LIKE IT OR NOT

From time to time I hear people say, “Life shouldn’t be this hard.” Other people recoil from the idea of spiritual warfare. I know, I used to be one of those people. I wanted peace at any cost. Two spiritual realities face all of us: God’s kingdom and the kingdom of darkness. If you are living in God’s kingdom, like it or not, you are in a spiritual battle.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).

When we step out in faith or read a promise from God’s word that brings hope, immediately afterward the battle begins. The adversary’s intent is to keep you in your pain, discouragement, and unbelief but, like it or not, the battle strengths you. I’m learning there’s no victory without a battle and it all boils down to one issue: Will I trust God or not?

So…don’t give up. Keep looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).  

The photo shows a re-enactment of events at the Colosseum in Rome, Italy during my visit in 2014.