In his best seller No: Why Kids - of All Ages - Need to Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say It, author David Walsh writes a chapter on “Self-Esteem: Kids Need the Real Thing.” He describe three self-esteem myths…
Myth 1: Self-Esteem Comes First and Leads to Success
Myth 2: Self-Esteem = Feeling Good 
Myth 3: Stress, Challenge, and Disappointment Damage Self-Esteem.

Jephthah asked for help in his war against the Ammonites, but when help was not forthcoming, he refused to whine or blame others. The judge of Israel simply took charge: “When I saw that you wouldn’t help, I took my life in my hands… and the Lord gave me the victory,” (Judges 12.2-3).

It may be time to grow up. You don’t need to depend on anyone else for your safety, happiness, or success. Stop pointing the finger of blame and, taking full control of your life, affirm with Jephthah:“I took my life in my hands... and the Lord gave me the victory.”

Gideon and his band of three hundred were done, but they would not quit. They were “weary yet pursuing” and could rest later. But for now they had a job to do, a mission to complete.
You can rest later. Embody the spirit of Gideon. Capture his motivation… “weary yet pursuing.”

I found a little secret in the text of Deborah’s victory song: “O my soul, march on with strength,” (Judges 5.21c).

Sometimes you must simply command your soul to “march on.” There are no other answers. Refuse despair. Hang on to hope. Eventually, personal resolve weighs “heavier and heavier” than the oppression you face.

Trust Jesus and make yourself… “march on!”

There is one thing every believer must learn… war.
The Lord did not drive the nations of Canaan from the land of promise until inexperienced “sons  of Israel might be taught war.” War was a reality for Jews over a millennium before the birth of Christ. It is still a reality for every believer. 

Jesus said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword”  (Matthew 10.34). We have dragons to slay, demons to crush, battles to win, ground to gain, and wars to learn. We must face the enemy, engage in conflict, and learn to fight for our inheritance.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness,against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens,” (Ephesians 6.12).

This podcast is an overview of week 14 in the Word Traveler Bible reading plan and covers the following chapters in the Old and New Testaments: Judges 1 – 16; Luke 22 – 24; John 1 – 2.

Jesus made a decision to lay down His life. He didn’t have to do it. He made the conscious choice to love. It was His decision to make.
“…I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again,” (John 10.17-18).

I am faced with  a decision to love others in His name. If I am called to love, I must become a decision-maker and make the decision to do so.

A privileged station in life or a larger portion by way of inheritance, status, or citizenship does not automatically entitle one to the biggest and best of everything. Lucky and blessed people, organizations, churches, communities, and countries have no excuse for behaving like little piggies.

“Dad, I need some money and I am too young to get a job. I can't get a work permit until I'm sixteen.” Dad expanded on some arlier advise. “Figure it out son. Get a job.” 

My dad didn’t listen very well. Primarily to prove him wrong I went door-knocking again. When I inquired at Art Lee’s Chinese Restaurant, owner Art Woo handed me an apron and pointed at a stack of unwashed dishes. I asked to borrow the phone first.

“Dad, I got a job. I’ll be earning $1.25 an hour!” I could not have been happier to prove Dad right.

Meeting opposition? Facing resistance? Suffering rejection? Don’t stop. Do what Jesus has shown you to do. Iron chariots and dense forests make no difference. Your excuses won’t work here. Get the job done.

Perhaps it’s a mindset. Not a pop-psychology mindset; rather it's a “mind set on the Spirit” of God (Romans 8.6).

At the age of eighty-five, Caleb focused his mind squarely on a forty-five year old promise of God. Caleb had a mindset of faith. He forgot about his age and limitations. He remembered only the faithfulness of the Lord.