Everlasting

Guest Blogger: Habibah Sulayman

I have a confession--I LOVE to box! Not Mike Tyson ear biting type of boxing but I like to box as a form of exercise. It makes my turkey wings aka my arms :) look and feel great.

My trainer, who has to be one of the most creative women I know, has created a section in her gym/basement, where she has set the punching bag on a chair and tied it to a standing column with two exercise resistance bands! Told you she was fabulous :).

She knows how much I enjoy boxing and since I am on a cardio kick--she lets me box myself silly sometimes.

On the front of the bag it states the following:

"EVERLASTING--THE CHOICE OF CHAMPIONS"

What most people dont know is that exercise has become a time of worship for me. I am fully aware of God's power in me when I work out because I know there are things that I am able to do then--dips, running on a treadmill among others--that I cant do in my own strength. So I usually meditate on a thought or two when I am exercising. I have little chants that I say in my head when I finally get a rhythm going--My trainer has this exercise I do while boxing--I squat and punch the bag as I come to a full stand. It is usually done to a 6 count. So my fav chant during that is Your will, Your way, Your Word or something like that. It is a time that I can drown out all of my busy thoughts and just focus on Him.

Yesterday, one of my favorite Worship leaders Theresa Noye (luv her and her family so much) sang a song called Everlasting by Chris Tomlin and some of the lyrics are as follows:

Our God, You reign forever

Our hope, our Strong Deliverer

You are the everlasting God

The everlasting God

You do not faint

You won't grow weary

You're the defender of the weak

You comfort those in need

You lift us up on wings like eagles

As I sang--I got a big picture. I began to reflect on God's everlasting presence in my life. How He never grows faint in His love for me and my loved ones. How He didnt grow faint when He pursued me all those years before I said "Yes" in my heart to Him. How He never grows faint in extending me more and more mercy & grace knowing full well how bad I am going to blow it. He never grows weary of hearing my cries as it is written "

The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them." Psalm 145:18-19 (NIV)

So even when I call on Him in TRUTH of my mess, weakness, shakiness--He NEVER grows tired of answering me. I just began to meditate on ALL of the things my mind could pull up that He doesnt faint or grow weary in when it comes to me and my heart was full.

This weekend's false prophecy made me sad more than anything because there are so many people who grew weary and almost fainted because they put their all in a man--who did exactly what we do in our own power FAIL. I know how that feels and I grieve for them all.

Instead of judging or mocking them--I began to look at my own life to see if I had any false prophets or idols I had been placing my everlasting faith in--It could be in the form of the job we think is our provision, the whispered promises of an illicit person who swears to never leave if we only give in, or could it be the talent/abilities that God has given us that we place faith in instead of the Giver of All? If we are all honest--we all have some small or big "false prophet" in our lives that we must renounce our agreement with (another Min Theresa Noye nugget of wisdom)

But guess what--there is Someone who doesnt--Someone who is EVERLASTING in His promises, power, mercy, grace, andl LOVE if you just say yes.

He is the EVERLASTING God--and choosing to say yes to Him will make you a champion. He is waiting to show each and everyone of His tired and weary children how much He loves them.

So today my prayer is that we begin to place our faith and hope back into the EVERLASTING arms of the only One who it belonged to all along...

Be blessed