Shirley
Remembering is a powerful weapon of faith
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The dictionary defines remembering as: to bring to mind or think of again, to keep in mind for attention or consideration, to retain in the memory, to record or commemorate
A few months ago, a loved one, let’s call her Cauliflower, was going through a crisis of great proportions. She had been going through what I like to call a Job-isq season (read the book of job to understand more). A season where her whole life seemed like it was falling apart and everything, she had feared in that season was knocking on her door, it was building up and nothing was letting up. It was one thing after another with no relief. At one point she even lamented that she felt like God had forsaken her, like her prayers and fasting were going unanswered. She felt deserted and alone. It had reached a point where I knew that we needed to do something drastic, and to do it fast. Together with another friend, let’s call him X, we decided to make time to call her daily to pray with her until we so the goodness of God in her season in alignment with (Mathew 18:19-20).
However, before we had our first of many meetings, I remember feeling this weight of hopelessness. I could not see how the situation could get better. All I could see was how impossible and big the problem was. I felt like a fraud who would be trying to offer hope when even I was feeling uncertain. However, just before we met to pray, I had a conversation with X and he was adamant that we were going to meet up with Cauliflower and it was not going to be a pity party session where all we would do lament about the problem, but that instead we were going to offer encouragement one way or another. So, we first prayed and asked God to guide our first prayer with Cauliflower, and then we called her. Something very interesting happened during our first meeting, for some reason we began looking back at Cauliflower’s life and remembering the many times that God had come through for her. We remembered testimony after testimony of Gods faithfulness in the past, and as we sat discussing this, I felt the tempo in our agreement (prayer meeting) get lifted up. The person we called to encourage got uplifted, she began speaking faith, we began laughing and joy and hope found its way in our agreement. By the time we had prayed we not only set the tempo for the next daily prayer meetings we would have with Cauliflower where gratitude and hope would always lead, but we as those who called to encourage felt our faith lifted. We were confident, we knew without a doubt in our hearts that God would fight for Cauliflower, and weeks after when things looked like they were not changing we held on to that faith, and God was faithful. We cannot always see what God is doing, in fact in some seasons it looks like he is not moving, but in those moments, I can assure you He does his best work, at least that is what I have come to see in my life.
That is the power of remembering. To remember is a powerful spiritual weapon of faith. When we look back on our lives and see the goodness and consistency of God, we can face the future in faith, in joy, in gratitude, in peace. We can face the future knowing that it does not matter even if our ‘now’ may may look uncertain or that the report may be catastrophic, because we serve a God who always works out everything for our God. We serve a God who has pre-destined our lives, He gone before us, He holds the world in His hands, and most importantly He loves us.
Remember, remember His goodness with everything in your heart. Remember it as if your very life depended on it. Whenever God does something always note it down, share it, commemorate it, celebrate it. Carry it with you because it is a powerful weapon!
Important bible verses
Deuteronomy 7:17-18
You may say to yourselves, “These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?” But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt.
Lamentations 3:21-24 Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, the LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!
Psalm 77:11-12 I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.
Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to his Apostles, saying, “Take, eat” (Mathew 26:26). “This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me” (Luke 22: 19). In a similar manner he took the cup of wine, traditionally diluted with water, said a blessing of thanks for it, and passed it to those gathered about him, saying: “This cup is the New Testament in my blood,” “which is shed … for the remission of sins.” “This do in remembrance of me.” “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come” (Luke 22: 20; Mathew 26: 28; Luke 22: 19; I Corinthians 11: 26 ).
Joshua 4:1-6 : When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’” 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. 5 And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, 6 that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”
When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
Psalms 103: 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
Psalms 119: 55 I remember your name in the night, O Lord, and keep your law.
Deuteronomy 5: 15 And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore, the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. (This idea is repeated in Deuteronomy 6:21; 15:15; 16:12; 24:22)
Romans 6: 17-19 Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. 18 Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. 19 Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.
Deuteronomy 8: 2 And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.
Psalm 77: 11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
I chronicles 16: 12
Remember His marvellous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth
God has done so much for me and in my life and God wants me to remember that.
Joshua 21: 45
Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.
Joshua 23: 14
“Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.
Colossians 3: 1-2
Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Romans 6: 8-11 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
2 Timothy 2:10-12 For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with-it eternal glory. It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us;
I Thessalonians 4: 17-18 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Exodus 20:8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Revelation 1: 7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.
Mathew 24: 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Mathew 25: 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
Revelation 22: 12 Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done.
Mathew 24: 44 Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Deuteronomy 8
8 Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. 2 Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. 5 Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.
6 Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; 8 a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; 9 a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.
10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
19 If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. 20 Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.
Isaiah 46:9-10 Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’
1 Chronicles 16:12 Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced.
Micah 6:5 My people, remember what Balak king of Moab plotted and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.
Ephesians 2:12-13 Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Psalm 103:2 Yes, I will bless the Lord and not forget the glorious things he does for me.
Psalm 66:16 Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me.
Deuteronomy 4:9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.
Psalm 78:5-7 He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.
Psalms 77: 10-12
Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand. I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”
Romans 15:4
“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”
Psalm 107
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3 those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.[a]
4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.
5 They were hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.
6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
to a city where they could settle.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
9 for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,
prisoners suffering in iron chains,
11 because they rebelled against God’s commands
and despised the plans of the Most High.
12 So he subjected them to bitter labor;
they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,
and broke away their chains.
15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
16 for he breaks down gates of bronze
and cuts through bars of iron.
17 Some became fools through their rebellious ways
and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
18 They loathed all food
and drew near the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them;
he rescued them from the grave.
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings
and tell of his works with songs of joy.
23 Some went out on the sea in ships;
they were merchants on the mighty waters.
24 They saw the works of the Lord,
his wonderful deeds in the deep.
25 For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
that lifted high the waves.
26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
in their peril their courage melted away.
27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards;
they were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.
29 He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea[b] were hushed.
30 They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
and praise him in the council of the elders.
33 He turned rivers into a desert,
flowing springs into thirsty ground,
34 and fruitful land into a salt waste,
because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
35 He turned the desert into pools of water
and the parched ground into flowing springs;
36 there he brought the hungry to live,
and they founded a city where they could settle.
37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards
that yielded a fruitful harvest;
38 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,
and he did not let their herds diminish.
39 Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled
by oppression, calamity and sorrow;
40 he who pours contempt on nobles
made them wander in a trackless waste.
41 But he lifted the needy out of their affliction
and increased their families like flocks.
42 The upright see and rejoice,
but all the wicked shut their mouths.
43 Let the one who is wise heed these things
and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.