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Staying Humble In A World of Idolized Pride

Don't be a proud pomeranian

The world makes it very easy to retain pride and to not stay humble. And one of the greatest temptations a person can face is to allow pride to fester in their lives. Pride is harmful and can destroy relationships, progress, and the people who hold onto pride. It is vital for the sake of your mental health, to let go of pride but that isn’t so easy. So, continue reading to find out what the Bible says about staying humble and how God wants us to forsake pride.

Why Pride is a Dangerous Game to Play

You must know that pride is a horrible and rigged game to play. You cannot expect to hold onto pride and success at the same time. You’ll have to drop one or the other in order to retain what’s more important to you. The reason why I talk about this topic is because its danger seems so subtle, but, it’s so damaging and destructive to one’s mental health in the long term.

Don’t hold onto something which destroys you.

Proverbs 16:18 World English Bible (WEB)
18 Pride goes before destruction,
    and an arrogant spirit before a fall.

But, what’s pride? Pride is when a person sees himself/herself as better than others and sets his/her value on his/her accomplishments. And as you see in the above verse, God warns us through His Word that pride is a prerequisite for destruction and here’s why.

Firstly, pride disables a person’s ability to heed to wise counsel. What I mean by this is that when you decide to magnify yourself, it creates in you a newfound hatred towards the advice of others.

Ask yourself this question and be honest with yourself. Do you find it easy to reject advice which you know to be true but you reject it nevertheless? For your own sake, do what is wise, listen to what wisdom says.

Proverbs 11:2 World English Bible (WEB)
2 When pride comes, then comes shame,
    but with humility comes wisdom.

Secondly, pride ruins relationships. People naturally hate to see pride in others. So, when the closest ones to you see that you don’t listen to them or that you demean others based on your status, this makes them upset.

Proverbs 29:23 World English Bible (WEB)
23 A man’s pride brings him low,
    but one of lowly spirit gains honor.

And finally, pride distracts you from keeping your eyes on Jesus. When you focus on your efforts and yourself, this defeats the mission God has called you to. Jesus said that to follow Him, you must deny yourself. You must deny your pride to follow Jesus.

Luke 9:23 World English Bible (WEB)
23 He said to all, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me

Therefore, God does not like pride, people tend to not like pride, and you should not like pride because it does nothing but harm to yourself.

Staying Humble Before God

So, what is God saying in all of this, stay humble. Staying humble may be one of the most difficult things to do but it’s an essential step in everyone’s life. Because God makes it clear that if you hold onto how good you are and how successful you have made yourself, you leave no space for Him.

When one hosts pride and gives it a room to stay in his/her heart, it takes the whole space. It is a poison to your relationship with God.

Psalm 10:4 World English Bible (WEB)
4 The wicked, in the pride of his face,
    has no room in his thoughts for God.

And God paid a very high price to establish that relationship with you by coming in the flesh as Jesus Christ and dying on your behalf so that you would not be condemned for your past sins. If you have not yet entered that relationship with God, then accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour which I talk more about in this post. So, don’t jeopardize your relationship with God by idolizing pride. Give glory to God and not yourself.

Jesus calls you to live in a loving relationship with Him!

When you make lots of money or get good grades or win a friendly competition, stay humble and give credit to God in Christ Jesus. In everything, do not puff up yourself and how you did it but give glory to Jesus as He empowers you with the grace to live your life.

1 Corinthians 10:31 World English Bible (WEB)
31 Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

The bottom line is to not stand in His way by living in pride but stand with Him as you stand with His humility.

James 4:6 World English Bible (WEB)
6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Staying Humble Before Others

Furthermore, the Bible wants us to be humble even when we deal with people. Jesus demonstrated humility and stressed on the importance of staying humble. There’s a beauty to when you see someone who is humble. And I believe that humility is one of the reasons why Jesus is so beautiful in His personality.

Before Jesus went to bear the sins of mankind, He dealt with the issue of pride. He washed the feet of his disciples as if He was a servant and then He said something phenomenal!

John 13:14-17 World English Bible (WEB)
14 If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should also do as I have done to you. 16 Most certainly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his lord, neither is one who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

Jesus is our example!

Now, first get what God is not saying here. He is not commanding us to wash the feet of people, otherwise, the epistles and the letters from the apostles would have stressed on the practice of washing the feet of others. There’s no harm in washing the feet of others but the point Jesus was getting across was to be humble.

He gave us an example to be humble and He showed us that when we are humble with each other, there is a special blessing for that.

How to stay humble? It’s simple, surrender your pride to God and whenever you do something successfully, give the glory to God. When you deal with people, ask God for the grace to see them as He sees them and recognize that the same God who knitted you in the womb has knit them, too. Ask Jesus for the grace to love others and when you love others, pride will have no open door to enter your heart.

1 Peter 4:10 World English Bible (WEB)
10 As each has received a gift, employ it in serving one another, as good managers of the grace of God in its various forms.

Use His gift of grace to stay humble and enjoy your life with Jesus.

By Andre Wijesekera

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Never Idle: Keeping Yourself Active No Matter The Time

Never be idle!

It’s a universal belief that being unproductive is bad. If you ask most people if it is good or bad to be lethargic and inactive, most of them would say it is bad. I believe God has wired it into people to be productive. And no matter what our circumstances, we should be productive. Productivity is good for your life’s progress, emotional life, spiritual health, and your mental health. So, if you want to learn how to never be idle, keep reading.

Finding Productivity Purposeful

First of all, when it comes to being productive, you must realize something. God values productivity. He likes it when His children do what He wants us to do. And He likes it when His children are not lazy and never idle.

Proverbs 10:4 World English Bible (WEB)
4 He becomes poor who works with a lazy hand,
    but the hand of the diligent brings wealth.

God out of His wisdom advised us to not be lazy. Laziness is a major reason why some people are stuck in poverty, they refuse to change their ways and they don’t want to do anything with their God-given hands.

Now, I myself, have a confession to make. I have not always been productive. In fact, I find it very easy to waste a day and to not get anything done. But, I made it up in my mind not too long ago that I should be productive for the Kingdom of God and never be idle. And if you have already been a lazy person and you know it in your heart, make a decision to be the person with a diligent hand because no matter how much you want something whether it be financial freedom or academic excellence, God wants you to put in some work into it.

Don’t be a sluggard for your own sake!

Proverbs 21:25 World English Bible (WEB)
25 The desire of the sluggard kills him,
    for his hands refuse to labor.

God always gives you a decision and I don’t care if you’re reading this as a high school student or if you’re in your seventies, God can enable you to be productive. God called Samuel to be His prophet when he was around twelve years old, but at the same time, God called Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt when he was eighty years old, so, age is not a limitation when God calls you to do something.

Exodus 7:7 World English Bible (WEB)
7 Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Recognizing What God’s Given You

First off, you must start your day right. If you start your day without God, it is very hard to remember Him for the rest of the day. Furthermore, how you spend time with God at the start of the day is up to you and God. You can read the Bible followed by some prayer. Or you could start off the day with a moment of worship.

Spend time with God in whatever way possible

Whatever it is, start your day by doing something with Him.

Psalm 90:14 World English Bible (WEB)
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your loving kindness,
    that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

When we are satisfied through time with God in the morning, it makes it easy to be glad all our days. Moreover, if you don’t have time, make some time. If it means that you have to wake up earlier to squeeze in some time to read the Bible then do it.

Next, ensure that you recognize your day is given by God and make that thought something you’re aware of. As soon as you wake up, say, “Holy Spirit, thank you for this day which you’ve given me.”

Remember, as soon as you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, a relationship is established between you and God. So, you can commune with God. I talk more about it in this post.

Now, when you tell Holy Spirit that you’re grateful for the day which He has given to you, mean it. And the reason why I say this is because those words are very meaningful. God has given you a day to be productive and He has granted you the freedom to do something good with that day.

How God Wants Us To Never Be Idle

You can workout, you can study, you can learn something new, and the list of opportunities are endless. So, when you thank Him, make it something which you mean because that in itself will help you to be active throughout the day and never be idle.

Even more, God is willing to give you the grace to do what He sees as good. But, you must follow His will. If you don’t do things His way and you do it instead out of selfish ambition where you want to prove something for your glory, that is not good.

James 3:14-16 World English Bible (WEB)
14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and don’t lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed.

And when you go to work or do whatever it is which you’ve set as a goal for yourself, do it for His glory. Do it in appreciation of what Jesus did for you, do it with Him and do it for Him because He loves you very much and He deserves the glory. He is the reason why you should never be idle.

1 Corinthians 10:31 World English Bible (WEB)
31 Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God

To Never Be Idle As a Child of God

Make sure to trust God with what you want to do and He will help you. He will give you the wisdom if you want to study. If you want to learn something like how to cook, God will make sure you are able to learn. If you need to workout, then God will give you the strength to push yourself to the limits. But whatever you do, do it with Him.

Philippians 4:13 World English Bible (WEB)
13 I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

When Holy Spirit was talking through Paul in the above verse, it was in the context of how He was withstanding persecution for being a believer in Jesus Christ. So, make sure that you are first and foremost productive as a believer in Jesus. Then, this productivity will reflect in the rest of your day if you trust Him.

Also, make sure these are goals which God wants and not sinful goals because God will not back you up if you’re planning to do something evil. Instead, you will fail if you are trying to do something evil after knowing that Jesus would not approve of it.

John 15:6 World English Bible (WEB)
6 If a man doesn’t remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

Don’t be a withered branch!

And finally, stay sensitive and ask Him for the sensitivity to hear what Holy Spirit wants to tell you. Obedience is key when it comes to being productive. If He tells you to do something, do it. Whether it makes sense or not, be quick to do as He says.

Romans 8:14 World English Bible (WEB)
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God.

In the end, being productive and never idle relies on your relationship with God and how you reach that goal for success.

By Andre Wijesekera

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Underestimating The Crucified King Now Risen And Alive

Christ risen and alive

Many of us underestimate. We underestimate others, we underestimate ourselves, and so forth. But, if there’s one person we should not underestimate, that person is Jesus Christ. Many have underestimated Jesus, even those who believed in Him, but, God always makes sure that those who underestimate Him will come to a realization. It is my prayer that those of you reading this post will come to trust Jesus for who He is. In this post, I will talk about underestimation wherever it applies in life and how Jesus should not be underestimated for He is risen and alive.

The Nature of Man is to Underestimate

It is fundamental human nature to underestimate and that starts with ourselves. Sometimes people underestimate how good they are at playing a sport, and so, they just don’t try it at all.

At other times, people underestimate a business they just started and decide to not expand. The point is that it is intrinsically human to underestimate ourselves, but, sometimes God wants us to be more because we are His children.

Now, one key example of a person who underestimates himself in the Bible is Gideon. Gideon was a Jewish man who was not significant but God wanted him to free the nation of Israel from the tyrannical Midianites of that time.

Judges 6:15 World English Bible (WEB)
15 He said to him, “O Lord, how shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”

However, like all human beings, Gideon underestimated himself and questioned God as to why He had made such a poor choice in choosing him. Of course, God never makes mistakes and once Gideon finally got his act together, God used him to lead 300 men to fight an entire army. Finally, Gideon won and Israel was liberated.

Another example of people underestimating was with Moses when God called him to lead Israel out of slavery in Egypt. Moses tried to lecture God on how he could not talk properly, but God still wanted to use him.

Exodus 3:11 World English Bible (WEB)
11 Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

Despite Moses underestimating how God can use him, God used him nevertheless. So, if God calls you to do something, do it; do not underestimate what God can use you for.

Exodus 12:51 World English Bible (WEB)
51 That same day, Yahweh brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.

God splits the ocean in half as Moses leads Israel out of Egypt

Underestimating Others

Since we’ve now established the point to not underestimate ourselves, let’s see the other side of the coin. God also wants us to not underestimate others. And He makes that clear throughout His lovely Word.

The Bible says David was but a shepherd boy and when Goliath the giant Philistine warrior was challenging Israel, all of Israel was scared. But, David wanted to defeat Goliath because God was with him. Now, when God is with you, and you’re challenging giants, remember, God is always the bigger giant.

But, David’s oldest brother, Eliab, scolded David and underestimated big time.

1 Samuel 17:28 World English Bible (WEB)
28 Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger burned against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? With whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the evil of your heart; for you have come down that you might see the battle.”

Eliab just couldn’t see how a small guy could defeat a behemoth of a man. Eliab was thinking that if he couldn’t fight Goliath, how could anyone else fight the giant? Maybe you’ve thought of someone in your family who’s had a bad past and you think they’d never change, but, I’m telling you, God can change and use any person for His glory! Or maybe you thought that a certain person is naive and will never be able to financially succeed, well, God is the God of wisdom and He can turn a naive person into a financial genius. And in this case, Eliab ended up horribly wrong when David defeated the prideful, cocky giant.

1 Samuel 17:50 King James Version (KJV)
50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.

Therefore, do not be like Eliab, instead, respect the anointing of others and don’t even think about underestimating what God can do through them.

Don’t underestimate those who trust in God

Risen and Alive Christ Jesus

I hope you’ve noticed by now that the prevailing theme throughout my post is not to underestimate anyone. But, now, I’m going to take it to the next layer of truth. Do not underestimate God. Throughout this post, I’ve used examples from the Bible of underestimated people, but, if you really think about it, the examples teach that people underestimate God.

Moses and Gideon not only underestimated themselves but they also underestimated God by asking Him how is it possible for Him to use them. Furthermore, Eliab heard David not boasting in himself, but boasting in how God can defeat Goliath and Eliab still underestimated God through David.

So, it is very easy for us to doubt and to underestimate what God can do. In fact, many people underestimated Jesus. When Jesus was on the cross dying for you and for me, taking on the brunt of hell with a crown of thorns, people underestimated Him. I talk more about why He allowed Himself to undergo the crucifixion in this post.

Mark 15:31-32 World English Bible (WEB)
31 Likewise, also the chief priests mocking among themselves with the scribes said, “He saved others. He can’t save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, that we may see and believe him.” Those who were crucified with him also insulted him.

If you’ve felt underestimated before, then, Jesus felt it all the more. With ribbons of flesh peeling off his dying body, the thorns of a prickly crown swirling through His skull, people viciously mocked Him. They were mocking Him with the presupposition that He couldn’t do anything.

The Nature of God is to Defy Underestimation

They believed He died for nothing, they thought that once He died, He would stay dead. And that’s why they were mocking Him, my God, even the people crucified with Him started mocking Him. Jesus came to the point that everyone underestimated Him.

But, as He died for our salvation on Good Friday, He rose again risen and alive after three days and nights on Easter Sunday.

Matthew 28:6 World English Bible (WEB)
6 He is not here, for he has risen, just like he said. Come, see the place where the Lord was lying.

Jesus is alive and risen. He is the God of miracles and He will make a miracle out of you so don’t doubt the God who defies underestimation. Furthermore, the Bible says that He appeared after His resurrection to many people so as to proclaim that He is risen and alive.

1 Corinthians 15:6 World English Bible (WEB)
6 Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers at once, most of whom remain until now, but some have also fallen asleep.

So many people were convinced they had seen the once crucified King now risen and alive. That is why they stood for the Gospel even though it cost many of them their lives. But this is the good news we now celebrate on Good Friday. Jesus’ sacrifice followed by His resurrection was so epic that it started the Church.

Thus, to witness and experience the power of God in your life along with the lives of those around you, accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. He paid a heavy price on this Good Friday so He could put His resurrection power in you. Therefore, do not underestimate anyone, just trust Jesus, stay humble, and see what God wants to do in your life.

Romans 8:11 World English Bible (WEB)
11 But if the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

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Loving The Invincible and Invisible King of Heaven

Harvest Time

Loving God should be simple, right? He’s wise beyond words, He’s all powerful, He’s infinitely good, He’s the founder/upholder of justice, and more… But, things aren’t so simple. Many of us cannot reconcile the God of the Bible with morality. Many, in fact, see the King of Heaven as wicked, resulting in many who view God as a tyrant. Then, there are those who are indifferent. They either consider themselves as non-religious or as people who have nothing to do with God. And finally, there are those of you who believe in the God of the Bible. However, you might’ve grown up in Church with no actual love for God or you just believe the Bible, but, you can’t feel any type of affection for an invisible God.

To Those Who Hate The King of Heaven

Let’s start with those of you who absolutely hate God or at least the God of the Bible. First of all, why? If there’s anything specific, please let me know in the comments, maybe I can address that. Otherwise, let me give the best which God can give in a subsection of 300 or less words.

From my experience, those who abhor God usually are misinformed about certain situations in the Bible. They accuse God of things like… “God orchestrates evil in this world,” or something along the lines of “God sends people to hell.” These strange ideas about the God of the Bible originate from misunderstandings, bad experiences, and false doctrines.

Now, with the first claim that God orchestrates evil and suffering to happen in this world, it’s a matter of misunderstanding or bad experience. God did not cause sickness, death, natural disasters, or any other conduit to tragedy. He makes that very clear in the following passage.

John 10:10 World English Bible (WEB)
10 The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.

The sad things we witness today come from the devil or “thief” as Jesus said in the above scripture. The devil is the one who brought all evil into the world when Adam and Eve ignored God’s warning so that they may eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. I talk more about this in another post.

The Judge Who Paid The Bail

To deal with the second claim that God sends people to hell, let us delve further into what He says about the topic. He says in the following scripture that hell was not made for humans.

Matthew 25:41 World English Bible (WEB)
41 Then he will say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels;

But, when people reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, they reject their spiritual parachute. All people sin no matter how great the sin, whether it’s lie or rob. So, God who is all-just is obliged to judge people. Just think about it; you’re standing in the divine courtroom and you’ve lied probably a thousand times, you’ve been jealous here and there, and you haven’t acted like a saint at all. What’s God going to do about it! Someone has to be punished because He’s perfect and by nature, He must punish you for all your sins.

But, what did God do? He took the punishment on the cross… on your behalf. So, when you accept the bail which God paid for, you can be saved from hell. But, if you reject Jesus Christ, then what can God do?

He’s done all He could, He suffered the crucifixion, rose again, made sure all of it was written in the Bible which you have in your hands, He’s made available blogs such as this blog to explain Him to you, and more. It is now up to you to accept His salvation.

For Those Who Are Indifferent

Next off, I’m going to talk to those of you who are indifferent. Indifferent means to not be concerned at all. So, you might be saying “God has nothing to do with me.” If that’s you, hear me out.

You may feel like God has nothing to do with you, but, that cannot be so, because God cares about you very much. You may give very little thought to God, but God thinks the world of you, quite literally.

Psalm 139:17-18 World English Bible (WEB)
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
    How vast is their sum!
18 If I would count them, they are more in number than the sand.
    When I wake up, I am still with you.

God’s thoughts of you are more than there are grains of sand in the world. You try thinking as many different things about somebody, you’d never get close to God’s number even if your thoughts were negative. God thinks good of you and He thinks of the good to bless you with.

He loves you a lot, and I believe it’s only a matter of time before you fall in love with Him. The truth is that God should matter to you, He’s the one who made you, He designed you so that you would feel emotions like love, compassion, kindness, and more. If He designed you to be a personal being, then, He must also be a personal being. And He makes it very clear in the Bible that He wants you to know Him and to be in a relationship with Him.

Ephesians 3:19 King James Version (KJV)
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.

God seriously loves you. The Bible says that His love even transcends conventional wisdom which is why we sometimes cannot fathom how much He loves us. That is why He died on the cross to receive your punishment for all the mistakes you’ve made in life.

He wants you to accept His gift of salvation and to live a life of fulfillment. But that road to fulfillment starts with Jesus Christ.

For Those Who Believe The King of Heaven

Finally, to those of you who believe in Jesus as the King of Heaven, it is clearly evident throughout scripture that there’s an expectation to love God.

Matthew 22:37 World English Bible (WEB)
37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’Deuteronomy 6:5

To love God, first know that God sees you as loving Him when you listen to Him. As soon as you listened to His Word to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, God started seeing you as a person who loves Him. By the way, when Jesus says “man,” He is talking about women, too, it’s similar to how the word, “mankind” refers to all of humanity.

John 14:23 World English Bible (WEB)
23 Jesus answered him, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him.

So, in the spirit, you already love Jesus. It is just that maybe you have not yet had the opportunity to manifest or express that love to Him.

Communion With The King of Heaven

Anchored in Christ

In that case, you should do what David did and what Jesus advises. You should seek God’s heart. David sought God’s heart through writing psalms (songs to sing to God) and prayer.

Acts 13:22 World English Bible (WEB)
22 When he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, to whom he also testified, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’

Jesus said that when you seek the Kingdom of God, He will add everything to you. So, just spend some time to read His Word and find out what God has in store in His Kingdom.

Matthew 6:33 World English Bible (WEB)
33 But seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.

When you spend time with God in His Word in light of His grace and pray to commune with Him, God will lead your heart to manifest the love which you have for Him. Therefore, spend time with the King of Heaven in the way you best can and let Him to do the rest. After all, it’s His love for us which is what brought us to Him in the first place.

1 John 4:10 World English Bible (WEB)
10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

The King of Heaven

By Andre Wijesekera

Posted on

The Mystery Behind Loving Others As Yourself

loving others as yourself

The truth is that not many of us find it easy to love others, including myself. It is an almost impossible task to love others in a non-selfish manner. Whether you’re in a romantic relationship, friendship, or any other type of relationship, it is vital to love the other person in order to maintain the relationship. And Jesus raised the bar by saying that we should love others as ourselves! So, I’ll be going over what God says about loving others, how to do it, and why it’s so important.

The Imperative Importance of Loving Others

The Bible makes is vividly clear that loving others is of the utmost importance. God wants people to love others, period. There is no way around it and no substitute. I mean, if you were to deny love, you’d have to deny the prevailing nature of God.

1 John 4:8 World English Bible (WEB)
8 He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love.

If we expect God to love us since we belong to Him, we should know God loves other people, too. He wants there to be a uniting love among His children. And if God is love, then the heart of God must yearn to see His people acting in love! Is there a better way to demonstrate that we belong to God than loving others?

Even Jesus declared that we must love people, we are supposed to love others as we love ourselves. And that was one of the greatest commandments of Jesus because He said that when we do that, we will automatically do good things which please Him. We wouldn’t be robbing, murdering, lying, or participating in any of that nonsense if we truly loved others.

Matthew 22:39 World English Bible (WEB)
39 A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’Leviticus 19:18

Therefore, the Bible clearly emphasizes how there is so much importance in loving others as yourself.

Loving Others As Yourself? How?

But, this begs the question of how to do it? How do you love people if they’re annoying, irritating, or just plain old boring?

There are many, many, many reasons to not like people. They’re hard to understand, and it seems almost impossible to genuinely love people at times.

However, all the reasons why other people are so unlovable and tick you off, fundamentally results from an imperfection which resides within your own heart. Read the previous sentence slowly to really understand what I’m saying here.

The reason why you cannot love others because of their irritating imperfections, is because you are loving others with the subtle intent or self-centered expectation of benefit from that relationship. You don’t need to take my word for it, take God’s Word as Paul writes in the following scripture.

1 Corinthians 13:4-5 World English Bible (WEB)
4 Love is patient and is kind. Love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, 5 doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; 

If marriages were not based on self-seeking love, divorce rates would be drastically reduced. I mean, I adore how the Bible is so simple yet so profound. Jesus is the only one who is perfect and He knows every single imperfection which we hold and yet He still loves us!

Moreover, He went through hell for us, for all of us even though He knows all our quirks and imperfections.

Romans 5:7-8 World English Bible (WEB)
7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man. Yet perhaps for a good person someone would even dare to die. 8 But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

The Mystery Behind It All!

Therefore, if you want to love others, you’ve first got to understand the mystery behind it all. The reason why there is so much importance in loving others as yourself is because Jesus loves them. Whether the person’s your marriage partner, your friend, your co-worker, a family member or anyone else, God loves them.

And when you know that God loves them, you should love them just as Jesus loves you. In fact Jesus said it Himself, we can love others when we know that He loves us. If you genuinely know that God loves you, and you ask Him for the grace, you will love others as yourself.

John 13:34-35 World English Bible (WEB)
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

If you looked for an imperfection, you’d find a thousand in any individual, and God knows that, but those imperfections should not prevent you from loving others. Otherwise, that’d be a self-seeking love and as you’ve seen earlier, the Bible says that love is not self-seeking, by definition.

If God’s love was self-seeking, we’d all be doomed to hell, just think about that! When Jesus loved us, it did not benefit Him, He was nailed to a tree because of His unconditional love for us.

Furthermore, if you want to experience God’s unconditional love and have not yet accepted Him, I urge you to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. He, being God in the flesh died on the cross so that you would not be punished for your mistakes and He rose again after three days to justify your salvation. So, before loving others, you must first learn His love for you and then realize how to love yourself which I also wrote about in another post.

Spend Time With God and He’ll Do the Rest

So, in conclusion, recognize how much God really loves you, look at that person you find hard to love and just think to yourself… “Wow, God loves them so much that He died for them, they have so much value.” Ask God for the grace to love others and He will grow you in this understanding; you will be able to love others as yourself.

Finally, just seek God, get to know Him and you will love others so spend time with Him in prayer (communion with Holy Spirit), read His love letter (the Bible), and learn about Him though others who’ve walked with Jesus.

1 John 4:7-9 World English Bible (WEB)
7 Beloved, let’s love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves has been born of God, and knows God. 8 He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love. 9 By this God’s love was revealed in us, that God has sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

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The Model Method To Deal With Stress

Method to deal with stress

We often wonder how wonderful it’d be if there weren’t such a thing as stress. I mean it’s bothersome, cumbersome, and painful. You might be stressing about paying the bills, dealing with your job, taking care of children, and more. The point is that there’s always something to stress about. And if one challenge is resolved, it seems that there’ll always arise a new challenge! Once again, if there’s any issue, God’s Word holds a solution for it. So, keep on reading to find out whether God thinks if there is a method to deal with stress.

Stress is a Deviation of Fear

Life is rife with stressful ordeals and situations. But, what is it in the grand scheme of things? What is the bigger picture when it comes to viewing stress and worry? Well, it means that the person who stresses, myself included, cannot trust what God holds in picture.

Stress is basically a way to express fear. A person starts feeling stress when something they dearly love or value is at risk or in jeopardy.

For King David, he stressed out when he couldn’t hide his affair with Bathsheba. He wanted to preserve his reputation and affair and so, he indirectly murdered her husband, which God really disapproved of. In fact, it led to him suffering a lot since his actions held many consequences.

2 Samuel 12:9 World English Bible (WEB)
9 Why have you despised Yahweh’s word, to do that which is evil in his sight? You have struck Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. 

And King Saul stressed out when God did not want him as king anymore due to his constant disobedience. King Saul wanted to protect his privileges as King of Israel but since that was in jeopardy, he stressed to the point of seeking peace from a witch and that did not end so well.

The Biblical accounts of many historical figures show that people often feel stress and it happens in situations where it’s the person’s fault or when it’s not their fault. Either way, it never leads to anything good and is almost always a contributing factor to failure except in Jesus’ case. But, let’s see and learn from how God dealt with stress.

Remembering How God Dealt With Stress

Now, let’s go the scene of when Jesus Christ was awaiting His crucifixion. It was the night at the Garden of Gethsemane and Jesus knew that Judas was leading the priests and leaders to him so that they may arrest Him and send Him to His grisly fate. Just picture it, He knows what He is going to face and He knows every single detail that is going to take place.

1 John 3:20 World English Bible (WEB)
20 because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

He knows how they’re going to make him wait in a cold room in the early morning; He knows how they’re going to literally skin Him alive with every lash of their ancient yet meticulous torturing devices, and He knows how they’re going to carve through his flesh and bones with enormous nails that would even send chills down the spine of the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate.

First and foremost, you must realize this was not something out of His control and if He wanted to, He could have stopped this ordeal immediately. When Peter tried to stop Jesus’ arrest, Jesus reminded Peter that He doesn’t need Peter to defend Him as He has so many angels at His command.

Matthew 26:53 World English Bible (WEB)
53 Or do you think that I couldn’t ask my Father, and he would even now send me more than twelve legions of angels?

Furthermore, the decision was hard for Jesus who is God in the flesh. He had to lay down His life and embrace a fate worse than death. And in that garden, Jesus prayed to Heavenly Father as a model for us.

The Method to Deal With Stress

Matthew 26:39 World English Bible (WEB)
39 He went forward a little, fell on his face, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not what I desire, but what you desire.”

Jesus did feel stress, He wanted to protect his life from unfathomable pain; He knew it was coming and since He knew the ordeal was going to happen, His fear was well-justified. To save the souls of the world, He’d have to suffer a lot.

And the Bible said that He stressed so much that even His sweat became blood which is an actual medical condition borne out of extreme stress according to modern medical science.

Luke 22:44 King James Version (KJV)
44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Moreover, Jesus still looked at the grand scheme of things, He did something which most of us don’t do when we’re stressed out. He prioritized God’s will and subjected His fate to what God the Father wants which is the right method to deal with stress.

God Stressed Out So You Don’t Have To

Thus, His stress was beneficial for us so that we would not need to stress to accomplish our work as His blood went into the ground to satisfy the curse granted to Adam’s descendants when Adam ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 3:17 World English Bible (WEB)
17 To Adam he said,
“Because you have listened to your wife’s voice,
    and have eaten from the tree,
    about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it,’
    the ground is cursed for your sake.
You will eat from it with much labor all the days of your life.

Of course, this is not split personality, but rather, it is something that Jesus being God in the flesh, wants us to know. He wants us to follow His example and He spoke to Himself as God the Father so we can learn. He has done this earlier and one example of how He does this is seen in the following Bible verse.

John 11:42 World English Bible (WEB)
42 I know that you always listen to me, but because of the multitude standing around I said this, that they may believe that you sent me.”

The Method to Find Peace in a World of Stress

In conclusion, Jesus did fulfill His will and endure the crucifixion for our sakes. With such tremendous power at His grasp, He believed it was better to let hell destroy Him for our restoration.

If you are stressing out, remember that Jesus stressed out, too. And if you want peace, just follow His model, the method to deal with stress. Trust in God’s will, ask Him for the bigger picture and He’ll make things work out for your good. He always makes things work out for our good because He loves us, why else would He suffer so much for us?

Romans 12:2 World English Bible (WEB)
2 Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Renew your mind according to the Word of God. Let His love speak to you and trust Him.

Philippians 4:7 World English Bible (WEB)
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

Don’t try to understand the peace of God, but just trust God. You are now in the New Covenant with God and unlike the Old Testament, when you believe in Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, He promises to forgive you, save you, and to grant you His peace, so you only need to receive His peace.

Therefore, if you feel stressed out, follow Jesus’ method to deal with stress by asking God to make things work out according to His will, and He will deal with your stress through the peace of His Holy Spirit. He will eventually make all things in your life, whether good or bad, to work out for your good. So you’ll one day see your current stressful situation as a memory and as a testimony of God’s goodness.

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Realizing Your Value In The Eyes of God

It is very difficult to love others if don’t start realizing your value. There’s a divine and precious principle in understanding your intrinsic value as an individual. One major idea behind those who struggle with thoughts of suicide or depression is the despicable notion of self-worthlessness. Nevertheless, read what the Word of God has to say, and observe how much God has valued you.

The Importance of Loving Yourself

The fact of the matter is that not loving yourself can be very harmful. If you can’t love yourself, how could you possibly love others?

1 Corinthians 13:1 World English Bible (WEB)
13 If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don’t have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.

The Bible makes it very clear as it does in the verse above that love is essential to every individual. The Biblical narrative is about love from the book of Genesis to the book of Revelations. And Jesus reminded us in the New Covenant that realizing your value in God’s eyes is a prerequisite to loving others when he talked about the two most important commandments.

Mark 12:31 World English Bible (WEB)
31 The second is like this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’Leviticus 19:18 There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Jesus said to love others as yourself, meaning that this commandment first assumes that you love yourself. Now, God is not a hypocrite. Whatever He tells us to do is always a reflection of what He demonstrates and this case is no exception. Furthermore, If God did not love Himself, how could He love us?

John 3:35 World English Bible (WEB)
35 The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand.

Verses like the above verse make it clear that Father God loves Himself even as God the Son. Bible verses like John 3:35 should not confuse us about Jesus’ divinity, rather, it should point out the loving nature of God.

Moreover, if God loves Himself, then, we should also love ourselves because we should imitate and obey God.

Ephesians 5:1 World English Bible (WEB)
5 Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children.

Realizing Your Value In Christ Jesus

Moreover, loving yourself is a key to success. When you love yourself, you enable yourself to establish and maintain healthy relationships since you become capable of loving others. Plus, when you love yourself, you establish a healthy quality of confidence within your personality.

But, maybe your past prevents you from loving yourself. Maybe you’re living in guilt and condemnation for past actions which now disgust you. Well, there’s even a solution for that.

2 Corinthians 5:17 King James Version (KJV)
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

The moment you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour where He paid the price for your sins so that you don’t have to, He sees you as a new creation. He values you as His beloved child and you then gain the right to imitate your Heavenly Father.

So, your past self has nothing to do with your current righteousness obtained through Jesus Christ.

Even God calls it wise to love yourself. If you love your soul, that makes it tremendously easier to seek wisdom. So, it’s a wise decision to start realizing your value in Christ Jesus.

Proverbs 19:8 World English Bible (WEB)
8 He who gets wisdom loves his own soul.
    He who keeps understanding shall find good.

A Wise Decision Indeed

It is therefore the best decision to love yourself. When you love yourself, you allow God to work in you. If you understand the value that God assigned you, God can work through you and in you to accomplish amazing things.

Matthew 5:14-16 World English Bible (WEB)
14 You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden. 15 Neither do you light a lamp and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house. 16 Even so, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Even Jesus said in the above passage that you are the light of the world if you follow Him. Jesus compares you and me to a lamp and that our purpose is to glorify Him because He has made us for a special reason; you’ve got to understand this! If God says that He made you in His image, then don’t call yourself insignificant, it’s like putting a lamp under a basket instead of placing it on a stand.

Sure, you are imperfect but that’s the way all people are. Only God is perfect, that doesn’t mean you’re insignificant. When you understand how much Jesus loves you, it becomes a no-brainer to love yourself.

Genesis 1:27 World English Bible (WEB)
27 God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them.

Therefore, believe what God says, and love yourself because He loves you. When you realize the extent of God’s undying love for you, it becomes very easy to love yourself. And when you love yourself, it becomes very easy to love others since God loves them.

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A Companion Like No Other

Humans are designed to be social beings. It’s almost as if it is essential or vital that humans interact with one another. But, there are cases where people are alienated or isolated. Sometimes, people are forced into solitude and that can leave them to be lonely. If you want to see a Biblical perspective on loneliness then continue reading to learn about the companion like no other!

A Companion in the Garden

Before starting the topic, you must first understand that when you read God’s Word, it has a life of its own. And what I mean by this is that there are things which the Bible hints at but never really says directly. That’s because when God says something, there’s so much depth to it which He allows us to discover.

Genesis 3:8 World English Bible (WEB)
8 They heard Yahweh God’s voice walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden.

The above scripture describes how God seemed to be searching for Adam and Eve; it says that God was walking in the garden and that they could hear His voice. Can you imagine that?

I mean, just think about it. The picture painted here is that the God who made Earth along with all its splendor was walking as if He was a man. It doesn’t say He was hovering over the Earth or anything else which may sound spiritual. Moreover, it says they could hear His voice. God was talking here!

The Consequence of Disobedience

Genesis 3:9 World English Bible (WEB)
9 Yahweh God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”

Furthermore, the next verse says that God specifically called out Adam and asked him, “Where are you?” He was searching for Adam and that must be because God suddenly noticed something strange. He realized something was wrong when he couldn’t sense the spiritual glory upon Adam, it had been cut out as soon as Adam ate the forbidden fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.

As the story goes on, we find that Adam and Eve finally answer God’s call but they realize evil has corrupted the world and they must deal with it now. Moreover, it is clear that their relationship with God is different, too.

But, what was the purpose of examining this passage? It was to help you understand that God intended mankind to be in communion with Him before anyone else. Pay close attention to the words which God uses.

Genesis 3:9 World English Bible (WEB)
9 Yahweh God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”

Did you notice that God did not call the woman? It is not because God favours one gender over the other. He’s not sexist, you must interpret the Bible, spiritually. There’s a reason why He does what He does.

Firstly, think about how the man knew that God was calling him. God was calling out His name which is “Adam.” Now, unlike Eve’s name, Adam’s name means, “Mankind”. So, what this means is that as soon as Adam and Eve fell from their glory, God was calling out for them. He was calling for mankind.

He was calling for you and me.

A Companion Like No Other

Let’s talk about Jesus Christ. Jesus did not feel lonely when His disciples or human companions abandoned Him. He had God the Father by His side.

John 16:32 World English Bible (WEB)
32 Behold, the time is coming, yes, and has now come, that you will be scattered, everyone to his own place, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

However, for our sakes, Jesus was crucified as a lonely person. Since mankind was separated from God the day that Adam ate of that forbidden fruit, Jesus took that penalty of separation from God and He was estranged from the Father for you and for me.

Matthew 27:46 World English Bible (WEB)
46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lima sabachthani?” That is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?“Psalm 22:1

The point of what I’m trying to say is that Adam’s curse of separation from God is no longer in effect. Jesus already took that curse; we can have communion with God, now. And if you put your trust in Jesus, if you answer His voice, God will do a new thing in you.

You don’t need to be lonely, God is with you. It no longer matters if people like you or if you have any friends or family. The only thing that matters is that you answer His call because you were made for a relationship with Him. You were made for Him and He is a companion like no other.

Matthew 22:14 King James Version (KJV)
14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

Your Intended Purpose

If you feel lonely, tired of having no one to talk to, and you need a companion, just spend time with Jesus. Spend time in His Word; talk to God about your troubles, He’s listening. You can even tell Him how you feel and if you feel lonely, tell Him that.

John 15:15 World English Bible (WEB)
15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant doesn’t know what his lord does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you.

Remember how I talked about God’s daily walks with Adam before the fall of mankind. Well, God even restored that aspect of the relationship to those who trust Jesus.

The Companion Who Walks With You

Acts 5:15 World English Bible (WEB)
15 They even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on cots and mattresses, so that as Peter came by, at the least his shadow might overshadow some of them.

The above scripture talks about how when Peter would take a walk, people would lay sick people near him so that even if his shadow touched them, they’d be healed.

But, get this, the Greek word used for “overshadow” in the scripture is episkiazó. Episkiazó is consistently used throughout the New Testament to describe God’s shadowing presence. An example of this is when Jesus is transfigured and God’s presence overshadows some of Jesus’ disciples who are with Him.

Matthew 17:5 World English Bible (WEB)
5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. Behold, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.”

So, when Peter was walking, people were getting healed by God’s shadow coming from Peter. This means that Peter had come to the point where he was literally walking with God. Therefore, seek God, believe upon Jesus, and He will truly be to you a companion like no other.

Proverbs 18:24 World English Bible (WEB)
24 A man of many companions may be ruined,
    but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

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The Raw Power of Godly Encouragement

Oftentimes, people do not appreciate or value the gift of encouragement. It is such a wonderful tool that can open up a door for hope. All throughout the Bible, there are cases where encouragement acted as the deciding factor for success. If you learn the incredible power of godly encouragement, it will change your life for the good!

Encouragement in the Old Testament

First, let’s define godly encouragement. Godly encouragement is when someone (which can include yourself or God) motivates you and points out that there is hope regardless of the situation because God is with you.

Now, the first instance in which God introduces encouragement into His wonderful Word is in the story of Joshua. When Moses prepares Israel with a lengthy speech, he talks about how he is not to enter the promised land and so, God appointed Joshua to lead the children of Israel into the promised land. It is in these moments that God instructs Moses to encourage Joshua for the mission which Joshua has ahead of him.

Deuteronomy 1:38 World English Bible (WEB)
38 Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

Joshua became responsible for leading a nation. I know you may have some pretty serious stuff going on in your life; but, leading an entire nation is quite the challenge! So, God wanted Moses and everyone to encourage Joshua which goes to show the importance of encouragement from God’s perspective. Now, keep in mind the Hebrew word for, “Encourage,” in this passage is, “Chazaq,” (I’ll be referencing this word later on).

This situation relates to you in that if you are expected to do something that seems nearly impossible, you need godly encouragement.

But, what if there’s no one to encourage you?

When There’s No One to Encourage You

God is so fair and so careful that He makes sure that His Word is sufficient for you. And so, God has provided us with an example of a person who did not need anyone to encourage him.

1 Samuel 30:6 King James Version (KJV)
6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.

The snippet of scripture above reflects on the time when the Amalekites robbed all of David’s possessions and wives; God knows what they were planning to do with all they had stolen! David’s men turned against him as they became upset that the Amalekites stole all they owned.

So, what do you do when it seems as if the whole world’s against you! You do what David did; you encourage yourself in the Lord your God!

Sometimes, you cannot rely on other people to encourage you. It is a sad but true fact and God knows that. You must learn to encourage yourself. That’s what it takes to be a king. And David was in such a horrible situation.

I mean think about it; his own people were going to kill him and bad guys took all he had. David was in a very, very tough situation during the time of this scripture. But, he still trusted in God and encouraged himself. If you’re in a situation where the stakes are high and you don’t seem to have any hope, encourage yourself in the Lord your God just as David did.

So, in the course of the passage, we read that David sought God’s guidance and God strengthened David along with his army to take back what was stolen from them.

1 Samuel 30:18 King James Version (KJV)
18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.

When you’re at wits’ end, you cannot encourage yourself in pride or selfish ambition, no, you must encourage yourself to trust the Lord your God just as David did. You must trust in Jesus who is the Lord your God. He is the God of David.

Also, as a side note, the fact that David married more than one person was never God’s ideal picture of marriage. But, God makes it clear in the New Testament that marriage is to be a holy covenant between two people.

Godly Encouragement and the Cross

Psalm 27:14 King James Version (KJV)
14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

The above scripture written by David through the inspiration of Holy Spirit says to wait on the Lord and to be of good courage.

Now, when it says to be of good courage, the Hebrew word within the scripture is, “Chazaq,” which is the same word that was used when God told Moses to encourage Joshua.

Thus, this psalm is telling us to simply wait upon the Lord; encourage yourself in what He’s done for you and He will strengthen your heart with the courage to face your situation. That is the key to godly encouragement. It unlocks the courage within yourself to face the Goliath in your life.

If you cannot encourage yourself, ask God to encourage you; ask God to strengthen you. God will answer you; he will not let the situation eat you up. If hell’s against you, then remind it that Jesus already bore hell for you.

Romans 15:5 World English Bible (WEB)
5 Now the God of perseverance and of encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus,

When you believe that Jesus died on the cross for you so that He could bear your sins, your shame, your loss, your suffering, and every hell centered thing in the planet belonging to you, He transferred His strength, peace, grace, and Holy Spirit to your spiritual account. If you have His loving Holy Spirit living within you, there ask Him as the God of encouragement to encourage you.

Even if you can’t encourage yourself, God will encourage you for Holy Spirit is also called the Comforter. He will strengthen your heart as David wrote in the Psalm.

John 14:26 King James Version (KJV)
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

In your time of distress, He’s there to comfort you because He loves you very dearly. And remember you have even better privileges than those in the Old Testament so enjoy your relationship with God.

Therefore, do not ever lose hope. Remember to ask God to strengthen your heart and so, encourage yourself in Him. Remind yourself that your God is big, that your God is the King of kings and the Lord of lords; remind yourself that He loves you and that He is always with you.

Joshua 1:9 World English Bible (WEB)
9 Haven’t I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go.”

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The Weary’s Strength Amidst Adversity

There’re always times when life seems overwhelming. You might be sedulously climbing the corporate ladder in your workplace or someone who’s just become a parent, which are all good things, but, these things can be tiring or exhaustive, nonetheless. However, I hold good news for you, Jesus is the weary’s strength amidst adversity. If you can’t help but feel overwhelmed from life’s challenges, just let this post minister life-giving truth unto you.

Strength Amidst Success

As I briefly mentioned earlier, it is possible to feel stressed from the things which success brings. It is also plausible to be stressed out because of things like studying or working.

Galatians 6:9 World English Bible (WEB)
9 Let’s not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don’t give up.

These tasks and acts of discipline may requires a ton of effort, but, God encourages you through His Word to keep on going. Paul writes through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to not get tired of doing what is good because good things are headed your way if you continue on this path.

This scripture can also be applied in the sense of worshiping God, reading the Bible, or praying as they are all advantageous to your relationship with Holy Spirit, but very hard to follow through with consistency. Consistency is vital to all forms of discipline. If you cannot be consistent, it is very hard to reap benefits.

And if you’ve repeatedly failed while in pursuit of achieving a goal or sticking to a routine, I beseech you to ask God for the grace to do it.

Isaiah 40:29 World English Bible (WEB)
29 He gives power to the weak.
    He increases the strength of him who has no might.

He promises that He is the God who strengthen you. If you see your goal to be impossible, let God handle it; you just need to cast your cares upon the Lord.

Strength Amidst Calamity

As I mentioned earlier, adversity can come even when you’re enjoying the promised land. But, it can be all the more real when you’re in tough situations. An example of such a situation could be the challenge of paying your bills or dealing with health issues.

Adversity does not always come from God. Sickness, poverty, death, and whatever other thing which Jesus paid a price to destroy does not enter your life because God willed it, but, because this world is a fallen world.

However, there is a solution to the tough situations which adversity brings as God has prepared one solution for every mess.

Proverbs 25:25 World English Bible (WEB)
25 Like cold water to a thirsty soul,
    so is good news from a far country.

The above proverb is so powerful. But, let’s take a step back to truly imagine what the Holy Spirit wants us to see.

What does water do to someone who is literally dying of thirst? Well, one thing is that it satisfies them and quenches their thirst. Another thing it does is that it saves them from dying.

In the same way, if you are dying inside from all the bad news that has entered your ears, good news is here to revive you. Furthermore, the word, “gospel,” means good news. Since Jesus is good news and His redemption work is the gospel, you just need to believe His good news for Him to empower you.

Romans 1:16 King James Version (KJV)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

When you believe the gospel of Christ, which is Jesus’ atonement work for you, there is no crisis that can stand in the way of God’s furious love. If you’re struggling with health issues, Jesus is your healing. If you’re struggling with paying the bills on time, Jesus is your prosperity.

You must believe through faith in what Jesus did for you on the cross. And if you’re too tired to stand upon the promises of God, let God strengthen you by just receiving His lovely grace.

He’s The Weary’s Strength Amidst Adversity

Isaiah 40:30-31 World English Bible (WEB)
30 Even the youths faint and get weary,
    and the young men utterly fall;
31     but those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength.
    They will mount up with wings like eagles.
    They will run, and not be weary.
    They will walk, and not faint.

The bottom line of what I’m saying in this post is that Jesus is the weary’s strength amidst adversity. If you feel that you are weary, thank Jesus for renewing your strength. Just say it aloud if you have to get that principle into your head. Believe what God says.

When you follow this divine precept, you will start noticing God’s undying strength empowering you to live in victory. As I have said earlier, even when you’re tired of holding onto the promises of God through faith, you must lean upon His strength.

Therefore, if you have not yet accepted Christ into you heart, confess and believe that Jesus Christ is your Redeemer, your Savior, your Lord and your God. He will give you strength to do things beyond your wildest imagination for His glory. Finally, I leave you with these wonderful words from the mouth of Jesus.

Matthew 11:28-30 World English Bible (WEB)
28 “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”