I asked myself this weekend and my answer was....Yes! He can and he did!

I was having a rough week in the ministry. I was so burdened and overwhelmed by the hurt, struggles, and pain those I was visiting with were facing. I was meeting, this particular day, with a female athlete who was struggling with hurts and sin. My heart broke for her as she shared her background and the fact she struggled with the homosexual lifestyle. (I would like to say this was my first time with this kind of conversation, but it was far from it.) As we sat there, I could just feel the spiritual battle that was going on and man, did I have my full armor of God ready to go:) For the next two hours, I shared with her how much God loves her, how he wants to have a relationship with her, and that God had plans for her. We prayed, cried, laughed and I believed God wanted to do something in her and through her (and still do:)) Physically and Spiritually exhausted I got into my car, I listened to a voice mail message that I had received. It was from someone questioning FCA and our judgement in bringing former First Lady, Laura Bush, in to speak at our FCA All-State Event. I went back to the office and found out we had received some of the same questions at the office, some were even down right mean and hateful. Unaware of some of the things that she had been quoted, I sat there beat down because the very thing I was just battling with this young lady was the same thing FCA's integrity was being questioned for: Our stand on Homosexuality. On one hand, I was angry because maybe we shouldn't have brought her in because we could be sending mixed messages, although I knew she was coming to encourage these kids by sharing her faith in Christ. On the other hand, I was angry with these people's emails because they had no idea how much I minister to girls on this very issue. We ARE fighting this battle in the trenches. Not with hateful emails or picket signs, but with the Love of Christ. I was torn.

Then God used Twitter. I follow Rick Warren's tweets and he posted this:

"U don't have to dislike someone because u disagree with them! Love is

NOT a compromise of convictions. It's Christlikeness!

Wow!!! That says it all right there! It was so powerful for me! Maybe you dislike someone because you disagree with their politics or beliefs. Maybe you feel like you would be compromising if you became friends with someone who lives a different lifestyle. How will they ever know Jesus? We don't just tell people about Jesus, we show them Jesus. We talk like Jesus talked. We walk like Jesus walked. We loved like Jesus loved.

He ate with sinners, he talked with sinners, he walked with sinners, but He never left them the same. The tax collector paid back all his debts and followed Jesus. The prostitute gave up the industry and followed Jesus. The Samaritan woman who worshipped pagan gods and had lived with 5 different men left everything and followed Jesus Why? Because of how He loved them

John 1:17 says, "For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." We sometimes forget that we need both GRACE and TRUTH when sharing Jesus and I believe there is a reason GRACE is mentioned first because it must be given first in order to share TRUTH.

People don't here the "Good News" of Jesus Christ by picketing outside the state capitol or yelling at young girls going into abortion clinics. They hear the "Good News" of Jesus Christ when we show them the Love of Jesus Christ.

How does God want to use you to show His Son's Love today?

Submitting to your Husbands

Yep! I am going there!

"Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands."
~Ephesians 5:22-24

For the longest time this verse made me cringe due to my stubborness, thick-headed ways. This always seemed like a power-trip to me, but God has used this verse to teach me some amazing lessons about me, my husband, and above all HIM!
First of all, I am so glad I only have to submit to my "own husband" and not anyone else's:) Can I get an AMEN?!!
Second, after almost 13 years of marriage I am still learning to submit "in everything." I love my husband and he is a great leader, but Everything is a lot! Can't I just have something? What if he's not leading the way I thought He should? What if I am hearing God and He isn't? What if I could do it better? Aren't these the questions we, realistically ask ourselves in the heat of the moment?
I had one of these moments just a couple of weeks ago. We have been living in our duplex since August and life in the duplex is cozy with the 5 of us. I just knew whenever we sold our house we would finally get to move out of the duplex, immediately. Not that I am not grateful for the place to live, I am just ready to stop living out of boxes. Well, we finally sold our house. Yay!!! And I was all ready to go looking for the new Roberts' family home. Chris said he felt that we should not get in any hurry, stay in the duplex, and save up our money for awhile. Well, that went in one ear and out the other for me. I had a realtor, pre-approval for a loan, and house visits set up. He would go look at them with me, but he still felt this was not the right time. And so the tension began....There were frustrations, silent dinners, and more frustrations. Until.....God showed me I was not submitting in "everything." So, I went to Chris, humbly, and shared with him what God was showing me and that I submit to where God was leading him in leading our family. The tension, frustration, silence was immediately gone. Our circumstances hadn't changed but my heart had. It wasn't that I didn't trust my husband, it was that I didn't trust God to lead my husband. We think it is about laying our individual selves down to her husbands, but it is actually laying down ourselves to Christ.
If your husband is not leading the way you think he should, I have one piece of advice for you: Shut up and Pray!! We think we can change our husband when we didn't create our husband. If you want a change in the man, you can't go to the man, but to the one who created the man. And I promise if you commit to shut-up and pray you will see a change in him and you. Our calling as a wife, is to submit to the leadership of our husband so that we can come along side him and help him be all that God is calling him to be as a man of God.
And because I have committed to submit to my husband's leadership of this family, I have seen him step-up and seek God more and more. One of my favorite parts of my day, is when I walk into the living room or kitchen in the morning to catch my leader in his quiet time with His leader.
Will I give my opinions? Absolutely. Will I share my mind? Sure thing. Will I like everything? Probably not. But ultimately I trust my God with everything including my husband's decisions for our family. So, here is to the crazy journey of wife submission......and ultimately to God's plans for the Roberts' family!

God's Game Plan For You

What is God's plan for you life? Isn't that the million dollar question? We all want to know what God has created us to do, where he has created us to go, what purpose am I for etc. We all want to know God's will for our lives. Much like everyone else, we too, ask those questions as a coaching family. Is this the job God has for us? Is this where we are suppose to be? If this is the plan you have for us, then why is it so hard? Can you relate to any of these questions?

We know that the Bible says in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Give you hope and a future."

I love that verse, but it is missing one thing....the part about filling us in on the plan. Don't you just wish God would lay out the blueprint for you life and say this is your PLAN. Here is where I am going to teach you this and this happens so I can teach you that, but Nope he doesn't.

So....where do we go from here to find God's Game plan for us? The Bible...of course:)



I have found two places in the Bible that have helped me when asking these questions.

First, "Be joyful, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Ummm..he does lay it out there in pretty plain and simple terms: Be Joyful, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances. This is God's plan for our lives, but we try to complicate things by expecting God to micromanage our lives. God can use us wherever we are and we don't have to worry about where we are and where God wants us to be because as long as we are being joyful, seeking God in prayer, and giving him thanks for where we are, then we are in the will of God. If God wants us to make a move then He will open the door, if not then he will give us strength and power to stay where we are. Now, doesn't that take the worry, stress, and fear away? Well, for a little while anyway.



Second, I was reading in the book of Acts and I came across a Pharisee by the name of Gamaliel. I had never heard of this guy before, but, man, he was wise! After Peter was arrested and questioned for speaking the name of Jesus to the people of Jerusalem, he was preaching before the counsel and as the counsel was getting more and more enraged with Peter, Gamaliel, who was a teacher of the law and "held in honor by all the people" stood up (after giving some examples vs 36-37) and said, "if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail, but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God."

We must ask ourselves this question whenever we are searching for God's detailed plan in our lives, "Is this plan that I am wanting to happen for God's Glory or for mine?" Because when it is for God's glory then it is a God plan, not just a good plan and God plans will not fail and nothing will be able to overthrow them.

So, if you are searching God today and feeling a little lost in this great big world-know that you were created for plan and with purpose: Being Joyful, praying continuously, and giving thanks. And when we follow this plan your eyes begin to open, doors begin to open, and a clear-path begins to take shape that God is leading you on and you just enjoy the journey.

Praying that God is leading your families today:)

Who are you?

Our church is doing an awesome series called "Who do you think you are?" It really has opened my eyes to who I am in Christ. You should check it out at lifechurch.tv!
I have noticed that there are many times, my view of myself does not match up to how God views me.
I had the to opportunity a while back to give the prayer at the Lakers/Thunder basketball game. It was a really neat experience, but something happened during the experience that has stuck in my head ever since. My husband and I were walking down the tunnel to the court where I would wait until they called me to center court. This tunnel was also the tunnel that the Lakers players walked through as well. As we were walking through we heard fans above us say, "Wait, Wait here comes somebody." I was feeling pretty good about myself-yep! I am somebody.....that lasted for about 5 seconds. As we were coming out of the tunnel, we then heard them say, "Nah-it's nobody." Wow! I just went from somebody to nobody in the matter of 5 seconds. What changed in that 5 seconds? Was I really a nobody? Well, yes to the crazy Laker fans I was, but to the King of Kings I was still somebody!!!
We all go through those times of identity crisis of Who am I? Our identity can get wrapped up in being a mom, wife, teacher, friend, supporter, cheerleader, and sometimes feeling like a nobody. These are not who we are, they are what God has called us to do.

"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons (or daughters) of God.

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you

have received the Spirit of adoption , by whom we cry, "Abba, Father!"

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

and if children of God then heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ..."

Romans 8:14-17

We are loved, beautiful, and above all.....somebody!! Oh and not just anybody, we are daughters of the King of Kings-princesses if you will! We are co-heirs to the throne with Christ Himself!

Last night, I was at an FCA event where Landry Jones, quarterback for the University of Oklahoma, shared his faith and there was one thing he talked about that hit me like a rock. He was explaining that when Jesus was baptized, the first thing God says is, "This is my son." Jesus then when into the wilderness for 40 days. After the 40 days, Satan came to him to tempt him 3 times and the first thing the enemy said was, "If you are the son of God..." If our enemy can make us doubt our identity then he can make us doubt our purpose. And if we doubt our purpose, we miss out on all the things God want to do in and through us. Jesus came out of the wilderness defeating the enemy because He knew who he was and therefore, knew his purpose. The bible says he then came out of the wilderness filled with the Holy Spirit. How we respond to the wilderness determines if we come out empowered by the Holy Spirit. Isn't that powerful?!!!!

Do not let the enemy make you doubt who you are! You are God's Daughter and you do have purpose!! Be excited...You are somebody!!!!!