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"Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the LORD delivers him out of them all."
(Psalm 34:19)
Football season starts tomorrow! It is my favorite sport, and I am looking forward to cooler weather and watching my Auburn Tigers. (Surely this year will be better than last year!) Speaking of football, many are watching the new head coach at the University of Colorado, Deion Sanders. I will be pulling for the Buffaloes to have a good year, especially after reading this recent Instagram post from Sanders:
Sex won't satisfy you.
Fame won't satisfy you.
Drugs won't satisfy you.
Money won't satisfy you.
Alcohol won't satisfy you.
Success won't satisfy you.
Life is empty without Jesus.
He is the only one who can satisfy your heart.
Jesus is indeed the only One who can satisfy us and give us purpose and peace. This week, we have been studying together how we can weather the storms of life, those dark nights of the soul. God loves us, and even though we all must travel down lonely and difficult paths, praise the Lord that we are never alone. Jesus is with us all the way!
Dr. Charles Stanley lists the following purposes for the trials we all face as followers of Jesus. Yesterday we looked at the first two:
- Dark moments prepare us for the future.
- The ultimate purpose of dark moments is to conform us to the likeness of Christ.
Today we will wrap up by looking at Stanley's remaining insights on trials:
- Rebellion lengthens the time of dark moments. Don't allow bitterness to creep into your heart; it will only make things worse for you. Joseph knew Jehovah God and was aware of His presence in his life. Let us yield to the Lord no matter the trial. What else can we do? Walk away from Him? That never turns out well.
- God puts a limitation on dark moments. God knows the limit, and He will not go one minute past it. Joseph's trial lasted 13 arduous and painful years. But God was faithful to him. Joseph was not killed by his brothers; he was sold but not killed. Potiphar's wife betrayed him, but she could not kill him. Prison could not kill him, because God had a purpose.
- God uses us in proportion to our willingness to be shaped. We do not read of Joseph giving up. He weathered all the storms because he knew God had a plan for his life. He had a dream as a teenager that he was destined for greatness. God wants us to persevere. He will surely use us. Stanley recalled a time in his ministry where he felt the devil tempting him to despair, telling him basically that God would not use him in great ways. But he felt God impressing him to keep working and that things would change.
- To survive dark moments, we must trust God, read, and meditate on His Word, and pray. Stanley said if you spend hours watching TV and only a few moments in the Word, you must change that. We must walk on our knees and take the time to listen to God. God will do things you never dreamed if you trust Him.
I hope these lessons on getting through the dark moments have been helpful and encouraging to you. If we can pray for you, reach out to us with your request at pray@dfea.com. |
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