It had been sitting there for a couple of weeks, at least, maybe a month. The stack of paper that needed to be sorted through and filed hadn’t been shrinking, as I had hoped, but was growing instead. Finally, it was no longer giving me a small wave, or clearing of the throat, as I walked by, but an authoritative command that demanded immediate action.

Knowing I could wait no longer, I decided to at least get the aid of fortification, so I did what any procrastinating proactive person would do.

I made myself a cup of strong coffee.

Caffeine coursing through my veins, I faced my giant. Receipts and statements, business cards for the data base, tax stuff galore; you name it, it was in there. So there was nothing left to do but begin. I picked up the first receipt and filed it in the appropriate file, following suit, one by one by one, until the last one found its home.

And you know what?

It only took me about an hour.

One hour.

Do you know how many hours there are in a month? No? Well, I’ll tell you.

730 and some change.

That’s right. I looked at that stupid stack of papers cluttering my desk for 730 hours. I let it burden me, fill me with dread, and loom like a black cloud over my head every time I walked through the room for all that time when it took only the tiniest fraction of it to do something about it.

You know, when you take action and allow a burden to be lifted from yourself, you feel empowered to face up to other giants in your life. Bigger monsters that perhaps have been nagging at you for a lot longer than 730 hours.

Maybe years.

Maybe a lifetime.

There’s a Power that’s considerably stronger than the darkest French Roast. Perhaps today is the day to tap into that Fortification and go slay some giants.

Perhaps today is the day for us both.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?…No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35, 37-39 ESV

“And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.” Ephesians 6:10-12 MSG

“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” 1 John 5:4 ESV

“And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.” 1 Corinthians 6:14 ESV

“I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 NIV (emphasis mine)