TODAY’S DEVOTION (Tuesday 4th March 2025)
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” Romans 8:31-35 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 63RD DAY OF OUR YEAR OF VICTORY
Many might be the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD will not fail to deliver them from them all. We are still here on earth because of the LORD’s deliverance from the afflictions of living in a fallen world like ours.
Some are already having their own share of trouble this year. That is why I thank God for declaring victory for the year. God finishes a battle before it comes, hence making that declaration. Any battle we may see, we should just know that victory is already ours.
It is important to note that Jesus did not say life challenges will not come to His people.
Personally, I have had very rough moments at some point this year. There had been nights I spent moments weeping in silence due to things that I cannot change and what I go through due to some kingdom purposes I want the LORD God to enable me to accomplish.
You might have had your own share too. Jesus did not say we will not have trouble, He only said we will be delivered from them when they come. He said in His word,
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NKJV
Another word for tribulation is trouble. In Christ we will have peace, but while still living in this world, trouble is inevitable. But the Bible says, we should be of good cheer because our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ, has overcome the world, the environment of all our troubles.
IN OTHER WORDS, HE HAS MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR LIFE TROUBLES TO FULFILL THEIR VISION IN OUR LIVES.
What is deliverance from trouble? Deliverance from troubles most times is not the elimination of the trouble, but the toughening of our faith so that the trouble will not eliminate us or our walk and talk with the LORD.
It is an intervention from God that prevents the trouble from fulfilling its vision in our lives, and not always an intervention that eliminates the trouble.
Basically, life challenges come to take away the faith, fire, purity or worship of God’s people. They come to make us deny Christ by first doubting then denying what we know from Him to be true.
Yes, they come so that we can call the truth we have tested to be true, a lie, and all the lies we have tested to be lies, the truth. They come to put a veil on our hearts so that we can reject and renounce what we have tested to be true, divine and God’s will for our lives.
They come to make us return to things we have rejected after testing them to be lies, a bunch of deception or empty deceit. Their vision is to propel us to the place of breaking our resolve to remain faithful to God and keep our vows to Him, or stay saved, pure, holy, and sanctified. They come to push us into compromise.
Overcoming the world or the trouble is defeating its vision in your life. It is staying faithful and true to God no matter what you might be going through.
It is refusing to be weary no matter what, and remaining committed to truth, God’s will, and ways. It is when we remain committed no matter what, that we are perfected. When we are perfected, we can be established, strengthened and settled. The Bible says.
But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 1 Peter 5:9 NKJV
Yesterday, the LORD spoke to us about perfection.
AS WE CAN SEE IN THIS SCRIPTURE, ONE WAY WE ARE PERFECTED BY THE LORD IS THROUGH SUFFERING OR GOING THROUGH LIFE TROUBLES.
Job was perfected through suffering. He used to know God by the hearing of the ear, but during the sufferings he had, he was perfected, hence being able to see God face to face. God would later establish, strengthen and settle him, hence becoming two times richer, stronger and blessed than before.
One truth we can see in plain sight in the life of Job is in his resolve not to allow life troubles to fulfill its plan in his life. He went through the pain and all that, but the plan of the pain was not fulfilled.
You see that in what his wife asked him to do and his response to her. We must have the same resolve, the resolve to remain strong.
The resolve to make sure the plan of any pain we might be going through is not fulfilled in our lives.
Be it the pain of the loss or sufferings of a loved one, the pain of financial challenges, the pain of disappointments, the pain of betrayal, gossip or slander, the pain of being misunderstood, etc., our goal should be to survive the pain and make sure its plan is not fulfilled in our lives.
I reiterate again that during any life trouble, the ultimate vision of God for us will be that the life trouble does not fulfill its plan.
It will be that it did not break or successfully put a veil on our minds to return to the dark things we have renounced or break our resolve for holy living. Understand that and hold on to God’s love. Do not ever doubt His love.
The reason for this admonition is this, the enemy has a way of using our troubles to sell some lies to us that make us doubt God’s love.
Do not doubt God’s love during trouble times. Do not fall into the temptation of doubting His love. You may never come out of the trouble if you do. You might even become depraved and Heaven unworthy.
UNDERSTAND THAT THE LOVE OF GOD FOR US, REMAINS UNCHANGEABLE NO MATTER WHAT MAY CHANGE IN OUR LIVES.
So, fix your heart on the scripture not on the script the enemy may be using your pain or trouble to write for you. One of our Bible fathers, who showed us how to survive hard times said,
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 NKJV
You cannot have scriptures like this in the Bible and allow the script the enemy might be using your pains or troubles to write take your attention. Job never did. He fixed his heart on the word of the LORD. So, let the word of the LORD get your attention not any other word.
Major highlights of our devotional text this morning say:
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? …Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”
The importance of this scripture cannot be over emphasized. It paints a vivid photo of God’s love. One traditional line that you always find in the script that the enemy uses our troubles and pains to write is a line that brings charges against us and seeks to condemn us.
Satan will always bring a charge against you when you are going through. Do not accept his charges. They might be full of facts, but if the LORD has not charged you with a wrong, the facts are classified as refuge of lies. Understand that!!!
So, as the enemy uses what you did or failed to do to charge you during your pain or trouble, or to condemn you, let the word of the LORD arise within you to counter him. Let it arise and bring those thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Amen!!
However, understand that it is what you have studied and meditated upon, especially before or during trouble times, that will arise in you. I believe the LORD has spoken to us. It is my prayer that the message of today’s devotion, like others, will remain eternal in our hearts. Amen and amen.
LET THIS SCRIPTURE BE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR YOU TODAY!
But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 1 Corinthians 2:9-13 NKJV