“In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.” Daniel 2:44 NIV
“To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations. They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots. They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star! “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.” Revelation 2:26-29 NLT
“He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time. “ ‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.” Daniel 7:25-27 NIV
“And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For IT GIVES YOUR FATHER GREAT HAPPINESS TO GIVE YOU THE KINGDOM.” Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Luke 12:29-34 NLT
How blessed you are; you who truly believe in God through Jesus Christ, and obey His commands. The Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. There are many weird teachings out there people believe in regarding eternal life in an eternal kingdom. They’re all rubbish. God has given you; only His chosen children, all the kingdoms of the world. You are His heirs, joint heirs with Christ.
“For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.” Romans 8:16-17 NLT
This is why you are persecuted so much. The demons know who you are and what you have, and that they will never own it. Through their human minions they attack you, and offer you crumbs, trinkets in this world, hoping you will grow weary and give up your inheritance. But as Jesus said you don’t have to worry about anything. God will provide all your needs. As an heir to His (and your) everlasting kingdom you are richer than you could ever imagine. Your Father is the wealthiest, most powerful person in the universe. We truly mustn’t worry about nothing. It is an insult to our heavenly Father.
Hold on tightly to what you have Jesus says. Every trial we face in this life doesn’t even compare to the glory God has given us:
“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18 KJV
“Then the LORD asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless-a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.” Job 1:8 NLT
If you are a person of integrity like Job you too shun evil. But that does not mean you won’t be confronted by it. If you are a believer in God evil notices you, desires you, and finds you. Evil constantly lays traps for you hoping you will take the bait and get ensnared. Evil wants to destroy you and your relationship with God. Let’s get some encouragement on how to fight back and keep on shunning evil.
THE FLESH IS WEAK
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Mark 14:38 NIV
Jesus; the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), says we must, “Watch and pray,” so as not to be engulfed by temptation. The meaning of the word, “Watch,” here means to give strict attention to, to be cautious, active, to keep awake. So we must keep strict watch of ourselves when it comes to temptations. But that’s not all. Jesus also said we must pray. All the diligence in the world won’t help us if we don’t pray regarding temptation. Jesus tells us why: “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mark 14:38 NIV) The Holy Spirit is powerful enough to handle any and all temptations. But our flesh is miserably weak. One of the first steps to overcoming evil is realizing this fact; acknowledging how weak we are, and how much we need God’s help. Pray earnestly as Jesus said not to fall into temptation.
REAL LIFE SCENARIO
Let’s look at a real life scenario of shunning evil. Our brother enjoys going to a particular restaurant on his off day to unwind. There he studies and meditates on God’s word using his Bible apps on his cell phone. The atmosphere there is quiet and conducive to this. It is not long before Satan comes in the form of a female who pretends to be a believer like our brother. They talk about the scriptures, and seem to be having a good time encouraging one another. They meet at this restaurant a few times and discuss the word of God. Then our supposed sister suddenly makes her move. She uses the old damsel in distress routine to see just how much our brother is into her. She hints that she’s having financial trouble. Our brother doesn’t pay much attention to this because frankly it sounds just like the old damsel in distress routine. Later the same day the sister calls our brother on the phone and tries to force him to give her some money. Her tone is completely different from when they were discussing the scriptures. She keeps asking him for the money. She then tells our brother in a stern, angry voice that if she doesn’t get the money her phone will be turned off that same day (they won’t be able to talk). After she realizes he’s not going to give it to her she hangs up. This is someone our brother met only a week ago and had a few Bible discussions with at a restaurant. What made her feel she was entitled to his money? Our brother couldn’t stop thanking God and rejoicing after the lady hung up the phone because God had answered his prayer by revealing to him who this person really was. This was not the Christian she pretended to be. This was one of Satan’s drama queens sent on a mission to take down our brother.
You think the Devil stopped there? Of course not. The next morning the woman kept texting and calling our brother to meet her at the restaurant for a cup of coffee (this time her treat of course hah hah) as if nothing ever happened. But wait, I thought her phone was supposed to be turned off by now? I guess she got the money from somewhere else, or she was just lying in the first place to get some money. Anyways our brother ignored her texts, calls, and voicemails. Why? Because the scriptures say:
“But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who CLAIMS TO BE A BROTHER OR SISTER but is sexually immoral or GREEDY, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or SWINDLER. DO NOT EVEN EAT WITH SUCH PEOPLE. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:11-13 NIV
The Bible also says to shun those who:
“THEY WILL ACT RELIGIOUS, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. STAY AWAY FROM PEOPLE LIKE THAT” 2 Timothy 3:5 NLT
KEEP SHUNNING EVIL
About a week later our brother was in his restaurant spot meditating on the word of God when that same woman pulled up in her car. As she was about to come in our brother was making an exit through another door, avoiding her altogether. Some would say, “That’s stupid, he’s in a public place, he paid his money, he has a right to be there just as much as she does.” But our brother would say that he decided to SHUN EVIL. He would say he knows from past experiences the drama this type of person is capable of causing. Hence he chose to avoid it. Our brother enjoys his peace much more than demanding his rights. He believes he was obeying God by leaving the restaurant when that woman arrived. And that he was protected from who knows what kind of drama she may have caused.
“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.” Proverbs 3:7 NIV
SHUN CERTAIN PEOPLE
The Bible is filled with scriptures telling us to avoid certain kinds of people. Here’s a couple:
“Make no friendship with an angry man [woman]; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.” Proverbs 22:24-25 KJV
“I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.” Romans 16:17-18 NIV
You are obeying God when you shun evil, and that includes evil people who are out to harm you. Some people love drama, they run to it. But the wise hate mess and run away from it.
Our brother decided to stop going to that restaurant, yes, all because of that woman. That’s his choice. He strongly believes he knows what kind of person this is and the potential danger she poses. When God says shun evil, shun it. Don’t arrogantly try to battle evil in your own strength demanding your rights. You will lose. Sometimes the battle plan of God is to walk away from a situation, even RUN AWAY from it! Here’s one:
“RUN FROM sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.” 1 Corinthians 6:18 NLT
Running away doesn’t always make you a coward.
Remember, though you may be a person of integrity like Job which means you shun evil, that doesn’t mean evil won’t find you. But when it does pray, and always be on the watch. The Holy Spirit is very willing to help us where we are weak, and to keep shunning evil.
“For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy. Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe. Wisdom will save you from evil people, from those whose words are twisted.” Proverbs 2:10-12 NLT
I’ve seen something interesting in life: the demon possessed call the righteous demon possessed. Dark minds claim to spread light. The truly racist calls other people racists. The bully plays the role of the victim, and calls others bullies. The true terrorist calls others terrorists. The criminal calls others criminals, etcetera.
I’ve also seen this: If you spread a lie enough times people will believe it. And It is very hard for people to believe in the truth. They willingly follow liars like herds of cattle to the slaughter. They let others (and machines) think for them. It’s so much easier that way. No wonder people fall into so much trouble. The whole world lacks Prudence.
“We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” 1 John 5:19 NIV
God says the whole world is under Satan’s power. Thus it lacks prudence. Since we know this what should we expect? The world to be wise? The world to be caring, and love us? Of course not:
“And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.”
We’re not stupid enough to believe the world loves Jesus followers. That’s why I think there’s a special sting sometimes when a false believer comes in our midst and stabs us in the back. Once it’s been revealed who they really are, and we do the right thing (which is to get rid of them), (Romans 16:17) the Devil whispers in our ears that we were suckers for loving them in the first place. And that is simply not the truth. Love is our mandate:
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:8 NIV
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35 NIV
When we follow Jesus’ command to love and others decide to take advantage of us, we’re not stupid, they are. They probably just lost the best friend they will ever have. We must press on in spite of how people treat us:
“You are the people of God; he loved you and chose you for his own. So then, you must clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Colossians 3:12 GNT
Don’t let anyone Rob you of your beautiful clothe:
“Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.”
“For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time-to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 1:9 NLT
What generosity! Before the beginning of time God had wonderful plans for us. He saved and called us to a holy life in Him. Not because of anything we did to deserve this, but because He is so gracious. How awesome it will be when we see our Father face to face in heaven. We will be looking directly at Love. (1 John 4:8)
“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5 NLT
God knew all of His sons and daughters before He formed them in their mother’s womb. And he set them all apart for special work to do in His service:
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 NIV
See? We were all created by God in Jesus Christ to do good works, which He prepared in advance for us to do (before the beginning of time).
“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.” Ephesians 1:4-5, 11 NIV
Do you see how special we are to Almighty God and Jesus? And just how generous They are? They didn’t have to do any of this. They foreordained us because They Love us.
“This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God-who does not lie-promised them before the world began.” Titus 1:2 NLT
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” Proverbs 17:17 NIV
The scripture above is true. A few good friends and relatives do exist. But we are living in a time when a person’s closest family members will turn on him/her. A time when people have no natural affection for one another. Jesus said it would be like this:
“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Matthew 10:21-22 NIV
How great it is to have a true friend! How awesome it is to have good relations with one’s relatives. But if you don’t have these it doesn’t mean that you are cursed. It could mean the very opposite (you are blessed). In fact some of the most blessed people in the world and who ever lived have had family and friends turn on them. Today this is the norm:
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:10-12 NIV
“You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. THEY WILL BE UNLOVING and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. THEY WILL BETRAY THEIR FRIENDS, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!” 2 Timothy 3:1-5 NLT
This description fits people quite well, wouldn’t you agree? It proves we are living in the last days. So many are lost. If you love God they are going to attack you. The demons living inside of them will see to it. But don’t fret. God explains to us what it all means and how to handle it.
“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.” 1 Peter 4:12-16 NIV
Remember, God’s word says that a friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. (Proverbs 17:17) Jesus is definitely that kind of friend and brother to us. He loves us so much that he willingly took torture and death to save us. Now that we are being persecuted for Him, what kind of friends will we be to Jesus? Will we quit on Him because things get tough? Are we truly His friend?
How we handle trials is a test of our friendship with God, and it shows who we really are. Hopefully when it’s all said and done we won’t be hypocrites. Hopefully we won’t be those who wanted true friends but were unwilling to give true companionship to God. Hopefully we’re not the type that quits on God or any of our friends or relatives when the going gets tough. May we be the kind of friend who loves at all times, a brother who is there to help bear adversities.
“The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.” Acts 5:27-42 NIV
No matter how much persecution the church goes through; whippings, torture, being fed to lions in the Roman coliseum, beheadings, exile, etcetera, it keeps on growing. Why is that? Gamaliel provides the answer in the passage above: “But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5:39 NIV)
When a thing is from God nothing and no one can stop it. No amount of fear tactics or bullying can bring it to a halt. Believers in Jesus Christ have been and still are being persecuted and killed around the world. And they just won’t quit. Gamaliel told us why: “It is from God.”
“However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says: “ ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things?’ “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him—you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.” When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city.” Acts 7:48-8:1-8 NIV
Here we see Stephen our brother being harassed and murdered for his faith. And great persecution breaks out against believers that same day. Saul (a Pharisee) sets out to destroy the church. He goes from house to house dragging believers off to prison, breaking up families, and scattering them from their homes. Yes, many of our brothers and sisters became homeless fleeing persecution. But they preached the good news about Jesus wherever they went. As a result many more people became believers. How could this be? Why didn’t the persecution make them stop? Because their work is from God and not of human origin. The day is coming when our message will come to an end. Until then lets stay busy.
“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV
“When a prophet makes a statement in the name of the Lord, if what he says does not take place and his words do not come true, then his word is not the word of the Lord: the words of the prophet were said in the pride of his heart, and you are to have no fear of him.” Deuteronomy 18:22 BBE
Remember all the social media videos and sites where people were predicting president Obama would be the last US president? They predicted he would have a third term and wouldn’t leave office, remember that? How wrong these people were. And many of them claimed to speak from the Lord. As stated in the scripture above they were speaking merely from the delusions of their minds and the pride of their hearts. The Lord had not spoken through any of them.
“Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it?” Lamentations 3:37 NIV
“It is God who alters the times and seasons, and he removes kings and promotes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.” Daniel 2:21 ISV
Though I believe there is some good content in alternative and mainstream media one must be very careful and stick to the truth. How can we do that? By studying, believing, and obeying the scriptures.
“Then Jesus said to the Jews who had faith in him, If you keep my word, then you are truly my disciples; And you will have knowledge of what is true, and that will make you free.” John 8:31-32 BBE
What a bold statement to some, but it’s a true one. Because Jesus is the truth (John 14:6) one can only get the truth from Him. In order to know what’s going on in the times we live in and how to respond properly a person must receive a revelation from Jesus Himself. Hence we need to study the scriptures; all of Jesus’ teachings, while there is still time. There is so much smoke and mirrors these days, so much fake news. Lies are told 24/7 through all forms of slanted media. If people only knew EVERYTHING they see going on today was written about thousands of years ago in advance in God’s word the Bible. The Devil does not want people to know the truth. He and his demons don’t want us to be set free. Hence Satan’s propaganda machine is in high gear misleading the masses to their destruction. By getting people to believe in what is fake and not real Satan is leading MANY to destruction.
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14 NIV
How are so many mislead on the broad road that leads to destruction? Through spreading false propaganda 24/7. By getting the masses to believe in lies of all kinds. By using every form of communication to spread these lies the Devil gets the job done. He’s so good at it that people even pay their hard earned money to be lied to regularly. Human actions come from what a person believes. Get a person to believe what is wrong is right, and you’ve successfully gotten them to behave wrongly. Satan’s got lots of experience at this. He’s been at it since the begining of time. He uses minions on a daily basis to further his cause. That’s why you and I must always be alert as to what we watch, listen to, read about, etcetera. If it goes against God’s word throw it away. If we’re not very careful we too will find ourselves under Satan’s mind control.
“We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” 1 John 5:19 NIV
“The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” Revelation 12:9 NIV
Yes, there is a sinister plan to control your mind. There is a real life Boogeyman who’s out to get you. Only thing is he’s not hiding under your bed. He’s hiding in your main stream news media, in your movies, in your music, in your social media, in your books, etcetera. And before anyone starts saying I’ve been watching too much TV, the Holy scriptures that expose the Devil and his tactics were written thousands of years before movies were ever made. In fact I think many movie producers and writers owe God some royalties. Because it’s quite clear that many of their plots and ideas come right out of the Bible. Of course they add their own spin on it.
Brothers and sisters be very careful regarding what you watch, read, and listen to. Study the scriptures daily, not Satan’s propaganda.
If you look up the word, “Excursion,” you will see that it usually means a short trip mainly for pleasure. Nowadays you can do that right in your own home. That’s right. You can travel wherever you want through a technology called virtual reality. And it feels like you’re really there. I’ve heard some alcoholic drinks and drugs can do that for you too. Music to many is an excursion. Others say watching movies does it for them. Just about anything can become our getaway. It all depends on what we like. But when it comes to pleasures there’s a need for caution. Why? Because our desires are rooted in sin. Something so innocent can become our demise.
“But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” James 1:14-15 NIV
Jesus’ warns:
“Constantly be on your guard so that your hearts will not be loaded down with self-indulgence, drunkenness, and the worries of this life, or that day will take you by surprise.” Luke 21:34 ISV
Jesus warns if we become OVERCHARGED with self-indulgent pleasures and the worries of this life we will miss out greatly. Instead of His return being the best day of our lives it will be our worse. Excessive pleasure and the cares of this life go hand in hand. Today people are more stressed out than ever. The normal solution when feeling this way is to do something that makes us feel good, something pleasurable. And there’s nothing wrong with that. The problem is we often go overboard. Instead of a relaxing drink we get drunk. Instead of some relaxing recreation to recharge our batteries we seek pleasure all the time. These things become distractions that take our eyes off of the real prize; the day when we will never ever be stressed over anything ever again, the day Christ returns and gathers us to be with Him in heaven forever.
THE BEST WAY TO DEAL WITH STRESS
While there is nothing wrong with engaging in entertainment to recharge our batteries there’s an ultimate way to deal with stress. To illustrate let’s look at David. Here is a man who was on the run from an unrighteous king named Saul. Saul sent men to watch David’s house around the clock in order to kill him. How did David respond? He wrote a Psalm; a song, a prayer that he sung to God. David’s prayer/song went like this:
“Save me from my enemies, my God; protect me from those who attack me! Save me from those evil people; rescue me from those murderers! Look! They are waiting to kill me; cruel people are gathering against me. It is not because of any sin or wrong I have done, nor because of any fault of mine, O Lord, that they hurry to their places. Rise, Lord God Almighty, and come to my aid; see for yourself, God of Israel! Wake up and punish the heathen; show no mercy to evil traitors! They come back in the evening, snarling like dogs as they go about the city. Listen to their insults and threats. Their tongues are like swords in their mouths, yet they think that no one hears them. But you laugh at them, Lord; you mock all the heathen. I have confidence in your strength; you are my refuge, O God. My God loves me and will come to me; he will let me see my enemies defeated. Do not kill them, O God, or my people may forget. Scatter them by your strength and defeat them, O Lord, our protector. Sin is on their lips; all their words are sinful; may they be caught in their pride! Because they curse and lie, destroy them in your anger; destroy them completely. Then everyone will know that God rules in Israel, that his rule extends over all the earth. My enemies come back in the evening, snarling like dogs as they go about the city, like dogs roaming about for food and growling if they do not find enough. But I will sing about your strength; every morning I will sing aloud of your constant love. You have been a refuge for me, a shelter in my time of trouble. I will praise you, my defender. My refuge is God, the God who loves me.” Psalm 59:1-17 GNT
Wow! How many people you know when in trouble immediately start praying to God or praising Him in song? And how many do you know turn up the bottle, or smoke something to forget their troubles? The sad part is once the high is gone the problems are still there. And sometimes even worse because we spent all of our money getting high. David had faith that God would protect him, and He did. Sadly most people do not have this kind of faith.
“And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith.” 2 Thessalonians 3:2 NIV
While healthy excursions in their proper place are fine and dandy let us not forget where the ultimate help can be found when we’re stressed out. Let us pray to God and even sing to Him like David did.
“We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.” James 3:2 NIV
It’s gonna happen. You’re gonna sometimes say or do something out of character. If you don’t you’re perfect. And the only person who ever lived that never made a mistake is Jesus Christ. But how we handle mistakes is what counts most. Do you beat yourself to death for messing up? Or do you go to the other extreme and justify your wrongs?
Let me say first that I admire all of you dear brothers and sisters. You live in a world where you are always going against the grain, swimming against the current so to speak. That takes a lot of courage and can wear anybody out. When you feel tired; tired of this crazy world, tired of crazy mean people, it’s easy to slip up. God knows exactly how you feel:
“And if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard.” 2 Peter 2:7-8 NIV
God saw Lot go through the same thing. He was vexed over the lawless deeds he saw and heard on a daily basis. All righteous people go through this. So what you are feeling is normal. And it’s also a fact that sometimes we get so perturbed that we slip up in our godly conduct. Don’t get it twisted, I’m not justifying getting angry with the world and messing up. I’m just being honest in saying sometimes it happens. And I encourage you to continue in the fight to do what is right.
OUR HELP
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:23-24 NIV
The truth is all sins must be atoned for. And Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sins. If we believe this we won’t beat ourselves to death or justify our blunders. We’ll simply thank God for making this marvellous provision, confess our sins to him, repent, and keep it moving.
Two twin babies were having a discussion inside their mother’s womb. One asked the other did they believe in life after birth, and did they believe in mom. The baby responded, “Nah, I don’t believe in these things, I’m an atheist. I mean, have you ever seen mom?” Wow!
Mom had been taking care of them the whole time. Mom had protected them in ways they could not fathom. Mom even suffered to ensure their survival. And because one of them hasn’t seen her, he decides to believe she doesn’t exist? Amazing! This reminds me a lot of Jesus.
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