As children of God Almighty, we have victory every day of our lives. Because of God’s gift of eternal life, we have nothing to fear in this old, sinful world. Our victory comes from the Lord through His son, Christ Jesus. When we accepted Jesus as our personal Savior and Lord, we put our faith in him and received the gift of life everlasting. Nothing can take that away from us.
Paul, in chapter eight of his epistle to the Christians in Rome, writes, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Although nothing can take us away from God, we sometimes find ourselves wandering away from our Heavenly Father. When that happens, we soon find ourselves in deep trouble. The enemy surrounds us like an army laying siege to a small town. Our options are limited and we have nowhere to go or no one to run to. We are trapped and it would be so easy to lie down and just give up.
We have all been in that very situation. Because of whatever reason, we choose our path and leave God. Sometimes, it doesn’t take much for us to leave. Show us something shiny and we are off to follow it. But, as we get closer to whatever it is, we soon find that “all that glitters is not gold.” We have been chasing after a mirage and now are facing the full force of Satan and his demons in our lives.
What are we to do? Some would say that we should just give in and all will be fine. Others would just give up and fall into the clutches of their own desires. But, all is not lost. Our Heavenly Father is always there for us. Remember, we are His children and we can look to Him for help, strength and courage. We truly have nothing to fear.
Isaiah, in chapter forty-one of his book, records words of God’s promise to us, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”
These are not the words of Isaiah or even my own. They are the words of God Most High. He has promised you that He will be there in your times of trouble and when you need Him most. You should never be discouraged or feel that He has forsaken you.
Just today, God reminded me of that promise while I was having breakfast at my favorite restaurant. I ran into Brother Mike and he shared his testimony with me. As we were about to part, he gave me his business card. On the back of it was a Bible verse that we should all keep in our hearts as we face situations that could push us to our limits and beyond.
David, in Psalm eighteen, writes, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies.”
Even when we have strayed away, we can still call upon our Father to rescue us. He is truly our shield, fortress and our rock. We have nothing to fear or to be discouraged about. So, don’t believe the words of the enemy or let him lure you farther away from your Heavenly Father. Stand firm in your faith and know that God the Father loves you.
Paul, in chapter four of his second epistle to the Corinthians, writes, “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”
Never lose sight of God’s love or His promise to you. Fix your eyes upon Him and those things that cannot be seen. Focus completely on those things that are greater, nobler and higher and not on the things of this world.
If you shift your focus to things of this world, you will be disappointed, discouraged and disillusioned. You will soon find yourself caught in a trap and the only way out is to reach out and up to your Heavenly Father. The problems that you face in this world are just that. They are part of this world and it, like the problems, will soon fade away. What doesn’t fade away is the love of our Heavenly Father and the victory that He has given us over this world.
When you face the onslaught of whatever comes your way, don’t surrender or give up. Stand firm and know that the Lord is with you and your spirit will be renewed every day. You will be strengthened. Even if you have strayed a bit, always remember that your Heavenly Father loves you as His child and will never leave you or forsake you. When you focus on Him and fix your sight on those things that are greater, nobler and higher, you will be able to stand firm in His grace.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
No comments:
Post a Comment