Feature message from our Toward The Mark book "OVERCOMING INTIMIDATION"
Intimidation is one of the greatest hindrances to accomplishing anything significant in this life. If you have ever contended with peer pressure from classmates, approached your employer for a raise, walked into a gathering and just "knew" that everybody was talking about you, had to walk any distance in total darkness, tried to tell someone for the first time that you love them, or stepped out to share your faith, you know exactly what I am talking about. Fear shows up, that giant among emotions, often in the form of an anxious feeling in the pit of your stomach. Much like swimming upstream, the longer you stay in the situation, the stronger this unseen force seems to grow. You may even begin hearing things in your head, words that condemn you or put you down. Yes, even your own thoughts turn against you! Fear has gripped your heart, and you find yourself contemplating whether or not you are going to turn and run away.
Sound familiar? In fact, it is all too familiar, and for some it is a way of life, although it is not accurate to describe this as "living." So, if you are ever going to enter into the Abundant Life, you are going to have to learn not only to stand up in the face of intimidation, but also to fight your way through it. If you do, what awaits you on the other side will far exceed your greatest expectations. Always remember this crucial scriptural principle: "The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion." (Proverbs 28:1)
Likewise, our old natures will flee when no one pursues us, but our new natures are bold as a lion. To illustrate this, I will relate an amazing story I once heard documenting the way some lions pursue and trap their prey. I find the lions' method quite intriguing since intimidation plays such a prominent role in the way they hunt for food.
As male lions grow old, not only do they slow down considerably, but their teeth also become brittle and painfully sensitive, making it very difficult for them to chase down and kill prey. In order for the big male lions to be able to eat on a regular basis, they recruit the female and young male lions of the pride to accomplish the difficult task of chasing down and killing their meals for them. With both the females and young males in tow, the ferocious-looking male lion sets off on his quest for something to eat. Once he has spotted a herd of animals feeding in the distance, he approaches them very stealthily. The big male, once in position, keeps as low as possible while the females and young males quietly position themselves on the opposite side of the intended prey. Once they are close enough to them, the old male lion rises up and lets out a tremendously loud and intimidating roar. At that fearsome sound, the herd begins running away from the old male in the direction of the waiting lions, not realizing that the big male lion is relatively toothless. Consequently, the female and young male lions are able to chase down and kill members of the herd with much greater ease; the intimidating sound of the old lion's roar literally drives the prey right into the jaws of death. The moral of the story is this: whenever you are confronted with an intimidating situation, head straight towards it. Therein lies your freedom! If the unsuspecting animals had only run into the intimidating roar of the old lion, more of them would have been around to graze another day.
This same principle is demonstrated in the account of the war between the Israelites and the Philistines in which David killed the champion of the Philistines, the giant Goliath. The situation that confronted God's people appeared to be quite dire. Goliath dominated
the scene, demanding that the Israelites put forth a champion to face Goliath in one-on-one combat, winner take all. If Goliath won, as looked probable, the Israelites would become the slaves of the Philistines. Conversely, if Goliath lost, the Israelites would be the masters. The challenge was summarized by Goliath thus: "I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together." (1 Samuel 17:11) The reaction of God's people to the roar of the giant was to flee, though no one was pursuing them; the giant was simply offering the challenge. "And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid." (1 Samuel 17:24)
Such was the situation on the day when David came into the camp of the Israelites at the instruction of his father. David was bringing supplies to his brothers and presents for their captain. In return, his father wanted David to find out how his brothers were doing. The occasion, however, was of the Lord, for David heard the words of Goliath and observed the terror amongst his own people.
Upon learning that no Israelite had volunteered to be the champion of his people, David offered his services to Saul their king, though David was but a youth. The king was reluctant, but eventually he acquiesced, and David went out upon the field of battle to face the giant: "And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine." (1 Samuel 17:40) The giant, looking with disdain upon the youth who stood before him, uttered words intended to quail the heart of the young warrior. "And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field." (1 Samuel 17:44)
David did not back down, neither was he dismayed or filled with fear. David was bold as a lion. "Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands." (1 Samuel 17:45-47)
Thus the battle was joined: "And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell
upon his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the
Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled." (1 Samuel 17:48-51)
Note the significant phrase: "David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine." David ran to the roar! He refused to be intimidated by the giant, and God wrought a great victory that day.
We pray that this testimony and brief exhortation fans into flames your passion for loving, trusting, believing, and following God whole-heartedly. If you allow those flames to burn and increase in your life with Christ, your life will be ever better... guaranteed!
Keep PRESSIN' IN!
"Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety." (Proverbs 11:14)
________________________________
THANK YOU for downloading this message today! We pray God will use it to bear tremendous blessing in your life!
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To ask a question about our ministry's work or organization, to make a special tax-deductible donation to help in this work, to place a special order for "Overcoming Intimidation" or other resource, or to share a testimony or prayer need with us, please click here to e-mail us. Please feel free to also write a letter and mail it to the address below, also on our website.
God bless you as you carry this truth in your heart. We are eternally grateful to our loving Toward The Mark Family of sponsors who make this blog, and all of our resources, possible by faithfully praying and making regular financial contributions!
Your friends & servants in Christ,
To Show GOD BIG in
a World that Sees Him small…
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc. Our prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that we recount in our written and recorded products. The complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. has been made possible by the faithful prayer and financial support of the TTM Sponsorship Family. We'd like to invite you to come on-board, to become a part of the TTM Family as well! Join TODAY!
We INVITE You ... to follow and share these resources that are available as well, for
helping build your faith in God, His Will, and His Ways:
This blog message, along with the rest of our inventory of full-Scripture resources, is made possible by the support of our faithful monthly partners. Would you consider helping us expand our outreach capabilities by becoming a monthly financial partner with us? Your support will go toward fulfilling our God-given calling to help provide effective, contemporary outreach tools, available to everyone, the churched and un-churched alike, sharing The Gospel of Jesus Christ and The Gospel He preaches... Love, Life, Truth, and The Way of salvation. We invite you to partner with us as we "press Toward The Mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14)."
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Mail tax-deductible contributions by check to the order of:
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Thank you in advance for sowing your financial seed into the fertile soil of this ministry! We pray God bless you with a 100-fold return for your generosity!
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With Thanksgiving upon us, we must admit, our first thought was to share how thankful we are for God's handiwork -- the changing seasons, crisp fall air, and beautiful autumn leaves -- and for His providing a roof over our heads, food on the table, and loving family and friends. But, then, we realized that our gratitude for what God does for us is second to our all-consuming thanks for Who God IS. He is The Almighty, One-and-Only Living God! He is far beyond worthy of our continuous and eternal thanks!
A pastor friend once asked me this question, "If you were to prescribe just one thing that, if taken to heart, would immediately produce a profound change in the lives of those who practice it, what would it be?" Without hesitating I said "Gratitude!" He responded, "Why gratitude?" I went on to share with him how the Holy Spirit once revealed to me that a heart full of gratitude for Who God IS unlocks the "gates" that lead into oneness with Him as noted in Psalms 100:4, "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful (filled with thanks always) unto Him, and bless His Name."
When our heart is filled with thanks for God, for Who He is more than for what He can do for us, God can most certainly smell it. For God, a gratitude-filled heart is sweet in His nostrils. When God is our passion, so much so that we are continually grateful to Him, for Him, the contents of our hearts rise up before His Throne like a sort of invisible smoke, or a sweet-smelling savor, that is Holy, acceptable, and pleasing to Him. This sweet-smelling savor, or fragrance, is the praise mentioned in the Psalms 100:4 verse. God is the Consummate Family Man, and nothing makes Him happier than when His children love, and want, Him more than they want their own lives, or His "stuff" for that matter. "But seek ye first the Kingdom of God (the Kingdom that IS God), and His Righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33)
People we meet often ask us, "What is your mission statement, or what exactly do you do?" When we get asked this question, our answer is always the same, "We aim to show God BIG in the eyes of those who see Him small, and to bridge the gap between God and His beloved children." Every morning, we wake up to the vision of what it would be like if everyone we knew and met was truly and wholeheartedly grateful. They would exude gratitude to God for Who He IS, and also to others for who they are. They would have and display a level of uncommon respect for others. They would be quick to speak life. They would be selfless and always looking to help others in whatever way they can. They would be looking to see others through God's eyes, and would always be looking to see, and call out, the gifts that God has placed in them. They would fan the flame in the heart of others for completing the work God has wired them to full-fill. And every one of them would love God wholeheartedly, pursue "oneness" with Him, and tell everyone what He means to them. They would be more keenly aware of the times we are living in, and would do everything possible to lift up the Lord's Name and glorify God in the eyes of others, not because they are told they have to, but because of their unquenchable passion for Him. During this Thanksgiving, and always, for everyone we meet, we aim to ignite a diligent pursuit for Who God IS more than for what He does, or can do! This is our goal and it's our every-day VISION that drives us!
Will you join us? We will be praying, and eternally grateful, for your decision to help us ignite an unquenchable passion in the hearts of others to thank God, continually, for Who He is more than for what he can do!
We pray that this testimony and brief exhortation fans into flames your passion for loving, trusting, believing, and following God whole-heartedly. If you allow those flames to burn and increase in your life with Christ, your life will be ever better... guaranteed!
Keep PRESSIN' IN!
"Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety." (Proverbs 11:14)
________________________________
THANK YOU for downloading this message today! We pray God will use it to bear tremendous blessing in your life!
![]()
To ask questions about our work and organization, to make a special tax-deductible donation to help in this work, to place a special order for "XII Smooth Stones" or another Keith Shealy and Toward The Mark book or CD, or to share a testimony or prayer request with us, please click here
to e-mail us. Please feel free to also write a letter and mail it to the address below, also on our website.
God bless you as you carry this truth in your heart. We are eternally grateful to our loving Toward The Mark Family of sponsors who make this blog, and all of our resources, possible by faithfully praying and making regular financial contributions!
Your friends & servants in Christ,
To Show GOD BIG in
a World that Sees Him small…
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc. Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that Keith recounts in our written and recorded products. The complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. has been made possible by the faithful prayer and financial support of the TTM Sponsorship Family. We'd like to invite you to come on-board, to become a part of the TTM Family as well! Join TODAY!
We INVITE You ... to follow and share these resources that are available as well, for
helping build your faith in God, His Will, and His Ways:
This blog message, along with the rest of our inventory of Bible-based resources, is made possible by the support of our faithful monthly partners. Would you consider helping us expand our outreach capabilities by becoming a monthly financial partner? Your support will go toward fulfilling our God-given calling to help provide effective, contemporary outreach tools, available to everyone, the churched and un-churched alike, for getting to know the love, truth, and salvation of Jesus Christ. We invite you to partner with us as we "press Toward The Mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)
CLICK HERE to make a tax-deductible contribution securely by PayPal.
Every gift is tax-deductible and helps, and we thank you for it!
Mail tax-deductible contributions by check to the order of:
Toward The Mark, Inc., P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692-1152.
Thank you in advance for sowing your financial seed into the fertile soil of this ministry! We pray God bless you with a 100-fold return for your generosity!
