When I was a kid growing up in my small Southern Illinois hometown of Cairo, we kids lived by an unspoken code where name-calling was concerned. I can remember one day while playing in my room hearing the words “Shut up punk!” coming from a familiar little voice outside (an ultimate insult according to ‘the code’). I looked out the window to find my brother holding a toy sword yelling insults at two rather large teenage boys.
Let me give you a visual: I was the big brother (about eleven years old at the time). These kids towered me. My little brother was about three or four years old and his hero at the time was a cartoon character by the name of “He-Man”. My brother would run around the house for hours shouting He-Man’s signature battle cry of “By the Power of Gray skull!”
Anyway, I knew immediately that my brother’s words were annoying them. At that point, I was faced with a split second decision: a.) Go outside and stand up to the kids who were obviously bigger than me and could probably fold me up like a soda can, or b.) Let “Lil’ bro” take one for the team.
Thankfully, the two teenage boys decided to leave my brother alone, probably on the assumption that this poor little misinformed child did not know the rules yet. For whatever reason, I was extremely glad. All the while, my brother was firm in his stand because he was convinced that “The Power of Gray skull” was able to protect him from any harm that might befall him. Oh, if we could only demonstrate the faith of a child!
There is a wonderful passage of scripture in the Bible, Zechariah 4:1-10, that speaks to the valuable lesson we can take from this story. Verse six says, “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.”
Our victories over life’s circumstances do not have to come strictly by the sweat of our brow. By the bending of our knees, and a willing heart to submit to the will of God, we can receive answers to the questions our hearts are longing to ask Him. Make no mistake; God’s answers come equipped with the means for situational victories. With this encouragement, appropriate the Word of God in your everyday life. Then continue to live, move, breathe, and exercise your very being (Acts 17:28) in the strength of the Lord!
Author, speaker, musician DEREK E. EURALES, Jr., loves to share his faith, motivation, and music. His book, Principles of Christian Living, has become a “must read” for believers of all ages. To order your copy, click here.