Scriptural Readings: Romans 8:35-39
Miseries, this hidden enemy, will haunt us. They are inevitable, and we will face them sooner, if not later. We can never grow bigger than them. Being born in a third-world country, I have seen and experienced poverty, and trusting God is one option. These sensibilities drive us closer to God. That does not mean we need miseries, problems, and uncertainties to meet God on the throne. These things are not prerequisites for how God handles us. Misery is a result, not a cause. They flourish from our mistakes. Our wise and correct decisions cannot cause misery. The Holy Spirit guides us.
Who are we?
We are sinners. It is who we are. Whether we like it or hate it, we will sin. Handling our lives would be an epic failure rather than a success. These failures, again, connect us to misery in the blink of an eye, sending us into limbo, asking ourselves what to do next. A fact that cripples us with choices we cannot achieve, disabling us from finding the truth.
We are what God made us to be.
There are clear-cut facts that are crucial to grasp that we neglect to consider. And the result is that we need to remember when confronted with challenges. First, our feelings defeat us. As living human beings, our emotions are the first responders. All is true. However, we should not stop and pamper them. Like a baseball game, we are on first base and should not stop. Feelings come and go. Unconditionally trusting them is not a sound idea. At certain times only. Our faith in Jesus Christ should be at the top of the list rather than putting all our trust in feelings. Second. Aside from the threat of insanity from these miseries, we should regularly assess our spiritual condition to discern if it conforms to God’s will. Most of us have a mindset of being constantly defeated by our spiritual enemy, which should not be the case. Victory in Jesus Christ should be our mental state. God created us in His likeness, and we are now in Christ Jesus. Check out these Bible verses. I Corinthians 15:57, Romans 8:37, Philippians 4:13, Ephesians 6:10-18, Deuteronomy 20:4, Psalms 108:13, Hebrews 13:6.
This word war
No one would ever know that a horrendous war had started in Asia on a Sunday morning when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. It was also a morning when nuclear bombs flattened Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. What does war mean in its genuine sense? Is there anything more meaningful than achieving freedom?
We need to uncover the root of this spiritual conflict and determine how it should conclude. First, we ask ourselves why evil lives on. Did God create sin? Of course not. God knows evil and wickedness, but cannot be corrupted or transgressed, for He is Holy. And if so, does sin like God exist at the beginning? Not at all. Evil and sinfulness could not exist if we made the right choice. Evil results from a choice made by humanity. Remember, it does not exist after we make the wrong choice. It is difficult to be entirely sure about the precise or accurate answers instantaneously. We can make assumptions, though, but there are more options. Time moves forward. We cannot turn back the hands of time. So, from the start, there was no evil. It was the consequence of our choice that was not part of God’s original plan. However, in the event of disobedience, God already had a solution in His omniscience.
“I will give you rest…”
This promise increases our faith. Why? Our usual response is to wallow in our miseries while waiting for rest. Right? Now, this is what we must comprehend. Jesus’ work is what we need to learn. Yes, it’s a burden. But it is a burden that teaches us how to manage a challenging life here on Earth. It is a burden because there will be a time for learning and producing spiritual blessings. This load or burden does not cause misery. Without a doubt, it is the peace we need or expect during difficult times (John 14:27).
Romans 8:35-39
King James Version
v.35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? [shall] tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
v.36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
v.37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
v.38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
v.39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
New Living Translation
v.35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?
v.36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.” )
v.37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
v.38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.
v.39 No power in the sky above or the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In conclusion,
The minute we wake up and face the day, we also declare spiritual war against our spiritual enemy. We must not accept defeat. The cross in Calvary did the job of crushing the enemy. Many Bible scriptures tell us how to deal with the enemy. However, it is also critical that we know first who we are. We are God’s children. Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, covered us with His precious blood, and we are bound for heaven.
We might notice ourselves reading articles like this important, but what really matters are God’s words written in them. With this, I challenge you to read verses 38 and 39 prayerfully. Emotions will respond immediately. You might cry, smile, or feel uneasiness. Again, our emotions are the first responders. What is significant is our response if we see it, not the way it confirms we live today. At that point, emotions become secondary, and what is essential now is what God is telling us. Now you can see the shift from emotions, which are human, to finding God’s will, which is divine. It is now the new us every day.
God, this time, takes our attention directly, not only through our emotions. As we read, and this time also study, His words, our divine nature, overshadow our human nature. God becomes our priority. The meaning of verses 38 and 39 is now spiritual and holy because of our faith, putting our unstable emotions behind us. Before, we used our feelings to find God. In the present, it is entirely different. God now uses our emotions to accomplish His plans and not our senses to use our human plans for Him. Now, we are confident that we can desire only His kingdom and righteousness, and then, He will add all these things we need (Matthew 6:33).