There are a lot of things in life that sometimes seem to get the best of us.
We oftentimes find ourselves drowning in all of our responsibilities, fears, anxieties, and disappointments. Sometimes we decide that we have had enough of all of these burdens, so we allow them to flood our mind freely and let them drown us. We succumb to the desire to give up and let doubt and anxiety control our thoughts so much so that it leads us to sleepless nights and restless days. There are times when we start our days with the worst in mind, even after we pray for better days, they don’t always seem to come when we think we need them.
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7
It is important to remember that God is here for you. God is not only here for you but he actually cares about you and what you have to say. He wants you to run to Him instead of everyone and everything else. He wants you to talk to Him about your struggles
Let’s not be mistaken: feeling down is healthy at times, do not ever completely disregard your feelings because they deserve to be acknowledged. However, there comes a time in life when you must recognize sometimes there is a trick being played. You must open your eyes and realize that sometimes the devil will throw curve balls at you because he’s seeing too too many.
He sees your faith is growing too strong for his liking. Your dedication to God is getting too serious for his comfort. Or your even that your coming a little bit too far into the light, and he likes to toy with you and cloud your mind with your emotions. God is well aware of the devil’s tricks, and his sneaky ways.
God, through Paul, God warns us:
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8
Here we see the enemy described to us a roaring lion, looking to devour us. And how exactly does he “devour” us? He pins our own doubts, failures, and anxieties against us! He swallows us in our own fears, he makes us create a cage of emotions within ourselves (I am SO guilty of this). We must be able to recognize the times that the enemy tries to swallow us whole. Not only does falling into the trap of our emotions create breeding grounds for a deepened depression, but it inadvertently produces laziness, low self confidence, and a slow deterioration of our mental health.
But here is where I would also like to point out that recognition of our situation is so important, and thus this is why God calls us to remain sober minded. We must not give in to trying “drink the pain away” or to “forget about our problems”. Why? Because it is in the midst of you being under the influence, when you are not in your right mind, the devil will attack you with fierceness. Because that’s when he knows he can make you fall.
He knows that a stumbling deer is much more easier to catch than a healthy one, so God reminds us to stay away from the temptations of being under the influence and remain alert.
Although the enemy he wants to burden our souls with the weight of our worries, we need to:
“Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. ” 1 Peter 5:9
STOMP ON THE DEVILS HEAD. Bash it to the ground and scream to the rooftops the glory of God. Get on your knees and proclaim how great His faithfulness is, how powerful He is, encourage yourself! Trust me, this is no easy feat. As human beings, we tend to rely on what we feel and let that guide our actions rather than leaning on what we know. But as Christians, we know that if our God is for us, then who could ever think to stop us? LET US SUMBIT EVERY THOUGHT TO CHRIST.
Always remember that you serve a God stronger than your concerns, your circumstance, your situation, everything, and everyone beyond you. And equally important, He actually cares about all of the things happening in your life. He wants you to vent to Him, He wants you to have faith in Him.
I would also strongly encourage you to join a small group, join a Bible study, or even start one! It’s so important to see and fellowship with other Christians, it has completely changed my view on walking with Christ. When you fellowship and connect with other Christians, you begin to realize that there are people going through struggles similar in weight to your own, or even the exact same struggles you are going through. It’s reassuring to see that people who you would have thought have it all together, don’t; they’re in the same walk with God you are, they trip up in some of same ways you do, and even if they don’t you can learn so much from them. Not only that, but you gain a support system you never even thought you would have (Shout out to my study group with Aldersgate, you guys were/are the best). Don’t do this walk with Christ on your own, you weren’t built.
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” 1 Peter 5:10
This is our favorite part right? Let’s look at the beginning verse closely: “And after you have suffered for a little while..” Sometimes when we are in the midst of a struggle we feel like it’s lasting forever. In our minds weeks feel like years, and years like decades. But our suffering is only to prepare us for the ultimate glory, not on this earth, but in heaven. And though we may suffer in this life, our glory in heaven that comes from remaining sober minded, resisting the devil, and having a firm faith in Christ and following His plan for our lives. He will restore us from our depressions, validate us, strengthen us from our weaknesses, and establish, or recognize, us for our faith in Him.
In our suffering it is so important to run to Jesus, run to His word, or even meditate on His truth. Because these are the moments God looks at our character, these are the moments that reveal our true standing with God. Whether we make the conscious choice to lean on Him and his truth, or be weak and become prey to the devils destruction of ourselves.
And I’m not going to tell you that it’s easy, because it’s not. But I was always taught: nothing worth having comes easy. Believe His when I say it is so worth it to trust in God and His word. Everything, and yes I mean everything, is according to His plan. The next time you want to give in to your sorrow or next time you decide that life is too much, remember this present suffering is nothing like the glory that will be revealed to you. Call out to God, resist the devil, have faith in His plan, and remember that trouble don’t last always, but God does.
With Love,
Kaitlin
she who abides. 