Psalm 91:1-16 ESV
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day
A great man lives by faith in the Son of God.
I am most certain that what separates average men from great men is the level of willingness a man has to deny himself.
Again and again it has seemed to me, that I must deny myself the things that I want, and force feed myself the things I need.
Another key characteristic will be a man's willingness to adapt to the form of true servitude.
This is as awkward a position as I can possibly imagine for myself. I am at my core utterly interested in myself as a standard position, and usually that position is coupled with the false view that I'm a selfless altruistic humanitarian, which is a lie.
If I am to be at all honest with myself, first I must be honest with God in prayer.
There is no magic to this, but it is certainly supernatural much of the time. God is one who provides the willingness, the ability, the transformation itself. He adjusts me, and without him I would be doomed to flounder in egoism, repetitive failure, and regretful despair.
God has set me up from a broken addicted position, to a sitting position, but in this position I am still offered the choice. In the past the choice had become a necessity, an addiction. I had no choice. By faith in God, and adherence to the foot work he would have me do, I now have a choice. But I can still choose to do wrong. I still have that option.
My choice today, and this is vital, my choice is to be a powerhouse Christian of incredible faith. I choose it. It's a direction in my mind and I have an incredible knowing that I'm always headed towards it.
Too many Christians are living defeated, crippled. They choose defeat over their problems. They are crippled by the evil around them. Their hearts are dead, ashes.
So simply, my brothers and sisters, choose to be a great Christian. Choose greatness. Choose to be a powerhouse Christian of incredible. Choose it. Get on a mission for it. Seek it out in all areas of your life.. patiently. Cleverly. Reach for it. Reach for God. He reaches back. He'll meet you. He'll guide you along the way. He'll be there every step of the way saying, "Fear not, for I am with you."
Simply, so simply.. choose to be great. Choose greatness. And believe, patiently, through sustained belief and being on a mission for it, a long term journey, full of failures and victories, that you're always going closer. Adopt that mindset. And you will have it. As Jesus said, tell that mountain to move over there, believe in your mind you've received it, and it will be yours.
Proverbs 2:1-12 (ESV)
My son, if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
2 making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
3 yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
8 guarding the paths of justice
and watching over the way of his saints.
9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice
and equity, every good path;
10 for wisdom will come into your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
11 discretion will watch over you,
understanding will guard you,
12 delivering you from the way of evil.
