Are you discouraged, by some events in your life? If you are, you are not alone.
There are many Christians around the world, who have felt discouraged in their life, in one way or another, by what has happened in their life, or by what is happening now. Perhaps you are one of them. You see, we all pass through discouraging and difficult situations in our life, from time to time, not because God wants us to suffer, but because of many factors in this world, and our life. There always are people or circumstances and various things, which can cause our hearts to be sad, and painful. We leave in a world, which is full with people, who do not know God, and do not like to know him, and because of that, all they have, is the sinful nature in their bodies, which is often dictating what they do or say. And we have natural disasters and pandemics, which add to our suffering. Another one, who has come to steal, kill and destroy, is the enemy of our souls, who is having only one purpose, to destroy as many people as he can, so that people can not go to heaven, but join him in hell, because he hates people going to heaven, the place where he was kicked out by God. We wonder sometimes, if God is good, why does he allow so many people to suffer, and Christians to suffer too. But we should not forget, that Jesus gave us a clear promise, in the Gospels, that in this world, we would have trouble. But he did not say just that. He also said that he has overcome the world. And he said, that we should not allow our hearts to be troubled. Why did he say that? Because he has overcome the world, and if he did, so can we, because he lives in us. Jesus did not promise us a problem free life. No. He promised to be with us, in the midst of our problems, and not just be with us, but to help us and comfort us, by either delivering us from our troubles, or by giving us grace, to endure and go through them. If we read 2 Thessalonians 2:17, that God will encourage our hearts, and strengthen us in every good word and deed. But notice that it first says that God will encourage our hearts. How can do and encourage other people, if we are discouraged? Before we do the good work of encouraging somebody, we need to be comforted and encouraged by God ourselves first. Then when we have the encouragement and the comfort from God, we can encourage other people, and they can see it easily, if we are discouraged or encouraged and comforted by God ourselves. They can notice if we are full with comfort and encouragement from heaven, or full with discouragement and sadness. Some more literal translations of the Bible, like the New American Standard and the King James version, use the word 'comfort', instead of 'encourage', for the 2 Thessalonians 2:17. No matter how many discouraging and depressing news you watch on the TV everyday, God has promised to encourage and comfort your heart, so that you can cut like knife through butter, through all those depressing TV news, and though any challenges you face, in your daily life.
0 Comments
Every single day, we are bombarded from all directions with all sorts of shifting bad news. The world is sinking into depression and despair, and most people out there, do not know what is going on, or what will be going on, in the near future. But we as Christians, are not left unaware, of why things are, as they are in the world, or what will happen, in the future, because our God has said in his Word, what will happen, in the last days! We have read the end of the book, the Bible, and we win! Glory and thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ for that!
When we read Psalm 116:6-9, we can see someone, who has learned to do the right thing, when they feel down or depressed. The are not continuing to wallow in their depression, but have lifted their eyes up to God, away from all those depressing things, in their lives, and around the world. They have decided to think about the heavenly things, and not about the earthly things, as we are admonished to do, in the Bible. The person in Psalm 116:6-9, pays attention to their soul state, and and when they find that their heart is sinking in despair, they remind themselves, and their soul, to take a rest. But what is important is to realise, that the reason that person in that Psalm 116 is telling his own soul to take a rest, or to relax in other words, is because that person knows their God, and trusts in him, and his Word. In verses 6 and 7, the psalmist says that God has dealt bountifully with him, and that it is God who has taken away his tears. Do you see that? It is not about what is happening around the psalmist and his life, no. It is about the fact, that God has taken his tears away from him. The confidence and the comfort of the psalmist in Psalm 116, comes from his trust in God, and his Word. That psalmist knew very well, that no matter what happens in his life, God is always there to help him, and comfort him, and to keep him from stumbling or hurt in his life, in the future. In the same way, we as Christians, have to trust what Jesus said and promised to us, that if we are burdened, we should come to him, and find rest of our souls. The rest Jesus provides for our souls as his followers, is always there for us, 24/7, but it is up to us to believe that, and to take advantage of that rest, provided from God for us. If we do not take that rest Jesus provides for us with faith, it will not enter our hearts and souls. We have to receive the rest God provides for our souls, with faith, just as we receive everything else from him, by faith, if that is a spiritual blessing or material. That is why Jesus said in the Gospel of John, that we should not let our hearts be troubled. He is putting the emphasis on us, not to let our hearts be troubled. Only then, we can really experience the peace Jesus provides for us, and the rest he gives us. If we fret, and worry, and are full with anxiety, and not trusting in what God says in his Word for us, how can we have and enjoy the rest which Jesus provides? Are you anxious today, about some situation in your life? Many people there are!
This world and what is happening in it, has plenty of reasons to be worried and anxious, for millions of things. The world is going south, in many aspects, from day to day, and it even tries to drag many Christians, in its going south, so if you are not careful, the world and its anxiety causing situation, can make to feel more anxious, than more at peace, every day. You have to realise, that God always cares about your anxiety, so much so, that he caused some of his people in the past, to write and put it on paper in his Word, to let you know, that he does care. God knew from very long time ago, that this world, because of drifting away from him, will cause its own inhabitants, to live in fear, by seeing all the terrible things happening out there. God knew, and God has made sure, that his own people, must be comforted, and not be anxious every day, because of what they see and hear, be it on television, be it on Internet, or the newspapers. God cares. He never designed you to live a life of anxiety and fear, because of the world circumstances, and what happens around. In so many places in the Bible, God says that he wants to, and will comfort his people, and that is what you and me can take and place in our hearts, as a guard of our souls and hearts, to guard us against anxiety and fear. In Isaiah 40:1, God says very plainly twice, that he wants to comfort his own people. He did not say it once, but twice! Why? Because he wants you to know, that he will surely comfort you, if you are living in anxiety and worry, and you believe in him, and follow his ways. Jesus made it very clear in the Gospels too, that in this world we will have trouble, but at the same time he said, that he leaves his own divine peace with us. He knew, that his followers, will suffer many times over, in the future, after his resurrection, all over the world, and he said, that we can have his own peace in us, which passes logic and understanding and reasoning, to guard our hearts and mind in him, and to keep us sane, and not only that, but to overcome the world, just as he did. Perhaps you have anxiety caused by outside circumstances, but you have him, on the inside. Now, the one who lives in you on the inside, Jesus Christ himself, will fight your anxious circumstances on the outside, so that you can be a victor, and not a victim of circumstances. He thinks that if he overcame the world, his followers, his body the church, should be over-comers in this anxious world. The gates of hell, will try to prevail and make the Church anxious and worried, but they will prevail, according to the world of Jesus. Jesus does not want you, to be alone, in your own anxiety and worry, but he wants to share it with you, to bear your burden, and to slash that anxiety and worry in peaces, and that is why, he has called us, to cast all our anxiety on him, so that he can deal with it in a much better and superior way, than we do it ourselves. Give it to him, he knows how to deal with it better than you do! Once you do it, you will want to do it again, and again, because you will be able to sleep well, each night, knowing that he is dealing with it. Do not take your anxiety and worry back to yourself, once you give it and cast it up to heaven to God, but leave it entirely to him, to sort it out, and he will. If you take your anxiety back, once you have cast it to him, you will have to deal with it yourself again, and that means more sleepless nights and worry! Are full with anxiety? Do you worry most of the time? Are you anxious of what will happen in a particular situation in your life? You are not alone, and many people these days are. But, you do not have to be!
This world, and the circumstances in your life, may give you all the reasons to worry, and be anxious. But ask yourself the following question. Does God want to to wallow in worry and anxiety, or to be free from worry and anxiety? Perhaps you say, 'Yes, I want to be free from worry and anxiety, but I can not'. Well, maybe you can not, but there is One, who can set you free. And not only is God able to free you from worry and anxiety, but he has also promised in his Word, that he will do so, not once or twice, but quite a few times. Look at Psalm 121. First of all, it says that your help comes from God. Help for what? Well, any help you need, it is there, available from God for you. But you may wonder, if that help, includes freedom from worry and anxiety. Yes, it does. Why should God help you only in one area of your life, but not help you in another? He does not just help you half a way, only for half of the things in your life. No. Would a earthly father help his children just for some of the things, but not for others. Of course, a good father will want to help his children for everything. How much more does God want to do that for us. In Psalm 121, verse 3, it says that God will not let your foot slip. What does it mean? Well, it means that he cares enough for you, so that you will not fall flat on your face, and hurt your nose in life. The main reason God will not let your foot slip, is so that you will not fall and hurt yourself. That is it. When you spiritually begin to slip and fall in life, he will do exactly that too, he will not let you get hurt, but will comfort you, even if you do. He watches over you says verse 5. Watches over you for what? So that you will be free from harm, as verse 7 says. What harm? Well, any harm. Be it physical or mental. And that includes the harm from anxiety and worry. Yes, it does, because anxiety and worry, hurts you not only mentally, but physically too. God wants to be your shade by day, as verses 5 and 6 say, so that the sun will not hurt you. When you get too 'hot' in your life, from various worries and anxieties, God wants to cool you down mentally, so you will be comforted. God watches over you, verse 7. He watches over you, so you will not be harmed, mentally, or physically. When he watches over you, that includes him caring to set you free from worry and anxiety, because he has promised to keep you from all harm, verse 7. It says all harm, and not only some harm, and that includes keeping you from the harm of worry, and anxiety too. Do you worry about the things going around in the world? Do you worry about things in your own life, perhaps how get rid of a chronic disease, or how to find an employment, or perhaps, about broken relationships with members of your own family?
Why do we worry? Well, worry does on in our own brain, by us calculating and estimating what we can do, in order to make sure, that we will be free from danger, or to make sure, that we will be safe, and without unnecessary suffering in our life. All that sounds good, that we are taking a precaution of how to avoid harmful or dangerous things in our life. But, the problem becomes, when we start thinking too much, and on a regular basis, about the same things again and again, so much so, that those thoughts of worry, occupy our mind most of the time, or at least, very often. The Word of God is full with examples of people being anxious or worried in their life, about various things. Just look at the Psalms, and you can find plenty of anxious and fear loaded people, and how they came to God for help, and for comfort. In Psalm 68:19, the Word of God tells us very clearly, that God bears our burdens daily. That is interesting! God is concerned about my and your problems, anxieties and worries, on a daily basis. Because our daily burdens are just that, our daily fears, anxieties, problems and worries. If not, then what else could our burdens be? But is says very clearly that God bears our burdens or problems, daily, not some times, not once a wee, but every day! Is not that comforting to know, that God cares for what troubles us, and what we worry about? Just as the Bible tells us to cast all our anxieties on him, because he cares for us. Next time you sit down and worry about certain things in your life, I would suggest, that you grab Bible, open in on Psalm 68:19 and remind yourself, of what God thinks and says about the problems you worry about. God wants to take care about your burden and worry everyday. Would you let him have your problem and sort it out, or would you continue to keep the problem to yourself, and carry on worrying about it, instead of dropping it in God's hands, to let him sort it out for you? The choice is yours! There is so much trouble out there in the world today, so that the heart of a Christian or unbeliever, can sink into the darkness of despair. All that Covid 19 stuff, has created even more fearful event in the world, to make your head spin.
As a Christian, do you find yourself sometimes also sinking in despair and anxiety, even just by watching what is going on in the News? Do you sometimes feel fearful and worried, what is going to happen next in all this situation of trouble and bad news in the world? If you do, you are not alone! Even as a Christians, we can fall into depression and negative way of thinking just by watching what is going around us, and in the world. But, as a Christian, you have the great advantage, in comparison of people of this world, without God! What is the advantage? Well, the solid truth and fact, that you have the Spirit of the Almighty God, living on the inside of you, the one who is also called the 'Comforter' in the original Greek language by which the New Testament is written. You see, when we read chapter 14 and verse 1 from the Gospel of John, we can clearly see, that Jesus told his disciples, not to let their hearts be troubled. That is not an option, I believe that is a command! God does not tell us "Well, if you want to feel anxious and troubled, that is fine, but I suggest that you do not let your heart be troubled". No, Jesus did not say that! He just said to them in a very simple plain language "Do not let your heart be troubled"! Do you see that? God is saying "You DO NOT LET your heart be troubled". So we make the choice to let it be or not be troubled. All starts with us, not with God, about the condition of our hearts in the time of trouble. We can let our hearts be troubled by our circumstances, or we can chose not to let our hearts be troubled. It is all down to our choice. The only way we can experience the peace of God which Jesus has left for us, and which passes understanding, is if we first, DO NOT LET our hearts be troubled! The Bible commands us to not be anxious for anything, but in everything to pray to God with thanksgiving in our hearts. I know that is easier said that done in our lives, especially when we are in a difficulty, but that is what God wants from us, to aim to stop letting our heart be troubled, and to let our hurts trust in God, for his help and deliverance in all the adverse and difficult situations in our life. God has already given us all that we need, to not let our hearts be troubled, when there is trouble in our life. He has provided everything we need from him, in order to continue to be with hearts full with his peace from heaven, as Jesus promised us that he has left his peace to be in us. When you read John 16:33, you can see, that there is a promise from Jesus for us, and that is, and the promise is, that in this world we will have trouble. Oh he knows all about this Covid 19 and all other troubles that bother us, and he cares! But in that same verse, he also said, that we should take courage, because he has overcome the world! That is a powerful statement! I believe Jesus is saying to us in John 16:33, "OK, I know you will have trouble in this world, but I have given you solution and help in those troubles, because I have overcome the world". Do you see that? If Jesus has overcome the world, so can we, by him continuing to overcome the troubles we have in this world, just because he lives in us today. He still continues to overcome the world, and its troubles through us, and by living in us, for his glory and our comfort! Jesus was saying to the disciples in John 16:33, that if he could overcome the world, so can we, just because he lives in us, and wants to make us over-comers of the world and its troubles as he is even today. |
Archives
January 2022
Categories
All
|