HARD TIMES OR SIMPLE DISTRACTIONS?

There are times when it feels as if we are facing hardship at every turn. Health issues, emotional strain, loss of loved ones, job stress, financial needs or just general bad days can seem to all come at once.  We call these hard times.   Believe it or not these are all just distractions to keep us from the work of the Lord.  These events are designed by Satan to keep our focus off of God and Christ Jesus.  The Enemy wants to turn our attention to the problem rather than the Problem Solver. All we can think about is “the struggle.” Yet this scripture from 2 Timothy says we as believers should consider these struggles as just what we share as good soldiers of Christ.  The verse starts by telling us that we are not alone.  We share the struggle with other believers.  Like any soldier, the tough times come with the duty.  Then, the scripture says we should not handle the struggle like a civilian following what everyone else does.  It tells us to concentrate on carrying out the orders of the one who enlisted us.  Why? Because we are part of God’s army and we trust our Leader (Jesus Christ) to take care of us.  Isaiah 26:3 tells us that God keeps us in “perfect peace” when we keep our focus on Him because that means we trust Him completely. We are looking to Him for answers rather than ourselves or other people.  We focus on the mission that he gives us.  Exodus 9:16 says that God has kept us so far for the purpose of showing His power and proclaiming His name.  So, there we have our mission. Even in the struggle, we are not expected to conjure up our own strength.  We are simply instructed to look to our General, Jesus Christ, and to the Holy Spirit, our Commanding Officer to receive instructions for the mission.  Our orders are not complicated either.  Love the Lord God with all your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbor as you love yourself (Matthew 22:37-39). Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8). It seems simple, but it takes work on our part.  While we train for the mission, we should make sure we pay strict attention to following the rules, like a good athlete, so that we do not lose the reward. To not obey our leader means punishment (Isaiah 1:19-20).  However, if we choose to be an obedient vessel for kindness and justice to others, God promises to reward us. By this we will be like a worker in God’s vineyard. As we work diligently, He will ensure us a plentiful harvest. You see, while we are focused on the mission, showing His power and proclaiming His name, the Conqueror is fighting and winning the battles for us.  John 16:33 says the struggle is hard and unavoidable, but the ultimate victory, eternal life, has already been won.  So, Let’s keep our eyes on the mission rather than the distractions, especially when times get hard because we have already been assured the victory.