How many times this year have you said something like, “The whole world has gone mad!”?
How many times have you felt like you are drowning, unable to catch a breath before going under once more?
How many times have you felt like you’re stuck in a vicious cycle and the only way out is through blazing fire that will surely consume you?
Fear of pain, sickness, death for ourselves and others is overwhelming, crashing over us day in and day out.
Fear of the opinions and actions of others is debilitating, consuming us with unrelenting flames.
But God…
With the sure knowledge that God is with us in the deep waters, preventing us from drowning (death), we can remain afloat one more moment, holding tightly to Him.
With the truth that no matter how hot the fire of oppression, as we walk with Him through the flames, the fire will not consume (kill) us, we can keep moving forward in our calling, clinging to our Savior.
Jesus never promised a carefree life here. The presence of sin and the enemy of our souls prevents that. Yet we are promised by the Almighty that He WILL be WITH us in ALL our calamity – cancer, abuse, trauma, viruses, oppression, everything.
Imagine hearing a diagnosis and feeling a peace that surprises the medical professionals. Imagine smiling without fear at those who seek to cause you harm. Not in a smirky, false-bravado way, but with joy and peace they can’t comprehend.
That fire you’re walking through, Believer, won’t consume you. It won’t. It looks and sounds and feels scary and you can smell death within it, but your God is with you right there in the midst. Hold His hand and walk on.
Those waves crashing over you, Believer, pushing you under the water, pressing down on you, will not drown you. They won’t. It feels, sounds, and looks like they will, and you can sense death all around, but your God is with you right there, rock steady. Stand and walk on.
Circumstances may tell us we’re abandoned to our fate, left behind, ignored, unwanted, unloved. The truth is, our God has never left us, never abandoned us. He always loves us, always wants us. We must tell the waves, the fire, the oppression, the depression, the things that hurt and scare us, this truth and stand tall, chin up, trusting that God is bigger than all of it.
Speak this truth to your situation today. Look in the mirror and speak these words over yourself today. Don’t wait for someone else to tell you.
Walk strong, Believer. You are not alone.
Coffee, Bible, Journal.
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