No matter how hopeless the things in this world may make us feel. Jesus gave us His Word. That Word is filled with His overcoming power and when we choose to have it dwell inside our hearts and minds, it brings us perfect peace.
No matter where you go in the world today, people from every race, creed and culture are facing challenges that threaten to steal their joy and peace. Devastation, disease and calamity are found in every corner of the earth, leaving people feeling hopeless and in fear. Yet, the words of Jesus ring loud and clear bringing with them hope and security when He says, "...in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you." (John 16:33)
Does this mean that the trouble will cease the minute you put your trust in Jesus? Does being a born again believer exempt you from having to face the challenges and hardships in this world? I seriously doubt that was what Jesus meant when He declared those words. In fact, I believe Jesus was giving us the key to overcome each challenge we will face in this life. He has given us the tool that will cause us to walk through the storms of life with a peace that transcends all understanding. To wade through the raging, life threatening waters and not drown and to go through the fire of challenging circumstances and not be burnt. Jesus Christ is the Living Word of God who has overcome the World and all it has to harm us, and He has given us Himself! That's why He says, in the beginning part of John 16:33, that in Him, we will have perfect peace and confidence.
Let the Word Dwell in You Richly
Colossians 3:16, says that we are to let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly. The Amplified version reads this way, "Let the word [spoken by] Christ (the Messiah) have its home [in your hearts and minds] and dwell in you in [all its] richness..." When we pay attention to God's Word and welcome it into our hearts and minds by giving it the final authority over our lives, we give it the honour it deserves. We allow its truth to direct us in the way we think and the words we speak. Our attitudes and actions will always be affected by the Word of God we nurture in our lives and the results are significant and life giving in the face of any circumstance. Just one scripture a day that is taken to heart and made a part of our personal belief system, has the power to change a destiny. What a treasure Jesus has given us!
God's Word is a Light in the Darkness
When God sent Moses to lead the Israelite nation out of their Egyptian captivity, the Bible records that God hardened Pharos's heart so that he would not let the people go. You see, they had been in captivity for four hundred years and were trapped in a slave mind-set. There was no faith or trust in a God who would save or redeem them, they had lost all hope of freedom over the years. So God had to perform many miracles and spectacular signs and wonders to light the flame of hope and trust in a God who was not only able, but willing to save them.
One of these signs and wonders, recorded in Exodus 10:22-23, was three days of absolute darkness over the land of Egypt. "So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and for three days a thick darkness was all over the land of Egypt. The Egyptians could not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days; but all the Israelites had natural light in their dwellings."
Did you notice how in the time of great darkness that came over the land of Egypt, God allowed the Israelites to have natural light in the day time, in spite of the darkness all around them? Just the same, the Word of God that is alive on the inside of us is like a bright light that shines its wisdom and truth inside of us to illuminate our path in this dark world. We will find peace and comfort and clear direction when we follow the light of God's word inside of us.
God's Word Does the Work
The book of Isaiah 55:11 sheds some light on just how powerful the Word of God living and growing inside of us can be in this world. "So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." The battlegrounds of the problems we all face today are primarily in our minds and on our lips. No matter what the circumstances are around us, the way we respond to them will determine our outcome. So when we hold on to the truth of God's Word concerning us and refuse to speak contrary to what it says, that Word we release from a heart of faith, will go out and accomplish its purpose and nothing will ever be able to stop its course. Nothing that is except for our words of doubt and fear. So keep holding onto that word with all your heart and find a place of peaceful trust and confidence in it. Then your words will follow that same path of peaceful trust and that Word, you release will do the work for you. It will work for you just as it worked for Jesus when He walked the earth and caused Him to overcome.
No matter how hopeless the things in this world may make us feel. Jesus gave us His Word. That Word is filled with His overcoming power and when we choose to have it dwell inside our hearts and minds, it brings us perfect peace. The Word alive in us becomes a source of Godly wisdom and a light to direct us through any darkness that threatens to overwhelm us. It is our hope, our strength, our light and our peace in a world gone mad. This is how we overcome! Let the Word do its work in you!
