1 Chronicles 18
These chapters are the abridged version of David’s conquests which we read about in 2 Samuel. It briefly summarizes the kingdoms which David either conquered or subdued by treaty which then paid tribute to him. Twice we are told “the LORD gave David victory wherever he went.”
What if that could be said of me?
What if the LORD were to give me victory in everything I attempt in His name and for His glory?
The first question is: What am I attempting in His name and for His glory?
Or maybe more pointedly: Am I attempting ANYTHING in His name and for His glory?
Yes, I am writing these posts according to His leading and for His glory.
I have no doubt that the fictional series He called me to write is for His glory. He called me to it after Megan and I returned from our first mission trip to Prague. When I tried to give up and set it aside, He brought me back to it over and over again for six years before I finished the first novel and attended my first writing conference!
It was another six years of hard work editing and re-writing and submitting for critique and editing some more before the first in the series was published. He provided mission trips to Bolivia and Kenya for my daughter Kelsey to inspire the second and third books in the series. Now I’m preparing to release the third novel, researching the fourth, and time and again I’ve seen God remove barriers along the way.
He’s provided scholarships so that I could learn more about the craft and business of writing, He’s provided friends and mentors to encourage, prod, nag, and celebrate along the way. He’s provided resources abundantly to gather the information on places I may never see in order to describe them as if I had lived there with my characters. He’s provided chance encounters and connections time and time again, introducing me by mere providence to my agent, my publisher, my endorsers, and several of my in-country sources for cultural authenticity. He’s provided a manager in my day-job who not only encourages and supports this dream, but graciously grants leave for editing or attending conferences. He has given me victory wherever I have gone on this journey!
And in case there is any doubt, each day when I sit down and read a chapter and wonder, “Lord, what bit of wisdom do You want me to take from this passage? What can I learn from a list of unpronounceable names or a recap of David’s victories?”
He answers. Every day, every chapter, for over a year now, He has given me some treasure in each and every chapter!
But what about the way that I deal with daily stresses and challenges of life?
What if I brought those before the Lord and thought of those as battles for God’s name and His glory? What if I internalized the idea that every struggle I face, from the battle to get out of bed when I want to sleep in, to the daily skirmishes with crazy drivers on the way to work, to the most challenging folks I deal with in my job, to serving dinner for my family in the evening, and even to how I spend my time relaxing before bed—each moment of every day is an opportunity to allow the Lord to give me victory wherever I go?
Where the Lord calls us, He goes before us. When He commands us to something, He enables us for it. I’ve heard it often said, “God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.” It is so true!
Today, if you hear His voice, take that first step!
These chapters are the abridged version of David’s conquests which we read about in 2 Samuel. It briefly summarizes the kingdoms which David either conquered or subdued by treaty which then paid tribute to him. Twice we are told “the LORD gave David victory wherever he went.”
What if that could be said of me?
What if the LORD were to give me victory in everything I attempt in His name and for His glory?
The first question is: What am I attempting in His name and for His glory?
Or maybe more pointedly: Am I attempting ANYTHING in His name and for His glory?
Yes, I am writing these posts according to His leading and for His glory.
I have no doubt that the fictional series He called me to write is for His glory. He called me to it after Megan and I returned from our first mission trip to Prague. When I tried to give up and set it aside, He brought me back to it over and over again for six years before I finished the first novel and attended my first writing conference!
It was another six years of hard work editing and re-writing and submitting for critique and editing some more before the first in the series was published. He provided mission trips to Bolivia and Kenya for my daughter Kelsey to inspire the second and third books in the series. Now I’m preparing to release the third novel, researching the fourth, and time and again I’ve seen God remove barriers along the way.
He’s provided scholarships so that I could learn more about the craft and business of writing, He’s provided friends and mentors to encourage, prod, nag, and celebrate along the way. He’s provided resources abundantly to gather the information on places I may never see in order to describe them as if I had lived there with my characters. He’s provided chance encounters and connections time and time again, introducing me by mere providence to my agent, my publisher, my endorsers, and several of my in-country sources for cultural authenticity. He’s provided a manager in my day-job who not only encourages and supports this dream, but graciously grants leave for editing or attending conferences. He has given me victory wherever I have gone on this journey!
And in case there is any doubt, each day when I sit down and read a chapter and wonder, “Lord, what bit of wisdom do You want me to take from this passage? What can I learn from a list of unpronounceable names or a recap of David’s victories?”
He answers. Every day, every chapter, for over a year now, He has given me some treasure in each and every chapter!
But what about the way that I deal with daily stresses and challenges of life?
What if I brought those before the Lord and thought of those as battles for God’s name and His glory? What if I internalized the idea that every struggle I face, from the battle to get out of bed when I want to sleep in, to the daily skirmishes with crazy drivers on the way to work, to the most challenging folks I deal with in my job, to serving dinner for my family in the evening, and even to how I spend my time relaxing before bed—each moment of every day is an opportunity to allow the Lord to give me victory wherever I go?
Where the Lord calls us, He goes before us. When He commands us to something, He enables us for it. I’ve heard it often said, “God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.” It is so true!
Today, if you hear His voice, take that first step!
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