Triumph Amidst Trials

How are we to approach trials? What should our attitude be? What do hardships mean in the life of the Christian?

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world”.

Firstly, Jesus has just come from telling his disciples how they will grieve when the world rejoices. He says how they will grieve but one day their grief will turn into joy. Jesus compares the grief to a woman giving birth. She anguishes from the pain when she knows that the hour has come, but once the child has been born she no longer remembers the pain she felt and is now over come with joy that the child has been born into the world. John 16:33 simply is telling us, believers in Christ that no matter what we face, Jesus has already overcome and we must not let it get us down.

Tough Tests

For the Christian, sometimes the things we go through on this earth may rock us to our core and make us feel unworthy to be called children of the Living God. Sometimes we are even tempted to ask God, ‘why me?’. This may be because some Christians teach and may believe that once you come to Christ, everything will be smooth and nothing will stand in your way anymore. This could not be further from the truth. Jesus makes it plain” in this world, ye SHALL have tribulation”. In other word, there WILL be trials, temptations, snares, uncomfortable situations you have to go through because of your belief and relationship with the Lord Jesus. There is no getting around them. The devil is only interested in persons who are making moves for the Lord Jesus, those who are already under his spell and trap; he has no need to bother them because they are his. Think about it: a hunter does not shoot the dead birds on the forest floor which he has already lodged his bullets into. Instead, he aims for the highest flying birds, because they are the ones with the most potential and would be considered of best value if caught. So it is with the Enemy, his soul mission is to frustrate and ultimately annihilate those in the services of the Lord of Heaven. This IS his job and so when one chooses to serve the Lord Jesus whole heartedly, you will endure trials. Things will happen to you that will make you wonder if this is really where you want to be. A preacher once said “if you don’t have trials, you need to check your spiritual life”. So for all those who have become discouraged because they seem to have it worse now than before they came to the Lord, realize that Jesus said that this would happen and you must face persecution because you choose to be different and follow the Lord and you must realize also that He has already said “And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” so there is no need to fear or be dismayed, in fact, Jesus wants you to be cheerful about your trials.

The Right Attitude To Have

Once you have accepted the fact that trials and temptations, ups and downs, and tests of faith are apart of the Christian experience, then you must now heed the words of the Lord Jesus and “be of good cheer”. In other words, we are to face our tribulations with smiles and with the hope the Lord will be with us and bring us through. There is no point in getting in depressed once trials come, because we believe in a God that rules the universe and can deliver us from anything. Ponder this verse of Scripture:

1 Peter 5:9 “Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings”.

Ever heard the song ‘Smile at the storm?’. When we demonstrate this is when our faith becomes mature and we are able to dwell in the secret place of the Most High and thus move those mountains of doubt, grief, and anger that seem to loom so large in our lives, blocking out the sun rays of hope. Sometimes we feel unloved and unworthy when we are going through tribulations, and sometimes we may feel like these things are happening to us because of something we did. But we must know that God’s love reaches to the highest mountain and to the lowest valley and that He will never stop loving His children. Jesus already told us that we will have the trials- which means that He has already taken the steps necessary to see us through! After all, didn’t he say in Hebrews 13 that He would never leave nor forsake us? Praise God before, during and after the trials, be of good cheer and let your face show it! Remember:

2 Corinthians 12:9 “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me”.

No matter what we have done or are going through, His grace will cover our mistakes, and that’s why the right attitude to have us to be cheerful, have faith God, trust Him, Love Him, Serve Him in the good times and the bad. Then will you see His Love revealed!

Hope: The Reason For Victory

Jesus is hope; in Him we have Life, Praise God! Jesus knew that this world of sin we live in may sometimes throw things at this we believe we can’t handle. Therefore he said “I have overcome the world”. Sometimes the initial reaction of us in this humanly state is to lose heart, lose faith, and ultimately lose hope. This is the completely the opposite of what Christ desires for us. He wants us to know that no matter what the situation is, weather financial trouble, physical illness, mental anguish, or emotional distress; He was already overcome the enemy. He has overcome the sinful world we live in-the one in which the evil one dwells, the one who causes these things to come upon to try to cause our faith in God to falter. It doesn’t matter how much you fall down, what matters in the amount of times you get up, confess your sins wholeheartedly to the Lord Jesus and keep on keeping on with Him. Jesus wants you to know that there will never be a time when the enemy is stronger than the power of good and righteousness. Remember:

1 John 4:4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world”.

When we we think about what God has done for us, we have no choice but to develop a hope that He will do what he says and no matter the amount of stress, pain, or grief you feel right now, know that the Lord Jesus is there and that he CANNOT fail you. A wise preacher once said “Life without Christ is a Hopeless End, but Life with Christ is an Endless Hope”. Jesus wants us to have that hope, especially when faced with adversity, then strengthens our faith and helps us to know that there really is no need to worry, because if Jesus is there, the situation has already been solved. Ponder this text:

Psalm 31:24 “Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord”.

Jesus is saying “I already know you will have trouble, serious trouble. But the catch is for you to be happy during this trouble, because I, your Lord, have already defeated the root of the problem”. That’s why we should pray always and praise God in all situations we find ourselves. If the devil cannot get us down, then his mission is a failure. So whenever you get a little down and start to wonder “is God there?” “Does He still love me?”, you can rest assure in the promise that He is with you always and that no matter the trouble that goes down in the world or your life, we as Christians already know the back of the book: Jesus will come one day in a glorious appearance, bigger than any VMA, Oscar, or Grammy award Ceremony and take those who love and cherish Him, and who have sought to build a relationship with Him while here on the earth; He will take us home where there is no trouble, no temptations, no trials, just joy happiness, and love forever! So don’t be dismayed, God is with you, and He has already overcome the problem, so don’t worry about it, just stay constant in prayer! Jesus loves you more than you can imagine and once your hope is in Him, no one can take victory away from you. The love of God is so insurmountable that it will blow your mind: you could have been leading a life a sin all along, and once you determine in your heart that God is who you want, you confess, and follow Him and He will not cast you out. As long as you live, you will have to face some tribulation, so get used to it. But remember, don’t ever let the enemy make you feel less than worthy or wanted by God because He is your help in time of trouble and He will NEVER leave your side no matter the situation. So smile at your troubles, Praise God for them, through them, and after them, Jesus already won the victory on the cross, and the hope that instills in the heart of the Christian is too much for ANY enemy to handle. Praise Jesus, now and forever!

How are you handling your trials?

God bless you!

Jesus In... Sin Out!

How do we handle sin in our life? How to we break away from its desires? Is the hope for a batter tomorrow?

Romans 6:12: Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.

Romans 6:13: Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.(New International Version)

This passage in Romans 6 challenges us as Christians to flee from sin and obey the word of the Lord. Firstly, the apostle Paul warns us not to let sin reign or thrive in our mortal body so that we don’t fall to its evil desires. The word “mortal” here is important because the world mortal actually means “liable or subject to death”. According to Romans 6:23, the wages of sin is death, so allowing a deadly toxin to thrive in a body that is already prone to death would only bring doom to that soul. This is why Paul emphatically said not to let it be there. If as humans our bodies are prone, or subject to death and death is the consequence of sin, then logically we can agree that is human nature to sin. For some reason, though it will ultimately bring death and destruction to those who do not turn away from it, we as human beings seem to love it. In today’s world it’s almost as if it’s cool to sin. Paul also recognized that because of our helpless state of being, if we indulge in sin, we will yield to temptations and allow the habits and desires formed to ultimately take us down a path of destruction. He is literally saying “if you have a sin that you are struggling with, deal with it immediately but do not allow it to grow and spread throughout your spiritual being, this way, you won’t obey it’s desires when they present themselves in your life”.

Secondly, Paul tells us in verse 13 not to offer ourselves as an instrument of wickedness but rather offer ourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life. Paul here is simply saying: serve God only. You can be serving God with 99% of your body, mind, and soul, but that 1% that you still allow sin to have dominion over is the part that will cause your downfall. Jesus plainly said in Matthew 6:24 that you CANNOT serve two masters. No matter how much you think you can, or how much you try, you cannot. This is why Paul encourages us not to offer any part of ourselves to sin as an instrument of wickedness. That would put us in a position where we would be saying that we are serving God, but behind closed doors we are knowingly not living up to the standards we are supposed to. Jesus called these types of people hypocrites. As Paul encourages us to stay away from sin, he steers us away from hypocrisy and ultimate destruction. Paul tells us to offer ourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life. This sets the stage for the stark contrast in Romans 6:23 which tell us that the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life. You see those who have been delivered our from a life of sin and are now serving God have literally been brought from walking down a path that ends with death to walking down one which ends in Eternal Life. Paul says this is the type of passion, vigor, and life that we are to have when we serve our God, because we know what He can do for us! People in today’s world may look down on you for being passionate for the Lord but with the immorality that is abounding is today’s society; we have no need to be ashamed. Someone needs to stand up for God’s Standards, why can’t it be you?

Lastly, Paul tells us to offer every part of ourselves as an instrument of righteousness to God. Here he is simply saying to the believer: choose life. You see verse 13 shows both sides of the coin. Death would be offering yourself to sin, but when your offer yourself fully to the Living God of Heaven, you are choosing life. Simply put, When Jesus is in, sin is out! Jesus said in Revelation 3:20 that he is standing at the door of your heart, knocking, and waiting for you to let Him in so that he can sit and sup with you. When you offer yourself to Him you are opening the door of your heart and allowing immense blessings to flow into your life. When Jesus is in your life, you won’t give in to the peer pressure for pre-marital sex, you won’t want to go out and drink and carry on like those who don’t know Jesus. You will see the world from a different perspective and only want to go places or indulge in practices that are pleasing to God. You will be able to stand up for what is right and be light in a dark world. In conclusion, Paul’s message in this passage is simple: Serve God only. Jesus in, Sin out! If we adopt this attitude then we can fulfill the charge of Matthew 5:14-16 and truly be the light of this world, not matter the situation or circumstance we find ourselves in. Jesus is our hope for tomorrow! Abide in Him as He abides in you! No matter what the world offers, choose Jesus today!

Which element is in your life?

God bless you!