Category: Stuggles

I Won’t Back Down

I just came across a new version of the Tom Petty song, ‘I won’t back down’. It was so beautifully sung, but it reminded me of the original song. Thankfully they did not change one word, but as they sang the song the lyrics reminded me of my relationship with Christ Jesus and our Heavenly Father. How no matter how difficult and even painful life in this world can be, I cannot back down. I must stand my ground, firmly planted on The Rock. It’s lyrics are straight to the point, and for me it means that no matter what this world may throw at you, don’t back down. Stay true to God and stand firm on HIS Word. He won’t let you down.


I Won’t Back Down Lyrics / Tom Petty 1989
[Verse 1]
Well, I won’t back down
No, I won’t back down
You can stand me up at the gates of hell
But I won’t back down
No, I’ll stand my ground (Ephesians 6:12-14 New English Translation 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. 13 For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm therefore, by fastening the belt of truth around your waist, by putting on the breastplate of righteousness,)

Won’t be turned around
And I’ll keep this world from draggin’ me down (HE won’t let this world drag us away, He holds us tight and won’t let go of us.)
Gonna stand my ground
And I won’t back down

[Chorus]
I won’t back down
Hey baby, there ain’t no easy way out (It is not a path without trials, tribulations, and persecution when we follow Christ)
I won’t back down
Hey I will stand my ground
And I won’t back down

[Verse 2]
Well I know what’s right
I got just one life (With Jesus we have an eternal life if you choose to believe and follow HIM.)
In a world that keeps on pushin’ me around (the world persecutes us for our faith in Jesus)
But I’ll stand my ground
And I won’t back down

[Chorus]
I won’t back down
Hey baby, there ain’t no easy way out
I won’t back down
Hey, I will stand my ground
(I won’t back down)
And I won’t back down

[Instrumental Break]

[Chorus]
I won’t back down
Hey baby, there ain’t no easy way out
I won’t back down
Hey, I won’t back down
I won’t back down
Hey baby, there ain’t no easy way out
I won’t back down
Hey, I will stand my ground
(I won’t back down)
And I won’t back down
(I won’t back down)
No, I won’t back down

Here are both versions, the original and the one I listened to today. I hope you enjoy listening.

Thank God for the ones who give

Matthew 6:26-34 New King James Version
26 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? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 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? 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

God is our provider and He provides for our needs through us.

Life is not easy for most of us. We all have things in life we struggle with, needs we don’t know how they will be met. We worry and stress not knowing how we will pay the bills and at the same time feeling bad when we do not have the means to help another. I have been discussing this topic with someone I know who cannot understand why people they go to church with know that there are people who are struggling to put a roof over their head, food on the table, etc… yet don’t offer any physical help, only empty words.

This is a very giving person who has taken in a single father, his two daughters and his disabled mother and has now taken in another person. She also gives help to others with what she can. She has been trying desperately to raise money to help get an RV she found to house the woman she brought into her home on using Facebook. Unfortunately she hasn’t gotten any help there. A few people she knows outside of church have given her a little money to help but she still needs a thousand to purchase the RV. She actually has a goal of buying land to put RV’s on to help people who have become homeless to give them a place to live.

I am thankful to call her both a friend and sister in Christ. She is one who even helps me when she can. Even though she lives paycheck to paycheck. There is another person here who has been sending me help even though we have not met. I want to thank them, and they know who they are. ‘Thank you!’

God provides for His children through His body, His children. These are the people that don’t just go to church but are the church. When they see a person in need they do not hesitate to give. It has been difficult few years for me and I am still waiting for a decision on my disability case, so I understand the importance of being the arms and hands of God. I think about the widow with two mites who gives that last of what she has, and how Jesus acknowledged her gift. The the widow who made Elijah food out of the last her her flour and oil, and how God made sure that her and son did not go hungry the rest of their lives.

So thank all of you who give and meet the needs of others. You are evidence of God’s love and provision. I thank God for you and all you do. May He bless and prosper you all the days of your lives.

James 2:12 KJV So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. 13For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. 14What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 17Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

Matthew 25:36-40 English Standard Version 36 I was naked and You clothed me, I was sick and You visited me, I was in prison and You came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? 39 And when did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to Me.’

These scriptures describe you who love and give without concern for yourself.

Total Eclipse Of The Heart A Lesson

Total Eclipse Of The Heart
Lesson One


There are many things that make me stop and think of God, His Word and His love. One of those things happens to be lyrics to songs. These songs were not written with the intent to praise God, but the words in the lyrics make me think about my relationship with Him and how He feels about me. Some songs make me feel like He is singing personally to me. Others make me feel like I am speaking to Him, either out of desperation and need of Him, or my love for Him.
The song, ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’ is not a duet, but as the singer sings, there is a voice that keeps responding, ‘Turn around’. That one little verse made me think of how God is there, where ever we are and no matter what we are going through, if we will just turn to Him we will make it through.
Let us read the lyrics of this song and my thoughts and questions alongside.

Total Eclipse of the Heart Lyrics written by Jim Steinman and sung by Bonnie Tyler
[Verse 1]
(Turn around)
Even before she sings a voice is saying to turn around
Every now and then, I get a little bit lonely
And you’re never coming ’round
Question; Do you ever feel lonely or neglected like the person in this song?
Can you think of people in the Bible who had felt this way?
Psalm 25:16-17 “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses.”
(Turn around) I hear God saying turn to Me.
Matthew 28:20 “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Every now and then, I get a little bit tired
Of listening to the sound of my tears
Question: Have you gotten tired of your situation and pain?
1 Samuel 30:4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep.
(Turn around) Turn To Him. He will comfort you and give you strength.
Psalm 29:11 The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace.

Every now and then, I get a little bit nervous
That the best of all the years have gone by
Question: Are you afraid that you have wasted your life?
1 Peter 1:17 ESV And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,
(Turn around) Turn to Him and no matter how you lived before, your life still has purpose.
But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.

Every now and then, I get a little bit terrified
And then I see the look in your eyes
Question what terrifies you or causes you to have fear or anxiety?
In the world we live in it is easy to have things that can cause you to be stressed, worried, anxious, and terrified. I have a constant battle with all of these things myself. The good news is that I know that thes are things that God did not give to me, so I can still have hope.
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.
[Refrain]
(Turn around, bright eyes) Turn to Him and He will take care of your needs.
Psalm 22:26 The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the LORD will praise him may your hearts live forever!
Psalm 146:7 He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The LORD frees the prisoners.

Every now and then, I fall apart
(Turn around, bright eyes)
Every now and then, I fall apart
Question: Have you ever felt like you or your world has fallen apart?
I have more times than I can count, and I am even going through one of thos periods right now.
Question; So how do we get through these times?
[Verse 2]
(Turn around) We turn to HIm and trust Him.
Isaiah 41:10-13 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 11 Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. 12 You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. 13 For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”
Psalm 84:11-12 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, How blessed is the man who trusts in You!
Every now and then, I get a little bit restless
And I dream of something wild
Question: Do you ever get tired of where you are at?
Maybe you want to try to do something that might not be right for you because things might not feel like they are going in the direction you want them to.
(Turn around) Seek Him and pursue His direction for you even if for the moment you have to wait.
Jeremiah 29:11-13
11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare[b] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
Every now and then, I get a little bit helpless
And I’m lying like a child in your arms
(Turn around)
Every now and then, I get a little bit angry
And I know I’ve got to get out and cry
No matter how you may be feeling it is okay, it is even okay to feel angry. Feelings are not wrong, but we need to be careful with our emotions. It is so easy to lash out at others when we are in pain. If you do this, don’t beat yourself up, just make sure to apologize and let the other know you did not intend to hurt them. There is a saying that is very true, ‘Hurt people, hurt people’.
(Turn around) Take what you are feeling to God and He will help you. You may have to keep doing this, because emotions can come at you like waves of the ocean. That is okay because He will always be there for you, no matter how you may be feeling.
1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV No temptation(emotion/my personal thought) has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Ephesians 4:26 ESV Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
Ephesians 4:31 ESV Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
Every now and then, I get a little bit terrified
But then I see the look in your eyes
[Refrain]
(Turn around, bright eyes)
Every now and then, I fall apart
(Turn around, bright eyes)
Every now and then, I fall apart

[Chorus]
And I need you now tonight
And I need you more than ever
And if you only hold me tight
We’ll be holding on forever
And we’ll only be making it right
‘Cause we’ll never be wrong
We need Him every moment of our lives. He will never leave you, and will hold you in the palm of His hand. He makes all things right. With Jesus you will never be wrong.
Together, we can take it to the end of the line
Together with Him, wlaking the path He has set before you and walks with you, you will make it to the end of the line.
Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time (All of the time)
He covers you with His love and is with you at all times.
I don’t know what to do and I’m always in the dark
Living in a world filled with darkness, we cannot always know what to do. So we turn to the One True Light and He will lead us through it.
We’re living in a powder keg and giving off sparks
I really need you tonight
Forever’s gonna start tonight
Forever’s gonna start tonight
Forever starts the moment we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

The Lesson continues.
Recap
The song, ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’ is not a duet, but as the singer sings, there is a voice that keeps responding, ‘Turn around’. That one little verse made me think of how God is there, where ever we are and no matter what we are going through, if we will just turn to Him we will make it through.
Let us continue to read the lyrics of this song and my thoughts and questions alongside.

[Post-Chorus]
Once upon a time, I was falling in love
But now I’m only falling apart
There’s nothing I can do
A total eclipse of the heart
You made the decision to follow Christ and accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Then the trials and tribulations of this life knock you down and you start looking at the problems more than you are focusing on Him. The problems become giants and mountains that you begin to circle.
Once upon a time, there was light in my life
But now there’s only love in the dark
Nothing I can say
A total eclipse of the heart
Now the mountains and giants block out His light and you don’t know what to do, and once again you feel lost and hopeless. You still know He loves you but all you can see is the darkness around you.
Question: What are the giants and mountains in your life that are eclipsing the Light of Jesus in your life?
Question: What do you do now / how do you defeat the giants and get over the moutnains?
[Interlude]
(Turn around, bright eyes) Turn to God and put your trust in Him
1 Samuel 17:44-46 David Slays Goliath
…44“Come here,” he called to David, “and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” 45But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand. This day I will strike you down, cut off your head, and give the carcasses of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the creatures of the earth. Then the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.…
(Turn around, bright eyes) Turn you eyes and see the goodness of God and have faith.
Psalm 27:13 NKJV I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.
Matthew 17:20 NKJV 20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your [a]unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

[Verse 3]
(Turn around)
Every now and then, I know you’ll never be the boy
You always wanted to be
Every now and then it is easy for us to forget who we are in Christ and forget whose image we are being made into.
(Turn around)
But every now and then, I know you’ll always be the only boy
Who wanted me the way that I am
God not only knows who you are but has loved and wanted you before you even knew who He is.
(Turn around)
Every now and then, I know there’s no one in the universe
As magical and wondrous as you
There is no other God, He is both Creator and our Heavenly Father, and He is truly amazing.
(Turn around)
Every now and then, I know there’s nothing any better
There’s nothing that I just wouldn’t do
There is nothing better than Him, and He gave us something no other would ever do. He gave the life of His only Son so that we are not only forgiven, but we have eternal life through Jesus.

[Refrain]
(Turn around, bright eyes)
Every now and then, I fall apart
(Turn around, bright eyes)
Every now and then, I fall apart
So if you fall down, fall apart, or even get lost along the way. He is there to find you, pick you up, and put you back together.
[Chorus]
And I need you now tonight (And I need you)
And I need you more than ever
And if you only hold me tight (If you love me)
We’ll be holding on forever
And we’ll only be making it right (And we’ll never)
‘Cause we’ll never be wrong
Together, we can take it to the end of the line
Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time (All of the time)
I don’t know what to do, I’m always in the dark
We’re living in a powder keg and giving off sparks
I really need you tonight
Forever’s gonna start tonight
(Forever’s gonna start tonight)
[Post-Chorus]
Once upon a time, I was falling in love
But now I’m only falling apart
Nothing I can do
A total eclipse of the heart
Once upon a time, there was light in my life
But now there’s only love in the dark
Nothing I can say
A total eclipse of the heart
A total eclipse of the heart
A total eclipse of the heart

[Outro]
(Turn around, bright eyes)
(Turn around, bright eyes)
(Turn around)
(Ooh-ooh)
(Ah-ha, ah-ha)
(Ah-ha, ah-ha)
(Ooh-ooh)

Just like life the lyrics repeat, but the message and lesson remains the same. He will never leave you or reject you. If you fall down He is there to pick you up. If you feel broken and useless He will heal you and give you purpose. There is some things you will need to do, and that is turn to Him and give your life to Him. Love and follow Him. Listen to His voice and never be afraid of asking Him for help.
You may have noticed that I di not include as many scriptures in the second part of this lesson. The reason I did this is because your assignment is to share scriptures that the lyrics of this song inspired you to think of. Just my little way of encouraging you to seek Him in His Word.
Looking forward to reading the scriptures you have to share, and also share what inspires you.
God bless and prosper you and your loved ones.

Faith When You Cannot See

During the day if you look into the sky you can see the sun. Then night falls and you can no longer see the sun. Does that mean it no longer exists? Just because you cannot see it, you still know that it still exists. Now think about the moon. You can only see it at night, but there are phases of the moon. A full moon is only seen one night of its cycle, there rest of that cycle you only can see parts of the moon and then there is the moonless night. It is still out there in space reflecting the light of the sun. Then there are cloudy, rainy and even stormy days and nights when you cannot see either, but they are still there.

Photos by Reiko Chinen/Julie Sheppard

During the dark periods of our lives it is easy to lose faith. It is hard to see beyond the problems we face in our lives. The trials, tribulations, storms and giants that we face can eclipse our view of God in our lives. This is when we need to hold on to faith. Faith is believing when you cannot see.

Hebrews 11:1-3

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. (Read the entire chapter)

Just because I cannot see the end of the storm does not mean it will not end. Also if you are in the boat with Jesus, you will make it safely through. Moses lead the Israelites through the Red Sea on dry land while Pharaoh’s army was in pursuit of them. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into a fiery furnace for refusing to bow down and worship an idol. They were no in the furnace alone. No matter how dark or stormy, or how hot the fire is, HE is always with you. He will never leave and abandon you. HE is faithful and true and the ONE who you can always trust. So what ever you are going through, know that you are not alone. HE is right there with you. Just because we cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel does not mean it is not there, we just haven’t gone far enough down the path yet. Just keep pressing through, and HE will see you through. Have faith, trust in Him, no matter how long it takes, and this is coming from someone who is still waiting to get to the other side of my own tribulations. Even though I cannot see the end of the storm, or the light at the end of this dark tunnel, I know HE is the ONE I can trust completely.

Art by Reiko Chine/Julie Sheppard – Light At The End Of The Tunnel

When I drew this picture I was actually going through an actual trial, but I chose to hold on to faith and believe that HE would get me through. A friend gave me a caption that I like, ‘There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Don’t worry, it is not a train. It is the Light of Jesus Christ.’

I do not know what trials or troubles you are going through right now, and just like I do not know when my own are going to end but if we hold on to faith in Jesus we are going to make it through.