by David Brenneman
“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’ “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning." John 15:18-27.
Life is not simple. We face many bumps and turns along the way. The race is real, the battle continuous, and the painful experiences may pierce our hearts. However, our circumstances should not define who we are or how we react. Rather, as believers our behavior in every situation should honor the Lord Jesus, and our identity should always be based on the salvation He’s provided for us.
God knows the Christian life isn’t easy. When you received the Lord Jesus as your Savior, He set you on your course. As your sovereign Lord, He mapped out all the bumps, turns, detours, hills, and valleys. He knew all the difficulties you’d face. He understood that you would continually clash with the world, the flesh, and the devil until you were home with Him. Yet He didn’t merely set you on the path, hoping you would find your way. He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell you, guide you, and encourage you. Endurance requires something that doesn’t come easily—trust in your unseen, sovereign God. However, with the Holy Spirit to remind you of His faithfulness and power (John 14:26), you can remain committed to Him.
When the going gets rough—and it will—you can’t run away. You can’t quit. The longer you faithfully obey the Lord, regardless of the circumstances, the stronger your faith becomes. You’re prepared for greater service and expanded ministry. You become strong, stalwart, and steadfast.
The One who endured the cross lives in you, so you’re fully equipped for anything He calls you to do. Therefore, ask Him to infuse you with His power and wisdom, then obey anything He commands of you. Remember, you are never a victim of your circumstances, for your sovereign God can use everything that happens to you for your blessing and His glory.
The above devotional is from Dr. Charles Stanley's Life Principles #18 As children of a sovereign God, we are never victims of our circumstances.
We all know of people, and perhaps can include ourselves, in believing that we're dealing with or have had 'bad luck' or some other such nonsense.
There's no such thing as bad luck or anything like that. There's a battle we are born into that grips us as early as it can. Sometimes well meaning or ignorant parents contribute to it being worse than it could or should have been in a child's early years but the reality is the same. We are sinful people born into a sin-cursed world all in need of a Savior who is Christ the Lord.
We can and often do sulk in our circumstances. We can and do wallow in misery rather than getting up once more and move on.
We often choose to let our circumstances define who we think we are. It's been the story of human beings throughout history. Yet Jesus says it's not that way.
We either listen and come to Christ for salvation or we ignore it, reject it, and suffer for it. Some, to be clear, don't look at all like their rejection of Jesus Christ as being suffering. Jesus still says such people are without excuse. He still causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
He has a purpose for you and a purpose for me. That purpose isn't to have you or I remain in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. Psalms 23 makes mention of walking THROUGH the valley of the shadow of death. Not taking up residence there. Not sinking to the ground and being in endless misery.
There is a purpose for what we each go through. Our end from our beginning has always been known by our Father in Heaven.
Our coming to Christ was but the first step. The steps that follow for all who have believed in Jesus Christ alone for salvation are solely for our growing in Christ. To become more like Christ. To glorify our Father in Heaven. To point people to Jesus. Jesus saves, we do not. We aren't soul winners. We aren't the ones doing the saving of people. Jesus saves. We aren't formulating arguments to win people over, we are to speak what the Spirit has prepared for hearts of mankind to hear in order for them to accept the invitation.
This produces conflicts with the god of this world. This produces conflicts with our sin nature. This is part of why we go through the things we do. The Spirit is also doing surgeries in our souls. Many times it's a painful process to have parts of what made us what we were when we came to Christ removed. Sometimes the Spirit has to work with us in stages because a single surgery wouldn't work well for us. Sometimes the painful times we find ourselves in are merely a time to recover.
We're going to go through a lot but we're going to make it to Heavens gates. We won't be lost along the way. We won't ever be forgotten by Jesus or our Father in Heaven. His Spirit resides in all who believe and that can never be undone.
The world isn't going to understand. They have always accused Christians of being closed minded. Of salvation through Jesus Christ alone as being exclusive. That there has to be some other way to Heaven. Read your Bible. Mankind has tried to get to Heaven by all other means and God in His righteousness has proven the only means, the only method, that would work would have to be Him coming down from Heaven Himself. We in Christ already, already know this. The world fights it in every single way in every single nation of the world. The generations that have passed have all lost that battle if the still rejected Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior before they died.
We aren't defined by our circumstances either. If I fall on muddy ground it doesn't follow that I am now doomed to be a slob. If I break a bone it doesn't mean that I am ruined for life.
We have the Holy Spirit with us if indeed we are followers of Jesus Christ. Satan's schemes include redefining whatever sins we have in our lives. They include injection of doubts into our thoughts. He can't possess a Believer but he can try to induce doubts to forestall any growth in Christ. He can get us to believe that the storms of our lives are permanent. He can get us to not try to keep our eyes on Jesus.
We are in Christ's hands and He is in the Father’s hands. We will go through things in life that are permitted in order to grow us in Christ to become more like Christ. Some of the things we do are damaging that but we are not powerful enough to prevent the will of God for us.
Rest during battles is a good thing but a residence in a battle is not.
Keeping our eyes on the Author and perfecter of our faith is critical. Keeping our eyes on our Shepherd is essential.
Remembering from where we have been to where we are because of Jesus sustains us in Christ.
Life's going to hurt but it's not the end of the world. All of those who are saved in Christ Jesus are just visiting planet Earth. Jesus will always keep His promise to be with us always even to the end of the age.
All New American Standard Bible Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. A corporation not for profit.
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