“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit. Put the spirits to the test to see if they belong to God. Many false prophets have gone out into the world. How can you recognize the Spirit of God? Every spirit that agrees that Jesus Christ came in a human body belongs to God. But every spirit that doesn't agree with this does not belong to God. It is the spirit of the great enemy of Christ. You have heard that the enemy is coming. Even now he is already in the world. Dear children, you belong to God. You have not accepted the teachings of the false prophets. That's because the One who is in you is more powerful than the one who is in the world. False prophets belong to the world. So they speak from the world's point of view. The world listens to them. We belong to God. And those who know God listen to us. But those who don't belong to God don't listen to us. That's how we can tell the difference between the Spirit of truth and the spirit of lies.” (1 John 4:1-6 NIrV)
These are tough times indeed. How can we cope? We trust a God who promises to meet our every need, yet we are in dire need. We believe in a God who can do all things but fail, yet we are experiencing failure all around us. We tell others that God is in control, but it seems as though all hell has broken loose and there is no control at all. This is the present world. This is reality. This is how it is in the world today.
But we who believe are not of this world! We belong to God. We trust God to keep His promises. We trust Him for His will for us. We seek His face for peace and tranquility. We rest in knowing He knows the outcome. We live as best as the Spirit of God allows us to witness to His goodness…even in the most trying times. We don’t give up!
I may feel like I am failing, but I am not a failure. I may have no money in the bank and facing serious financial decisions, but I am not bankrupt. I don’t have all the answers for my wife and children when they ask how we’ll make the mortgage, will we have any toys for Christmas, or why is it just a bit cooler in the house today. I am challenged to trust God. I have NO OTHER CHOICE. I belong to God. I am His child. He is my Daddy!
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