The Battle Is Won
Heartbreak, cruelty, pain and injustice; these are circumstances that can steal our joy and cause us to lose sight of who we are and to whom we belong. They can even rob us of our faith.
Very often things happen to us that we simply cannot understand. However, instead of doubting God's goodness, our reaction should be to trust Him. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Our own sin also robs us of God's grace and our peace of mind yet we have assurance from God that he will forgive those sins that we confess to him. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
As Christians, our hearts desire to live in the joy of the Lord. We long for it and if we find it missing, we should not waste a moment until we have it back again. Many times that means getting on our knees in repentance. Sometimes it's pouring out our broken hearts to God; other times it is simply refocusing our thoughts on Jesus. Even in the midst of all the misery in the world we can be joyful.
If the Apostle Paul could praise God and hold fast to his joy while in chains, how can we who are free, do any less? Paul's thoughts were not of himself and his own suffering. He was focused on telling others about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He had things in perspective. His priorities were right with God. We can't afford to lose sight of the fact that God is eternal, infinite, omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. As human beings, we can't expect to understand God's ways.
The book of Job deals with this issue. God had allowed Satan to do anything he wanted to Job except kill him. What was Job's reaction? "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him" (Job 13:15). "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised" (Job 1:21). Job didn't understand why God had allowed the things He did, but he knew that God was good and therefore continued to trust in Him. Ultimately, that should be our reaction as well. God is good, just, loving, and merciful.
There is a spiritual battle that is being waged over our lives. There is a very real enemy of our souls that wants to steal, kill, and destroy. But Jesus came that we may have a full and joyful life. "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10)
He has restored us and the battle is won. No matter the storms that surround us we can be assured of deep, abiding joy because we know that we are children of the King.
We look forward to all that Our Father has waiting for us in our Heavenly Home. But we should never forget that we are called upon by Him to live joyfully and triumphantly here on earth. That is possible only if we take our eyes off the heartbreak, cruelty, pain and injustice of the world and place our hope in Him.
Very often things happen to us that we simply cannot understand. However, instead of doubting God's goodness, our reaction should be to trust Him. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Our own sin also robs us of God's grace and our peace of mind yet we have assurance from God that he will forgive those sins that we confess to him. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
As Christians, our hearts desire to live in the joy of the Lord. We long for it and if we find it missing, we should not waste a moment until we have it back again. Many times that means getting on our knees in repentance. Sometimes it's pouring out our broken hearts to God; other times it is simply refocusing our thoughts on Jesus. Even in the midst of all the misery in the world we can be joyful.
If the Apostle Paul could praise God and hold fast to his joy while in chains, how can we who are free, do any less? Paul's thoughts were not of himself and his own suffering. He was focused on telling others about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He had things in perspective. His priorities were right with God. We can't afford to lose sight of the fact that God is eternal, infinite, omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. As human beings, we can't expect to understand God's ways.
The book of Job deals with this issue. God had allowed Satan to do anything he wanted to Job except kill him. What was Job's reaction? "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him" (Job 13:15). "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised" (Job 1:21). Job didn't understand why God had allowed the things He did, but he knew that God was good and therefore continued to trust in Him. Ultimately, that should be our reaction as well. God is good, just, loving, and merciful.
There is a spiritual battle that is being waged over our lives. There is a very real enemy of our souls that wants to steal, kill, and destroy. But Jesus came that we may have a full and joyful life. "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10)
He has restored us and the battle is won. No matter the storms that surround us we can be assured of deep, abiding joy because we know that we are children of the King.
We look forward to all that Our Father has waiting for us in our Heavenly Home. But we should never forget that we are called upon by Him to live joyfully and triumphantly here on earth. That is possible only if we take our eyes off the heartbreak, cruelty, pain and injustice of the world and place our hope in Him.
Source...