You cannot separate

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? 

Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, 

or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Romans 8:35

Nothing you could ever experience, no matter how terrible or frightening, could ever separate you from the love of God. No tribulation and distress you might ever suffer could be so intense that God's love for you is not even more fervent. No persecution could be so painful that God's love cannot bring comfort. Famine might starve you of food, but you will never hunger for the Father's love. Poverty cannot strip you of God's compassion, just as even death itself is incapable of robbing you of your heavenly Father's infinite love.

If you base your view of God's love on your circumstances, you will become confused. There may be times when you will ask, “How could a loving God allow this to happen to me?” You may begin to question what you find clearly stated in the Word of God. God promised that you would never be separated from His love; He did not say that you would never face hardship, persecution, poverty, or danger. If you doubt that God could love you and still allow you to experience difficult experiences, consider the life of Jesus. If you allow the death of Jesus on the cross to forever settle any questions you might have about God's love, you will approach difficult circumstances with confidence. Knowing that there will never be anything that could separate you from God's perfect love, you will watch to see how God expresses His love in each circumstance. Don’t ever judge God's love based on your circumstances. Instead, evaluate your circumstances from the perspective of God's love. -Blackaby Experiencing God Day by Day 

Oh this one. THIS one. Oh my dear reader, THIS one.

This one had plagued me most of my life.  Some may find that shocking to read of me, but it's true.  If there was an earliest memory of soft Spiritual attack it would be this one.  It had been with me most of my time among the living.  Constantly brought to mind by my sin nature and by Satan's minions.  

A low key, constant, assault on my position before Christ.  That my various sins had separated me from God.  That my future wasn't what I kept telling myself.  That I was forsaken by God.  That God obviously had given up on me. 

You might be there now.  

I am here to tell you that God does not and will not ever give up on those who are His. 

From Jesus's account of the Prodigal Son, the Father kept a daily watch on the horizon for the son to return.  

From that to other stories that were other proofs of God not forsaking His own.  Joseph, sold into slavery, in prison, elevated to 2nd highest ruler in Egypt. 

Pregnant Mary, with Joseph, on the run because they were in danger.  Not forsaken at all. Protected. 

In my life, I have not entirely been as I ought to have been living.  The details aren't important.  The facts are that Jesus did come running when I returned to Him.

My friend, life isn't going to go the way of the movies or television. You aren't going to always come out on top.  You aren't going to always have good days. 

The difference for believers and unbelievers is Jesus and the Holy Spirit. 

I watch people who do not have a relationship with Jesus.   They are stressed, they are not happy, they are worried, also too, they are stubborn.  They keep on thinking they can make it without Jesus.  There's a hundred holes in the boat that they are in and they're trying to plug them all, but they don't need Jesus.  He keeps reaching out to them to come into His boat that has no holes, where rest is available, but they see a life of giving up everything.   Truth is yes you give up everything that you don't need.  

Your boat full of holes has a ton of luggage that isn't doing a single thing to make your life better.  If you're only coming to Christ when you are in danger of drowning, when all that baggage isn't saving you, then you are waiting too long. 

Jesus is the difference maker.  

I CAN stress out like others, but I don't need to.  I can and do pray. Doesn't need to be eloquent words.  It's a conversation.  I can and do call upon the One who knows more and can go places and understand more than I ever could.  Jesus said to trust Him.  When I do, my stress goes away.  Peter wasn't stressed on the water. Peter was stressed when on the water he took his eyes off Jesus. Jesus didn't forsake Peter, He, like with us-you-is right there all the time. Peter was looking at himself, at what he was doing...and began to sink. 

Apart from God you can do nothing. Scripture says that plainly.  

When I finally got past the low key barrage of lies, the wall came down.  Peace finally started coming in.  Realizing that I didn't have to listen to those lies was huge!  In Christ I have a choice, outside of a relationship with Jesus, you have no choice but to listen to the lies of Satan. 

The world is overrun with lies and manipulations of Satan.  Lies about peace, prosperity, health, vanity, possessions, status, rights, everything. 

Anything and everything will be heard by you to keep you from a relationship with Jesus. As long as it takes.  For those who are in a relationship with Jesus, Satan will try to silence. It keeps believers from bringing others to Christ. 

If you are stressed and worried, if indeed you know in your heart that Jesus isn't your personal Savior, what's keeping you back?  Is what you have more important that whether or not you will spend eternity in Hell?  That's the primary reason for all you are going through, it's to keep you from seeing that without Christ, that's where you are going.  The longer you are tied up in the red tape of a conflicting life the less time you have to choose a life in Christ.  The more worried you are the less you will trust Jesus.  

Look at your life, is what you have really all that important?  Do you want to not be alone anymore?   Do you want something more?  Today is your day to finally make a difference in your life. 

 If you read this much read up on Roman's Road to Salvation.  It shows you how to be saved, how Jesus will come to be with you now and forever.  Then you too will never be alone. 

Satan wanted me to believe that my sins could separate me from God.  He wants you to think that too.  It's a colossal lie.

Don't believe it.  Trust me, the peace that comes from the truth of knowing that Jesus keeps His promises is priceless.