1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the Will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

 

All believers go through difficult times. God allows these things to happen to us so we will stay close to Him and maintain our faith and trust in Him. As the old song, Through It All, goes, “If I never had a problem, I wouldn’t know God could solve them.”

 

Every struggle we have in life should result in some sort of an offering to God on our part. He wants us to let go of our problems and offer them up to Him. He can solve them. We cannot. Faith in God is just that: letting go so He can take hold. When we do this, we will see Him do great and mighty things.

 

In the 16th Chapter of the Book of Acts, Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown in the dungeon where they were put in stocks. The jailer was given the charge of holding Paul and Silas so he did everything he could to ensure that they would not escape.

 

Paul and Silas were in tremendous pain from the beating and the stocks but it was their response that made all the difference. They did not become angry with God for allowing this to happen to them. Nor did they scream and cry for help.

 

Instead, they responded in faith. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. (Acts 16:25) They were in pain but they cried out in prayer and praise! They sang so loud all the other prisoners could hear them! What a testimony of faith for the others in prison!

 

They couldn’t break the chains that held them. They had no way of releasing themselves so they offered up the situation to God believing He would help and because of their faith, God showed them just how mighty He really is!

 

God will not take a problem from us. He wants us to offer it up to Him. He is able to do anything! He allows things to happen to us to test our faith. It’s not about what happens to us, it’s about how we respond to what has happened to us.

 

Paul would later write Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the Will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16) The Will of God is for us to trust Him in all situations. Whatever you are struggling with today, let it go. Give it to God and give Him praise! He can deal with it. He can fix it. You cannot. Take it to the Lord in prayer and offer it up to Him. Let go of it and let God take hold of it.

 

Everything we go through is an opportunity for us to display our faith in God. Jesus gave His Life on the Cross to defeat the power of the enemy in our lives. This does not mean we will never have problems. We will. However, we know the remedy. Place your faith in Jesus Christ and Him Crucified. Offer up the situation to God in faith trusting and believing in Him. Then, thank Him for the opportunity to allow you to exercise and display your faith. This is what it means to Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the Will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

 

Faith in Christ will…...….turn the tide……….in this world.

 

Thank you Lord for the opportunity,         Doreen

 

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