Skip to main content

 


Each day, each year, will bring with it difficulty. That’s because we live in a world that has been broken and distorted by sin; sin that humanity has both internalized and personalized. The world has gone wonky and it can’t rectify the problem, because what is broken cannot fix itself. That is why Jesus Christ came, lived, died in our place and was raised to life to bring about a new creation in all who would believe Him and receive His gift of eternal life…a new heart and a new spirit filled with His Spirit.

Remember, Jesus told His followers that “In this world you will have tribulation, but take good courage, I have overcome the world.” In Isaiah 43:1-7 the Lord God states clearly, ““But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the One who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are Mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

Not that the Lord God doesn’t say, “IF you go through deep water…or walk through fires of oppression…” He says “WHEN…” Note also, please note, that He said that He would be with us in it all. In the brokenness of this world, in the relentless spiritual warfare going on all around you, you are not alone. He says, “Do not fear, for I am with you.” That is actually a command, “DO NOT FEAR!”

The troubles that are sure to come this year are not to worry us. When they come, they are not to overwhelm us because we no longer rely on ourselves, but on God, Who raises the dead. Who you are in Christ Jesus cannot be taken away from His love by anything in all creation.

Some have said that when you are in dire straits, the Lord will come to you. Actually, that makes it seem He is somewhere, far off, and needs to be summoned in prayer. Not so. For the believer, He dwells within you, permanently. He is life within you. He rises up within us to meet every need; He is, as He said, WITH US because He is IN us.

Do not fear what the world fears. Do not fear the unknown. To the One who dwells in you, NOTHING is unknown. You are His. He has called you by name. He has redeemed you. Do not fear!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

 HE IS RISEN! IT IS FINISHED! After the Israelites had passed through the Red Sea by God opening the way for them to be saved, the whole of Pharoah's army, his horsemen and chariots pursued God's people into the opened way. Once they were all in, the waters flowed back into their place with suddenness and fury. Not one of the enemies survived. All perished in those waters. When Jesus Christ hung on the cross, all that sin contained, the full measure of the rebellion of mankind for all time, all the wickedness that was ever in human hearts were absorbed into the Lamb of God as He died our death, received our just judgement from God for all time, taking all that sin and death contained. In Him, sin and death died once and for all. They were overwhelmed, covered and drowned in the sea of His precious blood, poured out for the sin of the whole world. Not one enemy remained alive, all were stripped of their power to hold us in slavery to sin any longer. All their weapons were confis...
Post a Comment
Read more
WHAT DO YOU BLESS? It would be an act of utter folly and disaster were I to choose to "bless" what God will not bless. God's wrath is set against anything and anyone that would try and hinder you becoming all He created you to be and to grow in by being united to Him through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ. There is nothing arbitrary about the Word of God. He is very specific on what will make for life and what will not. Human life only becomes human life when the Holy Spirit becomes Life withing a believer. Being united to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the follower of Jesus becomes a new creation and begins to live Life as God intended. God begins the good work, and He is the One who will bring it to competition. Somethings will NEVER make for life. What God calls sin, missing the mark of what will make for life, is always sin regardless of what culture anywhere and anytime say to the contrary. Sin cannot save, heal, redeem, restore or remake...
Post a Comment
Read more
 CONVICTION When the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, He doesn't ask us to make it right. We can never add to what Jesus Christ has already done on the cross to deal with the totality of our sin. The Holy Spirit asks us to accept the truth, turn from sin and turn to the Lord. Then He will make it right. Remember Who our faith depends on from start to finish, that salvation is of the Lord alone. Laying aside every hindering weight and the sin that so easily trips us up (different for everyone), we are to run the race He has given us to run with perseverance, fixing our eyes on Jesus. He is the One upon Whom our faith depends on from start to finish. He will never run out of eyesight any more that a good shepherd would go ahead of the sheep he was leading where they couldn't see to follow. Hebrews 12:1-2 "Surrounded then as we are by a great cloud of witness to the life of faith, let us strip off everything that hinders us, as well as the sin which dogs our feet, and let us r...
Post a Comment
Read more