The Ladder from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.
For many years, I was a painter, and if it has anything to do with painting, I have probably done it. I've painted houses, hospitals, hotels, schools, factories, cars, and crow-footed plaster walls in 200-year-old mansions.
For a year, I walked on stilts and cut in ceilings day after day while we remodeled oceanfront high-rises. I grew used to being nine feet tall and felt like I walked so slowly when I took my stilts off at the end of the day.
Ladders were a big part of my life. You didn't see man-lifts here then. Those were luxury items only the rich could afford, and they weren't painters. No, we used good ol' sixty-foot tall, triple-section extension ladders that weighed as much as I did to get to the high stuff.
When you are sixty feet up on a ladder trimming a fascia board, you can look down and see a long slow bend in the aluminum frame. As you follow the lines down, there is a tiny spec at the bottom five stories beneath you. That little spec is the person holding the foot of your ladder. They keep it from kicking out from under you while you lean out as far as you can. When a sudden gust of wind comes, they are your best friend.
(Deuteronomy 33:26–27 NKJV) "There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to help you, And in His excellency on the clouds. The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms;
The Lord holds the foot of our ladder. It doesn't mean that our part won't be scary or that the wind won't blow, but that ladder is going nowhere, for it is standing firmly on the Rock. God is at the bottom, and even if we were to fall, He would catch us.
You can do whatever He brings you to, but you will have to learn to trust Him. You don't need great faith, just a little and time for it to grow. It is like a tiny acorn that matures into a giant oak tree. Though it can never move out of its spot, God provides everything that it needs. It is that way with all of nature, and so it is with us. Jesus told us this:
(Matthew 6:25–30 NKJV) "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"
Why do we fear? God is holding the bottom of our ladder. One thing we must overcome is the fear inside of us. We hold ourselves back by never even trying. How do you climb the ladder He puts before you? One rung at a time.
Don't despise small beginnings. The lion starts life as a cub. Over time, the small and weak become the great and powerful. Jesus spent His first night as a child on Earth laying in a feeding trough in a stable. Are we better than Him? There is nothing wrong with a humble start.
If you wait for everything you would ever need to come to you before you begin, then you will never start. Work with the Lord day by day and involve Him in whatever you are doing. Climb the ladder one rung at a time. You will find that the new rung holds you just as solidly as the last one did. This is what the Apostle Paul learned:
(Philippians 4:11–13 NKJV) Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Yes, you can if you don't let fear hold you back from ever trying. Only believe. The Lord is at the bottom, and He will catch you if you fall.
(Isaiah 41:10 NKJV) Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'
We are not shaken by every wind that comes along. We don't fall apart when the least bit of resistance appears. We continue on with the work trusting the Lord to hold the ladder.
(2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV) For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Why do we fear?
You can pray this with me if you like:
Prayer: Heavenly Father, please help me overcome my fears and learn to trust You more. Give me a clear vision of what You have for me, and let me know how I can be part of what You are doing today. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!
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Amen thank you Lord Jesus I know you keep me safe!
Amen Father I thank You for Your Blessings and taking care of me. I can do all things through Your strength.
AMEN. My favorite verse! "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". Faith over fear. Amen
Praise the Lord,Good morning everyone!
Amen.. Yes, Phillipines 4: 11-13. Thank you Jesus for always holding me up and keeping me from falling.
This was awesome. The prayer is exactly what I needed to pray today. I have been pretty much homebound since this whole Covid thing and I am sick and tired of it. I feel I have lost alot of my 'connection' with the Lord, and need to get back to that. My health now is not the best and I am applying for disability, but my heart screams out that I need to be a better servant to my God. I've always wanted to become a Drug and alcohol abuse counselor, now going on 18 years of sobriety, I cannot think of a better way to serve the Lord than with Biblical guidance, those in addiction. I need to find a certification course!!! God bless everyone.
awesome! yes do it! God is speaking to you :)
Amen, and thank you.
Thank you Pastor Dion for the wonderful message.We ask God to remove all our fears and give us peace,happiness and joy. Amen
Amen Good Morning Everyone
Important reminder of our Lord's faithfulness, Pastor Dion! Thank you for bringing His Word. Lord, let me know how I can be part of what You are doing today. In Jesus' name, Amen
Father, please deliver me from my fears and increase my faith, Amen!
Amen!!
Amen
Heavenly Father I know that sometimes I feel discouraged and many fears overcome me, hold me tightly to Your word to succeed while I follow You, thank You Father. In Jesus Christ name I pray, Amen. Praise the Lord.
Thank you Pastor once again for your devotionals and testimonies, God bless you and Sylvia, Amen.
Amen!
Thank you God for HOPE. Amen
Yes Lord. I trust you in every area of my life. Though man has failed me, though I have failed.. I thank you for always being there holding me up. I love you Jesus.
Thank you pastor Dion and Sylvia or another awesome service and very timely in my life I love you guys God bless you
Amen!
Yes, Lord Jesus, amen
Father, Please help me climb the Ladder you have for me with trust that you are not going to let me fail. Amen
In Jesus name I ask,Amen.
Amen! His strength is made perfect in weakness, as I grow weaker He lifts me up, gives me rest where there is unrest and makes me stronger! Blessed be His name!