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STANDING TALL
'Some trust in and boast of chariots and some of horses, but we will trust in and boast of the name of the Lord our God.
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'They are bowed down and fallen, but we are risen and stand upright.'
Psalm 20:7-8(Amplified Bible)
At the crossroads of life,when confronting challenges,there always are only two human responses as portrayed in the text above.
There is the worldly response;and there is the godly response!
The worldly response is natural to anyone and everyone born into this world.
This response is to trust in chariots and/or horses.
The godly response is natural to anyone and everyone born of God (John 1:12-13).
To be born of God,one should come to God on God's own terms,repenting from sin and receiving Jesus Christ as one's personal Lord and Saviour.
The godly response is to trust in the name of the Lord our God!
The name of the Lord our God is the manifold revelation of the Lord as He covenanted Himself to be unto His people in the face of challenges!
God's people are those who are born of Him into a personal covenant and vibrant relationship with Him (2 Cor.6:16-18).
This is the new covenant sealed with the blood of the Lamb,Jesus Christ the Son of God (Heb.9:11-15).
It is a covenant based on the Lord's unconditional love for sinful mankind;it is not based on any human performance (Rom.5:8,6)!
Therefore the Lord reveals Himself to His people in different ways depending the type of challenges that they singly or collectively face in the journey of divine destiny.
The worldly response is unnatural to those born of God (Rom.12:2;Colossians 2:8)!!!
The following seven sets of scriptures demonstrate this divine truth:-
'And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: '
'For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.'
Exodus 17:15-16(KJV)
When faced with battles,the worldly response is to trust in human weapons of war;while the godly response is to trust the Lord as our banner!
'And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.'
'And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.'
Genesis 22:13-14
When faced with lack,the worldly response is to trust in financial institutions or connections;while the godly response is to trust in the Lord our Provider!
'The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.'
Psalm 23:1(KJV)
When faced with decisions to make,the worldly response is to trust in brains or astrology;but the godly response is to trust in the Lord our Guide!
'And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them, '
'And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.'
Exodus 15:25-26(KJV)
When plagued with sickness,the worldly response is to trust in medicines or the medical profession;and the godly response is to trust in the Lord our Healer!
'Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. '
'In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.'
Jeremiah 23:5-6(KJV)
In the face of temptations,the worldly response is to trust in human religion or morality;while the godly response is to trust in the Lord our Righteousness!
'And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O LORD God! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face. '
'And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.'
'Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
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Judges 6:22-24(KJV)
When troubled,the worldly response is to seek peace through politics or entertainment;while the godly response is to trust in the Lord our Peace!
'It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.'
Ezekiel 48:35(KJV)
When lonely,the worldly response is to trust in one's charisma or friends;but the godly response is to trust in the Lord who is always present with His people!
'See those people polishing their chariots,
and those others grooming their horses?
But we're making garlands for God our God.
The chariots will rust,
those horses pull up lame—
and we'll be on our feet, standing tall.
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Psalm 20:7-8(The Message)
There are even more names of the Lord in the Bible;each revealing some other way He reveals Himself to His people.
There are therefore so much more opportunities for God's people to trust in all His covenant names as revealed in His word especially as they approach to the end of this age!
And they always experience the Lord our covenant God when they refuse the worldly response,and in faith demonstrate the godly response in any situation!
The universal result to the godly response is God's people standing tall as overcomers in the journey of divine destiny!!!
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