In Experiencing God Day-By-Day, Henry Blackaby poses a question I have reflected upon for the past decade. “What are you known for by those who know you best?” Is it obvious to others we live to please Jesus or do our actions belie the fact we are all about ourselves? In addition to this question, Paul informed the church at Rome “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us,” (Romans 8:37) and John indicated “everyone born of God overcomes the world.” (I John 5:4) This is why we have to ask ourselves if others know us as conquerors and people who overcome or as people who are defeated and overwhelmed by life. Since we know God has made victorious living possible (John 10:10), we might desire to know why we are not experiencing that quality of life.
When we are overwhelmed by life, it may indicate we are not born of God. (John 1:1-5, 11-13) Jesus never promised a life free from difficulty or adversity, but He did promise His ongoing presence in our lives. He said we would live “abundant lives,” (John 10:10) “fruitful lives,” (John 15:5) and lives that would “overcome the world.” (I John 5:4-5) If life always appears to have the upper hand, the first place we should examine is our relationship with God through His Son. We can have an abiding relationship with the Father through the Son, and if we do not, life will beat us down and keep us down. Have we genuinely yielded our lives to the Lord or are we only looking or sounding the part of being a believer?
When we are overwhelmed by life, it may indicate our failure to be obedient. (I John 5:2-4) John’s writings reveal obedience and love are synonymous or interchangeable. When we choose a path of disobedience or rebellion, our relationship with God does not grow. If we are always blaming others for our troubles, we have a sin problem. If we never take responsibility for our lives, we have a sin problem. If we tend to be defensive about the way we live, we have a sin problem. If we are more concerned about ourselves than others, we have a sin problem. Our sins do nothing to endear us to God as they drive a wedge into all of our relationships. Judgment still falls upon our lives as a result of our sinfulness. Jesus has taken care of the ultimate penalty for our sins, but we do reap what we sow, and there are times life knocks us down as we have allowed sin to control us.
When we are overwhelmed by life, it may indicate we lack the assurance provided by Jesus. (I John 5:11-13) Do we find it unique that in the two places in the Bible we read about conquering and overcoming, words of assurance follow in both instances? We are remind there is nothing that can tear us away from the love of God in Romans 8:38-39. I John 5:13 states, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know you have eternal life.” One of the main culprits robbing us of the joy of assurance is our desire to save ourselves. We will never have much assurance of salvation as long as we think we can save ourselves. Our assurance stems from our understanding we cannot save ourselves nor do we have the power to do what is right by the means of our own power. We are completely dependent upon the work of Jesus. In the midst of life’s overwhelming moments when we have assurance, everything is different. We do not panic because we have the peace of God. We are not anxious as we have faith in the One who overcomes our anxiety. We do not throw up our hands in despair as we know Jesus will never leave us or forsake us. We do not quit as we are enveloped by the loving presence of Christ. This is what assurance does for believers, and this is what keeps us from being overwhelmed by life.
(Overview of morning message for February 7, 2010)