Devotionals

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Battles

One thing you can be sure of if you are following God is that there will be battles. In fact, the more battles you encounter, the more God can help you to grow. Being under fire from the enemy is a good indication that you are exatly where God wants you. Rest assured if you are making noise for Jesus, the devil is going to try and make noise in your life. The devil knows what makes you tick. He knows your weak areas. So should you, because these are the areas he will attack. He will do anything to render us ineffective for God's kingdom.

It is often easier to serve God more faithfully when life is at it's best. But to serve God during battles is truly a statement of faith. It is at these times our worship and hearts can be most pure. It is easy to thank God and sing his praises when the sailing is smooth. But when times are rough and things aren't so great its a battle to be faithful. Its in these times of battle when we can focus on praising God for who he is and less on what he has done for us. Worship from a pure heart from a person in a battle touches the heart of God.

When battles come, in whatever form they may be, this is when we must trust the lord. God is God during the good times and the bad. If you are in a battle, that is where God wants you for the time. He does this to refine us, to strengthen our faith, and teach us perseverance. When we come out of these battles we usually have gained new wisdom and insight for our future- and also wisdom to help others who are facing similar struggles.

1 Pet. 1:8. "We have a place to find joy, even during the most troublesome times..".
2 Corinthians 4:8-9: "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed."

We need to realize there is nothing that can happen that keeps us from God's love or loving God ourselves. Take Job for example, this man had a better excuse than any of us to give up and throw in the towel. Everything he had was taken from him. His animals were all killed, his children were killed, he was covered in sores from head to toe. Job was under an all out assault from the enemy. Even through these battles, Job remained faithful to the lord. Because of his faithfulness the lord healed him and blessed him with twice as much as he had before. Imagine what God can do in our own lives if we look beyond the battles at what he has for our future and serve him in the brightest and darkest of days.

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