Have you ever tried to move forward but the troubles of life hit you so fast and hard that you just want to give up and turn back to where it was safe and easy? Did you ever think to yourself why is this happening, am I not moving in the will of God? Am I not being obedient and allowing God to order my steps? Did you think why am I dealing with this illness, financial problem, family issues, relationship troubles, and whatever else this world keeps throwing? You want to keep going, you want to do what the Lord wants you to do, you want to obey Him, you want to complete this journey He has you on, but the struggles just keep coming, life keeps lifeing! Everyone may feel this way at times. We Believers still press on though, trying to keep moving forward in faith. However, sometimes it get so hard that we can even become exhausted and overwhelmed.
“Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23)
I have learned that it may not be that we are doing anything wrong; it may be that we are thinking wrong. I was taught that if I accept the Lord as my Savior and stay in His will, allowing Him to lead my steps, that I would not have any problems in life. But this is not what the Bible tells us. It’s actually the contrary. In the Bible, Jesus said in this world we would have trials and tribulations. (John 16:33). When we surrender our life to the Lord and commit to following His will, it makes the enemy mad and he gets even busier with his attempts to deceive, distract, and discourage us. Scripture tells us that there will be struggles in this life. But it also tells us that because of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice there is no struggle or problem that we can’t overcome through Him who strengthens us. We have two choices when we run into struggles, we can trust God and keep moving forward or we can react in panic and doubt, allowing fear and discouragement to force us to turn back.
“Do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you.” (1 Peter 4:12-14)
“All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Timothy 3:2)
“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.” (Johns 16:33)
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)
When we are facing difficulties we may think that the easiest thing to do is give up and turn back. The Israelites thought so. Even after witnessing God’s power in the Exodus and entering a covenant with God at Mt. Sinai, when the children of Israel sent spies into the land of promise and the spies reported their findings, the Bible tells us they were afraid and wanted to return back to Egypt. You would think after all that they had seen God do, turning back would not have been an option. But let us not judge them. We are guilty of the same. No matter how many times the Lord delivers us from one struggle after another, when things get rough we have the urge to turn back. Perhaps because like the Israelites we take our eyes off Jesus and fixate them on the struggle. We get caught up in the situation or problem instead of the One who is greater than the problem. Then the enemy steps in and tells us that we are alone and God has forsaken us. He wants us to turn back out of fear and desperation. This wilderness journey that we call life is the same as Israel’s journey. It’s all about coming to the place where we sincerely trust God and look to Him, not what our natural eyes see or what we are going through. Our gaze must stay on the One who is in control and not on what seems to be out of control. The good news is that the one who is in control, the righteous and Holy Creator of the universe, patiently puts up with us and contrary to what the enemy wants us to believe, He never leaves us. He is with us on the mountain and He is with us in the valley. How could anyone want to turn back from such an awesome God!
“All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in the wilderness!.” So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.” (Numbers 14:1-4)
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord, thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (Jousha 1:9)
“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:7)
“No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5)
In chapter six of Mark, scripture tells us that Jesus had just performed one of His great miracles with fish and barley loaves. Immediately after, He told the disciples to get in the boat, cross the sea of Galilee, and to meet Him on the other side. The disciples did as Jesus instructed. They were in the will of God, however when the boat reached the middle of the sea a storm surfaced. They were struggling because the Bible says that the high winds were against them. The winds were preventing the boat from going in the direction Jesus had told them to go. If you think about it they could have ended the struggle by turning around and going back, but then they would be going against the will of Jesus. Yes, they panicked as we would have. Then here comes Jesus walking on water telling them to take courage, do not be afraid. Even with the storm still raging He tells them to be of good cheer. Wait! What! Be of good cheer at a time like this! We know that Jesus could have stopped the storm immediately. Instead He wanted the disciples to look at His presence instead of the storm. He wanted them to focus on Him instead of the storm. He doesn’t want us to deny that we are in a storm, He wants to increase our faith in Him in spite of the storm. And He will show up for us as He did for the disciples. We don’t turn back because of struggles, we look to Jesus and when He shows up, it changes the narrative even while the storm is still raging. We may think turning back is easier than moving forward, especially when it seems like all odds are against us. But turning our back on God’s Word and His will is not in our best interest. No matter the struggle, living each day in Christ is worth it. The greater the struggle, the greater the reward!
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
“For the time will come when people will not endure sound doctrine, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4)
“If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.” (2 Timothy 2:12)
Identifying the flesh in our lives is a life-long task because our flesh will do anything it takes to avoid being put to death. This is why the Christian life is a long, hard spiritual battle. In fact, if you’re not struggling, you are probably not making a lot of good choices. The more good choices you make, the more your life will become spiritually embattled because it’s an agonizing thing to bring the flesh under the domination of the Spirit of God. The good news is although it may get rough, the power of the Holy spirit living within us will see us through. His grace is sufficient.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'”. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)
I wish I could tell you that it is easy following the will of the Lord. But that would not be the truth, not in this evil world. The journey can be encouraging, uplifting, rewarding, joyful, peaceful, and so much more. But it is not easy. What I can tell you is that if we endure until the end the reward is worth it. How do I know? Because we can never ever begin to suffer the way Jesus did. He did not turn away from His assignment or the cross, and He is now seated on the right hand of God and we praise God are blessed with eternal life!
When troubles seem overwhelming, do not go by what your natural eyes see and what the world tells you. Do not go by your feelings or emotions. I encourage you to focus on Jesus. I pray before we turn back, we concentrate on the truth of God’s Word, which will encourage us to be strong and courageous. The Lord tells us to not be afraid and do not panic and He promises us that He is with us and will never leave us. He never said the journey would be easy, but He did say the arrival would be worthwhile. Turning back is not an option! Love and Blessings…
“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he [it is] that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)
EMMANUEL 