Weekly Devotional 3-13-23 / Being Mentally and Spiritually Prepared
All persons, including us Christians at times suffer from anxiety, and at times, depression. This is especially true when we spend long periods of time in a hospital, or maybe at home unable to get out because of some illness or injury. Anxiety and depression may also come from a financial setback, or the complete loss of property due to an act of nature. Not sure how the non-Christian handles such anxiety and depression but us Christian have a source of relief, the Word of God (the Bible). But it will not be of much help if we haven’t saturated our minds with its content.
Saturating our minds with the word of God of course will not necessarily cure whatever malady we may be enduring but it will bring us into a right perspective of our situation. If our minds are saturated with the word of God and we begin experiencing anxiety or depression, the Holy Spirit will cause us to reflect on the many things God has done, is doing, and according to His promises what He will do. When we reflect on these things the Holy Spirit will bath us with God’s love. Of course this is mitigated on our preparedness, we must prepare ourselves by being often if not daily in His word. To be saturated with the word of God we must fill ourselves with that word.
Reflecting on His forward promises consider what the apostle Paul was led to write: “28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?36 As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:28-39).
Just imagine, we are being conformed into the image of Jesus Christ, we have been justified and we will eventually be glorified. Besides this, there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God.
Presently we can enjoy the fruit of the Holy Spirit, which includes “22 love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith-fulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23)
While the fruit of the Spirit is a surety, as is God’s unchanging love for us we may, and probably won’t sense those blessings unless our minds are saturated with His word.
Difficulties, hardships, and sorrows are part of life but if we prepare ourselves by filling ourselves with the word of God, when they come, they will be much more tolerable.
Blessings
steve