Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4
As a child of God you are never alone! Your Shepherd is with you at all times. You never have to call Him into your situation. You never have to wonder where He is. You never have to fear that if things become too difficult, He will abandon you. He goes before you; He walks beside you; He comes behind you. He protects you securely. Just as He sees every sparrow and knows every hair that is on your head, so His gaze is constantly upon you (Luke 12:6—7). He comforts you with His strong presence in times of sorrow and grief. He leads you through the valley of the shadow of death. He does not necessarily lead you around the valley as you might wish. There are times when your Shepherd knows that the only way to get you where He wants to take you is to lead you down the path that passes through the dark valley. Yet, at those times He walks closely with you, reassuring you throughout the journey that He still loves you and is with you. It is during those times that you experience His love and compassion in a deeper dimension than you ever have before. You never need to fear evil. As intimidating as evil can be, there is nothing you will ever face that intimidates your Shepherd. He has seen it all and soundly defeated every form of wickedness. Evil never catches Him by surprise. Your Shepherd is always prepared and knows exactly when and where you will experience difficulty. Place your absolute trust in your Good Shepherd that He will protect you and demonstrate His love for you through the darkest valley.
- Blackaby Experiencing God Day by Day
There's been horrific times we can all recall. Times, that I refer to, that did a number on how we thought, believed and lived.
Many times in life this has happened to me. I finally referred to them as Spiritual Surgeries.
In Christ, Scripture says, we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works that we might walk in them.
Watch enough how-to videos where something complex is being made, and you see sections built separately from the project. Sometimes started in the project, but then removed, added to, then returned.
Our walk with Jesus is always going to be that way until we get to Heaven. A Glorified body needs no more work.
In this life we cannot just separate ourselves from mankind thinking that by doing so will mitigate our troubles in this world. We were born in sin. Even if we were a solitary person living on Mars we would still have sin to contend with. On the International Space Station they have sin to contend with. In Antarctica they have sin to contend with.
You cannot escape sin until Christ is your personal Savior and Lord. You are then sealed in the Spirit, forever to be with Jesus. Once your time on Earth is through and you are called home forever with Jesus you will be, no longer fighting the effects of sin in your body and life. A great many people pray for those near death to be healed physically. My prayer isn't the same. My prayer for those is IF they still have work to do for Jesus then heal them. If not please take them home. No Christian is really here without a purpose in Christ Jesus. We aren't here just because we are related or get along with others. We who are in Christ are only here to A) Grow in Christ and B) be a part of the Plan of God the Father. Nothing else. By mere interaction I live with others, affecting others by my actions. But my purpose is to be a light in a dark world as the Spirit illuminates. I am to love one another as Christ loves me. I am to love my neighbor as myself. I am to love people as Christ does. All of a Christians life is to be living out the Plan of God the Father. When a Christian does what they are supposed to then they are fulfilling that. When all they do is live for themselves then they are not. To live totally for yourself is to live as the world does. When believers do that then the parable of the salt happens. Once the salt loses its characteristics its to be thrown out. When people will not acquiesce to God's Plan for their lives, when their heart will not bend the knee to Jesus, they will be removed from this world. When a believer has fulfilled their part in their lives for the Kingdom then it's highly likely they will be called home. We are not our own after we come to Christ. We aren't here to solely live for ourselves. Not in the slightest.
We will go through hard times and not around them to build or rebuild parts of our lives to be more useful to God in service to God. It's gonna hurt. But we are never alone. Those in this world who go through hard times on their own have nobody to hope in but themselves. God my still grant them mercy and grace, as long as it guides them towards Salvation.
But our lives are not our own. We were bought with a price. The blood of Jesus.
Expect to be guided to an through times you don't like. As Paul said so say I may the God of all comfort guide and direct your hearts in Christ Jesus.
Our world is going through a separation. Those who believe from those who don't. Those who don't are showing the evils of sin in their lives. They show every negative aspect of sin and instead of it repulsing them they want people to join them. Regardless of how wrong it is.
Expect life to be more trips through the valley of the shadow of death. We are all almost home who are in Christ.
For those reading who have no security in Salvation in Christ Jesus, I urge you wholeheartedly to reconsider your rejection of it and of Jesus Christ. Now is the time to come to Christ to be saved. Search online for the plan of Salvation.
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