We Are In A Season Where We May Need What We Don't Like!

Have you experienced certain things in your life that you did not like at the time, but later realized were needed?

May I Share A Few Things I Didn't Like?

Recently I was driving through a dangerous snow storm going to Pittsburgh, PA to minister. I don't like snow storms, especially driving in them. Another thing I don't like is big eighteen wheeler trucks flying down the highways passing me by when I am driving. When they pass you by they can throw stones at your car and crack your windshield.

This snow storm was beating down hard but the roads were well-salted. But, my windshield solvent line had become frozen and my windshield became coated with salt making it almost impossible to see. The windshield wipers only made it worse. I felt dangerously blinded.Then all of a sudden I noticed something. Every time an eighteen wheeler passed by me and got ahead of me, it's tires would throw water up on my windshield and I could see. Because of the storm there weren't many trucks on the road so I began to pray for more trucks on my highway. "Lord, please send me more trucks." When I could faintly see a truck that was way ahead of me, I would speed up to catch up to it so it could throw water on my windshield. The trucks became my deliverance through the storm. I will never complain again about trucks on the highway.

Another time when I was driving in a snowstorm a huge truck ahead of me was going slower than I wanted. Although the roads were treacherous, I decided to take a risk and pass this humongous hindrance to make up for loss time. As I began to turn into the passing lane, I noticed a huge snow plow in front of the truck and it dawned on me I needed to be behind the plow or I might never get to where I was going. Again, what I didn't like, I needed.

Lord, "Why Has Our Troubles Come Upon Us Like An Avalanche Of Snow"?

Job 38:22 "Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow..."

Again, driving recently in another snow squall, I cried out to the Lord, "How could the Apostle Paul say that his and our many troubles are just a 'light' affliction compared to the glory that is to be revealed in us. ( 2 Corinthians 4:17 ) Was Paul crazy? Lord, show me what Paul meant and show me what my struggles and overwhelming problems look like to you. How do you see them from your point of view?" The Lord responded, "Son, look at just one of those snowflakes! You see it and then it's gone!" That is what all of your avalanche of troubles look like to Me in the eyes of eternity. They are as light and short-lived as the life of a snow flake. That is what I see."

Corrie Ten Boom, speaking at a conference, kept looking down as she spoke as if knitting something. Near the end of her teaching someone asked her why she was looking down and not paying much attention to the people. She held up a tapestry she was doing needle work on. Holding up the side that was frayed and hard to make sense of, she explained, "On this side of eternity our lives many times look like this." Then she turned the tapestry over and said, "But from God's eternal point of view, He sees something beautiful and good."

Lord, help us to understand that what appears to be a blizzard of problems is actually a treasury of snow.

Blessings,

Bill Yount

http://www.billyount.com

How David's Small Tent Turned Into A Tabernacle Of Worship! 1 Samuel 17:54

1 Samuel 17:54 After David slew Goliath the scripture says, "David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but put his armor in his 'tent'."

As we look at the armor of Goliath, I am persuaded to believe that David had to stretch out his tent a bit to hold it all.

Goliath was believed to be about ten feet tall, so quite a bit of armor was covering his body.1 Samuel 17:5-7. "And Goliath had a bronze helmet on his head ( remember Goliath had a big head ) and wore a coat of mail ( a flexible body armor made of small overlapping metal rings.) This coat weighing 5,000 shekels of bronze is believed to be about 125 lbs. Verse 6. He had a bronze skin armor on his legs and a bronze javelin ( a light spear for throwing ) across his shoulders. 7. And the shaft of his huge spear was like a weaver's beam ( approximately 3 inches in diameter ) with the spear's head weighing 600 shekels or about 15 lbs. And a shield bearer went before him. David probably took the bearer's shield also.

The Trophies Inside David's Tent Created The Atmosphere Of Worship!

 With all of Goliath's armor in David's tent he would never forget what the Lord had done for him and the nation of Israel. What I am about to express is my creative opinion and is not a difinite word from God. But would you stretch your imagination with me to see what else may have been in David's tent causing it to be stretched into a tabernacle of thanksgiving and praise? Besides Goliath's armor, I believe there were other trophies. Memories of the legacy of Israel's past history of crossing that Jordan river overflowing all of it's banks lingered in his tent. ( Joshua 3:7 ) The testimony of those 'stones of remembrance' was commanded by the Lord to be handed down through Israel's generations. ( Joshua 4:7 ) David heard about those 'stones of remembrance' from his father. I believe that is why when David went to face Goliath, he got to thinking, 'I'd better find me some stones." So he went to a brook.

 

Picking up that first stone, he relived that miracle crossing of Jordan and his faith began to rise. Picking up the second stone, he remembered that bear.That bear was gone except for the bear skin rug. Reaching for the third stone, he remembered that beautiful lion rug on the floor of his tent. In the evening David would often lean back in his 'bear' chair and rub his bare feet over the back of that lion's fur. What came to take him out was so sweet under his feet! Gripping that fourth stone, he remembered, Goliath had a brother with three sons. He thought to himself, "I'd better make that five stones in case the family shows up! And as he picked up that fifth stone, he saw Goliath's name written all over it and a shouting spell broke over him, "I feel a giant killing anointing coming down all over me, Saul, let me go kill him!" It was 'faith gone wild!" I believe the four stones that David didn't have to use were kept in his tent also.

 

It seems reasonable to believe that David had to keep stretching the curtains of his dwelling place and lengthening his tent stakes to hold all the weapons and trophies the Lord was giving him through his enemies. David's tent became a tabernacle of ongoing praise and worship making him a full-time worshipper, part-time shepherd! Even in times of discouragement, his past victories caused him to 'believe to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."

 

The Greatest Trophy In David's Tent

 

Last but not least, I believe David's biggest trophy in his tent that created such an atmosphere of violent worship was himself. It flowed out of him from knowing he was God's trophy of grace. Even later with David's failure with Bethsheba, knowing he was a great sinner, he knew he had a great saviour!

 

The Greatest Weapon In David's Armor

 

'Remembering' was perhaps the most powerful weapon David had as his armor. His remembrance made him a giant killer.

 

'Remembering' is perhaps a nation's most powerful weapon against her enemies. When a nation remembers her past God given victories, she rises again becoming unstoppable. Even remembering our past tragedies such as 9/11 brings forth a unity and resilence in our nation to overcome our next impossible odds.

 

Blessings,

 

Bill Yount

 

http://www.billyount.com

Author Reveals Prophetic Stones of Remembrance to Rebuild Future Generations

Remembering is perhaps America's greatest weapon against her enemies. In the face of hurricanes, floods, fires, economic crises and terrorism, God's gift of remembering her past victories has always been her foundation.When America remembers, she rises again becoming unstoppable. Bill Yount in his new book, Prophetic Stones of Remembrance...A Legacy for the End Times, reminds us as individuals as well as nations that it's in remembering how we overcame what appeared to be our epitome of defeat that creates the stones to rebuild our lives and future generations. Going through our most difficult moments in life causes us to pick up stones of wisdom and insight that give us an edge to win as we face the next impossible odds. Bill shares prophetic insights he has experienced from his own struggles that will encourage the faith of many to go the distance in the End Times.

Blessings,

Bill Yount

http://www.billyount.com