Walking Through Life with God
Every season of life has both ups and downs, positive and negative situations. On top of that, there are spiritual powers in this world that are trying to get us to lose hope.
In the midst of difficult seasons, or even persecution, it can be easy to forget that God is still present with us. He does not abandon us in the midst of suffering. Rather, He strengthens us and walks with us through the pain.
The church in Thessalonica experienced a very similar situation. As they were praying for the gospel to spread across their region, they encountered suffering and opposition. Paul writes to the members of these churches to not only encourage them, but to remind them of God’s character.
He tells them first that the Lord is faithful. This means that God doesn’t change—He is consistent in His character. If He was good and merciful yesterday, He will be good and merciful again today.
It also means that He fulfills His promises. God is faithful to do what He says He is going to do. He is not like a human who changes his mind when things get difficult.
Second, Paul tells these believers that God will strengthen them and protect them in the midst of what they’re experiencing. Paul does not tell them they will never experience evil, but rather—that God will be with them in the midst of it.
Because God never changes, He is able to strengthen and protect us through every experience in life. So take some time to thank God for His strength and faithfulness. Ask Him to help you, and to give you confidence in His power.
Let Goodness Prevail
In the beginning, life was good—both physically and spiritually. In fact, God created everything that existed and called it very good.
But that goodness was fractured when an enemy enticed God’s image-bearing people to question His goodness and doubt His trustworthiness. So, when Adam and Eve chose to disregard God’s instructions by eating from the only forbidden tree, their eyes were opened to two opposing forces: good and evil.
The battle between good and evil isn’t just an overarching theme in the Bible, but a theme that permeates every continent, every culture, and every nation. It’s a theme that’s laced throughout books and movies, and one that plays out in real life. And the reason it’s so pervasive is because there's a real battle taking place.
All these years, we’re still sharing this good-yet-fallen world. But, make no mistake, the Kingdom of Darkness is still warring against the Kingdom of Light.
The apostle Paul gave some advice on this topic to the ...