Victorious Living - 04 June

Are you in control of your life? Or are you overwhelmed by circumstances? Perhaps you feel just fine now, but you can look back to a time when your world was spinning out of control. Did you turn to friends? Drink or drugs? Or did you turn to God?

Jesus shared our pains. He was a real man living in a real world. Although He probably didn’t have the same types of problems we do, we know that He suffered His share. At one point He was run out of a temple. People wanted to throw Him off a cliff. His closest friends betrayed Him. He hung humiliatingly on a cross. Yep, Jesus knew. Here’s something He said that should give us comfort.

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” John 14:1 (ESV)

Jesus goes on to talk about the ongoing heavenly construction project – our mansions. But the most important part was this verse He wants us to be untroubled. He wants us to believe and rest in God’s ability to take care of us. What does “troubled” mean? This word is tarasso in Greek, which means to remove calmness from your mind. It’s something that causes fear and doubt. And believe is pisteuo, which means to be persuaded, placing confidence, trust, and relying on. So this verse could also read:

Don’t be fearful and remove all doubt from your mind. You already rely on God, now it’s time to place your confidence in Jesus as well.

Will this verse help you to understand the kind of care that God wants to give you? He is always there. You can rely on Him. Your friends might desert you, but God won’t!

Why does God do all that for us? It’s not because we’re wonderful people. We already know that we are sinners. Let’s hear what the Psalmist has to say:

The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him. Psalm 37:39-40 (ESV)

Who is righteous? Those who have accepted the free gift of salvation that Christ offers. If you have yet to accept Christ’s gift, today is the day! Email me, or ask the pastor, and we will gladly tell you what you need to do to be saved!

Reading these verses, we learn that God helps and delivers us from the wicked. Why? Because we take refuge in Him. Although God certainly can fight your battles without your consent, He desires that we take refuge – make positive steps toward Him, admitting that we can’t handle the problem and asking for His help.

One more verse today. Perhaps you’ll choose to memorize this and put it in your daily arsenal of verses to use when you encounter difficulties. As you contemplate these words, take time to really think about what God offers you through His name. I will meet you again on Wednesday.

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe. Prov 18:10 (ESV)