Steemchurch: A word of encouragement for you

Greetings to all our brothers of SteemChurch Community.

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If you need a word of encouragement, remember that many eternal truths have been taught by Jesus, and one of the most experienced teachings is "in the world he will have afflictions," John 16:33. Sometimes we think that as we become Christians we will have no more problems, miracles will happen and we will always be free of tribulations and afflictions. This vision is not true since we will all have afflictions, but when Jesus told us this, he brought us another truth, we should not fear, because he, Jesus, overcame the world. In other words, He overcame the afflictions for us, not because we should not go through afflictions, but so that we can see Him on the bad days.

The full verse of John 16:33 is like that.

"These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace, in the world you shall have afflictions, but be of good courage: I have overcome the world."

As we read his context from the beginning of the chapter to the following chapters, we see that Jesus was saying this when he was about to be crucified, his ministry was coming to an end. Afflictions and darkness would come upon the life of his disciples. He knew that as soon as he left the scene, the disciples would be lost a little, without their leader, without a guide, so he had to say a word of encouragement. So let's see how to face these moments of anguish, in which we seem to be lost.

The cross did not humiliate the crucified one.

When Jesus Christ was crucified, the true humiliated was the devil. On the cross, victory was decreed. The enemy was publicly destroyed and Christ showed his sovereignty. In Colossians we have a reference to the size of Christ's victory, perfect for when we need a word of encouragement.

"And you, who were dead because of your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, gave you life together with him, forgiving all our offenses, having canceled the letter of debt, which was against us and consisted of ordinances, which were injurious to us, eliminated it completely and entangled it on the cross, and, stripping the principalities and powers, publicly exposed them to contempt, triumphing on the cross. " Colossians 3:13 to 15

The devil tries to be strong against us. If we face it with our strength we will be destroyed. If we are on the rock he will always be humiliated.

When we read about what happened spiritually on the cross in Colossians 3:13 to 15, we read that the crucifixion, which would be a sign of defeat for anyone, humanly speaking, in the life of Jesus meant his victory, for the madness of this world. they are wisdom for God. A symbolism of defeat, death and shame, eventually became the symbol of the destruction and humiliation of the enemy and not of the Christ. More than a word of encouragement, the verse gives us a good foundation for the Christian faith.

The enemy has already been humiliated.

In the spiritual world, our enemy tries to use incredible forms such as terminal illness, death of relatives, unemployment, bankruptcy, adultery, among other events, to make us "kick the stick" and renounce life with Christ. But we must always bear in mind that the devil is humiliated and that he is only a creature already defeated.

The sacrifice and victory of Jesus on the cross were not for us to never have problems again, but to have hope. Therefore, before being crucified, Jesus gave a word of encouragement to his disciples. We know that in this life we ​​will go through many adversities, but we believe in eternal life, so we can endure afflictions, because we know that they are fleeting and do not compare with the glory of the eternal kingdom.

Paul knew that we should not expect the miracles of Jesus alone in this life, so he wrote a word of encouragement in 1 Corinthians 15:19.

"Now, if our hope in Christ is restricted only to this life, we are the most unfortunate of all human beings."

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Lose to win

In some situations of our lives, we have to give up something that seems advantageous to us so that we can win spiritually. When we forgo a benefit, for example, so as not to conflict or aggravate a situation, the world may see us as "fools", defeated, but if we act in this way to please God, we are victorious.

To take this to our personal life, imagine a discussion in which you are right. Would he have the courage to give up being "correct" and to give reason to the other person, to close the discussion or soften future problems? The world instructs us that in doing this we are wrong, we are humiliated, they are deceiving us. But sometimes the Christian has to do this to defeat our spiritual enemy, to show that our faith is not based on this world, but on the hope of reward in the eternal kingdom.

When we are under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we are often led to act "illogically". Some Christians who have given up insurance, inheritance and other benefits for a variety of reasons. What I can say is that in the end, never any of them humiliated, ashamed.

Pray and God, and ask Him to sound from your heart and bring you a word of encouragement, hope and consolation. Do not finish reading with anxiety or fear of adversity, but with the courage and strength to face the obstacles we have in this world, remember that Jesus said that we would have afflictions in this world, but that he did not stop there, continued ... But be of good courage, because I have overcome the world. "And he imposed himself dividing the crown with his faithful.