Battle of the Will
What battles are you fighting today? I’m not referring to those we read or hear about in the news. I mean the wars that rage inside you—which ones are you fighting today? Here are some that some hold on to: resentment, allowing frustration to overwhelm them, wishing for something easier, wondering why trials continue, and missing personal freedoms.
No Struggles
“Man born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble.” (Job 14:1)
Having no struggles at all will never happen in this lifetime. A no-struggle existence is not possible until you graduate to heaven’s struggle-free environment with your Savior. The nice and the naughty alike struggle, though outwardly they may seem void of vexation. The righteous and the wicked both struggle to varying degrees. No one is exempt from struggles. Yes, there may be seasons of minimal conflict but struggles are on the way. You are either struggling, about to struggle, or have just finished struggling. Indeed, everyone from monks to scoundrels struggle. Therefore, don’t spend your life trying to insulate yourself from struggles.
Why There is No Need to Despair
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all”. Psalm 34:19
I like it when life is neat and tidy and when things go as planned. I like it when love is real and friends are faithful and God is blessing in amazing ways. I like it when people are nice and sin isn’t derailing me or someone I love. I like it when life is good. But the truth is that there is hardly ever a time when everything in life is going well. There is always something in life that is messy, either because I made it that way through my own sin or lack of wisdom because someone else made it that way for me, or because it’s just the consequence of living in this imperfect world.
FINISH WELL
“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” 1st Corinthians 9:24-27.
God is not looking for perfection, but He does desire passion for Himself and obedience to His word. People—who have decided to take control themselves, do not finish well. They act as if they have a better plan than God. This type of decision-making process will have limited, if any, success in the Lord’s eyes. So, does it mean we will have no regrets when we finish well? No.
Don’t Throw Rocks on Your Relational Path of Blessing
Blessed is everyone that feareth (reverence) the Lord, that walketh in His ways! Psalm 128:1
We all want to have blessed relationships. For example, we desire God to help us resolve a conflict with a friend, so we pray for peace. Maybe we want to get along with a difficult co-worker so we ask God for patience, or perhaps we desire a closer relationship with our mate, so we pray.
Have You Truly Forgiven Yourself?
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. 1st John 1:9
Have you forgiven yourself? Have you really forgiven yourself? We know we have forgiven ourselves if we are free from guilt and self-condemnation. Otherwise, we are stuck in the crazy cycle of re-living bad decisions that are done and cannot be changed. It is impossible to continually guilt our conscience in order to make up for past mistakes.
Psalm 46:1-11
“I’m out of here!” Most of us will feel like crying out this way at some point in life. When a demanding circumstance feels overwhelming, or when the pressure of the daily routine seems unbearable, a common reaction is the desire to escape. Whether the stress is related to a job, relationship, or other situation that seems too hard to handle, we want relief. So we decide we are walking out. Moving on. Heading for anywhere but where we are now.
September Prayer List of the Harry Lee Jackson Jr. Prayer Line
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