John 16:33


“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” ~ John 16:33

We live in a day of false teachers who claim that if you think it, you will have it; if you want money, fame, prestige, it is yours for the asking. Nothing will get in the way of all you desire. This is what the devil offered Jesus! Out in the desert, before He began His ministry, He was tempted by Satan. Look over all this land, Jesus was told, and it will be yours! False liars! For those who come to Christ thinking that He is some Santa Claus in the sky, they soon fall away because that is not who God in Jesus Christ is. The Lord gave us warning that it would be difficult to follow Him. We have to carry our cross, and it is heavy! We have to walk away from some things that we want, so to follow Him. We have to lay ourselves aside so that He might be more in us! To be a true follower of Jesus is not easy, but it is so very worth it! Will there be trials? Absolutely! We live in a fallen world. Sickness, financial struggle, trouble with family relationships? Yes, and more may afflict us as we follow Him. This is why Jesus prepared us for what we would encounter. But, praise God, He left us with a promise too! He has overcome the world! And He will help you walk through whatever the world throws at you! But do not lose hope, for herein is granted to us through His power the grace to keep running “the race set before us.” You may feel as though you are drowning, but the Lord knows your troubles and He will see you through. Have faith in the One who knows what trouble is!
Devotion by Pastor Julia

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for your comments

Popular posts from this blog

Proverbs 18:2

Image
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in sharing their own opinions ~ Proverbs 18:2 If we are going to understand something, we must fully digest it so that when we speak, we speak with wisdom. When we have only half truths in our mind, our words become empty and senseless. We then puff out air rather than understanding when we speak. A wise person will want to improve their mind through learning in various ways from the world around them. A person who delights in spiritual understanding will find peace and enjoyment in reading the Word of God on a daily basis, and in participating with God’s people in a learning and praising environment – the church! We come together in corporate worship with the understanding that not one of us knows all things, but we bend our mind and heart to learn what God has to show and say to us. A foolish person makes a show of what they “know” to please their friends or to save face in front of them. More often a wise person will hold t
Read more

Romans 8:26

Image
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans ~ Romans 8:26 Many days, many times, I have the words for prayer. It comes forth and flows fairly naturally as I converse with my Lord God. I hope in the God I worship to hear me, and to receive my words, as I pray in the name of Jesus and believe in Him, my intercessor. He is my Living Saviour, my High Priest, standing at the right hand of God the Father. But there are times when my pain has been so deep that my words will not come. There are times when my agony is so piercing that what words I may speak would not be enough. And so, in my deep, black moments, I come before my God and let my darkest emotions erupt in sounds that only He can understand. The Holy Spirit within me cries out in my stead, and He becomes my second intercessor. It is not that He is not there with me in all my prayers, but there are times wh
Read more

Isaiah 43:19

Image
Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert ~ Isaiah 43:19 When we meet a challenge, we are often found discouraged, lost, even hopeless. Nothing is working, everything seems to be against us. We do not know how to move forward, so we remain curled up in a ball. Then, a glimmer of light shines through! Hope is regained and movement is stirred within. Don’t we become excited when we begin to feel it? God moves like that. We cannot see our way around it, but He can and does. And He makes a way for us out of the calamity of our fears. It is the feeling of springtime after a long winter, or the smell of fresh cut grass. Life stirs within and we move and we see what God saw all the time – the answer to our dilemma. Our desert place becomes an oasis, and we can do what we are called to do. Something totally unexpected happens, something unheard of, but it begins in our life, and we feel the
Read more