Are you facing any giants today?

How do your giant(s) compare with Goliath?

1 Samuel 17:4 says:

“And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.”

Based on the King James Version of the Bible six cubits and a span would make Goliath over nine feet tall. However, if you believe the Jewish historian Josephus was four cubits and a span or roughly six feet six inches tall.

When you consider the average height of a man in Biblical times was five feet three inches. . . Goliath was a real giant, regardless.

1 Samuel 17:5 says:

“And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.”

 According to my historical research Goliath’s helmet weighed roughly 66 pounds and his brass coat weighed roughly 175 pounds.   Can you imagine your 6’6” neighbor carrying a 175- pound backpack and wearing a 66-pound Yankees hat?

According to most psychological studies regarding worry.

40% of our worries never come to pass.

30% involve past decisions which cannot be changed.

12% of our worries focus on the criticism of others who spoke simply because they felt inferior.

10% of our worries are about our health. . .which gets worse with worry.

Finally, 8% of our worries can actually be described as legitimate causes for concern.

Let's look first at what worry actually is.

Worry is a state of feeling generally anxious and uneasy about something. We often refer to it as troubled thought.

If you were to look up worry in the dictionary, there is a meaning to the word worry that comes four or five descriptions down the list. It comes from the root word behind worry. It reads this way: "To seize or bite and hold on to!"

You might think of it as how a dog plays with a rag doll when he takes it in his teeth and begins to shake it until the stuffing comes out!

That’s a good example of what worry will do to you.

I asked the Lord if He had a word for His people for 2021 and led me to Psalm 121 which ignited in my spirit.

Psalm 121 in The Living Bible says:

“Shall I look to the mountain gods for help? No! 1 My help is from Jehovah who made the mountains! And the heavens too! 2 He will never let me stumble, slip, or fall.  3 For he is always watching, never sleeping.

4 Jehovah himself is caring for you! He is your defender. 5 He protects you day and night. 6 He keeps you from all evil and preserves your life. 7 He keeps his eye upon you as you come and go and always guards you.”

There are seven keys found in Psalm 121.

First, my help is from our great God Jehovah.

Second, He will never let us stumble, slip or fall.

Third, He is always watching us.

Fourth, Jehovah is always caring for and defending us.

Fifth, He protects us day and night 24/7.

Sixth, He will keep us from all evil and preserve our lives.

As the song says. . .”It’s the most wonderful time of the year.”

Seventy-four years ago this month the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life” premiered.

Philip Van Doren Stern had tried unsuccessfully for years to shop his short story “The Greatest Gift” but he couldn’t find an interested publisher.  So one year he printed up 200 copies of the story and sent it out as a 21 page Christmas card.

A Hollywood producer somehow got a hold of the card and purchased the movie rights for $10,000.  That was in 1946.

The movie was shot during the summer of 46 which explains why Jimmy Stewart was sweating in a number of scenes even though movie magic made it look like the winter.

Frank Capra, the director of the movie. . .who was an engineer by training created a new kind snow for movies.  It was a mixture of fire extinguisher foam and corn flakes.

Though the movie initially bombed at the box office it ended up as a Christmas time classic watched every year around the world.

One of my favorite scenes from the movie is when George Baily, played by the late great Jimmy Stewart, begins to pray.

He starts:  “Dear Father in heaven, I’m not a praying man, but if you’re up there and you can hear me….

At that moment, Stewart begins crying and then says:

          “Show me the way. . .show me the way.”

This is the time of year for Christmas lists…from the youngest family member to the oldest.

As our family members grew in age. . .so do the price of their toys.

Roy L. Smith, a renowned Methodist writer of Sunday School literature, once said:

“He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.”

During this season. . .we want to share with you seven things better than the new drones, a talking hamster, VR (Virtual Reality Glasses) and all sorts of other gadgets, gizmos and goofy gits produced by competing companies.

Cell phones are now toys. . .they have games, high quality cameras plus the ability to receive streaming media and so much more. 

I’ve had a iPhone for years. . .so I’m familiar with iToys.

Here’s my list of the seven things better than any gadget, gizmo or goofy gift.

1.      iThink.

Ecclesiastes 3:22 in the Contemporary English Version says:

^“We were meant to enjoy our work, and that's the best thing we can do. We can never know the future.”

According to a recent Gallup workplace study over 70% of American employees DO NOT like their jobs. . .and that was before pandemic layoffs.   Not liking your job is not good or for that matter…scriptural.

If we settle for a job just to earn a paycheck. . .with the attitude of doing just enough to get by. . .we’ll never be happy in the job.

To me, it’s really simple. . .if you don’t like what you’re doing or where you’re working. . .stop complaining and do something about it.

Here are seven must-read talking points for your success in the workplace or marketplace.

As we get ready to close out 2020, we need to get back to basics.  Most Christians know it but from time to time we need to be reminded of certain biblical principles.

This most basic one is not forgetting to put the Word of God to work in your life …daily.

“What happens to so many Christians is they pray a scripture over a problem... then they leave it alone…eventually giving up when nothing happens.  I feel the Holy Spirit showed me how to continually put pressure on that scripture expecting it to perform as God said it would...

Get mad at the devil... and REFUSE to let him have his way...why should he win?  He likes to make you think "you're the one doing something wrong" but if you KNOW the Word works... you can literally force the enemy or circumstances to step aside!  He has to obey you!

We were prompted to write seven ways to put the Word to work in your life on a daily basis.

1.         Quit doing what you’ve been doing if it’s not working.

Judges 6:1 in the New International Version says:

Our goal is to always be a learner.  We want to receive something from everything we read.

We take notes on what we’ve read that we feel God wants us to make applicable to our lives or often share with others like you.

Your mindset is simply a collection of the dominant thoughts in your life.

Proverbs 4:23 in the New Century Version says:

"Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life."

If you want to be successful. . .spiritually and professionally. . .you need to learn how to collect, assimilate, activate and utilize the dominant thoughts in your life.

I’ve been teaching people how to get out of debt for almost 30 years.  I was doing so before it was cool, fashionable or even profitable.

Over the years, I have resisted the temptation to align myself with financial planners, insurance agents, real estate brokers and others in the financial professions to make money off referrals from those who follow this ministry.  I have at times recommended them as good … but never for a profit.

The Bible is an instruction manual for success. . .revealing how-to walk-in God’s blessing flow and experience the good life He envisions for us.  It’s all in the Word.

God’s instructions are not situational. . .they don’t vary based on current economic conditions, which party is in power, your personal circumstances or  unrest anywhere in the world.  The principles in His Word are clear and absolute.  This is important to know … now more than ever.

Harold wanted me to share a story with you about waking up on election day knowing God wanted him to pray.  He stated:

“As I prayed...God stirred in my imagination what would happen if someone were to die today before the election results were known.”

“As the person entered heaven...God allowed me to see this person asking Him ‘who won the election.’ To which, God boldly replied, ‘I did.’"

"The people whose candidate lost...prayed to me for the safety and protection of the country from the things they don’t agree with.

"The people whose candidate won...praised me for his victory and the next four years.

"In both cases...I WIN....because the people prayed."

Over the last many years of ministry, Harold has written over 90 blogs and television programs on leadership.  I, in turn, am an editor so I take and tweak what he’s written and we at times discuss the blogs and scriptures together.

You would think we’d have covered the bases on the do’s and don’ts of being a leader.  Until God allowed us to see something in a way that we’ve never seen it before.