So much is packed into Paul’s concluding words of his first letter to the believers at Corinth!
Be on guard.
Stand firm in the faith.
Be courageous.
Be strong.
Do everything with love.
Isn’t it interesting that the majority of these speak to standing against attacks?
We’re to watch for the coming advances of the enemy.
We’re to stand firm, unwavering in our faith.
We’re to be courageous in the face of danger—physical and spiritual.
We’re to be strong, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
And even in that mindset, we’re to do everything with love.
Two seemingly opposing thought processes: Ready for battle and living with love.
It’s quite easy to get caught up with one and ignore the other. As believers, though, we’re called to do the impossible, because we won’t be doing it alone. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can do all of these all the time.
We must make a choice.
• Live on constant guard and see everything as an enemy.
• Live completely with love, never seeing an enemy.
• Live wisely, prepared for the attacks of the enemy, while loving our one-anothers.
Christian, you have an enemy. He wants you to fail in your faithwalk. He wants you to feel empty, unloved, unwanted, and useless for God. He wants you to live a life of defeat.
He wants to get you hyper-focused on him and his wiles seeing an attack at every turn, because if your focus is on the battle, it’s not on God. You don’t have to do either of these.
Seek God and His kingdom first. Let Him guide you. Surrender to His will and live in that. Your guard will be up, your stand of faith will be unmistakable, and your courage evident. Your strength will be recognizable as coming from God. And your love? It will be Him loving through you. Let it flow.
Be prepared, Believer. Surrender your will and let God have His in your life. Then you’ll be able to accomplish all these with His power, authority, grace, and mercy.
Coffee, Bible, Journal.
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