Are you living out loud? I am sure you are wondering what I mean by that. In my mind, living out loud means living with full confidence in God and yourself. It means speaking with a booming voice against all negativity and doubt. With this confident voice, you face challenges head on with the understanding that the strength in your voice comes from God. He created you to be such a powerful person. You should never allow anyone or anything to make you feel other than what God created you to be. The odds may be against you or you can be outnumbered one million to one. None of that matters when you have God on your side. In the passage above, Jonathan and his armor bearer plainly believed that God would work on their behalf in battle. If you read further in this scripture you will see that God handed over their enemies into their hands. As believers, we must realize that all of our victories are not a result of our hard work, but come purely from our God.When you live out loud, you understand that with God you will always be victorious. In order to live this type of life, you must see that you have everything you need at your disposal.
I Samuel 12:12 reads, "But when you saw that Nahas king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, 'No, we want a king to rule over us' - even though the Lord your God was your king."
No matter what your current situation may be, in Christ you have everything you need to realize a victorious outcome. As children of God we are not devoid of anything. Here, Samuel points out a common thread that has seemed to transcend generations. We often allow fear, desperation, frustration, and despair to blind us from the blessings and gifts we have at our disposal. So often, we replace the power of God with what seems to work in the moment. We cry out to God for that new job, romantic relationship, debt relief, new car, etc., but fail to see that all the feelings of joy that can come from receiving those things can be found in God and God alone. Remember our ideas are not God's ideas (Isaiah 55:8). Nothing in this life can bring comfort and joy like God. Isaiah 9:6 reads, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
I have been so guilty of giving way to my negative thinking and allowing it to help me make decisions. Negative thinking has led to my bad days, negative relationships, and lack of confidence. If you can, pause for a moment and analyze what you think about on a daily basis. If that is too overwhelming, take a few minutes to try to think about your thought pattern for an hour. After reviewing these thoughts, ask yourself how much of what you are thinking is in line with what the word of God says about your life. How often do you entertain thoughts that aren't worth entertaining? God allowed me to take a look into myself so graciously. I remember, I told a friend in college that my life would really come together on my wedding day. After hearing myself say that aloud, it took some time for me to analyze what that really meant. That statement actually devalued the life I was living as a single woman and placed my completeness in something other than God.
The Holy Spirit would soon reveal to me that real living does not wait on the arrival of someone or something. Real living begins when you can rejoice in your today and hope in your tomorrow. Psalm 25:3 says, "No one who hopes in you [God] will ever be put to shame." When we believe in Him, no matter what our situation is, we should be able to look to God for our happiness and joy. This does not negate the difficulties in life or in some cases the tragedies and sorrow. But, even in those painful moments we can fix our minds on God. Living out loud requires you to deepen your relationship with God and to know Him personally.
Our outlook on life determines our mood, attitude and subsequent response to situations and challenges. If you set your mind to believe that no matter what comes your way, in faith, there is nothing you can not accomplish with God on your side then you will be unstoppable. Not to mention, you will inspire others and attract them to God. To many believers live a life of constant defeat. We believe the lies of the enemy who tells us that we cannot overcome the odds that are stacked against us. He tells us that the last time we believed, God did not answer our prayers. He tells us that if we believe this time and it does not work out, we will look like a fool again. But our enemy, Satan, is a liar.
Everything he says is the opposite of the truth. Learn to turn his negative speech into God inspired positives. If you find yourself consumed with thoughts that you can't do it, fill your mind with God's word that says you can. If you find yourself depressed with thoughts that God does not answer your prayers. Dispel this lie with Matthew 11:9-10 which states, "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."
I encourage you to renew your mind. Never give up. Never quit. Work with God to conquer your battles and in the end you will win the war. Blessings and peace to you. I know you will be victorious as you trust in Him.
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