Blessed With A Struggle

Are you going through a difficult time right now? Is there something in your life that seems hard to go through, hard to do, hard to face? We do experience difficult times in our lives but, with Jesus living in us as our personal Lord and Savior, we can always rest assured knowing that the struggles in our lives are blessings. Struggles can often seem painful when we are experiencing them but God blesses us with struggles in our lives to strengthen us and to shape us further into the child of God that He has created us to be in Him. In our Savior Jesus, we never have to be afraid and we can also rejoice knowing that God always works everything out for our good!

James 1:2-4 tells us to “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (NIV) As we read in James, we should consider our struggles to be blessings from God because that is exactly what struggles are! God blesses us with struggles in our lives to strengthen us in Him and to shape us further into the child of God that He has created us to be in Him! God always knows exactly what we need in each moment of our life, even when we do not, and God will always bless us with exactly what we need in each moment of our life! As children of God, who have Jesus living in our inner being, we can always rejoice knowing that God always works all things out for our good. (Romans 8:28) With Jesus living in our inner being, as our personal Lord and Savior, we have everything that we need in Him to live a life that glorifies our God. (Ephesians 1:3) We are looking forward to spending eternity in Heaven with our Savior Jesus! In our Savior Jesus, we have been forgiven for all of our past, present and future sins, for all of eternity, and we have been reconciled to God by the blood of His one and only Son who loves us and gave Himself for us! We are perfectly and eternally blessed in our Savior Jesus, for He has set us free from sin and death for all of eternity and now He lives in our inner being as our personal Lord and Savior! We do not deserve any of these perfect blessings but God, who is rich in mercy, has blessed us with His perfect love and His perfect grace! In our Savior Jesus we have eternal life and we are looking forward to eternity in Heaven with Him! As Romans 8:18 says “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. (NIV) So remember, the struggle that you are being blessed with right now is for your good, God is teaching you and strengthening you! God will continue to bless you perfectly with everything that you need, and any suffering you experience can never compare to the perfect blessings you will continue to receive in your Savior Jesus!

As children of God who believe in Jesus, we have Jesus living in our inner being as our personal Lord and Savor! We bear the name of Jesus! No one is perfect and we all sin. (Romans 3:23) Our sin separates us from God and our sin leads to death. (Isaiah 59:2, Romans 6:23) John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (NIV) Only in Jesus and through belief in Him can we be saved from sin and death for all of eternity. (Acts 4:12) When we come to understand and admit that we are sinners and if we believe in our hearts that Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sin and that He rose to life again, then we can invite Jesus into our hearts and our lives as our personal Lord and Savior. Romans 10:9 says that “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (NIV) If you have come to understand and admit that you are a sinner and if you believe in your heart that Jesus died on the cross to save you from your sins and that He rose to life again, then you can invite Jesus Christ into your heart and your life as your personal Lord and Savior. You can pray a prayer like this:

Dear Heavenly Father,

I know that I am a sinner and that I need Jesus to save me. I believe that Jesus died on the cross to save me from my sins and that He rose to life again. God I am sorry for my sin. I invite Jesus into my heart and my life as my personal Lord and Savor. I commit my life to you.

In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, then in Jesus you have been forgiven for all of your past, present and future sins for all of eternity! You have been reconciled to God by the blood of His one and only Son, Jesus, who loves you and gave Himself for you! We do not deserve these perfect blessings but God, who is rich in mercy, has blessed us with His perfect love and His perfect grace in our Savior Jesus who died for us to reconcile us to God by the shedding of His blood! It is by God’s grace that we are saved! Ephesians 2:8-9 says “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. (NIV) We have been blessed with the perfect gift of God’s grace! Jesus lives in our inner being as our personal Lord and Savior, and we now bear the name of Jesus! We do not deserve to bear His Holy Name but we have been blessed with God’s perfect grace and we do in fact bear the name of Jesus, our personal Lord and Savior! 1 Peter 4:14 says that “If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. (NIV) If you bear the name of Christ, then you are truly blessed for the Spirit of God is in you! If you are insulted by others because you bear the name of Jesus, then do not focus on the fact that they insulted you but rather praise God that you bear the name of Jesus and that others around you see Jesus in you! In your Savior Jesus, you have been set free from sin and death for all of eternity and you have not a thing to fear! Jesus lives in your inner being and He is the light of life! (John 1:4) Jesus is constantly working in you and through you and His light is shining from within you for all to see! Do not focus on the insult from others but praise God that you do in fact bear the name of your Savior Jesus and in Him you have escaped sin and death! In fact, you have not been insulted at all but instead you have been complimented in the highest regard! You are being reminded that you bear the name of Jesus and you are being blessed to know that others can see Him within you! Enjoy being the vessel through which Jesus holds out His light of life to them and everyone else around you! As 1 Peter 4:16 says “However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. (NIV) We bear the name of Jesus and in Him we are perfectly and eternally blessed! Do not be ashamed in any way but praise God for this blessed eternal life to which He has called you in your Savior Jesus!

1 Peter 4:19 says “So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. (NIV) Struggles are a blessing and we should not be ashamed when we experience them! We should praise God for His perfect love, His perfect grace, and the Salvation that He has blessed us with in His Son Jesus! We should be joyful knowing that even the most difficult times in our lives are a perfect blessing from God! God is in control of all things and His will is always done! God always works all things out for the good of His children, (Romans 8:28) and it is God who works in us to do His will! (Philippians 2:13) Praise God that He created us as His precious dearly loved children to receive Salvation in Jesus even though we do not deserve it! As 1 Peter 4:19 instructs us to do, commit yourself to your faithful Creator and continue to do good! Enjoy being taught by God to live for Him, enjoy being strengthened by your Creator, enjoy being blessed perfectly in every way and know that this struggle is no struggle at all, it is a blessing!

Be encouraged with Philippians 1:27-29 which says “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but the you will be saved—and that by God. (NIV) Do not be ashamed or frightened in any way when you are blessed with struggles of any kind in your life! As a child of God, who believes in Jesus, Jesus lives in your inner being! Jesus is your life! (Colossians 3:4) You no longer live but Christ lives in you! (Galatians 2:20) You have been blessed with the free gift of God’s grace in your Savior Jesus and God has blessed you with your faith in Him! God called you to eternal life in His one and only Son who loves you and gave Himself for you! Live your lives in a manner that glorifies God, the God who has appointed you to eternal life! Stand firm in Jesus and do not be frightened by anyone who opposes you! You have been saved and redeemed by your Savior Jesus and now He lives in your inner being sharing His gospel of salvation with all those around you through you! Do not be ashamed if others insult you because of your Savior living in you but rather praise God that Jesus does in fact live in you as your personal Lord and Savior! Remember, that you have not been insulted at all but rather complimented! Do not let your smile leave your face, for you have been blessed with true eternal joy, hope and peace in your Savior Jesus and you have everything that you will ever need in Him! Jesus is always sharing His love and His truth with everyone around you through you. If someone insults you because of the love of God that is in you then have compassion on them! No one is perfect and we all need Jesus! Praise God that you have Jesus living in you as your personal Lord and Savior and that none of your sins will ever be counted against you in Him! Walk humbly with your God and praise Him without ceasing! Do not be insulted if someone is negative toward you and the love of God in you but rather be compassionate with them! Everyone needs Jesus and you are being blessed to be the vessel through which God is sharing His love with those around you. Be merciful just as your Heavenly Father is merciful with you! (Luke 6:36) You have been perfectly and eternally blessed in you Savior Jesus and you have not a thing to fear! Enjoy being a child of God and enjoy this blessed eternal life to which He has called you in your Savior Jesus!

When you experience a struggle in your life remember that God is blessing you with exactly what you need in each moment of your life and He will always do so! You have everything that you need in your Savior Jesus and He is living in you! Even though struggles may seem difficult at the time remember that God is blessing you, He is strengthening you, and He is teaching you! God is shaping you further into the child of God that He has created you to be! Remember that this struggle is for your good and no struggle can compare to the riches we are eternally blessed with in our Savior Jesus! This is not our home and we are looking forward to eternity in Heaven with Jesus! Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and humble yourself before the Lord your God. Commit yourself to God and rest in Him! This struggle is a blessing and God will continue to always bless you perfectly in every way with exactly what you need!