The following column is an opinion piece and reflects the views of only the author and not those of The Georgia Virtue.
By: Dr. William F. Holland Jr., minister, chaplain, and author of the column series ‘Living on Purpose’. You can read more about the Christian life and see other works by Dr. Holland at billyhollandministries.com
It is not enough to know that God exists as the realm of darkness also believes that God is true. If we choose to live in the awareness of spiritual truth, we must go beyond historical knowledge and embrace the Creator personally. God is a living Spirit, and He desires that we become bonded together with Him in a tangible covenant relationship. Today is the day to draw near to the Jesus while he may be found. It’s an exciting time to be alive as God is waiting to anoint and empower us to accomplish His will.
Christian! This is not a time to hang our harps on the willows and weep! It is the enemy of our souls that loves to whisper his lies of discouragement and tell us we are defeated. Listen, my brothers and sisters, has Jesus Christ ever said that you are defeated? Has He ever told you to curl up in a fetal position and give up? Absolutely not! It’s the devil who tries to convince us to see the world with a glass half-empty attitude. As a member of God’s end-time army, we are called to know God’s word, and to put on our spiritual armor as we go to war on our knees against evil. There is so much to accomplish before Jesus returns and we have no time to waste arguing about politics and social issues. Everyone makes their own decisions, and we must stay focused on what God is telling us to do.
With so much negativity, it’s time to realize the sea of voices can be a distraction to our relationship with Christ, and it’s wise to develop a determination to turn away from the chaos and tune into God’s inspiring message of hope and life. For those who are stepping forward in their love for God, He is saying to stand up, set your face as flint, never compromise, and know that according to His infinite authority, the enemy is under your feet! This spiritual reality is not because of human power, but it’s by His Spirit say’s the Lord! I John 4:4 declares, “You are of God, little children and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world!” We are also reminded in Colossians chapter 2 that we are in covenant with Christ and that He is the ultimate judge over everything including Satan and has always been in total control! “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” Colossians: 9,10,14,15.Jesus willingly gave His life and delivered us from a hopeless spiritual condition so that you and I could be set free from sin and be empowered to live victoriously forever.
I want to remind you of the story of Gideon and how the Lord told him to only take 300 men to fight a war against an army of 135,000 soldiers. Does it seem that your situation today also appears to be that hopeless? This is what God wants us to see, because if you and I could fight and win our own battles, we would not need God’s help at all. Gideon obeyed the Lord and trusted Him completely and the enemy ended up destroying themselves without Gideon even having to raise his sword. When it seems our problems are impossible, this is when the Almighty will manifest the greatest miracles! I know that Satan and God are both speaking to us, but I want to ask an important question, “Whose account are you going to believe?” Do you need the Sun to move backward, or the Red Sea parted? Do you feel like you are in a lion’ s den or in a fiery furnace? Is there a giant laughing and threatening to crush you? My friends, the same God that brought deliverance and victory in all of these trials, desires to do the same for you today. You might believe He can, but He is waiting for you to believe that He will.
