Heavenly Father, oh how merciful You are. The trials drag us down, for we are weak, but by Your strength may we prevail. Even when the pain becomes unbearable, we can drop to our knees and call Your name, knowing You'll respond faster than the brain and heart can comprehend. Your promises ring true, even through the dark, proving to us how much You care. Knowing we are all something special to You is the only reassuring light we need to carry on. So lift our burdens, Lord, and guide us. In Christ's name we pray, AMEN.
"Come unto me all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
We all know that verse, and yet, we still labour. Constantly we take on our own burdens, leading to weakness which results in the giving into temptations. Lucifer targets those who do not take God up on His promises, knowing those who try to carry their own weight will fall short and be easily deceived. The Lord has promised us that He'd give us rest for a reason. If we attempt to carry our own pain and never ask the Lord to lift it from our shoulders, we will fall short of His glory. There are no ifs, ands, or buts! Why suffer when there's no need? Why risk becoming weak and mistakenly accepting an action from Satan? There's no reason to, and it's foolish to try.
I often find myself drifting back and dragging forward the issues of the past. I know I've had a bumpy beginning to my Christian life, and I also know I am not alone with this fact. Many people tend to notice that once they get baptised, their life falls oddly into darkness. This is because Satan knows he has almost lost another victim, so he goes into overdrive trying to regather the lost souls. Now, once the Lord has helped you to rise above the issues, why is it so many people (myself included) relish the gruesome agony of it so much that we return to the dilemma and bring it forward? Do we enjoy crying? Are we gluttons for pain? No, I don't think it's any of those things. Satan wants us to doubt, so he brings forth an occurrence that makes you think of the tragedies, so as to weaken your soul with sorrow. Once weakened, we are ripe for the pickings.
"...but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know our suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." (Romans 5:3, 4)
So do not let Satan win. I am not saying you put a smile on to hide how much it hurts, but truly speak to the Lord and let the joy of Christ overflow you. If you do so, nothing will bring you down! Satan is powerless to the rejoicing of the Holy Spirit! I have seen this first hand, so I will provide a short (personal) testimony for you:
Since becoming a Christian, life has been tough--really, super tough. It has been so bad, it sometimes didn't seem worth it. I pondered whether I should throw aside God, reject Him and appease the demand of Lucifer. I also wondered if I should do the unthinkable sin of death, the one I could never turn back from. For about a year now I have had these forbidden desires, for that is when the tribulations first began. They were painful, but minor at first, but time watered and fed it, causing it to grow in power. I was very close to snapping, and there would be no returning if I did.
But just a day ago, Thursday 9/2/10, I made the conscious decision to let Christ overflow my heart with His undying joy. And you know something? I haven't stop smiling. Only for a split second my mind wandered to the pain of the past, but the Lord quickly flicked it away. I've been healed through the love of the Lord, and you can be too.
No matter how difficult life gets, Christ will aid you in overpowering it; all you have to do is ask. Ask and you will receive, and if you don't receive, it's because you have not sincerely asked of the Lord (Matthew 7:7). This is true because if your heart be with the Lord, you will not ask anything of Him that He Himself doesn't want for you. He'll guide your tongue and your wants, you just have to allow Him to do so! This means you must surrender your will over to Him. It'll be the best thing you ever do, I can promise because of the faith I have in the Father.
Closing Prayer:
Lord, we are weary as we walk, stumbling with exhaust. The burden is heavy, oh Merciful Father. We pray You lift this weight from us, and we thank You in advance for doing so. For we know You desire peace for us, Lord, so You will answer our prayer for relief. Just as Simon carried the wooden cross for Jesus when He grew physically weak, You will now carry our cross in our time of need. We know that all we must do is seek and ask, in order to find and receive. Your love is enough to sustain our joy, oh wondrous Father, even during our darkest and most difficult tribulations. Be our rejoicing soul in this coming week, for though the world is trying to bring us down, You want to lift us up. In Christ's name I pray, AMEN.
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