You Are Not Alone.

Scriptures: Zechariah 4:6, Jeremiah 29:11-14, Proverbs 17:22, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, 2 Chronicles 20:15, Psalms 20:1-9

Day One: You Are Not Alone. 

At the moment that I’m writing this devotional; I am absolutely suffering. My heart is hurting. My hope is deferred. I am TIRED. I am tired of suffering. I’m tired of pain. I’m tired of people. Have you ever been there before? You are not alone.God is not done with you. God has not forgotten you. You are not alone. This is the sign you’ve been looking for. Press on for just a little while longer and there will be a mighty victory awaiting you on the other side of this, in Jesus’ mighty name I declare. A feast at a table in the presence of your enemies. You will overcome. But you can’t do this in your own strength.I’ve tried it in my own power, and it doesn’t work. I’ve tried it in my own strength, and I’ve realized that time spent in a gym doesn’t prepare you for a spiritual battle. I’ve tried it by might and I can’t even do it one bit. It’s time I do it by His Spirit; not in my own strength, not in my own might, not by my own power, but by His Holy Spirit. All while allowing the joy of the LORD to be my strength. I invite you to do this with me. I am not alone. Nor are you. Allow the Word of God to soak into you as you go through the Scripture reading each day. They alone—that is, God’s Words in His Holy Bible—are the very lifeblood you need in order to get through this battle. For in your own strength, you can’t do it—it’s impossible. However, with God, nothing is impossible. Good News: He is with you. 

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, But we will remember and trust in the name of the LORD our God.” – Psalm 20:7 

Scriptures: Romans 8:28, Psalms 34:8, Psalms 136:1-26, 1 Chronicles 16:34, Romans 5:3-6, 1 Corinthians 13:13, Isaiah 52:13-15, Isaiah 53:12

Day Two: Suffering Well 

“Well, how am I supposed to do that? That’s a pretty stupid title.”I don’t know what you’re specifically going through, or how it feels, but I do know what it’s like to suffer. Oh, you don’t believe me? In the matter of 3 months, not too long ago, my grandma passed away in an unexpected and gruesomely traumatic way, then, not too long after that, I found out that one of my friends had passed—weeks after he passed—via a text message, and then that same week I was notified that a beloved lover of the Lord from my old church passed away unexpectedly and was found in a closet. Meanwhile, my car was stolen from right in front of my apartment building, all while I was dealing with a nagging and embarassingly visible skin issue, and in the midst of continual familial drama that never should’ve happened in the first place… all in the matter of 3 months. So yeah, I don’t know what you’re going through, but I do know what it’s like to suffer. My suffering matters to God and so does yours.“Well, then, what does it mean to suffer well?”I believe that to suffer well means to acknowledge God’s goodness in the midst of all your troubles—both privately and publicly—while choosing to seek first the Kingdom of God above all else—even when you don’t feel like it—and choosing daily to put on the joy of the Lord to be your strength—even when you feel like you have none. To choose to praise before the breakthrough, as if it has already occurred.Suffering is inevitable… but you can’t suffer well without Him. You’re not that strong on your own. You need Him to suffer well. Invite the Righteous Suffering Servant who faced all of the same testing we do (yet without sin) to suffer well with you. He loves you more than you will ever know.”Well, why do I need to suffer anyway?”While we don’t have enough time to deep dive into the depths of this very important topic, I’ll try to sum it up in short: we live in a fallen world. We are unfortunately susceptible to our sinful nature (which is not an excuse to sin), the sin of others, and the realities of living in a fallen and sinful world. Bad things happen to good people. Good things happen to bad people. It is what it is. God sends rain on the just and unjust alike. In my flawed and imperfect mind, I can’t comprehend it. But I do know that if I’m in Christ, which I am, that He will without a doubt, guaranteed, take it to the bank and cash that check. It won’t return void—God causes everything to work together for my good, because I love Him, and because I’m called according to His purpose for me. If you are in Christ, then that applies to you as well.”But what if that doesn’t include me?”Well, let me ask you this: are you in Christ? If you are in Christ, you are included. If you’re not in Christ, you can be included. Drop to your knees right now and freely, willingly, surrender your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ — the One who died on the cross for all your sin—that sin too, yes, that one—the One who rose from the dead, the One who ascended on high and is seated in Heavenly Glory at the right hand of God the Father—that One—surrender your life to Him. If you don’t, I can’t guarantee you that it’ll all work out. In fact, if you don’t surrender your life to Christ, He won’t even guarantee that it’ll all work out. However, if you surrender your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ… His Word is true, you can be guaranteed that God willwork all things, yes that thing too, together for your good, and all for His glory. You can take that truth check to the bank. It’ll hit your account in God’s perfect timing. His way is better. Oh, you better believe it. 

Scriptures: Lamentations 3:19-24, Matthew 22:37, Romans 8:28, Romans 5:1-21

Final Day: On Time God 

Time and time again, God has proven to me that He’s always been in control, and He always will be. I don’t always understand why something is happening, or why a prayer isn’t being answered as quickly as I’d like it to be. But I can tell you this: He’s never let me down. He’s the on-time God. Never late, never early, but in His perfect timing.When you get the blessing of a prayer being answered, it’s never a “What took you so long, God?!” Rather, you’re filled with such gratitude, having finally received the blessing that you’ve been waiting for. That is, with any prayer being answered, you’re caught up in the wonder of God’s goodness and joy, and the Heavenly reality that He is, has, was, and always will be in control because He is Lord and His timing is perfect. In the end, you can gain a new and Heavenly perspective as to why it had to take so long. Because in what you falsely perceive as nonsensical prolonging, God is actually working together for your favor, that is, for your good. You think you know best? God knows better—infinitely. In the waiting, God is not only building something better for you but building a better you. In the suffering, if you allow Him to, He’ll mold you into a set apart spiritual warrior that makes hell miserable and destroys hell daily all for the glory of our Abba Father. Let’s make the devil miserable for ever thinking he could mess with us. Let’s make the devil suffer pain by passionately pursuing Jesus and loving the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength.Suffering is inevitable in this life, but it won’t be in the next. That is, if we know Him—Jesus Christ the Lord. If we have Him in this life, we’ll have Him in the next. If we don’t in this, then we won’t in the next. Heaven is real, and so is hell. It’s something to consider. The cost which God paid to get you back is His Son’s death on the cross for all, yes all, of your sins. And yet, the free will to follow Him and not be lukewarm is your decision.Don’t waste your earthly suffering. Embrace God in it, and let Him mold you, grow you, and make you into something that has the devil regretting that he ever messed with you and brought this mess into your life. I believe in you. God has a plan for you. Your life is worth being alive. Don’t give up. He sees you. He’s not done with you. Jesus loves you.