4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
We have a power that resides is us as Jesus-followers that cannot be defeated. In the life of a believer, that power brought about defeat the moment we began our walk of faith in Jesus. At that moment our enemy was completely defeated, and he is still defeated today. We have already won the battle. The fight is over. No false prophet or pseudo-religious philosophy can defeat what we have. But I know that sometimes it doesn’t feel like victory is yours. I think that so often is because we are looking at our own resources rather than at the Lord. If we focus on the strength we have, of course we are going to get discouraged. Who of us is not weak at times! Or perhaps we are looking at the opposing force and feeling overwhelmed. So what must we do? Our focus needs to shift from the strength we have and the strength of our opponent to the Strength of the One who is in us as believers. His strength never fails and He never quits until His will is accomplished. If we focus on the Lord, all our needs will fall within the care of God. That does not mean that the Lord will make our car payments or pay our medical bills. Sometimes He does intervene in miraculous ways, but our eyes and hearts get filled with the love He has for us and the problems seem to melt. We can have a calm assurance in the middle of chemotherapy. We can know that even in death, God will take care of us and our loved ones, because He is greater than death itself. He is greater than bankruptcy or mortgage foreclosure, greater than mental illness or out of control children, greater than loneliness and fear. Whatever you are facing today, God is greater! Are you leaving enough space for God to be strong in you?
The Arnold Journey 