June 16, 2018 www.PositiveChristianity.org presents Positive Daily Inspiration

 SATURDAY INSPIRATION

"The Spirit of the Lord gave them rest." Isaiah 63:14

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian Youth's' rite of passage? 

His Father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. 
He is required to sit on a stump the whole night.
And not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. 
He cannot cry out for help to anyone.

Once he survives the night, he is a MAN. 
He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, 
because each lad must come into manhood on his own. 

The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises.                           
Wild beasts must surely be all around him. 
Maybe even some human might do him harm. 
The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he 
sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. 
It would be the only way he could become a man!
Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared, and he removed 
his blindfold. 

It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. 
He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

We, too, are never alone. 
Even when we don't know it,
God is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us.
When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to God. 

Moral of the story: 

Just because you can't see God,
Doesn't mean God is not there. 

"For we walk by faith, not by sight."

If you liked this story, keep it in your heart for times that you will need it. 
If not, you took off your blindfold before dawn.
___________

The Bargain

During one of the many battles of the era, a young soldier
found himself and his army being soundly defeated by the enemy.
He and his comrades hastily retreated from the battlefield in
defeat, running away in fear of their very lives.

The enemy gave chase. The young man ran hard and fast, full
of fear and desperation, and soon found himself cut off from
his comrades. The soldier eventually came upon a rocky ledge
containing a cave.

Knowing the enemy was close behind, and that he was exhausted
from the chase, he chose to hide there. After he crawled in,
he fell to his face in the darkness, desperately crying to
God to save him and protect him from his enemies. He made a
bargain with God. He promised that if God saved him, he would
serve Him for the remainder of his days.

When he looked up from his despairing plea for help, he saw a
spider beginning to weave its web at the entrance to the cave.
As he watched the delicate threads being slowly drawn across
the mouth of the cave, the young soldier pondered its irony.
He thought,

"I asked God for protection and deliverance, and He sent me
a spider instead. How can a spider save me?"

His heart was hardened, knowing the enemy would soon discover
his hiding place and kill him. Soon he did hear the sound
of his enemies, who were now scouring the area looking for
those in hiding.

One soldier with a gun slowly walked up to the cave's entrance.
As the young man crouched in the darkness, hoping to surprise
the enemy in a last-minute desperate attempt to save his own
life, he felt his heart pounding wildly out of control.

As the enemy cautiously moved forward to enter the cave, he came
upon the spider's web, which by now was completely strung across
the opening. He backed away and called out to a comrade,

"There can't be anyone in here. They would have had to break
this spider's web to enter the cave. Let's move on."

Years later, this young man, who made good his promise by
becoming a preacher and evangelist, wrote about that ordeal.

What he observed has stood by me in times of trouble, especially
during those times when everything seemed impossible:

"Where God is, a spider's web is as a stone wall.
Where God is not, a stone wall is as a spider's web."

POSITIVE DAILY PRAYER:

Dear God, I take a few moments now to turn my attention to You.  
As I pray, I am renewed and revitalized, ready for whatever is before me to accomplish.  
I let go of worries and settle into the comfort of Your presence.  
I breathe deeply and easily.  
I exhale slowly and gently.  
As I breathe in, I feel refreshed; as I breathe out, I feel relaxed.  
Thank You God for calming me and making me aware again of Your presence.  

In Jesus Christ's name… Amen

POSITIVE DAILY AFFIRMATION: I relax this weekend in the presence of God.

POSITIVE DAILY QUOTE: "The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, gift, or skill. It will make or break a company...a church...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so, it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes." Charles Swindoll

Reply - if you have a prayer need, Positive Christianity will pray with you daily,
for an entire month.  There Is Never a Charge for Prayer.

GOD BLESS YOU, Make It a Great Day !_______Christopher Ian Chenoweth