How To Triumph In The Midst Of Trouble

In Mississippi, we are now a week and a-half into the “Shelter In Place” as ordered by Governor Tate Reeves. President Trump is wrestling with when to re-open the economy. Schools have been closed with possibility of not even opening back up, until August. Multiplied thousands of people are out of work. Families are home-bound for the most part. Grocery stores struggle to provide groceries for customers. And for the first time in recent history churches were empty on Easter Sunday. With all of this going on—-how can we be triumphant when surrounded by trouble?

REMEMBER WHAT GOD HAS SAID. How easy it is for our outlook to be influenced by what the White House says and the media says. The Word of God remains true, regardless of how critical the crisis may be. The Word of God says: ”Fear thou not, for I am with thee, be not dismayed for, I am thy God. I will strength thee, I will help thee, yes, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” ( Isaiah 41:10). NOTHING CAN CHANGE OR NULLIFY THAT TRUTH! We may have moments of fear, but we don’t have to live in fear or be dominated by fear....For The Lord God Jehovah Is With Us And Upholds Us With The Right Hand Of His Righteousness! Remember What God Has Said. Philippians 4:19 says, “My God SHALL SUPPLY All your need according to His riches in glory.” (Phil. 4:19). Our needs will be supplied not according to what the government can do, or the state can do but, according to God’s riches in glory!

REAFFIRM THAT WE ARE WALKING BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT. The Word of God teaches us, in 2 Corinthians 5:7, that we are to walk by faith and not by sight. The word “walk” implies movement. Sometimes we have to “be still” so we can move. We must “be still” in the Presence of God and spend time in God’s Word, so we know how to move and navigate through the troubled times in which we find ourselves. Our families are counting on us to lead them through this dark and difficult time—so we must walk and worship by faith....we must listen, love and lead by faith. Though our ears hear the bad news and the fake news....though our eyes see the bad reports and the empty shelves—WE REAFFIRM THAT WE ARE NOT WALKING BY WHAT WE SEE, HEAR OR FEEL—WE ARE WALKING BY FAITH.

REBUKE AND RESIST EVERY THOUGHT OF FEAR AND WORRY. 2 Timothy says that God has not given us a spirit of fear but, of power, love and a sound mind. If God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear then we must absolutely rebuke and resist the very thought of fear. I understand that the spirit is willing but, the flesh is weak...I understand that we are human and we are in the midst of a pandemic....but, we are children of the Most High God! In the Name of Jesus, we take authority over fear and say of ourselves what God says of us: We Have A Spirit Of Power...A Spirit Of Love...And A Spirit Of Soundness Of Mind.

REKINDLE THE FIRE! You nor I can be triumphant in trouble, if our heart is cold toward God, His Word, His Presence or His Church. Hear me today, it’s possible to “cool off” and become lukewarm in our relationship with God. After Jesus rose from the grave, He met with, talked and walked with some of His disciples. They said, “did not our hearts burn within us as He talked with us on the road?” They then, along with the other disciples were filled with the Spirit and turned the world upside down with the Gospel. These are not the days to be living lukewarm in God. When a fiery love for God burns in our heart, we pray and praise with passion and we want to tell our story to those that don’t know God. When a fiery love burns in our heart for God we change from calm to crazy, in our faith and no longer are satisfied with mediocre or mundane ministry—our heart craves the miraculous!

In closing, may we all be reminded we CAN have victory in our valley and we CAN be triumphant in trouble because of Jesus— Jesus; He who triumphed over death Hell

and the grave lives in us!

"But thanks be unto God which giveth us the victory

through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

(I Corinthians 15:57)