We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9  HCSB

Our scripture passage today tells us that although we will come against hard times, we will not be defeated.

I realize that there are times in my blog when I give you scripture and a little blog that says this is what you should do or this is what you shouldn’t do.  I hope that when I do that, I don’t sound as though I take these matters lightly. I hope you don’t think that I think it’s so easy to be who God calls us to be. Because I assure you, I do not.  I too, live in the real world.  The problem with the real world is that without Jesus, it is a very scary place.

And if you want to experience persecution and push some friends and family members away, you just step out for Jesus.  It will drive some away and it will draw some closer.  Interesting how that works.

We just finished the Halloween season.  This is a time of year when everyone wants to be scared.  We want to visit haunted houses and see and hear spooky things.  But what some of us don’t realize is that this world is scary 365 days of the year.  We like to think that ghosts and goblins are something that we imagine and dress up as for Halloween.  The reality of the matter is that if you are a bonified Christian, you are constantly in some type of struggle with the devil.   The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 5:8 that the devil is prowling around like a lion just looking for someone to devour, someone like you and someone like me.

Ephesians 6 tells us in verses 10-12 that we need to be strengthened by the Lord’s vast strength.  It instructs us to put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil.  Paul encourages the Ephesians to understand that our battle is not with flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities, and against the world powers of this darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil.

Now I know that this sounds pretty scary.  My study Bible said about Ephesians 6:12, that the devil’s army is always assembled for mortal combat.  The devil doesn’t stop.  What I am trying to tell you is that you will not find anywhere in the Bible that tells us that once we get saved we are promised this beautiful idyllic existence here on earth.  The fact of the matter is, that once we get saved is literally when all hell breaks loose.  This is when the devil comes at us and comes at us hard.  Now I am not telling you this to scare you.  I am telling you this so that you know how to fight it.

My favorite Psalm, Psalm 91 begins like this, He who abides in the protection of the Most High shall dwell in the shadow of the Almighty.  What this means my friend, is that if you choose to abide in God’s protection, then you will live under God’s shelter.  We have to choose God’s protection, but it is there for the taking.

I would love to tell you that if you love the Lord with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind and all your strength that life is going to be one big stroll in the park, but the reality is that sometimes the path through the park will take you through some really scary places.

But as I close, I leave you with this one thought.  Would you rather stroll through these scary places all alone?  Or would you rather have the almighty, all powerful God there beside you?  I have decided to stay close to God.  I do this because it makes those scary places seem like a walk in the park.  I do this because He knows what my future holds and if I trust Him, He will guide me through every step along the way.

It’s so easy to just say do the right thing. But the reality of the matter is that it is sometimes really hard to do what we know is right.  It is hard to do what we know God wants us to do. Here in the real world, you will face many challenges on your journey to heaven.  If you want to come through those challenges unscathed, then know that they are too big for you.  Know that you need God’s armor and God’s protection to get through there.  Hang on to God in this cold, cruel, real world and don’t let go. God wants to remove us from the temporary insanity of the real world and bring us into an eternity with Him in heaven.  Don’t let the devil stop you from getting there.

Have a great day!