Jason and I bonded over this song in the dressing room tonight. P.S. if you haven’t seen the movie “ONCE” you need to.

 There once was a man who was asleep one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Lord appeared to him. The Lord told him He had a work for him to do, and showed him a large rock explaining that he was to push against the rock with all his might every day. This the man did, and for many days he toiled from sunup to sundown; his shoulder set squarely against the cold massive surface of the rock, pushing with all his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling his whole day had been spent in vain.

Seeing that the man showed signs of discouragement, the devil entered the picture - placing thoughts in the man’s mind, such as “Why kill yourself over this? You’re never going to move that rock!” or “Boy, you’ve been at this a long time and you haven’t even scratched the surface!” giving the man the impression the task was impossible and the man was an unworthy servant because he wasn’t moving the massive stone. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man and he decided to take his troubles to the Lord.

“Lord,” he said, “I have labored hard and long in Your service, putting forth all my strength to do that which You have asked of me. Yet after all this time, I have not even budged that rock even half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?”

To this the Lord responded compassionately, “My friend, when long ago I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you to push against the rock with all your strength and that you have done. But never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. At least not by yourself. Your task was to push. And now you come to Me, your strength spent, thinking that you have failed, ready to quit. But is this really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled; your back sinewed and brown. Your hands are calloused from constant pressure and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much and your ability now far surpasses that which you used to have. Yet still, you haven’t succeeded in moving the rock; and you come to Me now with a heavy heart and your strength spent. I, my friend will move the rock. Your calling was to be obedient and push, and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom, and this you have done.”

Jeremiah 17:5 This is what the lord says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the lord.

Understanding that we can not do this life on our own and can not put our trust in ourselves or fellow man but rather in Christ alone is one of, if not the most difficult tasks as a believer. From the moment we are brought into this world we are relying on our own flesh and bone to crawl, to walk, to become the man or woman we are today. But the truth is "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb,” Psalm 139v13 God was there from the start breathing life into our precious little lungs. Climbing the ladder of success coupled with the distractions of this world, it becomes far too easy to forget this truth. Which is why spending time daily with our maker is so important. God called us to lean on Him and not ourselves so that we will experience true eternal, ever lasting success, not just for ourselves but for the kingdom of the most high.

Jeremiah 17:7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the lord, whose confidence is in him. 8 They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Ephesians 1v18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power FOR US who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

Some days we may feel as if we are weak but as we see here in this letter to the Ephesians we have the strength of God. Let our eyes be open to that power, let our lives be an example of His unfathomable glory.

Hebrews 11v6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Isaiah 26v3 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. 4 Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord is the Rock eternal.

Our thoughts make us who we are. If we focus on the joy and truth found in Christ we will have peace. So take control of every thought and when the devil tries to speak deceit, discouraging lies RECOGNIZE it, and think of the victory in Christ. Forget the struggle remember the victory.

2 Corinthians 10v5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.