"I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
-John 16:33
I love this verse. We first read it and are like, "Yeah, God! Woo - hoo! You tell the world who is boss!" But do we really understand the gravity of the verse? Everything in this world that we think has power, has none with God. None. The President of the United States - none. Pop culture - none. You - none. The devil himself - none. God is above all of it. He has taken care of it all. The verse itself basically says that God is above the world.
The verse says 'take heart'. What does that mean to you? To me, it means 'feel hope' or 'be comforted'. Our world is a fallen world no matter how many great things are in it. It's also a huge comfort to know that all the bad things we experience in this life are already conquered by God. So, why do we let things of this world rule our lives? Yeah, things happen. Things cripple us here on this earth, but, hey, we've got God on our side who has already won the fight. It's kind of amusing to know that the devil is pouring everything into a futile fight. God's already won. I hate to burst the devil's bubble...not at all in fact haha. But, isn't it a comfort to know that God can and already has overcome whatever you are going through right now? You may ask me, "Yeah, Morgan, okay, but that doesn't mean I can get through it." Oh yes it does. The great thing about God is that He doesn't want his children to suffer. He will help us get through things. But it goes two ways... you need to go to Him. You need to ask for His help. You won't be able to get through whatever ails you on your own. I'm convicted of this again and again. Our troubles may seem so momentous to us now, but you can overcome it, with God's help. He's already conquered it. :)
With this comes another side, though. You can't just ask for God's help. You need to thank Him for what He has already helped you conquered. If you don't recognize it, how can you ask for it? It's food for thought... what has God already helped you overcome in this world?
Very well said. I completely agree. I have had to overcome many, many things in my life.I know that I could not have done it without faith.
ReplyDeleteit's true! joyce meyer tweeted this this morning: "if you have God on your side, you already have the victory!" I love that God the creator the universe, fights my battles for me. I love that. I love him.
ReplyDeletekeep writing Morgan your posts are awesome.