Devo from July 7 2024 Service by Pastor James Sunnock

This past weekend, Pastor James Sunnock titled his message "Courage in Crisis; Strength in Struggles." As men of God, we have had struggles and will continue to face them. We need to work on responding to them with courage and strength. We must remember that our source of strength and courage comes from our Father, and we must walk in faith, trusting He is in control!  We also need safe and trusted men to walk alongside us through these times of need.

An amazing demonstration of strength and courage in the faith of trials comes from the testimony of two men in London, Bishop Ridley and Bishop Latimer, who ran afoul of the Queen in the 1500’s.  The Queen hated them so much that she ordered them to be burned at the stake.  When they arrived at the stake to be burned, Ridley embraced Latimer and said: “Be of good heart, brother, for God will either assuage the fury of the flame or else strengthen us to abide it.”  They then knelt at the stake and prayed.  After they were chained together at the stake, with gunpowder bags hung around their necks, the wood at their feet was lit.  Latimer then said, “ Be of good cheer, Ridley; and play the man.  We shall this day, by God’s grace, light up such a candle in England, as I trust, will never be put out”.

Although we may not face a crisis like Ridley and Latimer's, we can always respond the same way they did. Instead of focusing on the bad aspects of the situation, they accepted that it was happening, and went to their deaths glorifying God.

Now, most of our crises or struggles are not usually life-or-death. But when we do face them, we can respond as Ridley and Latimer did. They praised God and kept him as their focus, not the impending doom and gloom. They honored each other and were there for each other with words of encouragement. They put their faith in God and allowed him to guide them through the trial.

Pastor James touched on another point that I think is worth considering. He spoke of Rally Points. In the Military, rally points are defined as “a point designated where the team moves to reassemble and reorganize if it becomes dispersed.”  The key to a rally point is to get the team in a safe place to rest, devise a plan, or heal.  

Men, we need to have safe, trusted men who we can meet at a “rally point” to reorganize, heal, grow, overcome, and be encouraged.  Doing this will ensure we are positioned to respond to struggles or crises with strength and courage.

So, how are you doing with this?

Don’t forget to invite God into your day!

Joshua 1:9