Today I want to deal with the question: What happens if we live with an expectation that life is going to be hard? There would be some who would answer this question by from the perspective of fear. Something along the lines that if a person expects life to be hard, they will become someone who is negative and always expecting the worst to happen. They will be consumed with their problems. I have a friend who worked really hard to deny reality. Even if he was going through a hard time, he refused to acknowledge it. His approach had something to do with a misunderstanding of faith. I used to tell my friend he could be standing in the middle of a cow pie, and he would still say, “Don’t the roses smell wonderful today?” I think if someone is consumed with negativity or they live in constant denial of reality, they have trust issues in their relationship with God.
Here’s my perspective: I believe if we live with an expectation that life is going to be hard, we will better prepare ourselves and, furthermore, we will live with an active awareness that we need to be on guard against the schemes of the devil.
The following verses not only remind me I am in a fight, but I need to be ready to fight. Hopefully you didn’t read that last sentence too quickly. I’ll say it again: We’re in a fight and we need to be ready to fight!
Ephesians 6:11 NIV “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.”
1 Timothy 6:12 NIV “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
2 Peter 3:17 NIV “Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.”
1 Corinthians 10:12 NAS “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.”
If you’re find that life is not particularly hard for you right now, don’t assume it’s going to remain that way forever. Take this time to get ready for the next fight of faith. It’s not like I want to be a bummer for you, but if things are going really well for you right now, it’s going to change. We won’t get to rest from the fight until we reach heaven. If you think of life like a boxing match, the times of relative calm, are simply the space between the rounds. Catch your breath and get ready to get back into the brawl.
Also, when things are calm in your life, look for opportunities to come alongside those who going through a hard time, they are literally all around us, and pour the grace and love of God into their lives in the spirit of Galatians 6:1 (NLT) “Dear brothers and sisters, if another Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.”
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