It seems that most of the Christians that I know are experiencing some sort of trial or test. We have come under attack! I know for Jordan and I the war hasn't let up for almost a year. We have fought some major battles too. I think Peter was so smart when he wrote, "Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won't last forever." 1 Peter 5:8-9 The Devil caught us napping, well actually honeymooning, when we thought nothing in the world could take away our happiness. Since then, there hasn't been a day that we are not ready to take on Satan and his games. Yes, his antics still surprise us, but we're ready to fight.
So, Satan is going to throw stuff our way, but I love to hear 1 Corinthians 10:13, "No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it." God won't let Satan push me beyond my limit. There are Christians all over the world experiencing tests and temptations. Jesus even faced tests and temptations! Our test has been nothing compared to Jesus' tests leading up to the cruxifiction. He cried out to God begging him not to allow this to happen, he was arrested and mocked by a mob (about 2000 according to the Greek word speira), and ALL of his followers fled and/or denied him. So, Jesus was being taken away by a bunch of angry people who wanted him dead and he was all alone, except for God. HELLO! We'll always have our relationship with God and he'll always be there for us! But, Jesus had to go through all these tests just so we could have eternal life.
Now, I ask myself, why is God putting me through this trial? Why is God putting so many of my close, committed-to-Christ friends through tests? Why does our test seem to never end? Because there is some purpose for this pain...there is some good in this "bad". So, I'm begging God to show me what the purpose for this pain is so I will have something to look forward to. I secretly dream that one day we're going to be so filthy rich and never have to worry about a thing, but God wants us to remember our humility and this "low" in our life. We'll see what his purpose is though!
I was reminded also reminded that I don't have to fight Satan by myself. God reminded me of the story of Elisha in 2 Kings 6. Elisha's servant was scared because an angry king had sent an army to destroy them. Verses 15-17 say, "Elisha's servant got up early, and when he went out, he saw an army with horses and chariots all around the city. The servant said to Elisha, 'Oh, my master, what can we do?' Elisha said, 'Don't be afraid. The army that fights for us is larger than the one against us.' Then Elisha prayed, 'Lord, open my servant's eyes, and let him see.' The Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." I'm not fighting! God has my back! My human nature tells me that I have to fight for myself, the survival of the fittest, but the fittest is my Savior and Lord who fights for me.
So with all that said, my favorite verse for this week, so far, is Romans 12:12, "Let your HOPE keep you joyful, be PATIENT in your troubles, and PRAY at all times." I'm not going to let Satan steal my hope and joy!
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