1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 1: Life Audio. Welcome to the Crosswalk devotional. We're glad to 2 00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:16,720 Speaker 1: have you listening with us. Today's topic is how God 3 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:19,400 Speaker 1: will give you the power and protection you need to 4 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:22,880 Speaker 1: achieve your goals. We'll return with the devotional after a 5 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:39,239 Speaker 1: brief message from our sponsors. God will be your strength 6 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:43,640 Speaker 1: and shield. Written and read by Whitney Hoppler. The Lord 7 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:47,200 Speaker 1: is my strength and my shield. My heart trusts in him, 8 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 1: and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and 9 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:55,240 Speaker 1: with my song I praise Him, Psalm twenty eight seven v. 10 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:00,840 Speaker 1: My grandmother, Lena Wikoff found it a pop popular railroad 11 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:05,080 Speaker 1: history museum. The process took years and required her and 12 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:09,199 Speaker 1: other volunteers with the organization she founded to overcome many 13 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 1: different challenges. But Grandma persisted because she said God inspired 14 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:16,959 Speaker 1: her to set the goal of starting the museum, and 15 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:19,200 Speaker 1: she was sure that he would help her every step 16 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 1: of the way. As Grandma's volunteer group made more and 17 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:27,720 Speaker 1: more progress, people started calling Grandma the Little Engine who Could, 18 00:01:28,319 --> 00:01:31,840 Speaker 1: after the main character in the classic children's story The 19 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:36,200 Speaker 1: Little Engine that Could, about a train engine that overcame 20 00:01:36,319 --> 00:01:40,880 Speaker 1: challenges to pull a train over a mountain. Grandma loved 21 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:44,040 Speaker 1: her new nickname, but she let people know that the 22 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 1: reason she could be the little Engine who Could was 23 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:51,480 Speaker 1: because she relied on God's strength to help her. God 24 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 1: also served as a shield for Grandma, protecting her from 25 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 1: discouragement whenever a new challenge popped up along the way. 26 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 1: Since Grandma trusted God to be her strength and shield, 27 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:06,640 Speaker 1: she was able to persist and finally achieve the goal 28 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:10,960 Speaker 1: God led her to set. Ever since the museum opened, 29 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:14,640 Speaker 1: it has attracted many visitors and broad joy to adults 30 00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:18,680 Speaker 1: and children alight. What's an important goal you're trying to 31 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:20,239 Speaker 1: achieve in your own life. 32 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:23,840 Speaker 2: Whatever that goal is, it may feel like a mountain 33 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:27,080 Speaker 2: to you. You can see the peak and you want 34 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:30,639 Speaker 2: to get there, but looking at the steep inclineate challenges 35 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 2: in front of you can discourage you from trying to 36 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:34,280 Speaker 2: make progress. 37 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 1: Psalm twenty eight seven assures you that God will help 38 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:41,800 Speaker 1: you by being both your strength and your shield. You 39 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:44,000 Speaker 1: can rely on God to give you the strength you 40 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 1: need as you work to achieve your goal. God will 41 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:50,320 Speaker 1: empower you, and there's no limit to God's power, so 42 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:54,600 Speaker 1: anything is possible to achieve when you're trusting God. You 43 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:57,360 Speaker 1: can also count on God to protect you from anything 44 00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:01,720 Speaker 1: harmful that headed your way, like an expected setbacks, your 45 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:05,960 Speaker 1: own doubts, or criticism from other people. By being your shield, 46 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:09,840 Speaker 1: God will fuel your progress and protect you along the 47 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:13,800 Speaker 1: way as you work to achieve your goals. This verse 48 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:16,960 Speaker 1: shows trust at work when it says, and he helps me. 49 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 1: It sounds so simple, doesn't it, But how often do 50 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:26,200 Speaker 1: you actually stop and ask God for help. God cares 51 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:29,440 Speaker 1: about all of your goals, and he wants to help 52 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:34,000 Speaker 1: you achieve them. God is a loving, heavenly father who 53 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:37,760 Speaker 1: really cares about all the details of your life. If 54 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:41,760 Speaker 1: it matters to you, it matters to God. If God 55 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:44,440 Speaker 1: has led you to set a goal that's important to you, 56 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:47,360 Speaker 1: don't just set it and then try to achieve it 57 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:52,200 Speaker 1: on your own. Instead, stay connected to God regularly through 58 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:55,920 Speaker 1: prayer and meditation, and ask God to help you while 59 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:59,440 Speaker 1: you work to make progress. God can open doors you 60 00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:03,320 Speaker 1: can't see, provide resources you didn't know you need it, 61 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:08,360 Speaker 1: and give you a peace that makes the journey actually enjoyable. P. 62 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:12,640 Speaker 1: Twenty eight seven ends with the author King David saying 63 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 1: that his heart leaps for joy and that he's praising 64 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 1: God by singing. David is celebrating wholeheartedly because God has 65 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:24,480 Speaker 1: given him tremendous power and protection and helped him with 66 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:28,920 Speaker 1: everything he needed. Imagine how much stress you could let 67 00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:32,800 Speaker 1: go of and how much joy you could experience. If 68 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:36,080 Speaker 1: you trust God to help you achieve your goal, you 69 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:39,200 Speaker 1: won't have to worry about any challenge that comes your 70 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:43,400 Speaker 1: way because you'll know that God is in control. So 71 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:46,080 Speaker 1: take that big goal that feels like a mountain and 72 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:49,240 Speaker 1: hand it over to God. Don't just ask God to 73 00:04:49,279 --> 00:04:53,320 Speaker 1: bless your plans, ask Him to be your strength and shield. 74 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:57,119 Speaker 1: Trust that God will help you and rely on his help. 75 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:01,560 Speaker 1: As you do in God's timing, you'll see your goal 76 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:07,040 Speaker 1: become a reality. Intersecting faith in life as you consider 77 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:09,159 Speaker 1: how God will be your strength and shield as you 78 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:14,240 Speaker 1: pursue your goals. Reflect on these questions. What's one important 79 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:17,599 Speaker 1: goal you're currently working toward that feels overwhelming to handle 80 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:21,000 Speaker 1: on your own in What ways have you been relying 81 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:23,880 Speaker 1: on your own strength lately? And how can you start 82 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:27,560 Speaker 1: relying more on God to empower you. What do you 83 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:30,840 Speaker 1: need God to protect you from right now so you 84 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:34,480 Speaker 1: can make progress on your goal? When you remember how 85 00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:37,760 Speaker 1: God helped to achieve something important in the past. How 86 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:41,719 Speaker 1: does that change your perspective on your current goal? How 87 00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:44,599 Speaker 1: can you invite God into your work this week to 88 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:49,320 Speaker 1: help you make progress toward achieving your goal. Further reading 89 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:55,240 Speaker 1: Psalm one twenty one one through two, Philippians four thirteen, 90 00:05:56,400 --> 00:06:03,159 Speaker 1: Isaiah forty one ten, Proverbs five through six, Tewod Corinthians 91 00:06:03,520 --> 00:06:11,600 Speaker 1: twelve nine. Thanks for listening to today's devotional. If you 92 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:13,800 Speaker 1: liked what you heard today, we want to make sure 93 00:06:13,839 --> 00:06:17,000 Speaker 1: you know about our sister podcast your Daily Prayer. 94 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:20,960 Speaker 2: When you follow your daily prayer in your favorite podcast app, 95 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:22,919 Speaker 2: you'll get a brand new prayer. 96 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:26,320 Speaker 1: And devotional each day, so your days begin in conversation 97 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 1: with God. If you're looking to grow in prayer or 98 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:32,600 Speaker 1: start your day with your heart focused on the right things, 99 00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:37,240 Speaker 1: search for your daily prayer in your favorite podcast app 100 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:39,760 Speaker 1: and be sure to follow the show so you get 101 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:42,960 Speaker 1: a new prayer delivered straight to you each morning.