A Moment of Hope

by Marilynn Chadwick We're wrapping up our series on "Fasting." I hope you've experienced a breakthrough in some area where you've felt stuck. The Bible encourages us to pray and fast when we encounter stubborn resistance. Could it be that some battles are harder than others because the enemy knows the stakes are so high? My epiphany came one day in a parking lot, of all places. I was heading home...

by Marilynn Chadwick "Fasting is a little scary," remarked a friend who had decided to fast for the first time. She's right. Whether it's food, a favorite treat, social media or shopping, giving up something we depend upon can leave us feeling empty. Thirsty. Maybe that's why fasting is so powerful. I'm forced to switch my lifeline from food (or whatever) to God himself. I find myself hungrier for...

by Marilynn Chadwick Fasting can be a powerful weapon in our prayer arsenal. Though I still have much to learn, I have noticed how fasting adds strength and precision to my prayers. The combination of fasting and prayer is like a one-two punch that has resulted in several spiritual breakthroughs in long-standing problems. But the most powerful testimonies I've ever heard about fasting came in a mo...

Continued from yesterday… God is never actually mentioned by name in the book of Esther. But throughout the story, we see Esther quietly responding to what I believe must surely have been God's whispers. I don't think the Lord would have entrusted the very survival of the entire nation of Israel into the hands of a teenager unless he knew she would listen and obey. Training our heart to hear God's...

God's people owe their very existence to a young Hebrew girl named Esther. It's true. God chose to work out his plan of deliverance for Israel through the courageous actions of an ordinary teenager. Sometimes I think we underestimate the power of a young person who loves God. Esther's story didn't start out pretty. The Jews had been taken from Jerusalem into captivity years earlier by Nebuchadnezz...

by Marilynn Chadwick The story is told about a group of Texas fifth grade school children who figured out a way to stop bullying in their classroom. Whenever a fellow student was being bullied, the other classmates would gather around the victim and simply stand without saying a word. This show of solidarity stopped the bullies dead in their tracks every time. The students nicknamed their tactic "...

by Marilynn Chadwick Yesterday, I talked about the importance of approaching a fast with humility. When we are feeling weak, it's easier to lean into God's power. By giving up food, or social media or whatever, we have little reminders throughout the day to pray. Think I'll fix myself a snack…oops…guess not.  That's my trigger to pray for pressing needs. It's never easy to say "No" to hunger pains...

by Marilynn Chadwick "Give me some tips on how  you  fast," a friend asked as she prepared herself for her first fast. Her question got me thinking. What have I learned that's made fasting a valuable part of my prayer life? I shared some of those tips with you yesterday. But I should point out that fasting does not make us super saints. In fact, Jesus cautions all disciples in his Matthew 6 tutori...

by Marilynn Chadwick Generally, fasting is from food, but it doesn't always require total abstinence. The Bible includes the story of Daniel. While seeking understanding for a vision, Daniel fasted for three weeks (Daniel 10). During that time, Scripture tells us, he "ate no choice food, meat, or wine, and didn't use lotions" (Daniel 10:1,2). Some today call this kind of partial fast, a "Daniel Fa...

by Marilynn Chadwick Do you feel stuck today? Maybe you need a breakthrough in prayer. Or relief from a stubborn problem. A breakthrough usually occurs after a long struggle against some kind of obstacle or enemy. A spiritual breakthrough can be described as that sudden leap forward in an area where we've been fervently seeking God. In short, a breakthrough is getting "unstuck." One way I've exper...

by David Chadwick David's mighty men. They were a group of 30 or so men found 2 Samuel 23 (some scholars think there could have been as many as 37). We have already learned about his inner circle, Eleazer, Shammah and Jashobeam. But there were more mighty men who served David, somewhere around 30 or so. These mighty men fiercely loved and cared for their king. These were King David's most fierce a...

by David Chadwick Benaiah is our next man of valor. Found in 2 Samuel 23:20 and 1 Chronicles 27:5, he was the son of Jehoiada, a leader in David's army, and one of David's most trusted advisors. Much like many of our previously studied characters, he, too, is specifically called a "man of valor." Every great leader needs trusted advisors around him or her. People who can see things that the leader...

by David Chadiwck Did you know that in Ezekiel 48:35, God encourages Ezekiel, as Jerusalem is in ruins and God's people await the rebuilding of the temple, that the name of the city would be Jehovah Shammah? It means "the Lord is there." Shammah. It is a powerful name! A name that is mentioned several times in the Bible. In the face of desolation, this name should remind each of us of God's ever p...

by David Chadwick Eleazar, the son of Dodo, is our next man of valor. As a side note, Dodo is not a name I would recommend naming your next child! 2 Samuel 23 gives the account of his story. Also called "a man of valor," Eleazar was another one of the three mighty men in King David's inner circle. He, too, was a Benjamite, from the tribe of King Saul. Like Jashobeam, I wonder if he had to decide w...

by David Chadwick Jashobeam. Also known in 2 Samuel 23 as Josheb-Basshebeth, his name means "the people return" or "dweller among the people." He is mentioned in 1 Chronicles 27. He is today's man of valor. Jashobeam was one of King David's three mighty men. A close friend and bodyguard to the king, he truly was one of the friends David could trust and return to again and again during times of joy...

by David Chadwick The book of Judges is a story of the rise and fall of Israel. Over and over again, they would disobey God, worship false idols, then fall into the hands of a foreign, oppressive enemy. They would then cry out to God for help and he would raise up a judge to deliver them and establish order once again. People like Gideon, Samson and Deborah took their place in God's story to recal...

by David Chadwick King David was described as "a man of valor and a man of war" in 1 Samuel 16:18. Take note that David is referred to as a  man of valor  even when was still a young boy, much like we saw yesterday with Zadok. It's no wonder he went on to take on a bear and a lion when he was a mere shepherd boy. He developed valor as a young man in the pastures so he could lead in valor in the pa...

by David Chadwick Zadok is today's man of valor. 1 Chronicles 12:28 describes him as "a young man mighty in valor," who had 22 commanders under him that were from his father's house. Just from this verse alone, we can see that Zadok was esteemed within his family and given leadership on a greater scale because of his faithfulness. He clearly must have been a very well respected and highly skilled...

by David Chadwick In a culture where men are being emasculated and torn down, God desires to raise up a generation of men who reflect his heart of strength, love and courage. Joshua's mighty men of valor are today's men of valor. You will find their story in Joshua 10. They were a whole team of courageous men! The Gibeonites, a tough group of grizzled soldiers, stood in the way of God's people acq...

by David Chadwick Some years ago, my wife, Marilynn, wrote a book called "Woman of Valor." The concept of becoming women of valor has become a theme very near and dear to her heart. Her book has recently been revised and she and I both feel it has very much been written for these days in which we are living! Valor is a character trait that God's people must develop. I want to continue to build on...

by Marilynn Chadwick I agree with Indiana Jones: "I hate  snakes!" Maybe some of you share my distaste for these slithery reptiles. A while back, when cleaning our garage, our son found a small copperhead hiding behind a box. My first response was, "Yikes! Go hide!" My next thought was, "Go get 'em!" I grabbed the nearest gardening tool and went after that snake with a warrior-like vengeance, send...

by Marilynn Chadwick I still marvel when I remember the beautiful young mother I once met in a tiny country in a forgotten corner of the world. She was a survivor of the horrific genocide in Burundi that had exploded alongside Rwanda's frenzy of killings. I'd been invited to teach on the subject of prayer to a group of church leaders and pastors' wives. All were survivors of the war and no strange...

by Marilynn Chadwick Have you ever faced a trial so painful you couldn't endure the weight of it? A trial so dark that the enemy taunts you with lies whispered in the dark:  God is not listening to your prayers. Why else would He seem so silent? When all seems hopeless, I find encouragement from believers who have passed through the furnace and come forth with faith shining. Their stories inspire...

by Marilynn Chadwick Jesus is kind to all people—especially women. Just ask my friend Anya. Raised as a member of the "untouchable" caste in India, Anya knows what it means to be treated as "less than." For centuries in India's cruel caste system, untouchables were regarded as less than human. Women were treated even worse. People of higher castes would cross the street to avoid walking on the sid...

by Marilynn Chadwick The dictionary defines valor as "courage and bravery in the face of danger." But the Hebrew word for valor, as I have been sharing with you, is chayil .  Chayil  is a much more vibrant definition, depicting "a warrior, army, strength, honor, even wealth." Chayil  is actually a military term. So I was surprised to discover that the famed Proverbs 31 woman is called  eishet chay...