Pressed Down

"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. We who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in YOU!

2 Corinthians 4:8-12

Do you feel pressed on every side? Do you feel perplexed? Do you feel abandoned? Do you feel struck down? There are days, lately that I have felt all of these things. Like me are you overwhelmed with spiritual battles that overtake you? We are human. We have emotions and sometimes our emotions get the best of us. We are tired, worn out, beaten down but as a follower of Christ, we signed up for this! In 2 Timothy 3:12 it says "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted".

I think we misunderstood something if we thought that being a Christ follower would be an easy road. He asks us to lay down our lives, to be crucified with Him so that we may LIVE. We need to turn our thinking around. We need to face our trials and tribulations as a gift to be appreciated because of the example of Christ that we can show to others as we persevere. In James, he tells us to "Consider it pure joy, my brothers (and sisters), whenever you face trials of many kids, because you know that the testing of your faith develops persevereance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything". This process is part of us becoming mature Christians. Our faith is made alive by our walk down the path of life. We shine Jesus in every struggle or display our weakness and need for His strength.

God promises us HOPE and JOY even in the midst of our overwhelming circumstances. In 2nd Corinthians, verse 3 it says "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds". A little further in the same book, chapter 11 it says "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness, Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, insults, in harships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. He especially wants to attack believers who are actively living a life sold out to Christ and for His kingdom. So, if you are being dealt many obstacles in your life, it means that the enemy is trying to keep you from impacting others and you are being tested to see how you will endure. Either you will fight and press on toward the goal or you will crumble in your circumstances. One of my favorite sayings to whiney people is "put your big girl panties on and deal with it". We are never promised an easy road, in fact just the complete opposite. That is why we must gaurd our hearts and minds on a daily basis. We must put on the armor of God.

Ephesians 6:10 gives us clear instructions: "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces f evil int he heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your gruond, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the BELT of TRUTH, buckled around your waist, with the BREASTPLATE of RIGHTEOUSNESS in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the GOSPEL of PEACE. In addition to all this, take up the SHIELD of FAITH, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the HELMET of SALVATION and the SWORD of the SPIRIT, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests".

Therefore, we must prepare ourselvs for battle, every day. We must give our lives to the One who gave His for us. We must be willing to persevere in this world to continue to do the work for the Kingdom of God. Just like the 12 Disciples, and all who have sacrificed in life and even in death, we must make a choice to follow or to abandon Christ.What will you choose? Will you keep on keepin on or to let your circumstances destroy you?

He brings life where there is death, gladness when there is mourning, beauty where there were once ashes. He is the answer to all of life's questions and He can be found by you if you seek Him with all of your heart.

I choose to walk in JOY and PEACE knowing that whatever comes, I will praise and worship the King of Kings and someday, we will see Him face to face and share in His glory. It will be worth it all...just to see Him in all of His righteousness, to lay my crowns at His feet and bask in His glory...what a day that will be...FOREVER with the One who loves us more than we can imagine!