Psalm 34:19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.”
Christians are not spared hard times in their lives. In fact, we are guaranteed more than our “fair share” of troubles. Why? If we are on track for God, Satan will do all he can to thwart us in our efforts to live for Christ. Satan does not want us to succeed in our daily Christian walk. He wants to destroy our testimonies because his desire is for us to fail in every aspect of our Christian life and to bring dishonor to the Lord.
But there is good news! God promises to deliver us from every situation that threatens our faith and our walk with Him. The Bible tells us in 1 John 4:14 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” Such glorious assurance that with God, there is victory in all circumstances!
For myself, when everything has been “coming up roses” for an extended period of time in my life, I need to do a little self-examination. I have to ask myself, ‘What have I not been doing for God that has Satan content to leave me alone?’ Don’t get me wrong! I don’t wish for hard times, and I don’t yearn for difficult situations to overcome me, but I know that when I am in God’s will, serving Him as the living sacrifice in Romans 12:1, Satan is very unhappy, and will do whatever he can to weaken my faith in God. It is in these untroubled times that I must pray, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24). If the Holy Spirit reveals sin in my life, I must repent and seek God’s forgiveness to get back to where I need to be in my Christian walk. Does this mean that if everything is going well that I am out of God’s will? Of course not! But it should urge me to take inventory of my life, just in case!
So, what have I learned from my devotional reading today? I’ve learned to look at my struggles from a different perspective… a more godly perspective. When I am going through tough times, instead of lamenting my situation, I need to take a good look at my life. Maybe I’m doing something right, something that is part of God’s will for me, and I am involved in a spiritual battle! The enemy is attacking because he wants to destroy my work for the Lord! Time for me to make sure that I have the armor of God securely in place (Ephesians 6:13-17). My battle is not against flesh and blood, and I must be properly fitted to fight. I know the battle belongs to the Lord (1 Samuel 17), and in Him there is victory, but I cannot be a passive warrior for Christ. I must be fully equipped to fight and win!
Hmm… suddenly, the troubles I’ve had lately don’t seem quite so overwhelming. Instead, they seem more like an affirmation that I am on the right track. All I need to do is stand firm on the foundation of God’s Word, fight the good fight, and endure! Victory is assured for God has promised it to each of us who belong to Him!
“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” – 1 Peter 1:6-7
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How has your walk with God been strengthened through hard times?