Originally written on January 24, 2013
It has been a week since I posted anything here! I've been trying to think of things to write here for some time, and my mind was always drawing a blank for some reason. I don't know if it might be because I've been struggling with doubt in life, or if it's because God wants me to wait and listen. Either way, a trend I've noticed is that the statement "We often teach best what we need learn most." certainly fits. When I post here, it's usually when I've been going through some sort of situation in life.
So with this message, I'd like to simply say that God has final victory, and He will not let go of you. Even when the future is foggy, Jesus is both at the top of a tower and with you. In the tower, He sees what is ahead of you. With you, He is your fog lamp, lighting the way.
We're in the state where we are winning the war in the long-term, but it may seem we're losing the battle in the short-term. I feel this way at times. I also sometimes feel confused or distant. It is truly a horrible feeling to feel distant from God, especially when you've felt what it's like to be so close to Him.
We must stand firm, with the armour of God equipped, and push back. Prayer weakens the enemy. We're in a battle of the ages. All around us, even when we feel peace and serenity, there is a war raging on. However, that doesn't mean we must feel like we're in the midst of the flying arrows and swinging of swords. If we pray and ask that Jesus be our refuge from the war, He will give us peace and rest. There have been times when I was thinking about everything that was going on at that time when I was trying to fall asleep. If I asked Jesus to give me rest and peace, He would grant it and cast away my cares so that I could fall back and rest.
The Bible tells us to cast our burdens and pain onto Him, and He will give us rest. That means that we must give EVERYTHING that is bothering us, to Him. If you hold on to your burdens, believing you can or have to fix the problem, you are destined to fail. We can do nothing without Christ. Give your cares and burdens to Him, and forget about them. He will carry us through life.
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." - Ephesians 6:10-18
So with this message, I'd like to simply say that God has final victory, and He will not let go of you. Even when the future is foggy, Jesus is both at the top of a tower and with you. In the tower, He sees what is ahead of you. With you, He is your fog lamp, lighting the way.
We're in the state where we are winning the war in the long-term, but it may seem we're losing the battle in the short-term. I feel this way at times. I also sometimes feel confused or distant. It is truly a horrible feeling to feel distant from God, especially when you've felt what it's like to be so close to Him.
We must stand firm, with the armour of God equipped, and push back. Prayer weakens the enemy. We're in a battle of the ages. All around us, even when we feel peace and serenity, there is a war raging on. However, that doesn't mean we must feel like we're in the midst of the flying arrows and swinging of swords. If we pray and ask that Jesus be our refuge from the war, He will give us peace and rest. There have been times when I was thinking about everything that was going on at that time when I was trying to fall asleep. If I asked Jesus to give me rest and peace, He would grant it and cast away my cares so that I could fall back and rest.
The Bible tells us to cast our burdens and pain onto Him, and He will give us rest. That means that we must give EVERYTHING that is bothering us, to Him. If you hold on to your burdens, believing you can or have to fix the problem, you are destined to fail. We can do nothing without Christ. Give your cares and burdens to Him, and forget about them. He will carry us through life.
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." - Ephesians 6:10-18
