Trouble and Peace

“In this world you will have trouble….”

This verse is often ripped out of context and is what alot of Christians hang on to today to make it through the hard times. However it goes further than that, the second part of this verse is often overlooked “But take heart! I have overcome the world”. Here’s the point I’m trying to make, we must really believe we have victory over defeat if we expect to live the kind of life God wants us to lead. Too often people worry about the “prosperity” gospel which says God wants us to live in abundance and prosperity. People waste their energy saying Joel Osteen is from satan rather than worrying about their own issues and focusing on the deception of sin rather than the victory in Christ (Mtt. 7:5). Further, people will tell you to be a Christian means you will suffer your whole life and never find peace until you get to Heaven. Because that’s what Jesus said right? Wrong. To some, the idea of prosperous living or abundant peace is a rare thing and does not last long when it does come.  It’s ironic that the very thing Jesus wants us to have  is viewed by the some believers as gifts from the devil (abundance, wealth, peace, prosperity, health, long life).They seem to think it is too good to be true. People tend to think that if you follow Jesus, your shoes have to have holes in them and anything other than basic necessity is a disgrace. This explains why when we walk into churches across the country we see more frowns than smiles. This must also explain why church attendance is down, we can’t find volunteers, and people choose not to identify with Christianity. Read the scriptures my friend. Pray on them, and listen to the Holy Spirit teach you about what you find. Nowhere does the Bible say we are called to be sad sacks and live in filth and struggle our whole life. It is written again and again we are called to peace.  Maybe you are in the midst of peace and prosperity right now but you cannot see it because you are blinded by sin. Examine yourself, more importantly – let God examine you and point out areas where change needs to happen to experience where he has called you (2 Cor. 13:5, Psalm 26:2).

You see, God does NOT want us to be miserable and lying in the filth of our sin. He wants us to subdue it and become it’s master (Gen. 4:7).When I think about what that looks like, I picture my daughter laying in a dirty diaper for hours on end, screaming at the top of her lungs for help. Do I as a loving parent leave her there in her filth and discomfort or do I swoop in and save the day, making her clean again? God wants to do the same thing for you. Yes we will have troubles of all kinds, but it does not stop there. God called us to be victors, after all we are HIS masterpiece. Romans 8:15 says the Spirit that we received does NOT make us slaves so that we live in fear. In Galatians we read about the fruits of the spirit. None of what God has given us is rooted in fear, doubt, anger, bitterness, or rage. As a matter of fact, what we received is the complete opposite….so why do we carry these feelings with us? Throw them off, they are a hinderance to your faith and walk with Jesus Christ.

Contrary to popular belief, God DOES want you to live a prosperous and abundant life, and no that does not just mean money. He wants to bless you, he does not want to curse you. Stop getting hung up on the “problem” and put your energy into the “solution”. I promise you, when you quit worrying about everyone else, when you start focusing on the victory and not the battle you will find peace.