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Whether we witness it now or later, there will soon come a time in all our lives when we’ll face a crucial decision. It will either solidify the foundation on which the rest of our lives will be firmly anchored in Christ, or it will send us spiraling down into the camouflaged darkness that the world offers. We will either love the Lord and be committed to him, or love the world and all that it represents. As we see what is happening around us, we should recognize that it’s a now or never kind of urgency. While the choice is always ours to make, our Heavenly Father wants us to follow His Will for our lives. He has left the door open for those who want to walk through it, so that they can freely receive the blessings of His provision.
Years ago, there were those in the faith that warned of perilous times ahead, like the ones we’re living in now. Many of us paid them no mind, but they were spot on, and the times continue to become more and more perilous. How grateful we should be that we can take refuge in God.
David, the psalmist wrote in Psalm 143:7-10 (NLT), “Come quickly, LORD, and answer me, for my depression deepens. Don’t turn away from me, or I will die. 8 Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. 9 Rescue me from my enemies, LORD; I run to you to hide me. 10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.”
When tribulation paints a picture like the troubling one that David expressed to God in Psalm 143:7-10, some Christians that are suffering mentally, physically and emotionally from the pressures of life may feel like heading in the opposite direction of God’s love and protection. This should never be something that we even consider, but we have an enemy that knows what buttons to push. At some point, we must recognize that tribulations and challenges have the ability to press us further into our destinies; they will ultimately challenge us to make decisions about who we really are at our cores.
The enemy sends them to defer our destinies and to try to cause separation between us and God. We should see through his tactics. At the worse times of our lives, we should draw closer to God, because it’s in the struggle that we can see His love stronger. He tells us in 2Corinthians 12:8(NIV), “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
There’s a surrendering that must take place. Some of us have been struggling a long time with loneliness, broken marriages, sadness, physical ailments, and/or one financial crisis after another. We could never have imagined that life would be as challenging as it is, or that our hearts would ache to the degree that they have. God doesn’t ever want us to be unhappy, sad or depressed. He doesn’t want us to go through hard times, but we’re human and we’re going to make mistakes. God wants us to come to Him with all our stuff, because He has the remedy. In Mark 11:22 (NLT), Jesus Christ gives us four simple words as the ‘cure all’ for all that we face. He said, “Have faith in God.”
When we don’t trust God through tough times, we do separate ourselves from Him through a lack of faith in His love for us. Doubt, fear, and unbelief are not a part of God’s Kingdom. They belong to the kingdom of satan, so when we allow our minds and hearts to camp out in these proponents of darkness, we block the blessing God wants us to have.
We need to get it in our cores that we are powerful individuals through the Spirit of Christ that indwells us. Life was not designed by Heavenly Father to beat us down. To see this truth, we need to surrender our will for God’s Will, and let Him have His way. Things in the world might get worse, but God has given you and me a way to get better, rise higher, and become stronger through the Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s resolve to pray with greater faith, and ask God to teach us His Will. He will show us where to walk if we give ourselves to Him. He will transform us on the inside as we remain committed to surrender to His Will, and keep our minds and hearts focused on His Word. ■
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Your Will, Not Mine, Be Done!”, written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2018. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.
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