Overcoming Daily Struggles

John 15:19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

I am no different from you. If you had any idea the level of my personal struggles and sins, you wouldn’t listen to me. If you thought I had all of life together, a perfect family, a stress free life, a life of blessing that God poured out on me, or dare I say prosperity that is preached today, you would be totally wrong. The level of my sin before Christ, means my daily battles with sin are still great. The perfect family relationships do not exist, for Satan seeks to divide the family, and he is very good at it. The stresses of life are compounded daily because I try not to seek the stress relief by means that the world condones, and proclaims falsely will help. Satan has such power in sin, there are days he seeks diligently to persuade me life was better before Jesus. Sometimes I think of how he did the same with Jesus at the top of the world; “look at all this you can have…..now.” Temporal pleasures with eternal consequences; you must understand that. All of us put on our Christian smiles and greet each other with smiles and hugs hiding the truth that lies within. Satan has victories in the church hiding behind those smiles.

John understands the life of Jesus’ disciple; he understood these words that Jesus spoke to them and to you now. Your life is going to be difficult as a disciple of Jesus. This entire chapter of John is about an abiding relationship with Jesus; someone who truly seeks to live their daily life with Him. Jesus tells us of how we can truly do nothing without him, without that type of relationship with him. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. So many times we don’t grasp that statement; even in our pride of religion, we loose the humility of a humble hearts understanding. Jesus goes on with the incredible realization of election; of the understanding that God chooses us, we do not choose God; he knows the plans of our lives outside of the limits of time, which our limited minds cannot comprehend. Jesus tells them and us of how the world is against us, because we are living against the world. He came to save us from the punishment of sin that the world proclaims is such a false pleasure. So, Satan, and all those with him, hate us, for as Jesus’ disciples, we proclaim the rescue from Hell that awaits those who do not know or deny the Gospel. That eternal war in the spiritual realm, is what is played out every day in the life of a disciple of Jesus Christ. It is a war, and war has consequence.

Daily time in prayer and God’s Word is the only hope to maintain the abiding relationship Jesus speaks about. The less time I spend there (such as recently), the greater victories Satan has in all aspects of my life. Jesus spoke of the heart’s benefit in that relationship; 11 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. Only the heart that is truly seeking him each day, sees through the pain to the eternal victory, the victory at the cross and the eternal reward to those who abide. Separate yourself from society; seek God today with all your heart, mind, body, and soul. Live out the greatest commandment and seek for him to grant you wisdom to face the daily struggles that will come, with the strength of the One who has overcome.