Why is it that I am always struggling against something? At times it feels like I’m fighting a losing battle. It seems like a good portion of my time is spent trying to defeat a giant. Something has gotten hold of me, and as much as I want to defeat this giant, it rears its ugly head again and again. So when is enough… enough, God?
Bear with me; I’m trying to build upon something I said a few days ago on one of my posts. I wrote that… many people believe that when they surrender their life to Jesus, there will also be a free “Get Out of Jail” card tucked inside the flap of their new Bible. Just the opposite is true! You now become a threat to the kingdom of hell. There’s no doubt about it, God wants us to know that He alone is God.
““When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.
And he shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel: Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them;
for the LORD your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’” Deuteronomy 1:1, 3, 4
After the spies came back from surveying the Promised Land, they found it was a land of milk and honey, just like God said; He clearly told them it would be the land of their inheritance. But there was one minor drawback… there were giants in the land! After their Exodus out of Egypt, they didn’t have adequate weapons and ammunition to defeat those giants. All they had were the promises of God. We don’t always have adequate weapons or answers to our problems; just like the ancient Israelites, all we have are the promises of God.
“The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.” Psalm 24:1
As God’s people, when trials and tribulations come upon us, we tend ask… “Is all of this necessary? Can’t life be a little easier?” I’m sure the Israelites asked the same thing. “If God’s promises are mine, why do I face such opposition? Set before me are these incredible obstacles and I don’t know how I’m going to break through.” Why the struggle? Why the storm? Why the fury?”
Is it much of a surprise that the storms in our lives are there for a reason? Isn’t it true that our fallen flesh has the tendency to wait until things start spinning out of control to call upon God? We tend to believe we’re self sufficient and in charge of our own destiny. God puts things in front of us to prove that we aren’t in charge. He says, “You are not strong enough to overcome what’s in front of you. You are not powerful enough. You’re not smart enough to figure it out.” These giants are allowed by God to stand in opposition to you to prove that you can’t do it alone. God is constantly trying to get through to us with one thought behind our trials…“I Am God and you are not.”
This principle is all throughout the Bible, but let’s just look at when the disciples found themselves in the middle of a raging storm, with the wind and waves threatening their very lives. They were experienced fisherman. They were skilled, and not novices when it came to the sea. I’m sure they knew their way around a fishing boat. However, this life-threatening storm came out of nowhere. Their skills meant nothing to them in this circumstance; they were in fear of losing their lives. It was then they called out to God, who was in the boat with them. So Jesus stood up and said, “Peace be still.” This proves one more time, that we can’t get through these storms on our own. We cannot overcome everything by our human reasoning. We need the presence of Christ. We need God inside of us.
“In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relyingon ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.” 2 Corinthians 1:9
This song is a great reminder..