Stronger Than The Struggle: Day 2

Here is the devotional:

God will always see past our lack, past our pain, and speak to the person we are becoming. He is calling us to develop our spiritual lives. You may have lost in the world, but you’re not a loser to God. You may have failed, but you’re not a failure. God doesn’t talk down to you. He isn’t grading you. You are not disqualified. He will always speak to you from the viewpoint of your potential, from the highest place.


If you had asked me years ago what God was like, I might have answered, “God is love,” but I honestly wouldn’t have given it much thought. I figured he was kind of an upset God. I imagined him busily monitoring everyone’s lives, frustrated by their choices. If he wasn’t angry, I was sure he was grieved, sitting in a dazed state, looking at the world in shock, ignoring us until we did the things that got his attention. I bet many people have this conception of God. We are often so busy wondering what God wants or needs from us, but we don’t spend nearly as much time contemplating his feelings and thoughts toward us.


Before, I’d often imagined God standing right next to me, seeing my life from my perspective. But now I imagine God sees so much more. Yes, he will never leave our sides, but he exists outside of our moment-to-moment conception of time. He stands at the place where we could end up if we follow his direction. He’s looking at us and saying, “Surrender that to me. You aren’t going to need it,” or, “Build right where you are!” He might even be telling us to make significant changes in our lives.


To someone without God’s vision, his direction may seem confusing or look like a step back, but only God knows where we need to go. He is omniscient and present everywhere at the same time. Only his leadership is perfect for our lives. Yes, he is right beside us, comforting us, but he is also at the finish line encouraging and affirming our steps of faith. He is pulling us forward with his words.

Here are the scriptures referenced:

For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.
Psalm 149:4 KJV

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But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1 Corinthians 2:9 KJV

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Here are Stu’s thoughts:

Wow!

If we could grasp what he is truly saying here.

God will never leave us yet he is already at the finish line.

He knows the outcome of our struggles while guiding us through them!

I’ll let you all know that there for a time I thought God was up there just shaking his head in disbelief…like well there he goes again. I can’t believe it.

Which sort of added more guilt upon myself. But the thing is this…God is not shaking his head in disbelief. Because he already knew what I would choose if the temptation presented itself.

Funny how the free will works while God already knows what I will do.

And then there is God, who knows exactly what I will choose, forgiving me upon my asking and then helping me to become stronger so that I will chose differently the next time.

God wants us to become stronger than our struggles. God wants us to be unburdened by the things of this world and focused on him!

One of the ways to do that I belief is to know beyond a shadow of doubt where you will spend eternity.

For me without the knowledge of a eternity spent in heaven with God there is really no point in trying to overcome our struggles at all.

Once we have accepted God’s gift to us which is his son Jesus then we actually want to change. We want to become stronger than the struggles that plague us.

And then once we realize that giving in to a temptation does not make us a failure. Nor does it disqualify us! On the contrary it proves a very valid spiritual thing…WE NEED JESUS!

We truly can’t make it in this messed up world without him!

We can become stronger than our struggles but we must not rely on our own strength because look where it got us…almost to the drowning point.

Oh but with God at our side, reading his Word and praying diligently for guidance realizing that we are indeed overcomers and having the faith that our struggles will turn to triumph…YEAH!

I sort of rambled a bit. Sorry.

But go reread what the author wrote and marinate in it for a while. Pretty powerful stuff.

See ya tomorrow!