Struggling With A Blessing

This month we are being encouraged with the fact that struggles are blessings in our lives. Struggles can seem very difficult at the time we are going through them but we can always be encouraged knowing that each struggle we face is for our good and each one is a blessing from God. As believers in Jesus, Jesus lives in our inner being, as our personal Lord and Savior, and we have not a thing to fear. 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 through Jesus and His sacrifice for us. When we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, then we have eternal life in Him and none of our sins will ever be counted against us! Jesus has set us free from sin and death for all of eternity and He lives in our inner being! Praise God! We are perfectly and eternally blessed in our Savior Jesus! As Galatians 2:20 says “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (NIV) We have died to sin and death and we have been made alive to God in Jesus! (Romans 6:11) Jesus conquered sin and death for us! Jesus lives in our inner being and He is our life! (Colossians 3:4)

1 Peter 3:18 says “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. (NIV) Jesus Christ died on the cross to save us from our sins and reconcile us to God by the shedding of His blood! It is finished! Jesus paid the full price for us! 1 Peter 4:1 says “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. (NIV) We do have a sinful nature and we do sin but praise God for His perfect grace and the salvation that He has blessed us with in our Savior Jesus who conquered sin and death for us! As children of God, who believe in Jesus, we have Jesus living in our inner being, as our personal Lord and Savior, and sin is no longer our master. We do not want to sin because we know the blessed life to which God has called us in our Savior Jesus and we know that we do not deserve the blessed eternal life to which God has called us in Jesus! As Romans 7:22-25 says “For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! (NIV) God opened our eyes to see sin for what it really is and God opened our eyes to see our own sinful nature. God called us to Himself and He taught us the truth about our sinful nature and our need for our Savior Jesus. God blessed us with our faith in His one and only Son who died on the cross to save us from our sin. God has blessed us with our Salvation in Jesus who saved us, redeemed us and, in Jesus, God called us to eternal life! If you are struggling because of your sin, then let it go my dear friend! Jesus paid the full price for you! God has blessed you to see sin for what it really is and praise God for that! God opened your eyes to see your sinful nature and He brought you to repentance and He blessed you with faith in Jesus who loves you and gave Himself for you! Listen to that! Jesus loves you and He gave Himself for you! We do have a sinful nature and we do sin but in Jesus none of our sins will ever be counted against us! In Jesus we are eternally forgiven for all of our past, present and future sins, each and every single one! Let go of the guilt of your sin, don’t hold on to it any longer for Jesus has set you free to be free! (Galatians 5:1) Humbly go before the Lord your God and confess your sins to Him remembering that in Jesus you are already forgiven! Let go of the guilt and shame, give it all to God and praise Him for your salvation in your Savior Jesus! Commit yourself to God and pray that His will be done and know that it always is! Rest in Jesus and fix your eyes upon Him! Jesus paid the full price for you and in Him you are eternally forgiven for all your sins! Do not focus on your sinful nature but rather focus on God and His perfect grace, His perfect grace that He has blessed you with!

2 Timothy 3:12 tells us that “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, (NIV) As children of God, who believe in Jesus, we have been called to live a holy life that glorifies our God. We have been rescued from sin and darkness and we have been set free from sin and death. Sin is no longer our master! (Romans 6:14) We have been blessed with God’s perfect grace and we have been eternally redeemed by the blood of Jesus who loves us and gave Himself for us! We do have a sinful nature and we do sin, but praise God that none of our sins will ever be counted against us in our Savior Jesus! It is God who works in us to do His will. (Philippians 2:13) Jesus lives in our inner being and we have everything that we need in Him to live a life that glorifies God! (Ephesians 1:3) Because Jesus lives in our inner being, and we live for God in Him, those who still live in sin and darkness will oppose us. Keep in mind that no one is perfect and we all sin, and that includes us. We do not deserve God’s perfect love or His perfect grace for, because of our sin, we deserve death and punishment but God, who is rich in mercy, has blessed us with His free gift of Salvation in His Son Jesus, and this free gift is to be received by faith. God has blessed us with our faith in His one and only Son and and He has blessed us with His free gift of Salvation in Jesus even though we do not deserve it. Praise God that none of our sins will ever be counted against us in our Savior Jesus and praise God that all of our past, present and future sins are eternally forgiven in Him even though we do not deserve these perfect blessings! Those who still live in sin and darkness will oppose us but we must always remember that everyone needs Jesus and none of us deserve Him! 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (NIV) Praise God that you have been blessed with salvation in Jesus and humbly walk with the Lord your God who called you to eternal life in His Son. If you are being persecuted because you bear the name of Jesus, then do not be insulted but rather praise God that you have your Savior Jesus living in you, as your personal Lord and Savior, and praise God that all those around you see the love of Jesus in you! Do not be ashamed or feel defeated for your Savior Jesus lives in you and He has conquered sin and death for you! You are not defeated nor will you ever be because of your Savior Jesus living in you! We are weak but Jesus is strong! Do not be ashamed but praise God that you do in fact bear the name of Jesus who loved you and gave Himself for you to eternally redeem you from sin and death! Praise God that those who oppose you can see the love of Jesus in you and praise God that Jesus is sharing His truth and love with them through you!

No matter what struggle you may be facing, remember that it is a blessing perfectly designed for you by your God who always works everything out for your good! God is always working in you and through you in each moment of your life! Praise God that Jesus lives in you and praise God that Jesus is constantly sharing His truth and love with others through you! God always knows exactly what you need in each moment of your life and He will always bless you with exactly what you need in each moment of your life! A a child of God, who believes in Jesus, Jesus lives in your inner being and it is God who works in you to do His will! (Philippians 2:13) God’s will is always done and He will always bless you perfectly with what you need according to His perfect will! In Jesus, you are eternally forgiven for all of your sins and sin is no longer your master, so let go of sin, guilt and shame and rest in God’s grace! You have not a thing to fear! Commit yourself to God and humble yourself before Him! Rest in Jesus and listen carefully to what God is teaching you during this time that may seem difficult! Know that this struggle is a blessing and you will come through it better prepared for the perfect blessings that you will continue to receive in Jesus! Praise God for this struggle that is really no struggle at all but rather a blessing! You have not a thing to fear and you are being perfectly blessed by God in this very moment and each and every moment of your life! Enjoy each moment and praise God through them all! Enjoy being a precious dearly loved child of the one and only God of all creation and walk humbly with Him!