32 But take notice, the hour is coming, and it has arrived, when you will all be dispersed and scattered, every man to his own home, leaving Me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
33 I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]
We all go through trials and tribulations in life.
Some are trials are situations, some are places, some are people.
But regardless of the trial, it is important to think on and set our minds on what is truly important: how God has absolutely, positively, 100% provided the way OUT of these trials 100% of the time!
Just in 2 verses, Paul writes through the unction of the Holy Spirit that despite every stint of tribulation (which if you know the story of Paul at all, was persecuted more than ANY other person in the Bible; was known as the ugliest and hardest to look at person in the Bible because of how many times he had been beaten and stoned and persecuted for his faith STILL called tribulation "light affliction" (2 Corinthians 4:17)) WE MAY HAVE PERFECT PEACE AND CONFIDENCE! Because Jesus has overcome the entire world!
-This includes every person, place, or thing in the entire world.
You see, the devil (who I like to refer to as "the stupid one") tries to steal, kill, and destroy in any way he can in our life (John 10:10)m but he CANNOT unless we let him in!
Our spirits don't belong to the stupid one as children of God. In fact, they couldn't be more opposite.
But because we ARE spirits who LIVE in a body, we through free will can choose what we listen to, think on, and let permeate in our spirits!
This being said, through any trial or tribulation, the devil will try to throw thoughts at us in our minds, to try and get us to act out of our worldly instincts, our flesh! But We can "be of good cheer, taking COURAGE, CONFIDENCE, being CERTAIN AND UNDAUNTED because JESUS has OVERCOME, past tense the ENTIRE WORLD! When we resist the devil that stupid little tiny thing HAS TO FLEE!!! (James 4:7) He has no right to stay, and he is TERRIFIED of the Name of Jesus and the power that is behind it. He cannot stay, and neither can his stupid minions he tries to get to mess with us.
1 Peter 5:6-11
6 Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you,
7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.
8 Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.
9 Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset—rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.
10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace [Who imparts all blessing and favor], Who has called you to His [own] eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen, and settle you.
11 To Him be the dominion (power, authority, rule) forever and ever. Amen (so be it).
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So often I've seen many pastors focus on the verse 1 Peter 5:8 where it talks about how we need to "Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour." But it boggles my mind how often this is taken out of context! Shouldn't we know by the thousands of other verses in the Bible that our God doesn't leave us hangin?_________________________________________________________________________________
READ ON!
1 Peter 5:9-11 says to withstand the enemy FIRM in faith, because after a little while, (however long we allow the devil to have authority, or if we choose to quench his fiery darts with the WORD and speaking out our faith) (<-- Ephesians 6:16) that God of ALL grace who imparts ALL blessing and favor, who has called us to His own eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will HIMSELF COMPLETE and MAKE US what we ought to be, ESTABLISH and GROUND us securely, and STRENGTHEN and SETTLE US!
Wow! So in just reading on, we find out that because the fall of men thousands of years ago, sin in this world, and the stupid one, we are going to have trials and tribulations. Life is going to be sticky and messy and icky sometimes. But we can have CHEER and rejoice and be thankful! We aren't to worry, get down in the dumps, or stay down, because God has done ALL of these things:
1) Imparts ALL blessing
2) Imparts ALL favor
3) called us to His OWN eternal glory in Christ Jesus
4) Himself will complete
5) and Himself MAKE us what we ought to be
6) Establish us
7) Ground us
8) SECURELY (secure us)
9) Strengthen us
10) and Settle us!
Woah! 10 things in one verse! I'm glad I kept reading.
Not to mention verse 11, which I like to think as an extra punch in the face to the enemy, Jesus also says that oh by the way, "I have the dominion, (power, authority, rule) forever and EVER. Amen (so be it)."
-and yet that stupid devil tries to REAR ITS UGLY HEAD acting LIKE (because he ISN'T a lion, he's an impostor who fakes himself in whatever way he can to make himself SEEM bigger and badder than he actually is.)
-talk about a sucker punch to the... well... nevermind.
Bottom line is: The devil has NO NO NO NO NO authority unless we give it to him! He cannot win and he will NEVER win, unless we choose to violate the will of God for our lives which we know is for him to be all of those 10 things above and more!
And Lastly...
1 Corinthians 15:51-58
51 Take notice! I tell you a mystery (a secret truth, an event decreed by the hidden purpose or counsel of God). We shall not all fall asleep [in death], but we shall all be changed (transformed)
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the [sound of the] last trumpet call. For a trumpet will sound, and the dead [in Christ] will be raised imperishable (free and immune from decay), and we shall be changed (transformed).
53 For this perishable [part of us] must put on the imperishable [nature], and this mortal [part of us, this nature that is capable of dying] must put on immortality (freedom from death).
54 And when this perishable puts on the imperishable and this that was capable of dying puts on freedom from death, then shall be fulfilled the Scripture that says, Death is swallowed up (utterly vanquished forever) in and unto victory.
55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?
56 Now sin is the sting of death, and sin exercises its power [upon the soul] through [the abuse of] the Law.
57 But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory [making us conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be firm (steadfast), immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord [always being superior, excelling, doing more than enough in the service of the Lord], knowing and being continually aware that your labor in the Lord is not futile [it is never wasted or to no purpose].
I just love these few verses! Talk about something to be encouraged by and stand on!
We have already been given the promise that God has already provided our victory in every sense!
It tells us that death is swallowed up and utterly vanquished FOREVER in and unto victory!
That sin only exercises its power upon the soul though the abuse of the Law...
- but if we read on we see that we STILL are to have thanks unto God, for He STILL gives us the victory, making us CONQUERORS through Jesus Christ over that sin and death!
We can be firm, steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, are always superior, excelling, doing more than enough in the service of the Lord... all over the stupid one! He has NO power unless we don't exert our authority and let him in! Hallelujah he is already defeated!
So be blessed and encouraged! Nothing in this world has the power to defeat you unless you let it!
You have total victory through Jesus Christ! So walk around like you've won!
Megan. :)
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