Have you ever heard someone speak and think to yourself, in awe, "that person has just stated, verbatim, things that I have told myself in private?" Perhaps that is just me but whenever you hear one of your most secret thoughts or fears verbalized by another it is a striking experience.
Tonight I heard the testimony of a man who, with God's gracious and bountiful help, has overcome tremendous obstacles. In hearing his story I was taken down the memory lane of my own journey to Jesus. Hearing another's struggles reminded me of just how far God has brought me in the last three and a half years. And in this hearing, I was astonished to find such acute similarities of feeling that it blessed me with a most comforting thought.....
If this man, whom I am barely getting to know, has, at a completely independent time and in an independent way from me, experienced these same things; how much more are all these things understood by my Savior? The Bible tells us that "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful." 1 Corinthians 10:13a NLT. In other translations it states that "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful" (NKJV). The point being, that in our temptations and struggles we are not alone. There are countless ways in which temptations may appear to us and probably just a many ways to ineffectively handle them. Fortunately for us, we have an example to follow. Jesus was "tempted in every way, just as we are - yet he did not sin" (Hebrews 4:15b NIV).
I think you have to have true, deep and abiding faith in Christ to understand just how fully awesome that is! We are not left alone to handle anything that Christ did not suffer with. These temptations may have different forms but the internal struggles are "common to man" and are felt, in whatever ways, by many, and they were felt by our Savior.
The solace of knowing that not only is Jesus there for me, having my back, at all times but that he has faced these same demons (struggles, temptations, the whole gamut) and has emerged victorious feels very essential to me tonight. I am not doomed to repeat past mistakes. I do not have to fall into temptation. I have been delivered. And even in being delivered that I will struggle. It's nice to know that I am still going to struggle but that the victory is mine for the taking. Through Christ I can do all things. I do not have to go into battle defeated, nor am I expected to win without a fight. It makes me think of all those Old Testament battles that seemed so hopeless (like Jericho, Gideon, etc.) and I think they just examples of each person's life. How easy it is for us to forget that with God on our side we win. Sometimes we look at the giant struggles and temptations before us and we don't believe we can win (which is really code for "I don't think that God is big enough to handle this one"). God is reminding me tonight that those battle stories (both from long ago and the recent past of testimonies shared) are reminders that God is faithful.
Do you feel alone right now? Do you feel as though your struggles are beyond anyone's help? Even God's? Are you feeling shame for the struggle? Those thoughts are not from the Lord I can tell you that. Christ struggled in the garden of Gethsemane and then laid his life down for us all. There is no shame in the struggle and God is ready to give you the plan for victory. Will you listen?
Tonight I heard the testimony of a man who, with God's gracious and bountiful help, has overcome tremendous obstacles. In hearing his story I was taken down the memory lane of my own journey to Jesus. Hearing another's struggles reminded me of just how far God has brought me in the last three and a half years. And in this hearing, I was astonished to find such acute similarities of feeling that it blessed me with a most comforting thought.....
If this man, whom I am barely getting to know, has, at a completely independent time and in an independent way from me, experienced these same things; how much more are all these things understood by my Savior? The Bible tells us that "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful." 1 Corinthians 10:13a NLT. In other translations it states that "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful" (NKJV). The point being, that in our temptations and struggles we are not alone. There are countless ways in which temptations may appear to us and probably just a many ways to ineffectively handle them. Fortunately for us, we have an example to follow. Jesus was "tempted in every way, just as we are - yet he did not sin" (Hebrews 4:15b NIV).
I think you have to have true, deep and abiding faith in Christ to understand just how fully awesome that is! We are not left alone to handle anything that Christ did not suffer with. These temptations may have different forms but the internal struggles are "common to man" and are felt, in whatever ways, by many, and they were felt by our Savior.
The solace of knowing that not only is Jesus there for me, having my back, at all times but that he has faced these same demons (struggles, temptations, the whole gamut) and has emerged victorious feels very essential to me tonight. I am not doomed to repeat past mistakes. I do not have to fall into temptation. I have been delivered. And even in being delivered that I will struggle. It's nice to know that I am still going to struggle but that the victory is mine for the taking. Through Christ I can do all things. I do not have to go into battle defeated, nor am I expected to win without a fight. It makes me think of all those Old Testament battles that seemed so hopeless (like Jericho, Gideon, etc.) and I think they just examples of each person's life. How easy it is for us to forget that with God on our side we win. Sometimes we look at the giant struggles and temptations before us and we don't believe we can win (which is really code for "I don't think that God is big enough to handle this one"). God is reminding me tonight that those battle stories (both from long ago and the recent past of testimonies shared) are reminders that God is faithful.
Do you feel alone right now? Do you feel as though your struggles are beyond anyone's help? Even God's? Are you feeling shame for the struggle? Those thoughts are not from the Lord I can tell you that. Christ struggled in the garden of Gethsemane and then laid his life down for us all. There is no shame in the struggle and God is ready to give you the plan for victory. Will you listen?
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