The struggle doesn’t have to be real.
Why embrace struggle if you are more than a conqueror?
Tough situations come to everybody, and I am no stranger to them. You can look at the lives of Jesus and the apostles in the early church and see that they faced their share of trials as well.
What you choose to focus on will determine how you will come through.
Pigs enjoy wallowing in the muck, and I’ve noticed that many people aren’t much different. If you spend time with certain people it becomes clear that they focus on the struggle. Going from defeat to defeat, rather than glory to glory.
2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
You see we are meant to be changing into the image of Jesus. We should become more like him.
That being said; where do you see Jesus struggling?
You might think he struggled with the cross. Did he though? From what I can tell- He willingly went to the cross. It was His decision to go. Up until the point of the cross — even when people tried to kill him, they couldn’t.
John 8:59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
John 10:31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him… 39 Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.
Luke 4:28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. 30 Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.
There you have it. Three separate instances where people tried to kill Jesus prior to the cross. Think of how much hate Jesus was experiencing from these people. They didn’t just get on social media and write mean things about him. They were actually trying to kill him.
How did Jesus handle “the struggle”? Like anybody else that actually takes God at His word… He walked right through the middle of the trial without suffering a scratch.
Did he complain? Did he cry? Did he sit down and have a boo-hoo? Did he go around telling everybody about how hard life is?
Not at all.
He just kept doing what he was ordained by God to do. He kept preaching, he kept healing the sick, he kept casting out devils.
To focus on the struggle is to give glory to the work of the devil.
Rather, if you stand on God’s word — you give glory to what He has done for you.
You’ll never solve any problems by going around talking about them. You have to deal with them. Go to God with faith and believe God for the situation to change.
Talking about your issues with your friends and colleagues gives you nothing more than momentary gratification for your emotions.
Seek solutions, not sympathy.
Though sympathy might feel nice- it doesn’t change your problem.
If you need counsel for a tough situation, get it from somebody that can actually help you. Somebody that is in a constant state of defeat is not somebody fit to help you. A person that is full of God’s word and faith, walking in victory- that is someone who can help you.
Once you get advice that will help you, do something with it! Don’t go around telling every other person you meet about that problem, that accomplishes nothing for you!
Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
