Hope in God

This week has overall been good again. Which is cool - I'm starting to appreciate though - the low points that do come along every so often - beacuse when they are over - God always seems to have brought something good out of it - renewed confidence in Him, a better knowledge of just how much He cares.

I thought about this the other day. Suppose you were a soldier and someone gave you a huge steel sword. At first you might be inexperienced using it - you would probably be careless - it would probably be heavy and hard to handle. Although it has the potential to slice the heads off your enemies, it requires experience and tact in order to use it in that way.

Drawing a a parallel to God's word . Although it is absolute and true - a double edged sword as the Bible describes it. It is often through the mess that we go through in life that we learn to seize the weapon God has given us and use it. At first when I became a Christian - any struggle , spiritually or otherwise I faced, I would throw everything I had at it to overcome. Every last ounce of energy and enthusisam - all the will power I could muster.

But hey - a little over 12 months later, and not so apparently as hyped as at first - it is now that I look up to God and the love He has showed me - and I see that His promises of love and grace and forgivemess were there all along to help me
- that I could trust in them and find peace
- that God could overcome my struggles with me.
His sword of truth has been there all along. Now I see that it is His word which guides and protects me... not my own passion or heart for God. It is God who is my Saviour, not my passion for Him.
His are the words
- that defeats the discouragement Satan throws at me
- that gives me peace and confidence when my feelings try to say otherwise (Psalm 71:5) NIV
- that gives me comfort when I am down (Psalm 42:5) NIV
- that gives me hope because Jesus is coming back one day to take me and His church to be with Him forever (1 Thessalonians 4:17) NIV

Hype, enthusiasm, and feeling so rarely (if ever) last - but God's affection is forever. His love is light to my thoughts. My thoughts decieve me otherwise as I am dragged down with discouragement every time I fail.

The concept of grace - for me - was not something I instantly was intimate with.
But through all the times I have hated myself foe being rubbish - I have had to learn to grapple with grace more and more. Now I find it easier to trust God. I still have loads to learn, to mature and to grow. But God will see me through. Just as a soldier needs to grow in experience and is not instantly a warrior - so as Christians it may take time for us to grow - true, in the "not yet" we will struggle...

But that is exactly where we are refined - that is God's love to perfect and teach His beloved children. That they may know Him more.

Psalm 143 (New International Version)
1 O LORD , hear my prayer,
listen to my cry for mercy;
in your faithfulness and righteousness
come to my relief.
2 Do not bring your servant into judgment,
for no one living is righteous before you.

3 The enemy pursues me,
he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in darkness
like those long dead.
4 So my spirit grows faint within me;
my heart within me is dismayed.
....
6 I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah
7 Answer me quickly, O LORD ;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
9 Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD ,
for I hide myself in you.
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground.

11 For your name's sake, O LORD , preserve my life;
in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.
12 In your unfailing love, silence my enemies;
destroy all my foes,
for I am your servant.

God will destroy my enemey my Accuser - the Accuser of our brothers (as He is described in Revelation 12:10 NIV)
Philemon 1:25 - The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. (NIV)