by Timothy W. Burnett
God in heaven understands the condition of mankind, and He gave us exactly what we need to endure and conquer the challenges of life in this world. When we stay our minds on the hope of everlasting life, we are comforted. Any trouble that we face in this world is miniscule compared to the gift of everlasting life from God.
With God's love abiding in our decisions and actions, fear is cast down. The decisions people make are often based on fear of the unknown future, getting hurt, death and losing our livelihood, to name a few. Do not confuse fear with prudence and caution.
God teaches us in 1John 4:18, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love casts out fear." When we are not in fear, then we have confidence toward God, and whatever we ask, we receive from Him (1John 3:21).
The troubling challenges in life are not truly from God in heaven. Yet through our Lord Jesus, we are blessed with a way out. God will not let us endure beyond what we can handle. And as long as we are staying our hearts on trusting Him, we will be in the place at just the right time to receive God's mighty help.
Knowing this, we can approach this time as an opportunity to grow and mature in our fellowship with God. When we dearly love somebody, we want so much to be by their side and help them to endure those troublesome days, and to share their happy times. In so doing, we build on a relationship together. The same is true for God and His love for us.
God knows something about us that we often forget...we are weak. That's right. In walking with God's love during troubling times, as we eandure and hold fast to God's word and act on confidence toward Him, we are strengthened by His mighty strength.
As we stand firmly with God right in front of us, and do not give up on God, we will grow in God's strength. Look at 2Corinthians 12:9, "And He said unto me, 'My grace is strong for you. For my power is made perfect in weakness.'"
To be "made perfect" meant to be accomplished. God's power is accomplished or fulfilled in weakness. When we fully recognize our weakness in any situation and place all of our trust in God, then His working power is accomplished in due time. Troublesome challenges in life can be seen as indirect blessings in that we are filled with joy in knowing that God is fully able to help us, we are growing in God's power, developing patience and endurance, and maturing in our overall relationship with God. In the end, God gets the glory by all. God loves us so much. And He wants only the best for us. Let's keep our trust in God with all our hearts, and not lean on our own understanding. In all our ways acknowledge Him and let Him direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). Then we can soon enjoy the rich blessing that God is preparing us for.
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