SEPTEMBER 2024
HOW DO WE WEATHER THESE CHALLENGING TIMES AND PROSPER
There have always been very difficult and challenging times in life generally. When we read the Bible we are confronted with this as well. The gospel of John ( John 16 v 33), tells us that Jesus said “ these things have I spoken to you, that in Me, you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
John here is speaking shalom into our troubled hearts because Jesus is our peace. He has conquered death and overcome the world and promises to bring you and I into His perfect presence forever and ever.
To “overcome“ the world, implies that Jesus came to conquer our sin, and break the stronghold of the evil one by His death on the Cross. It doesn’t say you and I have to be strong enough to conquer the world, or that He did this for the weak ones who were not smart and strong enough to do this. He did this for us all so we walk in the fullness of what has been wrought for us.
It also implies that we treasure the greatest commandment, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength”. It requires that we continue to praise Him and show appreciation for all that He has done.
Paul also encourages us not only to weather these challenging times with the Lord, but also for us to prosper as you come through. In other words, come out as a Conqueror. Paul said that we are even more than Conquerors. This signifies that we are destined to prosper, so we really should be walking in the assurance we have been given. So are you walking in this assurance or are your shoulders bent under the pressures that abound. Are we believing what the Word is saying to us or are we listening to the lies of the enemy?
Let’s begin by trying to understand who a Conqueror is. A Conqueror is someone who wins every battle all the time. It means to subdue, or prevail. A conqueror strikes down his foe, and one who is more than a conqueror makes his foe his slave. There were many conquerors in the Bible. These include David, Joseph, Deborah and so on.
Jesus was the greatest Conqueror. He conquered death, hell and the grave. He made it such that he gave us permission to put satan under our feet. Romans 8:37 tells us that you and I are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. We are more than conquerors because of what Jesus did for us. A conqueror’s mindset expects victory. You see obstacles in your path as being there merely to slow you down, or cause you to walk around, but not able to stop you achieving your goal.
God tells us, (Isaiah 41:13), “I am the Lord your God, who grasps your right hand. It is I who says to you, fear not, I will help you”. As we read further through the verses 13 to 20, we see that God guides us through turbulence. He says He will never leave us nor forsake us. Whatever we may be going through now, we need to remember that Jesus is in it with us. He is able to interfere in the matter and to bring us peace. It is important that we keep our eyes on the hills, as said in the first verse of Psalm 121:1, rather than be preoccupied with how huge the problem is. What ever happens, we have a God that is bigger still.
Having a revelation of how much we are loved by God Almighty, means that you and I don’t have to live in fear of what is going to happen next. Sometimes, we end up with illness because of trauma, tension, fear and anxiety that we may be carrying. Spending time in His Presence draws us deeper into an awareness of His love for us. Revelation 12:11 says “They triumphed over Him by the Blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death”.
It is important that we know that because of the blood of the Lamb, our Lord Jesus Christ, having saved us from the penalty for sin, the price paid in full, redeemed and set free from its judgments, we are set free from being held in bondage to the fear of death.
It’s important that as we share our testimonies of His love and faithfulness in our lives, others who hear are encouraged and are able to overcome by being lead to faith in Jesus Christ. Also as Christians, He hasn’t given us a Spirit of fear, (2 Timothy1:7), so we can’t allow fear lead us into making decisions based on its threats. We need to make decisions based on the truth of God’s word.
Finally, Paul goes on to encourage us because he believes that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18).
As Christians, we were never promised trouble-free time, for in this passage we see ‘sufferings’ in ‘present time’. However, we are encouraged by Paul who says that these sufferings we are going through, are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. This is most encouraging as we can give our all to Jesus, knowing that we can walk in the fullness of all that He has made available to us.
