Faint, Yet Pursuing.

Judges 8:4-5, Proverbs 24:5-6, 10; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Isaiah 40:29, 30-31; 1 Peter 5:7; Psalm 121:1-3; 2 Chronicles 20:3; Romans 8:28; 1 Samuel 30:8; Numbers 23:19; Proverbs 16:25Numbers 23:19bNumbers 23:19

We are walking in today:  Faint, Yet Pursuing!

Judges 8:4-5 4) And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them. 5) And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.  Gideon had been raised up to defeat the Midianites.  He had about 32,000 in his army but the Lord whittled them down until there was just 300 men left.  His army was no longer big yet they had a mighty God behind them.  They had just what they needed in God!  Gideon had already taken two of the Midianite princes and was after two others.  We see here that by this time he and his men were faint.  Yes they were faint, yet pursing!  Now this was a natural war but we want to think about fighting the spiritual battles that we face.  We become faint, yet we continue pursing.  He gives us strength in times of weakness.  Proverbs 24:5-6, 10 5) A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength. 6) For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety. 10) If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.  Our strength is not measured in good times, but it is measured by the bad times.  When we face the battles and trials of this life--then we will see just how strong we really are.  Many times we think we are going to be over taken by our problems, and the pressures that come our way.  The Lord has promised that He will not put more on us than we can bear!  1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.  I don't know if you have noticed on this line for the past couple of weeks that, that particular scripture has been coming up over and over again!  God says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God!  Sometimes God will give you that same word over and over again.  No matter what test, trial or tribulation you are going through, He is never gonna put more on us than we can bear!  He is always with us--that He makes a way to escape every temptation.  Sometimes we think we can't bear anymore.  Things are getting pretty heavy at times.  We think we will be swept away by this trial, but thanks be to God!  He is always there and with us!  That He gives us what we need and want, to go on.  Faith believes God even when the circumstances deny His promises.  We can stand by faith--believing the Lord!  In trials know His word is true and draw strength from them.  Isaiah 40:29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.  Here is a promise that He gives us strength--we will need strength to fight this battle.  No one else can fight for us but God!  Wait on Him, the Lord increases our strength in hard times.  Isaiah 40:30-31 30) Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31) But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.  This is something we have to do.  Take the time to wait on Him!  He renews our strength, even giving power to the faint.  Sometimes we face trials and battles and then more, trials after those trials and battles.  Look to God, there is one who cares--1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.  Thank God that He cares for us.  He understands, that we will cry out for help when there is no other strength.  He has already won and given us the victory!  Look to God, help will come.  We don't have to be long faced about our troubles.  We must keep our eyes on Jesus not on our circumstances.  It won't be long until they are sinking and in despair when we don’t have our eyes on God!  God will give us what we need, He has already won the victory!  When the battle is so long we begin to wonder--God knows why and when.  Psalm 121:1-3 1) I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2) My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. 3) He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.  The Lord is not sleeping!  He is very aware and concerned about out lives.  He will keep us walking with Jesus as we keep our minds stayed on Him.  Sometimes it seems like we are in a constant rain storm in this life.  In 2 Chronicles 20, the Bible teaches us how to face spiritual battles.  2 Chronicles 20:3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.  When we are afraid we should just seek God!  Jehoshaphat feared because of the circumstances they are facing.  Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.  We should take Him at His word.  We may not understand the works of God, but He gets good out of it.  No matter what is going on in our life.  Faint, yet pursing God.  For every fight, trial, battle or circumstances that comes, we will keep pursing!  We are to pray and not to faint!  We shall reap the harvest if we faint not!  Call on Jesus!  This battle is not yours, it is the Lord's!  Faint, yet pursing.  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.  With God for us who can stand against us?!  We must adapt for winter, that we would launch out into the deep, faint yet pursing.  God keeps getting us up every morning,  as we seek Him at 5am--for an on-time word and time in His presence.  You said, in Your word, that when we seek You first and Your righteousness that all things shall be added unto us.  That Your strength is made perfect in our weakness.  We are to walk this out by faith.  We have to pray and fast and keep on pursing after Him!  Even when faint.  1 Samuel 30:8And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.We shall surely overtake the enemy, we are to pursue and take over!  For those that are feeling faint in your marriage, pursue the God of reconciliation.  For those that are feeling faint in your finances, pursue Jehovah Jireh, it is the Lord that provides for us!  For those that are feeling faint in your mind, keep your mind on His word--He will keep you in perfect peace.  That you can renew your mind by reading His word!  For those that are feeling faint in your peace, rest in and trust God, He will keep you in perfect peace.  He gives peace that surpasses all understanding!  Greater is He that is in us, than he that is within this world!  Acknowledge Him in all of your ways!  Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?  We are to walk by faith and not by sight.  Faint, yet pursing!  We must be in pursuit of His joy, that is our strength!  We must be in pursuit of His peace, where we can find rest.  Pursue more and more of Him--from Genesis to Revelation and then back to Genesis again!  We must be still pursuing after what God has promised us!  God is opening up a window and pouring out a blessing that there is not room enough to receive!  Faint, yet pursuing!  We must stay, trust and chase after God!  This is about relationship with the Father!  We shall reap the harvest if we faint not.  With God, all things are possible!  Keep pursuing after God!  Adapt in the winter, look to God, He already has an escape for you.  He will not put more on us than we can bear.  Keep pursuing Him!--the way out of no way!  Don't get tired nor stop running for the Lord!  Endure!  Stand on His word.  Don't bend or break!  We know that the joy of the Lord is our strength!  That it is God who makes the weak, strong!  There are something’s that have been a hard press in 2012--pursue after His wisdom and relationship with Him.  The steps of the righteous are ordered by the Lord.  It is not about you, it is about the Lord!  Get out of self.  It is not about your ways or thoughts but God's ways and thoughts!  This is God's plan and His way, that is why our way is not working!  Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.  Put down the ways of man and take up the ways of God!  Amen!  Pursue after godly things and godly ways!  To hear more of this message click here