Strength part 2
There's an inner strength, an inner confidence, an inner peace, that comes from knowing who you are. Who you REALLY are. Who you are in Christ. Which is who Christ is in you. Because when you know who you really are, you don't have to try to be anybody else. When you know that the fire in you is always hotter than the fire you're in... that's when you don't have to sweat the small stuff. Or the big stuff. When you understand that your heavenly Father is the creator of the entire universe... and that He is love... and that love is all powerful... that's when it ALL becomes little stuff. See, things are important because you make them important. That's why the same thing can mean everything to one person and nothing to the next. That's why when you know the truth, you can simply ignore the lie. Because it has no power. Love being all powerful doesn't mean love is the MOST powerful. It means love has ALL of the power. 1 John 1:5 tells us that, "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." Because when the light shines the darkness can do nothing but flee. That's our strength: Not in fighting and overcoming, but in understanding that there is nothing left to overcome! When Solomon became king of Isreal the Bible tells us that, "...now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary no evil occurent" (1 Kings 5:4). The son had peace because the father had gotten rid of all adversaries and evil. Let God arise, and His enemies be scattered, right? On the cross, God arose. He remade the world in His image, consuming it in the fire that is love, and leaving nothing BUT love. Jesus said it like this, "These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). We don't need to overcome, because Jesus already overcame. Our strength is not to conquer. "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us" (Romans 8:37). Jesus conquered so that we con't have to. He fought the war to end all wars on the cross. Which means there are no more wars to fight. The only fight left is the good fight of faith. And that's what our strength is for. For laying hold of the gift that we've been given. Believing that we are who our heavenly Father says we are. Believing that we have what our heavenly Father says we have. And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying life will never throw you any curveballs. Of course it will. That's called life. In this world ye shall have tribulation. Stuff happens. But we can be of good cheer because we are strong. We are planted on the rock. And a lot of the time, that tribulation... that thing that seemed horrible... was only a step in the long and winding road to something much better. Guys, "...we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). So stop judging things "good" and "evil." Stop fighting everything and everybody. Let things be what they are. And let God lead us where He wants us to go. He's in control. Meekness is strength under control. Moving upward and Godward as we walk by faith and live by faith. As we live a life of love. Loving people no matter who they are or what they do. That can be hard, yes. But we are strong!