Don't give up, Look up

It is sometimes hard to look at the troubles of this life and see the good in them, but we must remember that everything we go through is only a stepping stone to the greater things God has for us. A perfect example of this is found in the story of Joseph. Joseph was the annoying younger sibling who was his father's favorite. Not only was he loved more by his dad, he would also have these dreams in which he saw his fathers and brothers bowing before him. Because of these things, he was hated by his older brothers. One day while they were working in the field, they devised a way to get rid of him. They threw him into a pit with the intent to kill him. By chance, a group of Ishmaelites  came through, and Joseph was then sold by his brothers for 30 pieces of silver. But Joseph's troubles did not end there. He was a slave for a time, and later he was cast in prison for a crime he didn't commit. While in prison, he interpreted the dreams of some of Pharaoh's officials and through that, he was finally released when he gave an interpretation to Pharaoh himself. Now Joseph is in a high position of authority in charge of food distribution doing a 7 year famine. This famine is so bad, that it spreads all through the region, even to Canaan where his family resides. When his brothers hear that they is food in Egypt, they journey to Egypt so they won't die. Through a series of events, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers and explains how through the evil by which the brothers had thought they had done, God was able to save everyone through Joseph.

There were several times in Joseph's life when he easily could have complained to God because of his situation, yet he choose to stay in the Father and because of his obedience, he became God's vessel for greatness. 

There are many occasions in scripture where things like this happen. The people of the bible mess up terribly or they live a hard life, yet when they stayed focused on the Lord through their suffering, God would tie everything together and work it all out. 

Struggles of life are to be expected. For even Jesus, the Son of God, went through his share of trouble. He was rejected and ridiculed and eventually, he was hung on a tree. Satan knew that Jesus was sent to earth in the flesh as a Savior to the people, and in an attempt to stop him at all cost, he hardened the hearts of the Pharisees and the Sadducees in order that they were get so terrified in as sense of Christ, that they would do everything in their power to have him killed. Jesus came to the earth to be the bridge that would connect God back to his people, and it was through his death on the cross that ultimately tipped the scales back to God's favor. Had Satan realized that in order to save, Jesus would have to die, he would have had tried everything to keep him alive rather than wipe him out. The good news for us, is that Satan can not see what is ahead for us. He is not omnipotent or omnipresent. In other words, he is not everywhere at once, and he is not all powerful. The reason that the devil comes down so hard on God's people is because he only sees the present, and it scares him when he sees Heaven getting ready for something to be released over a person's life. The only weapon Satan tries to use against the Children of God in these situations is fear and hardship. He tries to make us think that we screwed up so bad that not even God himself can save us, and when we believe this lie, we fall away from the blessings and promises that are coming from the Father. 

During the hard times of life, we must not reflect on the stuff happening around us or the bad happening to us, In these times, we have to remember that there is a God working in us and for us that is more powerful than anything the devil tries to throw our way. God uses the trials of this life to not make us cower in our own self pity, but rather to stand up and walk in the boldness and strength to overcome anything thrown our way through the power of the Most High God. 

This week is a big week in American History. It is a day of Independence celebrating our freedom from the British empire. We are now a people freed from the oppression of England with the freedom to do as we please. But freedom from earthly oppression should not be the only freedom we celebrate. 2000 years ago, the Son of God took on flesh and came down to earth as a baby born in a manger, in order that he would be crucified on a cross, bearing the weight of all sin, both past, present and future, to purchase our freedom from the dominion of Death and the Grave. Satan no longer has control over his own kingdom anymore, because Jesus went down into hell and took the keys to his gates and opened the doors bringing out every righteous person who was trapped there for too long. Jesus is the war hero, that has not only secured our freedom, but has also won the war called life. Everything will work out for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. Guess What? That means us. When we have been saved, God comes in and changes everything that once held us captive and delivers us with his freedom. So, are you going to go through life down in the dumps because things are rough or they aren't going the way you hoped, or are you going to stick it out and trust that God knows what he is doing, even when it requires a little discomfort on our part. Don't give up, look up and everything will end up alright.

Adam Semple- a man on a mission from God