No Reason to Give In or Give Up

About 92% of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital. Statistics prove that if more people knew CPR, (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), it can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival.

Christians are especially at high risk. Distractions, worries, fears, and doubts attack our faith-- always aiming to destroy our spiritual life. These deadly adversaries can be stopped!

Our Lord offers to rescue us with spiritual CPR: Courage, Power and Rest. With His spiritual CPR, nothing is too difficult to handle. Without it, we’ll struggle to make it past today’s first hurdle.

Courage/to trust God daily
It takes courage to trust God. Courage to stop trying to figure out everything on our own. Courage to stop peering into the future to plan for every possibility. Courage to listen to God’s voice in everything we do, everywhere we go. Courage to trust God to keep us on track. (Philippians 3:12-14 MSG)

 Courage to trust God means we put our faith in God. A. W. Tozer explains. “Everybody demonstrates faith. When our faith is in God it creates growth. When it’s in us it becomes unbelief and results in the atrophy of the soul. Unbelief is actually perverted faith. It puts its trust not in the living God but in dying man…and ultimately destroys the soul of a man.”

 Today, ask your merciful, heavenly Father for a fresh infusion to be able to trust Him!

“Blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. (Jeremiah 17:7 NLT)

Power/to soar, run, walk
Even the young and the strong, grow tired and weary and stumble and fall. (Isaiah 40:30-31) We need more than a pep talk and good intentions to live life fully!

We need God’s incomparably great power--the same power He exerted when raising Jesus from the dead. God’s power is dunamis, from which we get our word dynamite!

This power source can raise us above our earthly and spiritual adversaries. This power helps us obey God’s commandments. The sweet fruit of our obedience produces peace and joy within.  

Are you relying on the Lord, the only true power Source? Only He can make it possible for us to “run and not grow weary” and “walk and not be faint.” Without divine power, we give in or give up.

 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…!” (Ephesians 3:20-21).

Rest/in God’s unconditional love
Many parents love their kids despite their failures and weaknesses. I would even say I’d die for any one of my five kids. That’s why I can’t imagine exchanging one of their lives for the life of someone else. Yet, that’s exactly what God did for us! (Romans 5:8)

When we fail and we feel unworthy, God doesn’t leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5) God hates our sin, yes, but because of His glorious grace He doesn’t love us any less.

 If you’re in the midst of a conflict, hardship, or misunderstanding, or if you’re distressed, remember God does not withhold His love from His blood bought children. (Romans 8:39-39) Ask for a fresh infusion of His love. Receiving God’s love and rest go hand in hand.