struggle

You can overcome in Christ today

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“Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that He can open the scroll and its seven seals.”  (Revelation 5:5)

What is that unsolvable problem in your life?

What is that question that can’t be answered, that stronghold that can’t be broken, that obstacle that can’t be overcome?

Weep and worry no more: Jesus can overcome it!

Jesus can break it!

Jesus can answer it!

Weep no more today, friend, for the Lion of Judah has already conquered the foe you face, and He is on your side.

–Pastor Phillip

God still commands the chaos

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And the [first] beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months…  Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them…and by the signs that [the second beast] is allowed to work in the presence of the [first] beast, it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.  And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain.  (Revelation 13:5, 7a, 14-15)

Ungodly authority, violence and conflict, deception and false miracles, persecution, state-sanctioned murder: this is chaos.

As the book of Revelation continues to unfold the unraveling of human society in the end times, it seems like things are getting darker and darker, worse and worse, and it seems like for the people of God, everything is falling apart.

Does your life ever feel like that?

Take note, then, that even in the midst of such hardship and trial, there is a common thread running through this entire chapter: “it was allowed.”

We may never understand in this life just why God allows certain things.  We may feel we would do differently, or wish there would have been an easier way.  As we try to process the hard circumstances of our lives, this is a normal reaction and a natural place to start.  However, it doesn’t have to be the place we finish.

Christian, know this.  No matter how crazy things look down here, God is still in control, watching over your destiny from above!  No matter how dark things appear from your perspective, God is still overseeing and working all things together for your good in Christ.

So, in the midst of whatever turmoil you may be facing, this is God’s word of hope to you today, sent by the Holy Spirit through the prophetic pen of John.

God still commands the chaos.

–Pastor Phillip

God gives life to those who are strong in Him

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He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.  (Revelation 2:7)

God is a God of victory, so His people can be, too.  God sent His Son as the ultimate overcomer, so His people can overcome, too.

As Jesus persisted and resisted sin through the power of the Holy Spirit, so we who follow Him can do the same, and not only can we stand firm in the Spirit, we must!

Through Christ, God has given you power and authority to conquer anything Satan throws at you.  So, as you receive His strength by faith today, you can take courage in this truth.

God gives life to those who are strong in Him.

–Pastor Phillip

Jesus is your power to overcome

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Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.  (1 John 4:4)

False doctrine and deceitful spirits are constantly at war against the children of God.

There is a battle raging at all times for control of your mind and power over your heart.  Sometimes it may feel like nothing is coming against you at all, and other times, as if all hell is breaking loose.

Have you been there?  Have you felt the discouragement and distraction, the confusion and concern, the doubt, the defensiveness, the fear?

Take heart, Jesus wants to give you victory!

No matter what spiritual forces come against you, if you’re in Christ, God has provided an even greater spiritual power within you.  It is not just a set of principles, but the active presence of Jesus Christ living in you that will enable you to overcome lies with truth and despair with joy.

So, when you feel the heat rising and the battle intensifying in your life, may you be strengthened by this truth.

Jesus is your power to overcome.

–Pastor Phillip

Jesus understands your struggle

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For because He himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.  (Hebrews 2:18)

Do you ever struggle with temptation?  Jesus understands.

Do you sometimes wrestle with desires to meet God-given cravings in ungodly ways?  Jesus understands.

The particulars of a temptation are not its most powerful element.  Underneath every specific draw to sin is a root cause, a deeper desire that drives it.  Comfort, pleasure, pride, accumulation of power or avoidance of pain; with all of these Jesus is quite familiar.

Yet, not only did Jesus have the strength to resist temptation, He also has an abundance of that same strength to share with you!

When you are tempted, turn to Jesus, be at peace, and find hope in this powerful truth: Jesus understands your struggle.

–Pastor Phillip

Jesus is your guard against all evil

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God’s Hope for Your Heart from 2 Thessalonians 3

JESUS IS YOUR GUARD AGAINST ALL EVIL

But the Lord is faithful.  He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.  (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

Jesus warned we will have trouble in this life, but trouble and evil are not the same thing.  He told us we would surely face persecution, but persecution and evil are not the same thing.

If you’re in Christ, then you also have an enemy.  Satan wants to bring pain into your life so that it drains your hope and eclipses the glory of God.  This is true evil, not just pain, but pain that hinders the purposes of God.

Here’s good news, though.  In Christ, nothing can stop God’s purposes for you!  No suffering or setback can derail His desire to bless you with a meaningful life that brings true joy to you through bringing glory to God.

This means that in Christ, you may have pain, but it has deep and lasting purpose.  You may have sorrow, but it need not steal your hope.

In Christ, your life matters.  You matter, and no plan for evil can ever take away God’s plan for good in your life.

In whatever season you find yourself, take courage in this truth: Jesus is your guard against all evil.

-Pastor Phillip

Jesus is worth it

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God’s Hope for Your Heart from 2 Corinthians 11

JESUS IS WORTH IT

Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.  Three times I was beaten with rods.  Once I was stoned.  Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.  And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.  (2 Corinthians 11:24-28)

The way of Jesus is filled with incredible joy and blessing, but also brings its share of suffering.  To follow Christ is to walk in the abundant favor of God, but sometimes His blessings come wrapped in packages of pain.

Your enemy will tell you it’s because God doesn’t love you, but that’s a lie.  Your enemy will tell you that you failed in your part or didn’t have enough faith for God to bless you, but that’s a lie.

The truth is, sometimes God’s greatest gifts come in surprising forms.  Even Jesus Himself came unexpectedly, in a way filled with difficulty and pain.

But Jesus is worth it!

The biggest blessing of all is not a comfortable set of circumstances, but a greater closeness to Christ.  The greatest joy of all comes not through God putting all the pieces of your life in the order you demand, but in His gracious drawing of your heart into a deeper relationship with Jesus.

Whatever sacrifices you’ve made to follow Christ, it’s worth it.  Whatever pain you feel as you choose to follow Him instead of the ways of the world, it’s worth it!

Don’t let Satan make you give up, and don’t let suffering bring you down.  No matter how hard it gets, may you be propelled towards Christ by the hope of this courage-building truth:  Jesus is worth it.

-Pastor Phillip

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God’s weapons will make you victorious

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God’s Hope for Your Heart from 2 Corinthians 10

GOD’S WEAPONS WILL MAKE YOU VICTORIOUS

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.  (2 Corinthians 10:4)

If you feel like you’re in a fight, it’s because you are.

Trials and temptation, disease and discouragement, conflict with others and conflict within ourselves; this is the fight of life.

The Bible tells us the struggle is not against the particular circumstances that bring us down, but against our enemy Satan, the one who brings these things against us.  The physical fight is just an echo of the spiritual war going on underneath.

But in this war, we have the upper hand!

We know the strategies of the enemy and we can see when he’s moving.  We have powerful defenses against his devices: the armor of God.

Not only that, but we have been given the gift of superior firepower.  The Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit are our perfect arsenal for this persistent warfare!  These weapons are effective, empowering, and ever-present for the children of God.

Do not let your enemy dupe you into believing that you are a helpless victim.  If you’re in Christ, you are a heavenly victor!

Whatever level of spiritual warfare you’re facing right now, be strengthened in the fight as you receive the hope of this glorious truth: God’s weapons will make you victorious!

-Pastor Phillip

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God will hold you up

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God’s Hope for Your Heart from Psalm 63

GOD WILL HOLD YOU UP

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water…
My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.  (Psalm 63:1, 8)

David writes this Psalm while in the wilderness.  He is in a barren place, a lonely place.  He’s in a place where he finds himself weary and worn out from the journey.

Have you been in that place?

Maybe it’s a season of turmoil in a relationship.  You try and try but reconciliation seems out of reach.  Maybe it’s a season of dryness in your spiritual life.  You read and pray but it feels like nothing’s happening.  Maybe it’s a season of pain in your body or your mind, and you don’t know how much longer you can stand.

You’re not alone.

In this moment, your Heavenly Father is close at hand, closer than you know.  He loves you, and wants to meet your needs in the best possible way, in the best possible timing!

Yet, it’s not His answers that will bring you the deepest peace, but God Himself.  The greatest news of all is that when you seek God’s presence not as a means to an end, but as an end in itself, you’ll find that everything else will take its proper place.

No matter your circumstance today, turn your heart towards the One who loves you more deeply than you can imagine.  As you do, you’ll find hope in this truth: God will hold you up.

-Pastor Phillip

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In Christ, Your Difficulties Are Deposits

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God’s Hope for Your Heart from 2 Corinthians 4

IN CHRIST, YOUR DIFFICULTIES ARE DEPOSITS

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.  (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

Do you sometimes find it hard to follow Jesus?

Do you struggle with opposition or discouragement from others, or from yourself?

Is it difficult sometimes to obey what God commands, even though you know it’s for your good?

Take heart, your effort is not in vain!

In your walk with Christ, the roadblocks you face and the hardships you endure are not wasted; they are invested.  Each one is adding to your reward in heaven and your spiritual strength here and now.

You may not feel it.

You may not see it.

However, something is happening each time you obey.  Out of every struggle in which you are faithful to Jesus, a deposit is made into your heavenly account.  When you choose Jesus first and remain in Him, glory is added to your eternal reward.

It may be hard, but push forward and keep following in faith.  As you do, you’ll find the hope that comes from this truth: in Christ, your difficulties are deposits.

-Pastor Phillip

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