Psalm 8:3-4 “When I look at the night sky and see the work
of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place— what are mere mortals
that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?”
Dale C. Allison Jr. says, “Throughout the Scriptures God is
held up as one who can count the humanly uncountable: clouds, sand, streams,
the length of heaven, stars, etc. Faith does not make clear all mysteries, but
it is consoling to believe that a loving God knows the answers.”
All of us face challenges and struggles in our life. Often when we are in the middle of a struggle
we cannot see a way out or even a way through.
We might not even know how to pray.
When we look at our struggles in comparison to those of others, ours
might pale in comparison, however, when we are the one struggling, our
struggles seem huge no matter what they are.
In those times it is easy to listen to the voice of the enemy who
usually says something like:
~You are all alone in this.
~No one will understand.
~People are too busy to bother with your problems.
~There is no way out/no hope.
~People will judge you if you talk about this.
Today I want
to look at some of the struggles common to mankind and compare those struggles
to the BIGGNESS of God.
A. Cancer or other serious illness. When the doctor
says the word “cancer” it often feels like you've been punched in the gut or
that the floor has dropped out from under you.
The first human reaction to the word “cancer” is usually fear. In Matthew 9:35 we read that Jesus healed
every kind of disease and illness. “Jesus
traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the
synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every
kind of disease and illness.” Hebrews
13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Here we read that Jesus hasn't changed. If he
was BIG enough to heal when he was
walking on the earth, he is BIG enough to heal now. GOD IS BIGGER!!!!
B. Demonic/spiritual attack. There are many who would try to convince us
that demons are fictional characters. This
is indeed not true! Anyone who is trying
to follow earnestly after Christ can testify that they have encountered demonic/spiritual
attack. These attacks may be in our mind. Some such attacks might be fear, anxiety, worry,
anger, self-loathing/hate, jealousy, etc.
These attacks are very real and must be faced in the power of Christ.
Zechariah 4:6 “Then he said to me, ‘This is what
the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my
Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.’”
1 Samuel 17:47 “And everyone assembled here will
know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is
the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!”
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV) “For though we live in
the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are
not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to
demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets
itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to
make it obedient to Christ.”
Ephesians 6:10-18 “A final word: Be strong in the
Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be
able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting
against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the
unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil
spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so
you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle
you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of
truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace
that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition
to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the
devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay
alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”
In the verses above we see three things:
1.
The battle will not be won by force or strength,
but by the Spirit.
2.
The battle is not really ours, it belongs to the
Lord.
3.
We don’t use the same type of weapons used by
the world. Our weapons “have divine
power to demolish strongholds.” Some of our weapons are:
a.
Belt of Truth: We must fight using the truth
that comes only from God. We cannot
fight with our opinions or personal preferences. We use the truth to vanquish the lies of the
enemy.
b.
Breastplate of Righteousness: Our righteousness
comes from Christ. We stand not under
condemnation but under the blood of Christ that makes us righteous before the Father. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV) “God made him who
had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness
of God.”
c.
Shoes of Peace: We can walk in peace even in the
midst of the storms of life by keeping our eyes and minds on Christ. Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace all
who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”
d.
Shield of Faith: We walk in faith and it
protects us from the darts of the enemy.
He will try to bring doubt, but we can stand on the Word we have heard
to ward off his attacks. Romans 10:17 “So
faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.”
e.
Helmet of Salvation: When we come to the saving knowledge
of Christ, he gives us a new mind. The helmet
of salvation protects our mind. 1
Corinthians 2:16 “For, ‘Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to
teach him?’ But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.”
f.
Sword of the Spirit (Word of God): We use the Word
against the enemy. When Jesus was
tempted he quoted the Old Testament to silence the voice of the enemy in his
life. We must do the same. We need to be
people of the Word so we have full access to this powerful sword!!! Read, meditate on, and memorize the Word!!!
g.
Prayer: We must pray for ourselves and each
other. We must wage war in the spiritual
realm. James 5:16 “Confess your sins to
each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest
prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” Ephesians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about
anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
The battles are not ours and when God fights, he always
wins!!!! GOD IS BIGGER than the enemy!!!
Philippians 4:19 (NIV) “And my God will meet all
your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
1 Corinthians 8:6 (Weymouth New Testament) “yet we
have but one God, the Father, who is the source of all things and for whose
service we exist, and but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom we and all
things exist.” 1 Corinthians 8:6 (MSG) “there is only one God the Father, that
everything comes from him, and that he wants us to live for him. Also, they say
that there is only one Master—Jesus the Messiah—and that everything is for his
sake, including us. Yes. It’s true.”
Psalm 84:11 “For the Lord God is our sun and our
shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from
those who do what is right.”
Psalm 24:1-2 “The earth is the Lord’s, and
everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. For he laid the
earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths.”
We see in the verses above that he will provide for
all of our needs. He is the source of
everything and everything already belongs to him. GOD IS BIGGER than financial struggles!!
Time will not allow me to dig deeper, however, since we
know GOD IS BIGGER than illness, demonic attack, and financial struggles, it
stands to reason that he is BIGGER than anything else we face in this
life!
All Scriptures are NLT unless otherwise stated.
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