HAVE YOU EVER noticed how the smallest thing can set someone off and cause them to stress out? Christians should never lose their peace for any reason. No matter what they face, god can do immeasurably more than they could ever imagine (Eph. 3:20). He can turn any situation around.
God’s peace passes all understanding (Phil. 4:7). But for it to dwell in our hearts, we have to let God reign in every situation we encounter. When we do, adversity will quit being a trial. If you think about it, the Bible says we are overcomers (2 Cor. 2:14) and more than conquerors (Rom. 8:37), so nothing should bother us.
The Greater One lives in us (1 John 4:4). We are the temple of the living God (2 Cor. 6:16). Wherever we go, He goes with us. Wherever we are, He is there. He promised never to leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:5). But all too often, Christians only “feel” His presence when they go to church and sing praise songs during the worship service.
Second Timothy 1:6 says, “I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee.” Paul wants us to always remember Who is in us and what is available to us.
Everything that God is dwells in us. We can tap into His wisdom and knowledge as well as His strength and peace. Second Timothy 1:7 says that we have power, love, and a sound mind residing in us. God has provided us with health, healing, and prosperity. He wants us to live an abundant life (John 10:10).
We have a lot in us, but often we do so little with it. Sometimes I think God becomes frustrated—He has put so much in us, yet we still try to work things out on our own.
With God in us, we should never let the devil give us a bad day. That’s because anytime we face tests and trials, we can choose not to worry. If anyone in the world should be happy, it should be us.
With God in us, we should never let the devil give us a bad day.
Life will be tough at times. We live in a real world with a real devil. And we have to learn not to look at our circumstances. When our situations are tough, instead of focusing on what is surrounding us, we need to close our eyes and look inside.
James, the brother of Jesus, shows us how to do that.
JAMES 1:2–7
2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
“Temptations” in this passage of scripture can mean trials, adversity, or any bad thing. James is giving us a reality check. He’s letting us know that the devil will attack us. We should never think we’re too “spiritual” to escape his attacks.
But God didn’t leave us defenseless against Satan’s schemes. When we don’t know what to do, we only need to ask for wisdom. We have a direct connection to the King of Kings, the creator of the universe. And He promises that whenever we ask Him for wisdom, He will give it to us liberally.
Where many Christians mess up is, they waver. They go to God, but then they start wondering if He will really help them. They’ve forgotten that God is not a man that He should lie (Num. 23:19). In fact, it is impossible for Him to lie (Titus 1:2; Heb. 6:18). Anytime we need help, we can be confident that He will help us when we ask.
Once we’re convinced of this, when the attacks come, we won’t waver. We’ll stand strong, because we’ll know with complete assurance that God will see us through. That’s why we can “count it all joy.” We don’t look at the adversity in front of us—we look to the Greater One in us. And we expect the victorious outcome that God has promised us.
Faith NUGGET
A Child’s Perspective
As children, many of us were happy. Even if we didn’t have much, it didn’t matter. We found something to do, even if it was playing in a cardboard box. We were happy because we didn’t have a lot of stress or cares. As we got older, however, situations started becoming a big deal and life got tough. Why? Because we started looking at our circumstances from a different perspective.
We can’t afford to lose our childlike trust in God. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it” (Luke 18:17 NLT). Whatever tests and trials come, we need to look at them from God’s perspective. When we do, we can receive the help and deliverance He wants to give us.
Think About: How do you react to adversity? Do you trust God to deliver you? Or do you waver between confidence and doubt? What can you do to always stand strong on God’s Word?
Author
Craig W. Hagin
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