Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than He who is in the world.  1 John 4:4 ESV

We all love a good fairy tale, right?  The bad guy is conquered and the hero and the princess ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after.   There are quite a few bible stories that read the same way, the only difference is that they are true.  The book of Esther would have made a wonderful fairy tale.  A young girl is taken captive as a slave and winds up being queen.  A mean, nasty man sets out to kill all her people (the Jews). This mean man constructs gallows to hang the queen’s cousin.  But the tables get turned on the bad guy.  I won’t tell you the rest in case you haven’t read it, but I will tell you it’s a great read.  Same is true with the book of Daniel.  You have Daniel in the lion’s den as well as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace.  All escape unharmed.  David and Goliath is another of my favorites.  The book of Ruth is another awesome story.  One of my favorite battle stories is found in 2 Chronicles chapter 20, the battle of Jehoshaphat.  The common thread in all these stories is the great faith exhibited by the main character.

When our faith is bigger than our fear, there is nothing we can’t do.  Why?  Because we draw our strength from the living God.   We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).  Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 that God’s power is made perfect in our weakness, so that God’s power may rest upon us.  How awesome is that?  When we are weak then we are made strong through Christ.

Now, as I mentioned earlier, the main characters in these bible stories all had great faith.  When our faith is bigger than our fear, there is nothing we can’t do.  The other thing these characters also had in common was that they loved the Lord.  They were in close relationship with Him.  Romans 8:28 tells us that all things work for the good of those that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.  Now this is where the skeptic says, “I knew there was a catch”.  And, yes, my friend, there is a catch.  This wonderful promise is for God’s children.  It is made for those who love the Lord and are living their lives according to God’s instructions and His plan for their life.  So, if you want this great benefit , you must draw near to God and serve Him.  Otherwise there are no guarantees.  The only guarantee is that at some point or points in your life you will face hard times

I’ve often heard it said that if you are not in a battle, then you have just come out of one or are headed into one.  Our lives here on earth are a series of trials and tribulations.  But when we stay in God’s word and stay true to Him, the victory is ours.  Know going into it, that the battle has already been won.  So, if you are a child of God, then don’t be frightened when you stand on the battle lines.  Just stand firm and claim your victory in Christ, your Savior.

Have a great day!