The word Holy Spirit gave me this morning is that Jesus told the disciples in John 16:32-33:
““A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” “
As a part of God’s Called Remnant, we should not be dismayed by what Jesus said because He has overcome the world. When I first read that scripture, long ago, I winced because I felt like, “Great, I’m going to have trouble in this world!” But here is the thing, we LIVE in a FALLEN world. We have an enemy who the Bible tells us in 1 Peter 5:8-9:
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.”
We were in a spiritual battle Before we EVEN knew we were in a spiritual battle! So the battle has always been going on around us, we just (prior to the Holy Spirit removing the spiritual scales off of our eyes when we made Jesus our Savior and Lord over our lives) didn’t know it! We walked in ignorance of what was STILL occurring all around us. You see, ol’ slewfoot doesn’t bother those who don’t know Jesus because they are spiritually blind and they are ignorant to the fact that the devil already has them where he wants them – ignorant to the gift of salvation. See 2 Corinthians 4:4:
“In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
But for those who have made Jesus their Savior and Lord over their lives – well, to the devil – that’s a major problem because we are no longer under his jurisdiction and in walking in Christ, will prayerfully look to fulfill the calling that God has upon our lives and in doing so, will joyfully be used to bring others to Christ. That’s the VERY last thing the devil wants to happen. So his attention becomes diverted to those of us in Christ. We become the target of his rage.
But that should not fill us with fear the Bible says in 2 Chronicles 16:9:
“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”
And in Psalm 18:32:
“It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.”
Remember, even in the case of Job, the devil had to go before God and ask HIS permission before he could do ANYTHING to Job. Why? Because satan is a creation and not (like he’d like to believe he is) the Creator. And as was the case with Job, such is the case when satan asks to deal with us. Take a look at Job 2:1-6:
“On another day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”
“Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”
“Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.” “
And it was also the case with Peter, remember that Jesus said this to Peter in Luke 22:31-32:
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
So you can bet that as the devil has requested on those two examples in the Bible, he has asked the same for you and me. Jesus sits on the right hand of the Father interceding for us, our strength comes from Him. And so we shouldn’t dwell on the fact that we will have trouble in this world, we SHOULD focus on the fact that the battle has ALREADY BEEN WON. If you have found yourself in the middle of a spiritual battle and the fighting all around you feels relentless stay focused on the Lord! Keep your eyes on Him and KNOW that He will bring you through it. PRAY, FAST, READ THE WORD OF GOD and TRUST! The biggest thing I have found in the battle is that it is important not to depend upon your own strength – but lean into God’s. We are dependent upon HIM. No battle “feels” pleasant but we can find peace in the fact that as in Psalm 37:23:
“The steps of the righteous are ordained by God.”
YOUR steps are ordained BY God. Even if you don’t know the reason for what you are going through, you can trust that God will use WHATEVER it is to grow you and refine you for HIS purpose. Spiritual growing pains are certainly painful, but they serve a purpose, and our God IS good and so faithful. So through it ALL – through ANY battles that come our way, we can indeed “take heart, for Jesus HAS overcome the world.”
There is no going around the fact that until Jesus either returns or calls us home, we WILL go through battles (I know, I know that’s not what you want to hear…:) ) and there will be times when as in Jesus’ case (as indicated in John 16:32):
“A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.”
There are battles where you will feel as though YOU are all alone. BUT as in the case as with Jesus, the Father is with YOU. Part of ol’ slewfoot’s weapon arsenal is trying to make you feel as though the Father has left you – but HE HAS NOT! NOR WILL HE! Remember the devil is the father of lies! he is the father of deception! Do NOT be dismayed! Even though the heat of the battle can be intense, God is right there in it with you as He was in the case of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel 3:16-28. Over and over again in our walk with God, the devil will try to divert us and make us doubt God’s faithfulness, doubt God’s with us, doubt that God loves us, doubt that God has forgiven us, doubt the Word of God – but we know that God is not a God that He would lie. Ol’ slewfoot and his demons try the same tactics over and over again – this is where we need to make sure that we HOLD FAST to our faith. Sometimes the heat of the battle can seem like it is too much, but it is at that point where you are JUST around the corner from your blessings and Oh if you just STAND FIRM in Jesus! There is no greater joy than knowing that you have made it through in the strength of God! Trials will come and battles will occur – but they pass! When this happens with me, I find myself exhaling, praising God for the strength to make it through and then looking at what I’ve been through to review what it is that I have learned in the refining process. Part of being in Christ is knowing that if we are open to it and allow it – Holy Spirit WILL grow us in Him and spiritual growth is a process and as long as we have breathe in our body, we WILL grow in Him, no different as was the case with the disciples.
Our victory is in Jesus, a victory that He already won on the cross through His death and the resurrection, we can rejoice and praise Him that NO MATTER what we encounter, NO MATTER what we go through, NO MATTER what occurs – God goes before, beside and behind us, we only need to keep our focus on HIM, pray WITHOUT ceasing, TRUST in God’s plan for our lives, LISTEN intently to His voice, READ His Word and most of all hold onto the fact that OUR God who IS faithful, will be victorious in us and through us because HE is great and we BELONG to Him. You will, through Him be able to rise above whatever comes your way, because NO ONE can steal you from the Father’s hand. Praise His precious holy name! \O/
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