Battles are constant

In our lives we are going to go through plenty of battles.  Just because we get deeper into our walks with God it doesn't mean the battles quit coming.  John 16:33 "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."  God calls us to have peace during these battles.  You can easily see if you have peace during these times by how many people you talk to about it(phone calls, emails, not being able to keep your mind off the problem).  When we have peace we spend that time with God.  I'm not saying it's not great to have people you can talk to but it's even better when you spend that time with God.

An example I like to use when thinking about peace is imagine you are in a small wooden row boat on a river.  At times the river is quiet and we can just drift along checking on occasion how the boat is doing and just making sure it's going in the right direction.  Life is calm and we are just enjoying the ride.  We have seasons of life where it is like this.  Everything is going our way and we can recover from previous battles and just be thankful it's over.  Then the rapids hit and the boat rocks and forth, we have to be careful of rocks jutting up out of the water, flipping the boat over or springing a leak in the boat.  How do we handle that?  Are you able to keep that peace that was there when the boat was drifting or are you so flustered you can hardly think straight?


Psalm 139:23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  God will test you.  If you ask for things in your life like opportunities to serve, to move up in a job or to minister more He will try your heart.  I often think of it like this have you ever seen when someone put glass into a fire and shapes it into a lamp, or a pot?  The heat changes the shape of the glass and the final result is something very beautiful.  God will do that to us.  It's under the heat and pressure that He can really shape us.  How do you react when things don't go your way?  What do you do when the furnace breaks and you don't have the money?  What is your reaction when someone talks badly about you and tells lies?  He is watching you.  He wants to know that He can trust you so He can use you.

So when the battles come please keep your eyes on God and read His word, pray and I hope it helps you to remember the examples given above.  You aren't alone in battles and you won't outgrow them.  God is there and He's watching you too as they happen.

Spiritual Growth

Unfortunately in life to go through growth we must first go through some difficulty.  If we never go through any difficulty or quit whenever things get tough we remain the same.  This is the same in our faith in God.

If we go through trials but we first run to the internet, a self help book which is not what the Bible is, or friends and family who are not in the faith we are heading the wrong direction!

It is through these trials that our roots grow deep in God.  The Bible says that God tries the heart in Proverbs 17:3 Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the LORD tests the heart.  He wants to know what you will do when the tough times come.  Can He trust you?  Will you fall away?  Philippians 4:5-7 Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

We are to glory in our trials (Romans 5:3) We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.  In these we develop the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23

New International Version (NIV)

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

God wants to use you but are you willing to go through the process He has for you to get there?