Intimidate: Definition – to frighten into submission

Intimidation is used by our opponents to make us do things they want us to do, or to prevent us from doing things they don’t want us to do. It is the primary tool used by bullies, criminals, and terrorists. It can also be considered to be how the devil prevents us from doing what we know we should, by making us fear the perceived embarrassment, fear losing out, or fear being defeated if we stick to our integrity and morals.

Paul was in a Roman prison when he wrote his letter to the Philippians. In Philippians 1:28 he wrote, “So don’t let your opponents intimidate you in any way. This is God’s way of showing them that they will be destroyed and that you will be saved.”

With our faith in God’s strength, not our own, we can stand up to any opponent, be it a person, temptation, ridicule, or risk.

The, well known, story of David and Goliath is written in 1 Samuel 17. In verse 47 David describes what happens when we put our hope and faith in God’s power, “Then everyone gathered here will know that the Lord can save without sword or spear, because the Lord determines every battle’s outcome.”

Dear Lord, you control all things. Often we experience situations, people, and temptations that would intimidate us into improper behavior or inaction when we should be doing your will. In these times, help us remember to rely on your power to overcome and not be intimidated. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Bible uses the word “grumble” to describe complaining by a group of people. Shortly after God brought the Israelites out from slavery in Egypt, and miraculously parted the Red Sea, the people grumbled to Moses, about not having water; God provided it, they complained about not having food and God miraculously gave them manna and quail. God heard their complaining and gave them what they needed.

You would think that they would get the message and realize God was there to support them if they only asked. However, as a result of their lack of faith and obedience, God turned what would have been a short journey to the Promised Land into a 40 year struggle, and none of the adults were ultimately allowed to enter the promised land.

Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 10:10, “And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.”

We “grumble” too. When we are complaining, “grumbling,” and feeling sorry for ourselves, we are showing a lack of faith. We are indicating that we don’t believe that God cares about us.

When we are tempted to “grumble,” instead we should remember to ask God to help us. This is following God’s direction, trusting in him and praying, then wait in peace for the answer to our prayer.

Psalm 84:11 says, “For Jehovah God is our Light and our Protector. He gives us grace and glory. No good thing will he withhold from those who walk along his paths.” TLB

Dear Lord, sometimes you let us struggle, maybe to strengthen us or maybe to discipline us. Rather than complaining and feeling sorry for ourselves, help us ask for your help to get through our struggle, and have faith that you will answer our prayer. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Being a business and aviation enthusiast, I watched a video of a successful real estate business man, who began with nothing, take delivery of his new Gulfstream G550 jet. ($50 million price tag, if you are curious) When walking around it, he mentioned that, when younger, he couldn’t even dream big enough to believe in this level of financial success. Similarly, before his first Super Bowl game, do you think Tom Brady could have imagined he would lead his team to six Super Bowl wins? Do you think Mother Theresa ever thought she would impact the entire world with her work?

Paul tells us in Ephesians 3:20 that we have no concept of what God can do, writing, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”

The King James Version uses the description “exceeding abundantly above” rather than “infinitely more”. If you are interested, you can see how this was translated from the original Greek with this link.

My interpretation of this text is, we cannot even imagine what God is capable of doing in our world and our lives. We should take off the limits, and ask God for the things we need and want, and use them to bring glory to Him.

Dear Lord, help us remember, and believe, that you have complete power and authority over all things, and can accomplish much much more that we can imagine. Let us use all you provide to bring the glory to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Luke 8:22-25 tells about Jesus and the disciples sailing across a lake. “One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and started out. As they sailed across, Jesus settled down for a nap. But soon a fierce storm came down on the lake. The boat was filling with water, and they were in real danger. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and the raging waves. Suddenly the storm stopped and all was calm. Then he asked them, “Where is your faith?”

We could read Jesus’ question “Where is your faith?” as a rhetorical question, like a figure of speech meaning, “You don’t have faith.”

However, you could also look at the question as Jesus actually expecting an answer. “Where is your faith?” And the answer in this case would be, their faith was in the likelihood of them drowning. They actually said, “We are going to drown.” Using their words, they were expressing their faith.

I think God is trying to get a message to us with this account. When we say things like, “I’ll never lose weight,” or “I’ll never get out of debt,” or “I am always late.” We are reinforcing a belief, (faith) in those statements.

We need to turn things around and put our faith where it should be, saying things like, “with God’s help, I will be on time.” or “By the grace of God I will lose weight,” or “I am confident God will make this situation work out.”

Dear Lord, We all occasionally have lapses in our faith in you to be with us in all types of situations. Help us remember to speak with faith in your ability to make things work out well. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

In Hebrews chapter 11, Paul lists many examples of people in Bible history, such as Noah, Moses, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Rahab, and others who acted “by faith” in God’s promises to accomplish difficult, embarrassing, frightening, life threatening, and even life ending assignments they knew God was calling them to pursue.

In Hebrews 12:1 Paul writes, “Therefore since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down especially the sin that so easily trips us up, and run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

One of the great things about sports teams and clubs with common interests is that the members become examples for each other to excel and overcome obstacles. I think what Paul is telling us with the description of “a crowd of witnesses” is that we have “a team” for us to use as examples to help us excel in our faith. We should read about and meditate on the stories of these people to see how they acted in faith, and God kept his promises to support them in their callings.

Dear Lord, thank you for these examples of faithful witnesses on who’s stories we can rely for confidence in you. Help us use this confidence to faithfully pursue those things to which you are calling us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.