Scripture: “Ephesians 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Eph. 6:13).
How many here when they get a book to read, read the back first? How many of you would like to know how a movie ends before deciding to go see it or not? There are pros and cons to knowing how something ends before it even begins. Personally, I would rather learn the entire story before deciding whether or not to read the book or watch the movie. I do not like surprises. Why do you think we are so obsessed with knowing how something ends?
Regardless of whether you like surprises or not, I think we can all agree that we find comfort and encouragement from knowing that God has promised to always be with us. Sometimes life can be difficult and at times we feel all alone, but if we are a Christian then we are never alone, because God is always with us. Another source of encouragement for me is knowing that God already knew what was going to happen and He has already worked it out. That’s what we learn in Romans 8:28. I may not know how it is going to work out, but God does and so I just need to have faith that God is going to work it. There are going to be times in our life when we are going to have to take a stand for our faith. And sometimes that can feel pretty lonely. But knowing that God loves us, is with us, and is working everything out should give us the comfort and the courage to stand firm in our faith. Not only has God promised to be with us, but we also have other Christians who can help us. There is a story in the Old Testament about the Israelites fighting another nation, that Amalekites. It’s found in Exodus 17. There were four men involved in this fight for Israel. There was Joshua, Moses, Aaron, and Hur. In Exodus 17:10-11 it tells us, “So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.” Can you imagine this, it seemed like everything was riding on Moses’ arms being able to be held up. Have you ever held up your arms for a long time? Let’s pick it up in verse 12, “But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side.” It is clear from the rest of the story that God was with Israel because the Israelites defeated the Amalekites. Also evident here is that Moses couldn’t have done it by himself. We need each other if we are going to stand strong in our faith and be who God desires us to be.
How to Apply This:
1. Remember God’s promises. It’s really easy to get discouraged in life, spending time in God’s Word and reading His promises can give us strength to get through the difficult days in life.
2. Have a good Christian friend. Never try to live the Christian life alone, you won’t win. Have someone you can call and talk with, someone that you can be open and honest with who will hold you accountable when you are not doing right, but will also encourage you in the difficult times.
By His grace and through His strength may we live for Him
Encouraging, thank you.
Thank you. Praying for you!