The Greater the Battle, the Greater the Victory

If there's one thing I've learned the last few months, it's that everyone is fighting something. Nobody has the "perfect" life. Looks can be deceiving....some people appear to be holding up, doing well, getting by, but deep inside they are hurting. They're dealing with financial stress, marital discord, issues with their kids, their elderly parents, or problems at work. If you ask those who are hurting what they are praying for, they'll tell you they'd really like God to take away the problem - remove the pain, return things to the way they were. But 2 Corinthians 12:9 reminds us, that God's "grace is sufficient for you, His strength is made perfect in weakness". In "Breaking Intimidation", John Bevere writes of Paul's struggles with accepting the persecution he encountered while preaching the Gospel. On numerous occasions, Paul pleaded for the Lord to take away the pain and suffering which came his way, but God essentially says

"Paul, don't ask Me to remove these things, but rather ask that My grace and strength will raise you above what you cannot handle. Where there are no obstacles, there is no need for power. A victory can occur only where there is a battle. The greater the battle, the greater the victory! A true soldier does not run from conflict, but runs to it. In the heat of the battle is not the time to ask God to take us out of the war. It is the time to pray for His grace so that we may TRIUMPH in it. God is glorified when we face something impossible to overcome in our humanness. It is then that His strength rests on us for all to see."

And so it is....as difficult as the battle often seems, we need to proceed in faith and recognize that He is at work. The last few miles of an Ironman are never pretty. You've battled all day long, you don't think you've got anything left to give, but you dig deep and push through to the finish. On your own, it may not have been possible - and on your own, you may have opted to quit, to be taken out of the battle. But with and through Him, you come to know that anything is possible and that He is glorified through the effort. And you just know, that every step of the way, He had you right where He wanted you - relying not on your own strength and endurance, but upon His......BELIEVE!