Waiting Empowered

 

In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. (Ephesians 6:16, NLT)

In the verses before Ephesians 6:16, Paul wrote about other pieces of the armor of God. He taught the Ephesians to don the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, and the shoes of peace. These are all pieces of defensive armor. To protect the soldier of God from attack. In verse sixteen, Paul taught these believers to hold up the shield of faith so they can block the arrows of the devil. He continued with other verses that included the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, and prayer.

Before these five verses, Paul began by saying where the armor came from, whose might empower the armor, and who would cause Christians to need armor. God knew in advance armor was a necessity. He knew human-made armor would be powerless to engage with spiritual forces. Because of that, God gives to every Christian the armor that carries the strength He gives. For this reason, Paul wrote in verses ten and eleven, “Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil” (NLT).

God knew people's limitations in fighting the spiritual realm of evil. Everyone falls to Satan's temptations at least once in life. Because Christians are to be messengers of the gospel, Satan wants to stop them more than he wants to stop non-Christians. This means that Satan attacks Christians more than he attacks non-Christians. God knows the schemes of Satan. He knows the methods of attack Satan will hurl at His children, and because of that, God gives the armor His children need to combat Satan and his demons. He gives armor that will make His children victorious over Satan’s plans. Paul, convinced of this truth of God, testified of it in Romans 8:38-39. He knew firsthand of God’s love and declared nothing can separate us from God’s love, then gave a list of the things, events, and beings over which God is almighty—death, life, angels, demons, fears, worries, powers of hell, false gods, and anything in all creation.

Since God’s love is so great and powerful, nothing can stand against and defeat us. God made that possible by giving us armor by which to combat Satan’s evil forces. This armor is God’s; He made it, and He gives it. All that comes from God is powerful and good. Yet, we must actively receive it—actively take it and wear it.

A question arises, though, when we consider Christians’ lives. Why do we keep hearing of their sins and downfall? The answer is that no Christian is perfect. They cannot be because they are not God. Only God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is perfect. But Christians are being perfected daily by Christ as they stay in daily communion (relationship) with God. Still, they fall to temptation. For this reason, God gives believers armor. Remember, the armor comes from Him, and, with it, believers can defeat the schemes of Satan. Since God gives Christians this undefeatable armor, why do they still sin? The answer is straightforward: Since God is invincible, the Christians who sinned did not take the armor God offers to each believer, put it on, and use it. These Christians fought Satan with their own strength. For example, people can receive a car but not get in and drive it. God gives believers armor, but until they put it on intentionally by praying over it and onto themselves each day, they stand as prey to Satan’s schemes. King Saul’s life is an example of this.

When Samuel the prophet and priest of God grew old, the Israelites feared they would have no leader upon his death. They asked Samuel to give them a king to judge them so they can be like the other nations (1 Samuel 8:1-5). In 1 Samuel 10:1, Samuel, by God’s instruction, anointed Saul as king of Israel, then gave him instructions on what would happen and what he was to do. He told Saul that he would meet two men as he passed Rachel’s tomb, meet three men at the oak of Tabor who would give him two loaves of bread, then go to Gibeah of God, meet prophets, and receive the Spirit of the LORD, by whom he would prophesy. From the time the Spirit of the LORD came upon Saul, Samuel said he would be a different person (1 Samuel 10:2-6, 10-13). After receiving the Spirit and prophesying, Samuel told Saul he would know God is with him (vs. 7). From Gibeah, Saul would go to Gilgal and wait for seven days for Samuel to arrive (vs. 8). God chose Saul, anointed him with oil by Samuel, His prophet, and anointed him by the Holy Spirit to lead the people of Israel. The signs proved God's choice of Saul as leader to himself and the Israelites.

Knowing that, why did Saul sin and fall away from God? It happened fast. Saul had the Spirit of God within him. That means he had the armor of God extended to him because God’s Spirit was within him. Yet Saul chose to fight his first temptation, that of receiving the glory and goodwill of his people, by disobeying God’s will as He stated through Samuel. He stole the glory that was due to God by not waiting for Samuel to sacrifice animals on the altar. In 1 Samuel 13, Saul, with his warriors, marched to fight the Philistines. His men feared the Philistines because they had a “mighty army of 3000 chariots and 6000 charioteers and as many warriors as the grains of sand on the seashore” (1 Samuel 13:5). The Israelite soldiers tried to hide anywhere they could find, including large cisterns. Some soldiers crossed the Jordan River to get away from the Philistines. Overwhelmed by fear, the Israelite warriors were unwilling to let Saul wait for the full seven days as instructed by Samuel, so they could burn sacrifices to God and seek His guidance and blessings for the impending battle. Saul decided he would offer the sacrifices to God since Samuel did not arrive before the end of the seventh day, the amount of time Samuel instructed Saul to wait in chapter ten. Samuel arrived in Gilgal just as Saul was finishing offering the sacrifices (1 Samuel 13:10). His reaction to seeing that Saul had acted beyond his authority from God—by acting as a priest—was to say with righteous indignation, “What is this you have done?” (vs. 11) Samuel continued in verses thirteen and fourteen, “How foolish! You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end.”

What happened? Why did Saul disobey God’s instructions through Samuel, God’s prophet? Saul succumbed to his soldiers’ pressure, wanting to be like other kings. He trembled at the idea of losing their trust and loyalty. Saul's focus was on people, not God. He took his eyes off God and focused on his situation. God punished Saul by removing the kingdom from him. He also removed His Spirit from Saul and left a distressing spirit in him (1 Samuel 16:14-15). The first sin of Saul’s, that of disobeying God and taking His glory, led quickly to other sins. He decided not to kill all the Amalekites and their livestock (1 Samuel 15:1-19). Saul walked to Carmel after defeating the Amalekites to set up a monument to himself (1 Samuel 15:12). The Lord outright rejected Saul and had Samuel declare it in 1 Samuel 15:23. When the Lord rejected Saul, He sent Samuel to anoint a man after His own heart, David, in 1 Samuel 16. In this same chapter, the writer of 1 Samuel tells us when the Spirit of the Lord left Saul, a tormenting spirit filled him with depression and fear. A void of God’s Spirit in a person leaves a vacancy for an evil spirit to enter that person. In summary, Saul disobeyed God by taking on the role of priest. God anoints and prepares men to be His priests. He anointed Saul as king, not as a priest. Saul stole God’s glory. He set up a monument to himself because of his pride and allowed the Israelites to give him praise instead of directing the praise to God. For this, God rejected Saul and took His Spirit from Saul. The latter led to a tormenting spirit living in Saul.

Saul was impatient. He received the Spirit of God because of God’s choosing him. He did not use the power and guidance God offered through the Spirit by waiting for guidance and obeying God. Consider Ephesians 6 and the armor of God. For Christians, God’s power and guidance are available to each person. God offers it to each of His children. Christians can choose to receive and use it or not. When believers accept each piece of armor with prayer and then walk with the knowledge, power, and wisdom of God imparted by His truth, righteousness, and salvation, then they can battle Satan and evil spirits. God does not just save people and abandon them to fight alone in life. He wants to journey with each believer and to guide, teach, protect, encourage, and empower them to live life victoriously. Jesus died to give people who believe in Him victory over more than death. Christians can have victory over sin, too.

Consider now, what is your sin today? What was your sin yesterday, this week, this month, this year? Did you live with the power God gives and with His armor received and on you?

To be transparent, one of my recent sins was about to be impatience. Despite not hearing from God, I wanted to make a decision after praying for three days. I desired to accept an opportunity without God’s confirmation. Fortunately, I pray and read my Bible daily. One day, God aimed at my heart with this reminder from Saul’s life. God asked me, “Are you going to be patient or be like Saul?” Ouch! Now, I wait and keep praying. I still ask God want He wants me to do about this opportunity. He reminds me that He does not have to make a quick decision, even though I experience internal pressure to make it. Saul sensed a similar pressure from his soldiers about the choice between fighting the Philistines or running away. God knows what is best for me and for His ultimate plan. He knows what is best for you, too.

Praying for days and not getting an immediate answer is hard. God’s non-answer could mean He is saying, “No,” or “Not yet.” The hard part for me is the "Not yet". I am impatient at times. Will I be like Saul or wait? I am choosing to wait.

Will you wait on God or be like Saul? God is asking you.

The In-Between

 

The In-Between

Living in the in-between

Hard times between life and loss

The time between these

Joy of former, tears are the cost.

The wish for life once again

Feels labored and long

Yet is no greater than a breath

Yet harder than a song.

 

Beating of a heart

Whisper of a voice

The rattle and silence

What more can be lost?

 

Life’s glimmer passed into night

Life’s hope faded fast

The reason and purpose

Seemed empty, useless.

 

Day after day

Darkness, a heavy load

No joy only sorrow

No reason, no hope.

 

Plodding through darkness

Whisper of breath, no sound

Blankness and pain

Without hope, silence resounds.

 

Eyes open as slits

Wait, breath makes sound

Shimmer like mirage

Where is it found?

 

Deeper and wider

Breath, eyes open

Sounds come, recall hope

Heart’s pump sound begins.

 

Days without number

Soundless, no light

Makes heart yearn, grasp

For hope and sight.

 

Slit opened wider

Ears perk, attune

Life enters slowly

Heart yearns, makes room.

 

Darkness will not linger

As Hope enters with love

Hope does not leave

Resurrected from above.

 

Darkness without victim

Loss has no gain

Hope has no strangle

Life comes with pain.

 

Joy ,Life from Hope

Life born anew

Death cannot conquer

HOPE LOVE gives you.

 

Hope in the morning

Peace for the day

Guide for the footfalls

Life eternally.

 

Faith brings renewal

LOVE conquers all

CHRIST resurrected

KING overall.

 

Death has no power

That Christ cannot end

For people who choose HIS

Life HE offers them.

 

Death of a loved one

Painfully dark

Comes with joy for believers

Whose family, friends know HIM.

 

Dark though it seems

Presses down does death’s day

LIFE’S gift of salvation

Redeems, saves from life’s pay.

 

Salvation free

Sin’s judgment paid

Jesus’ death paid ransom

Believers are saved.

 

Battle HE fought

Behind solid stone

JESUS emerged

Now sits on His throne.

 

Victor o’er death

Sin, pain, and grief

Conquering HERO

Our LORD is HE.

 

Dying, HE saved me

Risen from the grave

JESUS HE paid

My redeemer HE saves.

 

HOPE everlasting

JOY without end

Now and always

My SAVIOR my FRIEND.

 

Dying, HE saves.

JESUS, HE reigns.

Death now defeated.

Victorious KING without end!

 

Gail Suratt Davis

March 30, 2024

Hope and Victory

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])

We, as Christians, have comfort after the death of a Christian friend and relative. This comfort comes only by Jesus’ death and resurrection and by His teaching about what will be after we die. For people who are not Christians, they will have no hope or comfort during their illness or on their deathbed because they have never believed Jesus is the Son of God. They have no hope or victory over death. Death for non-Christians is eternal separation from God. What hope is there to give to the loved ones left behind after a non-Christians death? There is only one hope for these loved ones; they can have hope for themselves of life beyond death with God in His kingdom if they believe Jesus is the Son of God. As much as we grieve the loss of a person who didn’t believe in Jesus, we still have hope to offer the ones left alive. Jesus is the only comfort and consolation for grieving people, just as He is the Comfort and Hope-giver for His disciples.

Today, tens of thousands of people around the world die from COVID-19. Thousands of them died without knowing Jesus as the Son of God. We remain behind to offer comfort to their friends and loved ones. The comfort we can give them comes because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

When Jesus saw her (Mary) weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and greatly troubled. And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So, the Jews said, “See how He loved him!” (John 11:33-36 [ESV])

Remember, Jesus cried at Lazarus’ grave. He didn’t cry because He had no hope. He cried because of His empathy with His friends’, Mary and Martha’s, grief. Jesus waited until Lazarus was dead to show He has power over death. He waited until Lazarus was dead to give glory to the Father. Jesus knew Mary, Martha, and Lazarus believed He is the Son of God, but other people around them did not believe. He provided comfort to them by showing He is the Son of God who has power over death when He brought Lazarus back to life. Jesus provided comfort to the believers and the unbelievers. He gave hope, showed love, grew the faith of the people who saw or heard about this happening, and gave God the glory. Did more people believe Jesus is the Son of God because of Lazarus’ resurrection? We don’t know for sure, but we can know they probably thought about it. I believe some could no longer doubt Jesus being the Son of God and came to believe in Him for salvation. Did the believers who watched Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead gain a deeper faith in Him because of this resurrection miracle? Most definitely.

Think of two people you know who have lost a loved one recently. Consider their relationship with God. Consider the dead person’s relationship with Jesus. What comfort can you offer the person left behind? Find out about their relationship with Jesus. Do they believe in Him? Offer the lasting hope and peace found only through Jesus. Tell them about Him so He will comfort them. Tell them about Him so they will believe in Him and receive salvation and eternal life with God. Their belief in Jesus will give them hope, peace, and comfort. Jesus’ Spirit will live in them to remind them of these and to grow them to be like Jesus.

Do you love people enough to tell them about Jesus?

Or do you hate people so much you won’t tell them about Jesus and

withhold from them comfort, peace, hope, and victory?

Tell people about Jesus. Allow them to receive salvation from their sins and have perfect peace and victory over death.

Then Jesus told them (His disciples) plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” (John 11:14-15 [ESV])

Jesus said to her (Martha), “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he dies, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26 [ESV])

Lord, God, I have become blind to other people and their problems or grief during this time of social distancing and lockdown. It’s easy not to see the grief of other people when the government leaders will not allow us to be together. I cannot use that excuse. Forgive me for using that excuse. Forgive me for getting wrapped up in myself and protecting my family. I should focus more on You and Your will than on my safety and health. Please Lord, tell me how to stay socially connected. Show me to whom You want me to talk, offer comfort, and tell about You. Put Your mind and heart into me so I know to whom to talk and what to say to comfort them. Help me listen as they grieve or fear for their lives. Help me stay focused on You and speak Your words of consolation and comfort. Help me not fear testifying about You, our Savior and Victor. Lord, I am just a small cog in the universe, but You can use me for Your purposes. I give my life to You. Make me hear Your voice and talk to people as You direct. Amen.

The Befores Before

Before - the time of

  waking refreshed and the sun shining through your curtain.

            making plans for your future thinking you know all the road bumps.

            dreaming about the one person you will fall in love with and marry.

            remembering life as rosy with few cares in your world.

            hearing the contented sigh of your newborn child.

            whistling as you skipped down the sidewalk to a friend’s home.

            staying up late because school was closed due to snow.

The “befores” seemed so numerous and so wonderful before…

            waking to the sunrise perplexed yet not knowing why

            making plans but fearful of road bumps

            dreaming about what might happen to a loved one held so dear

            remembering that one time back when life wasn’t so rosy and carefree

            hearing of a new virus and thinking about your newborn

            whistling loud to cover the volume of the news as it hurtles like a waterfall on your personal world

staying up late to stay abreast of the closures of businesses, schools, and countries.

And this is life, you fear. Life different from any you’ve known before.

Cries of “Come, Lord Jesus, come!”

Fear for your life and the lives of the ones you love. Wondering if you’ve said all you need to say because you or they may not live another day.

Grasping in panic for any lifeline, then hearing of doctors and nurses falling to the same song. “No one is safe!” you shout in your head.

So many sick; so many dead.

FEAR burbling to a crescendoed shout that deafens all reason.

FEAR given way to TERROR and the change of life you thought you controlled.

A change not dictated by professionals, but a change mandated by yourself because FEAR has confronted you head-on with your own MORTALITY.

That sudden REALITY and the extreme of your FEAR cause an instantaneous HUSH.

A HUSH that comes from knowing you KNOW NOTHING.

You control NOTHING.

You cannot stop DEATH.

You cannot snatch your LIFE from its viselike grip.

DEATH, when it’s time, CANNOT be CHEATED.

And with that REALITY, you are ready to listen, and see, and come to know.

Life is a GIFT. A Gift given from the CREATOR GIVER.

And a hush comes over you as you recognize this truth.

And you come to your moment of decision.

You recognize you cannot cheat death.

You cannot save yourself.

You have very little control and all you want is the sun to shine through your curtains again and to make plans and dream and remember and hear and whistle and stay up late because it’s just snow.

Then you realize you can have this even when fear calls to you. You can have this hope and live in the knowledge of the victory that you will always have this, even if not in physical form, but in the mind, spirit, and heart because you KNOW the CREATOR GIVER.

Live life with HOPE.

Live now and the future with HOPE.

Accept the HOPE God gives each person who believes in Him.

Then VICTORY is yours because you are GOD’S CHILD.

You want to be a child again and dream and wake to snowy mornings with the sun shining through the curtains and know that no matter what happens, fear does not win because Jesus has given you victory over fear, sin, and death. Before takes on new meaning. Before is the time prior to you becoming GOD’S CHILD. NOW and FOREVER is living in the VICTORY HE GIVES YOU.

A Devotional Thought

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.” (1 John 4:18 [NIV])

This verse comes from 1 John, in which John writes to believers in Jesus Christ. He reminds them if you have fear, you do not have perfect love. You are not mature in your faith in Jesus Christ. Perfection is very difficult and none of us ever get it right and are truly perfect through our own means. Yet, John says we can be perfect; we can be mature. This perfection, perfect faith in Jesus, comes by knowing and believing the love God has for us (vs. 16) and becoming His children through faith in His Son, Jesus. John said, “God is love and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.”

Love and fear cannot occur at the same time. Fear is from Satan. With it he causes us to doubt for our lives, reputations, jobs, safety, and salvation, etc. Satan, in his attempt to keep us from believing in Jesus as the Son of God, tries to turn our eyes away from God by distracting us with fear. This is why John said perfect love casts out fear. Fear and love cannot occur at the same time. Satan doesn’t want us to be perfect in Christ. He doesn’t want us to grow to maturity in our relationship with God. Satan seeks to create chaos so other people will not believe in him. If he can cause the people who believe in God to fear, then unbelievers see no purpose in believing either and he can lead many people away from salvation.

Perfect love, God’s love that He gives to us and that lives in us as His children, casts out fear. Is your faith growing to perfection or are you allowing Satan to distract you with fear for your life?

Perfect love casts out fear just like God cast Satan out from heaven when he sinned against Him. Because God lives in His children, His love resides in them, too.

Perfect love casts out fear. As a child of God, you have His love residing in you; you have perfect love in you and available to sustain you during this time when Satan is trying to distract you from God and your relationship with Him.     

Perfect love casts out fear. You have this love in you and can share it with other people so they have hope, and fear cannot cause terror and panic in their lives.

Perfect love casts out fear. You, as God’s child who has His perfect love living in them, love people just as God loved us enough to send His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins so we could be in relationship with Him forever. Are you showing and sharing this love with others who are fearing and living in terror during this crisis?

Perfect love casts out fear.

What are you doing to grow and allow God to cast out fear in and around you?

Lord, God, I admit, I am afraid. I’ve been following the news of this crisis and I fear for my life and the lives of people I love. I had not stopped to think about You and Your love for each of us. Forgive me for getting so absorbed in the unfolding and mounting crisis that I lost sight of You. Forgive me for not coming to You before now. Why do I only think about You, God, when crisis comes? Lord, save me now and save me from my sins forever. Help me to believe in You always.  Let the love, Lord, You’ve put into me show so people see Jesus in me and want to know about the peace I have even in the midst of this crisis. God, speak and work through this body You’ve given me so that others come to know You as their Savior and have Your peace because of You living in them. Let Your love be evident, so the fear Satan is causing decreases. Let Your will be done, Father, on earth as it is in heaven. Perfect me, mature me, so that day by day I become closer to You, our relationship becomes more intimate. May Jesus’ prayer that we be one as You and He are one come to fruition. Amen.

Rowing Without Paddles

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. (Psalm 91:1 [NASB])

In Genesis 15 and Psalm 91, both writers speak about the terror of night. What does this mean? For David, the man God appointed to lead His people, Israel, and a commander of an army, the terrors of night might have meant an army sneaking up and taking him and his army by surprise during the night. It could have meant the depression of the minds of his men as they awaited the battles of the next day. Or, in looking back on his life as King, it could have been the time David awaited his and Bathsheba’s son’s death. He feared it and understood the punishment was because of his sin with Bathsheba. David’s sin caused the death of the child. For Abram, the terrors of the dark night could have been the kings he and his allies defeated to get his nephew, Lot, out of captivity. The terrors that day showed his fear of not having an heir.

Terrors and fears begin in the hearts and minds of people. Satan puts the terrors and fears in our hearts and minds to distract us from the One who casts out darkness and brings light and truth to a situation and to life. Paul stated in 2 Corinthians that Satan “blinded the minds of the unbelieving so they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.” In 2 Corinthians 11:14, he said, Satan must disguise himself as an angel of light to trick people, to “blind” them. Satan is not from the light of God; he is darkness and brings darkness.

This state of mind need not happen; people can avoid being tricked. How?  John said in 1 John 1:5, “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness.” We can choose to follow God and have His power to defeat Satan and the darkness in which he tries to envelope us. God is more powerful than Satan and that is why Satan must resort to trickery. He knows the goodness and love of God will win people’s hearts and minds. John said in John 1:5, “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it.” The darkness could not break through the light, but God’s light casts out darkness. Darkness cannot exist where light is.

What does this mean for us? How do we defeat the terrors of night and live the life for which God gave us the vision? With hope. With belief in God. Abram’s biggest fear as of Genesis 15 was that he would die with no heir. That was his darkness, the “terror of his night.” As Abram rested that night, God told him He would give him an heir and descendants too great to count, just like the stars in the heavens. Abram was in God’s presence. God’s Spirit came in the form of a smoking oven and flaming torch to seal His covenantal promise to Abram (Genesis 15:17). Abram dwelled in God’s presence and slept with His peace.

David defeated the terrors of the night and the arrows that flew by day by being in God’s presence, too. He said in Psalm 91:1, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” David had learned from experience that God was his refuge and fortress. He had learned to live in the presence, in the shadow, of Almighty God. David was like any other person born; he sinned. Still, David recognized God as His Lord and repented when he sinned. He trusted God over all things.

David knew from Whom to seek shelter, comfort, provision, guidance, and protection. He recognized Who was almighty. David had learned to dwell in the shelter of the Most High. He had learned to live in the shadow of God. David didn’t worship God on the sabbath then live the rest of the week solely in his own strength and with his own wisdom and reasoning. He had learned how to live while being with God. Abraham lived while being with God, too. These men recognized God as being sovereign over the world and over their lives. What terrors could defeat them? None, not with God as their strength, hope, refuge, and fortress.

What terrors haunt you? What causes you fear for your future or for now? If you are a Christian, you know Jesus as your Savior, the One who redeemed you from Satan and the power of sin and death. You already have the victory because Jesus has overcome the world. Jesus said in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world.” When you are a Christian, you already have victory from the terrors of darkness and the arrows that fly by day. Remember that. Believe God will protect you and don’t allow the darkness of Satan to creep into your mind. If you aren’t a Christian, you can have this peace and hope. You can have redemption from sin and death and take refuge in God when Satan tries to force darkness upon you. Believe Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior who died for your sins, so you can have eternal life with Him in heaven. Give your terrors from the darkness to God and let Him be your light and refuge.

As we each live our lives and live the vision and calling God gives, we must live in His presence, under His wings. Don’t leave to do His work, instead do the work He calls you to do while you are with Him. Abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

You can’t row a boat without paddles. You can’t live life as God’s child without God.

God’s calling doesn’t mean we leave His presence to work.

It means working WITH Him.

Lord, I’m a mess. I say I am Your child, but then I later find I am not with You. I have walked off living my life by my own reasonings. In my busy-ness, I forgot to stay with You and live life with You as my guide, refuge, and strength. I trusted You with my life, but then I took it back. Lord, help me remember to live in Your presence, to live life as You lead and provide. You know all things and are all-powerful. I know only the small part of my life that is in front of me now. I cannot see the past or future and so I really don’t know how to live as You want me to live. Lord, forgive me for walking in my own way. Forgive me for taking control of my life. Forgive me for making my heart, mind, and body my gods instead of You. You are merciful and kind. You are faithful and continue to love me. Lord, I give my life to You. Please guide me with each breath I breathe and each beat of my heart. Amen.

Jolted or Joyful

“Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.” John 16:20 [NIV]

Consider your planning for a great trip. You’ve mapped out your route. You’ve saved enough money to pay for it. You’ve even found a wonderful house sitter or dog sitter. After your first day of driving to reach this grand place of which you’ve dreamed, your car has a flat tire. When you go to change the tire, the engine hisses. When you find a mechanic and get to his garage, you learn your car needs a new radiator along with a new tire. One thing after another hits you as you contemplate your plans and what you are going to do. You did not plan on having difficulty and so didn’t save extra money. Now, you must use the rest of the money you saved for your trip to pay for your car repairs. Are your hopes dashed? Do you wonder what you should do, go home or go onward to your destination? How can you ever have joy on this great adventure you planned when it will cost you much more money than you saved? Life is like this. God knew what would happen before you even began your journey. He had a plan for you for that time.

The statement above by Jesus to His disciples in John 16:20 came after He began preparing them for what would happen to them when He fulfilled His purpose on earth. Jesus told them in the first eleven verses of John 16 that people would kill and persecute them thinking they were serving God. He told them these people would do this because they do not know the Father or Him. But, Jesus, because of His love for the disciples and their devotion to Him, warned them about these future dire circumstances to prepare them. After He told them He would go to the One who sent Him, He told them He recognized their grief because of these things He said. Because the disciples believed in Jesus as the Son of God, the Messiah, He said He would send an Advocate, His Holy Spirit. Jesus sends this Advocate to each person who believes in Him.

Jesus recognized His disciples could not bear anymore teaching about His last days on earth (His departure from them) and about their future persecution and death by people who don’t believe in Him. He told them the Spirit of truth would guide them in all truth. Jesus would not leave them without a guide and teacher, One who teaches what He hears from the Father and who will glorify Christ. This Spirit will tell the disciples what Jesus wants them to know.

Jesus began teaching in John 16 by preparing the disciples. He told them He would depart from them and return to the Father, and people would persecute and kill them because they were His disciples. Yet, Jesus would send an Advocate to teach them, the Spirit of truth Who comes from Him to guide them in all truth. He returned to telling the disciples, they would not see Him and then they would. The disciples questioned what Jesus meant. How can a person be seen then not seen, except by death? Even their understanding of death meant they would not see a person after he or she died. The disciples were confused. Jesus recognized their confusion and sought to give them clarity.

The death Jesus spoke of was His own. At His death, the non-believers would rejoice, while His disciples would mourn. Yet, from the day Jesus rose from the grave, the disciples would rejoice, and the people of the world would be confused. Some people would be angry and consult others in an attempt to understand how this could happen. Jesus told the disciples they would mourn for a little while then rejoice. They would understand that earthly mourning was just for a season, but joy lasts forever because Jesus lives for eternity. He conquered sin and death forever. Mourning and grief are a momentary part of time while joy is eternal for the people who are Jesus’ followers.

For the disciples to understand this better, Jesus used the analogy of a pregnant woman in labor. While the woman labored, her pain was great, and she found it hard to experience joy because of the depth of the pain. Yet, when she held the child in her arms, the joy of his/her birth would overshadow the anguish and pain of labor. Just so, Jesus said, their mourning of His death would be overshadowed by His resurrection, His victory over death forever. Because Jesus conquered sin and death, the disciples could know joy exists forever even when pain, anguish, and trials existed. Those times of pain, anguish, and trial would last for a moment, but the joy of victory over sin and death and the eternal hope it brings would last for eternity.

While the world rejoices at your difficulties and points their fingers at how they bested the one who follows Jesus, you can know your grief for the moment will turn to joy. You can have joy despite and in the midst of whatever your circumstances may be. Though people may persecute you and kill you, Christian, you have a joy that outlasts what humans can do to you.

Let’s take that thought one step further. To love Jesus means absolute (total) devotion to Him and His will. As we pray each day in our time with Him, we ask Him to use us and to make us like Himself. Often this thought comes habitually without really thinking about what the consequences might mean. If we do not truly mean these things and do not seek Him and desire to be completely devoted to Him, circumstances will surprise us. They never surprise God. He knows our heart, our inmost being. (Psalm 139) When we pray this prayer from habit, without depth of heart, we try to make ourselves like Jesus as if Jesus is the pattern or example of supreme goodness. What we need to realize is that we cannot make ourselves like Jesus. True followers of Jesus, believers in Jesus as the Messiah, recognize He makes us into His image through His power and by the guiding and teaching of the Holy Spirit. When we truly mean what we pray, “Make me like You, into Your image for Your service,” we understand Jesus is the One who makes us like Himself. Only when our prayer to be made like Him comes from the depth of our devotion and faithfulness to Him can we preparedly and joyfully face persecution trials, and death.

We cannot make ourselves like Jesus by our power.

Only Jesus can make us like Him by His power.

God is not surprised by the depth of humanity’s sinfulness and rebellion against Him. He is not surprised people will persecute His followers and kill them. Jesus told His disciples this in John 16. He told His disciples and tells us today through the Bible and His Holy Spirit that we can have joy during life’s hard times. Why? Because Jesus overwhelmingly conquered sin and death. He lives forevermore. Humanity threw its best to defeat Him; they crucified Jesus. Yet, God’s best is greater than humanity’s best. He has power over all things, life and death. Because Jesus is victorious, we can be victorious and have joy while walking with Jesus through difficult times. Imagine having joy while grieving, and relief while being homeless or jobless. Imagine knowing without doubt something greater exists than this life and nothing in your present moment will have eternal significance. God is powerful, loving, and great. He is not surprised by what happens. He is greater than anything that occurs in your life and in the world. God loves you.

Consider what the psalmist said in Psalm 139 after stating to what depths God knew him. He said in verses seven through twelve,

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You. (Psalm 139:7-12 [NIV])

Whether we try to hide from God or evil tries to hide us from God, God is greater. Even in those supposedly hidden places and in darkness, God’s hand will guide you and support you. Nothing can separate you from God. Paul spoke about this victory from evil for us in Romans 8:36-39. He wrote,

Just as it is written “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” But in all these things, we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. [NASB]

Hard times will come. People will hurt us. Some people may kill Christians. We recognize these things are true. They are part of human history, our present time, and humanity’s future, but we don’t have to linger and quiver in our minds and lament. Because Jesus is our Lord and by His power, He changes us and makes us more like Himself daily, we have hope beyond this current difficult time. This moment will not last, but eternal life with God in His kingdom will last forever. We are more than conquerors, more than victors, and nothing can separate us from the love of God. Yes, pain will come and is with us now, but we have an eternal, unquenchable joy found only through Jesus Christ. For now, we may have grief, but we can hold onto the joy Jesus gives to each of His followers. We will see Jesus; we believe right now and at the times we face difficulties, always, He is with us. Nothing and no one can take this joy from us.

Jesus gives us eternal, unquenchable joy.

Consider that great adventure you planned, and the expensive car repairs you didn’t plan for on the way to your destination. Will you allow the difficulty to steal your joy about the adventure? Will you seek God and His will, walking in the power He will give you for this situation? God has a plan. That plan includes His love for you and your spiritual growth. What will you do, focus on the problem or on God, who knows what is happening and has a plan to walk with you through the difficulty? These problems are fleeting, but God is eternal and your salvation through Him is eternal. Let the joy He gives you be greater than the burden of the problems. One is eternal and the other momentary.

Problems are fleeting, but God and His salvation to you are eternal.

What grief or what difficulty has come upon you and is causing you to lose sight of Jesus. Are you working through your difficulties with just a human perspective? Keep your eyes and heart on Jesus. Keep looking at Him. His joy, the joy He gives to you, is greater and longer lasting than your grief and pain. Let your momentary difficulties bring glory to Jesus Christ. The song writer, Helen Howarth, reminds us of this in her hymn called Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.

O soul, are you weary and troubled?

No light in the darkness you see?

There’s light for a look at the Savior,

And life more abundant and free.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.

(https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/645)

Let your momentary difficulties bring glory to Jesus Christ.

Dear Father, so often I get caught up in my troubles and I lose sight of you as I try to figure out why the problem has happened and what I can do to get out of it. Lord, forgive me for living in my own strength. Forgive me for losing perspective and seeing life from an earthly standpoint. Forgive me for not seeking You, looking to You, and allowing You to be the conqueror of my situation. Lord, truly, I am to be made like You by Your power, not my own. I don’t want to make myself in Your pattern, but for You to make me like You. Help me to grow, to be more devoted to You, and to love You with my whole being. Help me to trust You completely and have the joy You give because You are the Conqueror. This current difficulty is a moment in time, but Your power and joy are eternal. Thank you for loving me, for saving me, and for giving me hope and joy amidst pain, trials, and death. Amen.