Privileges!

Philippians 1:28-30

     Don’t be intimidated by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this fight together.

     Often times, we are not faced with a real, live enemy breathing in our face, looking to do battle with us, but as Christians, we are always faced with an unseen but very real enemy named Satan. He does not want us to be successful as Christians and he definitely doesn’t want us to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, so he will use any means possible to deter us and knock us off course. We have to decide, during those moments, if we’re going to let it keep us off course, or if we’re going to get back up and fight.

    Paul is attempting to relay the message that not only can we survive attacks from the enemy, but we can thrive within the midst of the attacks. If we will simply trust in God, rather than our own abilities, He will save us and destroy our enemies. We have that privilege, but often times, we fail to utilize it. It’s like having a washing machine, but never using it. The privilege of using the washing machine is available, but instead we choose to take the clothes to the Laundromat. How much simpler our life would be if we would just stay home and use the washing machine? It is the same with trusting God. Life would be so much simpler if we would just access the privilege of trusting Him.

     It is a fight, though, and there will be times of exhaustion, discouragement, and suffering. But if we will realize that we aren’t in this fight alone, we have others beside us that we can turn to and band together with, and then it makes the fight more bearable. Encourage one another, offer someone a helping hand, pray for each other and thereby, lighten the load. We need to quit becoming an island unto ourselves and join together to move forward in victory. Let me repeat Paul’s words above, “We are in this fight together.”

     Do you feel like you have been battling all alone? Do you hide your problems and emotions so no one will know what’s going on in your life? Reach out to someone today, not for what they can do for you, but for what you can do for them. Give someone a call that you know is going through a really tough time. Encourage them, pray for them, and physically do something for them, if possible. Watch how the situation in your own life will take a drastic turn for the better when you reach out and fight for someone else.

Have a great day!