I live on what I consider a busy street. Traffic passes impatiently through on its way to a nearby bridge. Of course, I didn’t know this when I moved in. Who knows these things? <smile>
When cars and trucks go rushing by in all the glory of revving engines and unmuffled carburetors, all I can hear is the noise. But the other day, I was sitting on the porch steps and I realized that there were also birds singing. Tons of them in fact! I think they sing most mightily just before spring becomes “official.”
Photo credit: animals-pics.com
As I started to listen more to the birds, the traffic noise somehow seemed to fade. It’s funny how when you focus on one thing (traffic noise, let’s say), you can largely block out the other.
Can you relate to acting like this in the midst of your suffering? The noise of our feelings floods our hearing and drowns out anything else. We begin to tune in on just one channel: the problem-solving or escape channel. It’s hard to listen for God’s truth through the clouds of chaotic thought.
What are your thoughts – how do you hear God in the midst of your suffering? What are things you do or say that help you (and could help others who read this)?
Stand in the Storm 
Here’s what we do when we are “hit” with feelings of despair and hopelessness. As it turns out it’s the EXACT SAME THING JESUS DID. When He faced “the god of this world” Jesus spoke the Word. In Matthew 4 & Luke 4 Jesus and Satan had a fight. Jesus was at the end of a 40 day fast, and Satan showed up with some questions (he keeps using questions such as, “Did God really say…”, because it works so well for him-see Genesis 3). The first question that he asked Him was, “If you are the Son of God command these stones to become bread.” What was Jesus response? Here’s what it was, “IT IS WRITTEN,……” Jesus kept saying this over and over and over again out loud to every question Satan had. “IT IS WRITTEN……”
In Ephesians 6:17 we read about the sword of the Spirit which is the spoken Word (rhema) of God. We must first understand the written Word (logos) of God is before we can speak the Word (rhema) of God. It’s called a “sword” for a particular reason. A sword is not going to do me any good if I keep it in its sheath. If I keep my sword in my sheath, a small child with a stick can beat me up and take my lunch money (Not that I’ve ever had that happen to me. That would be embarrassing to admit to. I mean, where are the parents of these kids going around beating up adults for their lunch money? It’s just not right. lol). Anyway, the point is this, if Jesus, God in human form, had to speak the Word in order to defeat Satan, what makes me think that I’m going to defeat the challenges of this life by doing less? In order for us to be victorious over every situation in this life, i.e.; sickness, debt, depression, addictive behavior, etc., the list goes on and on, we must adopt an attitude of a soldier. Read the amour of God in Ephesians 6 carefully. You as an individual must be victorious and win these battles. You don’t win them for you, but rather you win them for others who will eventually go through the exact same thing you are going through. Use the most powerful name in Heaven and on Earth and DEMAND out loud “In the name of JESUS (insert whatever it is you are facing here) get away from me.”
We can tell you from past experience that no matter what the problem is, take the sword of the Spirit and speak it out of your mouth. Revelation 12:11 “And they overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the Word (rhema) of their testimony.” It ain’t going to do anybody any good if you give up. You must be thoroughly convinced that all that is bad comes from the kingdom of darkness and all that is good comes from the kingdom of God.
There is this idea that everything that happens in our lives is the will of God. If this is your mindset, that God gets glory out of your suffering, you are beaten before you even start. This is a religious idea. IT IS NOT a New Testament idea. Jesus Himself said to pray, “God’s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.” If God’s will is automatically being carried out in your life, you’ve been grossly misled. We can give you just one example of what a lie this is. And this is just one example. If sickness and disease is God’s will for His people, then Jesus was the biggest sinner in the history of mankind. Everybody who came to Jesus was healed. Without question, not one person was not healed. One particular Doctor, a fellow by the name of Luke, wrote the accounts in two books in the New Testament. Hebrews 13:8 says this, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever.” Throughout the scriptures we read, “I am the Lord, I change not”. Well, if He doesn’t change, then who did?
Why is God’s will carried out in heaven? Because in heaven they always speak God’s Word. Why isn’t God’s will carried out on the earth? It’s because we rarely, if ever, speak His Word.
We couldn’t help but notice that in your “banner” that the sword was behind the person sticking in the ground. She needs to pick that sword up and start using it. And she needs to do what Jesus did when He was faced with a storm. He simply said, “Stop it!” and meant it. Or continue allowing the storms of this life to beat your brains out. I mean everybody is drawn to a life of suffering. That’s what people look for in this life. Ways to cope with suffering. Or maybe I’m wrong. Maybe what people are looking for is for someone somewhere to stand up and to boldly declare, “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I’m not putting up with this garbage anymore.” Not in my own name, but in His name. Not in my own words and strength, but in His words and His strength.
Here’s just a simple thought, why don’t you go out and make the devil sorry he ever came up with that whole rebellion idea? Remember I John 4:4 (paraphrased), “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the (whole stinking) world.”
With love and prayers,
CincinnatiChristian
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I think that if and when certain events unfold (i.e. peace for Israel and the world, and that peace would include Israel’s right to rebuild a temple), that we can focus on the “noise” of apocalyptic prophecies, or we can do the more discreet thing and focus on the beauty of humanity and how much the Lord still loves this world.
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Oh my love, teach me the lesson You are teaching me in this time of trial and tribulation.
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