There Are Still Days

There are still days that I have to fight. “Against what?” you ask. Some days against the enemy and some days against myself. Some days I am my own worst enemy. Some days life throws things my way like a bill that shows up that should have been paid or someone you know with a less than great attitude. Let’s face it, sometimes life isn’t what we want it to be. Sometimes I have to fight against myself and my thinking. What am I choosing to think about? Where are my thoughts taking me? Is what I’m thinking the truth or a lie? 

There are always going to be those days. The Bible says in John 16 verse 33 (NLT) that “In this world we will have trouble”. In the New King James version, it says tribulation rather than trouble. The word “tribulation” means “a cause or state of great trouble or suffering”.  In other words; suffering, hardship, tragedy, sorrow, pain, misery, unhappiness, anguish, grief, and heartache. In verse 33 He says “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. Then also tells us that we should “be of good cheer, because he overcame the world. 

That seems like a tall order when I’m looking at everything going on around me. We can expect to have problems in this life, but we CAN also EXPECT to have Peace. How do we get this “Peace” you ask? It’s only when I get MY Focus off my problems and PUT (intentionally-on purpose) MY FOCUS on Jesus that I find Peace. We can only truly have Peace when we spend time with Jesus. We do this by reading His Word and by just talking to him. Getting in a quiet place and making a choice to stop thinking about what’s going on and start thinking about Jesus, everything He is and everything He has done. Peace doesn’t come on the outside as much as it is an inside, heart (spirit) issue. 

You may be thinking, “You don’t understand, you don’t know what they’ve done, I bet it’s easy for you to say because you haven’t gone through it”. You are right on all those accounts, but I do know the one who does. The Bible says (Hebrews 2:17-18) that He was made like us, He suffered and was tempted. By this, He then is able to be merciful to us and help us when we are in trouble. He also says that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

What it comes down to is my fight of faith. Do I believe what His Word says? Am I thinking and doing what He says? Am I taking my thoughts captive and putting them under the microscope of the Word? Am I then making the correction? Am I fighting to keep Him first place in my life? Am I going to choose to believe what He says about me or am I going to believe what others say? Am I going to choose to believe that I can rather than I can’t?

Dear one, my prayer is that you will continue the fight with me. Fight to hold on to our faith in Him and everything He has done. That you will fight to keep our focus on Him. That we will be intentional in our pursuit of Him. That we will choose to believe who He says we are and what He says we can do and have. Don’t ever stop fighting the good fight of faith and holding tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you (1 Tim. 6:12). There’s so much more and He has such a great plan for your life. Fight for it!