Knowing Jesus Christ is LORD of All Despite our Circumstances

Have you ever been in an intense battle? See Ephesians 6:12-17

After waking and beginning my normal routine, I began to feel heavy within. A sadness overtook me from seemingly nowhere. I began to think of how empty I feel sometimes. It is as if I was able to imagine myself as a vessel that could never be full, no matter what. 

Have you ever been mentally attacked out of the blue, caught off guard or blindsided?

Of course you have, we all have. Life has a way of throwing curve balls and giving little if any notice about it. 

Please be encouraged and know that weeping will not last always, Joy comes in the morning.

You are not alone!

Your experience matters and how you feel is indeed important to GOD.

Do not be ashamed of how the help comes, just take the first step and He will do the rest.

The sadness was odd because I generally am very happy in the morning. I like to think of myself as morning person (don't tell my sisters, they might disagree - lol).

I try to thank GOD for my life and begin my routine but this morning was different.

I found myself in tears. 

Ok. This may be a tad of an exaggeration but I think you catch my drift.

Did you know that GOD can even use broken vessels?

Jeremiah 18:1-10 shares how the LORD sent the prophet Jeremiah, also known as the weeping prophet, on a mission. Jeremiah did not have all of the instructions and even though he himself was in deep depression, he just went by faith.

The New International Version says it like this:

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

5 Then the word of the Lord came to me. 6 He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. 7 If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, 8 and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. 9 And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, 10 and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.

What's my point?

The point is to share how the enemy can begin attacking our minds in an instant and it does not matter the age, gender, nationality of the vessel being attacked, it happens to everyone. Place your trust in the LORD and He will help you!

Proverbs 3:5-7 tells us just that!

Many things may begin to barrage our minds but we can learn how to recognize the devices and tactics the enemy uses against us. When we can identify how he generally operates, we can better prepare. We have to stay prepared.

Ephesians 6:12-17 tells us how to put on the full armor of the LORD. We must do this daily.

The New International Version puts it this way:

The Armor of God

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

It is okay to cry to the Lord.

I have learned that the LORD is not annoyed at our emotional outbursts. He can actually use them to teach us things that would otherwise seem random or out of context. 

After getting it all out and allowing all the negative thoughts to run wild, the Holy Spirit quieted me and shared something with me I had not really thought of before. 

When GOD created Adam, He said that it was not good for man to be alone and then formed Eve. However, even with Eve being flesh of Adam’s flesh and bone of his bone, Adam was not complete. 

The Bible records that GOD came into the garden of Eden in the cool of the day to commune with Adam and Eve. I am speaking of the time before the fall. Adam and Eve were never created to complete one another. They were never made to fill the void that we all feel as humans. The void we try to fill with so many things was not a result of sin. 

The incompleteness, longing and neediness we all feel in this life was designed by GOD to draw us closer to Him and bring about changes that we could never make happen on our own. We are now and will continue to be a work in progress. We don't have to figure everything out, we can place our trust in the LORD.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

  and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways submit to him,

  and he will make your paths straight.[a]

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;

  fear the Lord and shun evil.

8 This will bring health to your body

  and nourishment to your bones.

He is the only ONE who can complete us. We do not know how long Adam and Eve enjoyed their sinless life before the serpent came to deceive, but we do know that GOD desired to commune with them daily. It set the tone for the rest of my day. What an awesome GOD we serve!

I was so excited that the Lord showed me this; like a child begging for attention from their parents and them responding with meaningful interaction. That is exactly how I felt - lol.

What the kingdom of darkness had meant for my evil, The Lord used for my good!

Romans 8:28 NIV says:

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[i] have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

I believe that the LORD will allow us to be tested by the enemy to expose our weaknesses, to us. The Lord is our Father, and just like an earthly parent, whatever is done or allowed has purpose.

When we are able to see our weaknesses, we can then target this area in our prayers. We can focus our prayers and study of GOD’s Word toward the thing that hinders us. Again, what the enemy meant for our evil, our Heavenly Father uses for our good. 

For our development. 

For our equipping to minister to others.

For our advancement. 

For our maturation in spiritual things. 

FOR OUR GOOD!