When I became a Christian I had no Idea about how to face the giants in my life, at least not from a Godly perspective. I think I looked at it pretty much as challenges come and you just have to tough it out, or party through it. Now as I am a Christian, facing giants has a whole new meaning. The kind of giants I am talking about are things like finding out you have a terminal illness, someone very close to you has just passed away, you lost your job and are now loosing your house, you were abused as a child and you are dealing with the anxiety of facing the internal issue and seeking healing. There are so many more. When I first got saved I truly hated myself and facing that giant was very difficult. Getting to the heart of the giant takes courage, faith and God. I had so much fear in my heart and I didn’t believe in myself. I grew up bullied by other kids, when I was younger I was very small and skinny. It wasn’t until I turned sixteen yrs old that I sprouted and those problems ended. Even though they ended I still deal with some of those emotional issues from back then. What I can tell you is even though I still have some emotional issues and fears, I will take on the giants that come. I have learned as David did with the lion and bear. God is faithful and full of joy when we put on faith believing in Him and His word. Lets look at Davids heart in facing Goliath.
1 Samuel 17
New International Version (NIV)
David and Goliath
33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”
Notice Saul, doesn’t he sound like the whispers of satin? “You are not able” Isn’t that just like our enemy filling our heads with fear and doubt! If I could count how many times I have heard those thoughts “you are not able”. This is where truth comes in. Listen to David “when a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God”.
This is how David did it,with His truth in God
Romans 8:37
New International Version (NIV)
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
If you have conquered a giant before, you can do it again! As David defeated a lion and a bear, he knew if God helped him then, He will do it again! If you haven’t faced your giant yet, then you need to trust God and walk through it trusting Him. Once you have defeated a lion with God you will be ready to take on Goliath! Whatever giants you face you can trust God, you can take hold of His truth, you can put on the faith to be victorious in whatever you face in this life. David didn’t wait for the giant to come to him, he went to the giant, with God at his side.
God bless you and may your faith move mountains by overcoming the giants in your life. God bless you and keep you victorious.
The rainbow has such a significant symbolic meaning of promise! In my very first blog I shared with you my very first poem called Born Into A Cloud which I wrote three different blogs titled My First Poem giving you my testimony. In My First Poem, One of the lines in the poem I believe the Holy Spirit wrote Is, the rainbow God created you to be, when there seemed to be no hope the clouds are lifted by the winds of salvation. This poem moved me to do a study on the rainbows meaning in the bible which I will share with you now.
Here is the poem
Born into a cloud smothered into darkness
bringing rainfall in abundance
the deep fog keeps you from knowing who you are
Lightning strikes your person a lashing out in pain
the world is blinded by the dark cloud that covers
life hails in destruction leaving no hope or sanity
until a light shines from heaven revealing your true colors
the rainbow God created you to be
when there seemed to be no hope
the clouds are lifted by the winds of salvation
and you are born again by the love and mercy
of the lord Jesus Christ
whom brings forth truth in everlasting life.
Genesis 9 (New International Version)
8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him:9 “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you10 and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth.11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds,15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”
He set a rainbow in the clouds as a promise to us, He will never flood the earth again. Which means when the storms come we will not be overtaken. The Rainbow is a hand painted piece of art by God displaying His heart and person in the beauty of salvation to those He loves. It Is one of His ways to say, I am Here and I love you!
Ezekiel 1 (Expanded Bible)
25 A voice came from above the ·dome [vault; expanse; or platform] over the heads of the living creatures. When the living creatures stopped, they lowered their wings. 26 Now above the ·dome [vault; expanse; or platform] there was something that looked like a throne. It looked like ·a sapphire gem [or la pis lazuli]. And on the throne high above was a ·shape [form; figure] like a ·human [man]. 27 Then I noticed that from the waist up the shape looked like glowing ·metal [or amber] with fire inside. From the waist down it looked like fire, and a bright light was all around. 28 The surrounding ·glow [radiance; brightness] looked like the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day. ·It seemed to look like [L This was the appearance of the likeness of] the glory of the Lord[C his manifest presence]. So when I saw it, I ·bowed [fell] face-down on the ground and heard a voice speaking.
In Ezekiel s vision He sees the presence of God and He described it as glowing metal with fire inside from the waist down it looked like fire, and a bright light was all around. 28 The surrounding ·glow [radiance; brightness] looked like the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day
. looked like the rainbow in the clouds!!!! Even Gods presence is like a rainbow in the clouds. Could it be when we see a rainbow we are actually seeing an image of God. An Image of His promise. Lets look at Moses!
Exodus 24 (Expanded Bible)
Moses Meets with God
15 When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud [C representing God’s presence] covered it. 16 The glory of the Lord[C representing his manifest presence] ·came down [L settled] on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from inside the cloud. 17 To the ·Israelite s [L sons/T children of Israel] the glory of the Lord looked like a fire burning on top of the mountain. 18 Then Moses went into the cloud and went higher up the mountain. He was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.
I love this part because when Moses was called up the mountain what was seen was a cloud covering it. At the top of the mountain what the people could see was like a fire, a glowing fire inside the cloud on top of the mountain. Half of the way up the mountain was covered with the cloud, which means half the way up this very high mountain, Moses was without sight. Isn’t that like our walks with God? when we climb the mountain of God, we can’t see where we are going. When we get to the top we see the glory of God. I believe when Moses got to the top of the mountain the Glory of God was just like Ezekiel s vision. He saw what looked like a rainbow in the clouds. A consuming fire that looked like glowing metal.
Revelation 4
Expanded Bible (EXB)
John Sees Heaven
4 After the vision of these things I looked, and [L look; T behold] there before me was an open door in heaven. And the ·same [L first] voice that spoke to me before, that sounded like a trumpet [1:8], said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” 2 Immediately I was in the ·Spirit [or spirit; C a state of deep spiritual communion with God; 1:10], and [L look; T behold] before me was a throne in heaven, and someone was sitting on it. 3 The One who sat on the throne looked like precious stones, like jasper and carnelian [C a symbol of great beauty, purity and value]. All around the throne was a ·rainbow [or halo] ·the color of [or that looked like] an emerald.
Around the thrown encircling it was a rainbow. You see when you die and are face to face with God what you will see is amazing color of jewels and sapphires and rubies. There will be incredible light and the image you will see of His glory will look like that of a rainbow. I would like to look at another symbol that represents the rainbow and Gods promise of son-ship, Royalty!
Genesis 37 (Expanded Bible)
3 Since Joseph was born when his father Israel [C Jacob’s other name] was old, Israel loved him more than his other sons. He made Joseph a special robe with long sleeves [C traditionally a multicolored robe]. 4 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than he loved them, they hated their brother and could not speak to him ·politely [C civilly; L peacefully].
The robe of many colors. This robe is the same robe in the Prodigal Son that the Master has His servants get to put on him. It represents royalty son-ship. I also believe this is Gods covering, a rainbow covering, meaning promise!
Exodus 28 (Expanded Bible)
28 “·Tell your brother Aaron to come [L Bring near your brother Aaron] to you, along with his sons Nada b, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ·Separate them from the other Israelites to [L …to] serve me as priests. 2 Make holy ·clothes [garments; vestments] for your brother Aaron to give him ·honor [glory] and ·beauty [splendor]. 3 Tell all the ·skilled craftsmen to whom I have given wisdom [L the wise of heart whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom; C wisdom here is a practical knowledge, a skill] to make ·special clothes [garments; vestments] for Aaron—clothes to show that he ·belongs to me [is consecrated/set apart/ holy] so that he may serve me as a priest. 4 These are the clothes they must make: a ·chest covering [breastpiece], a ·holy vest [ephod], an outer robe, a ·woven inner [or checkered] robe, a turban, and a ·cloth belt [sash]. They must make these ·holy [sacred] clothes for your brother Aaron and his sons. Then they may serve me as priests. 5 They must use gold and blue, purple and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen.
The Holy Vest
6 “Use gold and blue, purple and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen to make the ·holy vest [ephod]; ·skilled craftsmen are to make it [skillfully worked]. 7 At each top corner of it there will be a pair of shoulder straps tied together over each shoulder.
8 “·The craftsmen will very carefully weave a belt [L The embroidered waistband] on the ·holy vest that is [L ephod will be] made with the same materials—gold and blue, purple and ·red [scarlet] thread, and fine linen.
9 “Take two onyx stones and write the names of the twelve sons of Israel on them, 10 six on one stone and six on the other. Write the names in order, ·from the oldest son to the youngest [according to the order of their birth]. 11 ·Carve [Engrave] the names of the sons of Israel on these stones in the same way a person ·carves words and designs on a seal [engraves a seal/signet]. Put gold [L filigree] around the stones to hold them on the ·holy vest [ephod]. 12 Then put the two stones on the two straps of the ·holy vest [ephod] as reminders of the twelve sons of Israel. Aaron is to ·wear [bear] their names on his shoulders in the presence of the Lord as reminders of the sons of Israel. 13 Make ·two gold pieces to hold the stones [settings of gold filigree]14 and two chains of pure gold, twisted together like a rope. Attach the chains to the ·two gold pieces that hold the stones [L settings].
This is the clothing for priest of the Kingdom Of God, it continues on if you want to go back and read more. Notice again it is a robe of many colors and full of jewels. Now this is old Testament, today we Christians are all considered to be a Kingdom Of priest and a holy nation. I believe this is our spiritual robe to be worn as a child of royalty and purpose. The anointed of God. This spiritual robe is Gods presence which if you remember it is that of a rainbow in the clouds. His presence is on us like a cloud, a consuming fire of glowing metal, a rainbow in the clouds of this world. We are His rainbows of promise to the lost.
Revelation 1:6
Expanded Bible (EXB)
6 He made us to be a ·kingdom of priests [or kingdom and priests; or kingdom, that is, priests; Ex. 19:6] who serve ·God his Father [L his God and Father]. To ·Jesus Christ [L him] be glory and ·power [dominion] forever and ever! Amen.
May God clothe you in rainbows of blessing and purpose, and full of promise as the children of the living God.
This poem has probably the most fascinating story of them all. When I first came up with the idea to put pictures to my poetry, I searched the internet for pictures with no prevail due to copy-writes. I started looking for photographers and realized they were going to cost more than It would be worth. I spoke to a friend of mine who had a similar camera to mine. He said he had some pictures from Hawaii he could send me and he did. The pictures were beautiful! That Is when I decided to take some pictures of my own. My first effort was of a cloud with the sun. I took about 75 shots and then sat down and went through them. What I saw was amazing! All of the pictures had a beam from the sun shining down to the cloud like a sword. As I looked deeper and closer I noticed In one picture a dove spreading It’s wings over the cloud. So I wrote a poem about It called heaven’s dove. I will share it in another post.
A few weeks later I was taking a picture of a white rose. I took about ten pictures and did the same thing. I went and looked through the pictures and to my amazement a second time, something showed up in one picture only, this time a Bee or so I thought. Knowing this just doesn’t happen I took attention. I started listening and looking to God for what He was saying to me by this.
I looked up Bee mythology and this is what I found.
Bee symbolism:
As the workers of the hive, bees are symbol of an industrious and prosperous community governed by the queen Bee. They have therefore symbolized all that is royal and imperial , in France and in ancient Egypt (associated with Râ, the Sun God). Three hundred gold bees were discovered in the tomb of Childeric I (on the year 481), which showed that the hive was the model of an absolute menarchy. Napoleon I used bees as a motif on all his carpets, as well as on his coronation robes.
As organizers of the universe between earth and sky, bees symbolize all vital principles, and embody the soul . In the Greek religion, the bee was sometimes identified with Demeter, the goddess of the earth and crops, who represented the soul sent to hell. The bee also symbolizes the soul that flies away from the body in the Siberian, Central Asian, and South American Indian traditions.
Bees also symbolize eloquence , speech, and intelligence . In Hebrew, the word for bee, Dbure, has its origins in the word Dbr, speech. They settled on the mouth of the child, Plato, ” announcing the sweetness of his enchanting soul ” (Pliny) and also settled also on the lips of Saint Ambrose, the patron-saint of beekeepers. According to Virgil, they have a grain of divine intelligence and the famous Pythia, the priestess of Apollo, was called “the bee of Delphi”. In some texts from India, the bee represents the spirit becoming intoxicated with the pollen of knowledge.
Because of its honey and its sting, the Bee is considered to be an emblem of Christ : it represents his mildness and mercy on one side and his justice on the other.
They symbolize all that is royal and imperial,and embody the soul,the spirit becoming intoxicated with the pollen of knowledge and Because of its honey and its sting, the Bee is considered to be an emblem of Christ : It represents his mildness and mercy on one side and his justice on the other.
I was In awe of what God was saying to me. Now when I looked at the Bee I saw Christ. Roses have also been a big part of my life because of the second poem Full Of Roses and its meaning. Notice the rose in this picture has already been planted, the old and wilted have already been removed. What is the Bee-Christ doing? The Bee is about to pollinate the rose which symbolizes something taking place in the spirit. Once the Bee is finished then comes the honey. Milk and honey flow like a stream through the promised land.
I began to look even closer at the Bee and I realized I had never seen a Bee quite like this one. I began searching the internet for this Bee. I could not find it anywhere, it was driving me crazy. I spoke to a friend of mine and he began to help me find it. I finally found it and to my disappointment it wasn’t a Bee at all, It was a Mimic Bee, an insect that disguises itself for survival.
I was upset and talking to my friend and his wife asked, “why is he upset?” and he explained as they laughed,” he is upset because it isn’t a real Bee.” I was down for a few days, I did not understand why God had me believe it was a Bee. Then one morning I was out front and unexpected the holly spirit came from behind me saying “Mimic Me, Mimic Me” I then understood Why He wanted me to see the Bee as Him originally.
In the parable of the talents Matthew 25:14 It talks about using your talents and if you don’t, what you have will be taken away and given to someone who already has. I believe God gave me a new talent that wasn’t being used in photography.
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