God will always be bigger than that which comes against you
(Photo by Rob Bohning)
We are living in a season of change and a pervading darkness is rapidly filling this earth. People are struggling financially, physically and with each other as more than half of marriages end in divorce. Satan has blinded the eyes of most and it is sad to watch people caught up in the bondage of alcohol, drugs, pornography and every form of deception. Crime has increased and prisons are filled with lost souls. The truth has been compromised as the enemy seeks to blind the world and destroy it. Has he succeeded?
The Apostle Paul warns us in 2 Timothy 3 that there will be terrible times in the last days. Believers must keep watch as the enemy seeks to weaken them and make them ineffective for the kingdom. The days are growing short and our strength is only in the power of Christ who lives in us. He has promised to never leave us and to help us in time of distress. Our hope in times of testing is to magnify the Lord to see him as he truly is – which is always bigger than our problems.
Though God is always with us, we will have to suffer in this world. If it is the storms of this life that cause us to grow in our faith, then God must allow this struggle to reveal his power and give us the knowledge of who we are in Christ. His purpose and plan for our lives cannot fail. You may feel alone in your time of pain but you never are. You belong to him and he has given his angels charge over you. If you can magnify God and trust him in all things, he will prove himself faithful as he takes you through the furnace of your affliction and bring you safely to a place of his peace. He has power over all that comes against you and there is always a purpose in what he allows in your life.
The strength to hold on is having knowledge of the God who created you. His power cannot fit into the confines of our finite minds. So what is impossible for us is never impossible for God. Get hold of the fact that you aren’t going to completely understand the ways of God. Who could understand why a holy, loving God would send his only begotten Son to die for the sins of an ungrateful world? There is nothing good that you have that was not given to you by his power. Yet we constantly just dwell on the question of why God allows bad things to happen to good people! It is because this world is not heaven. This world is perishing and there will one day be an end to those who love evil. But for now, we are aliens in a lost civilization and Christ has been sent as our only hope for salvation. He has given those who believe in him the right to become joint heirs with him in a kingdom whose wonder cannot be described. As unbelievable as it sounds, many are choosing to sell eternity with Christ in absolute perfection to the highest bidder of the perishing things of this world!
Trusting that God will work everything out and give to you all that he has promised can be difficult as the shadow of the enemy permeates this earth. For that reason, it is so important that you see and understand the God who had no beginning and no end. He is the source of all that is good and he withholds nothing of benefit from those who love him. You have to know that God is bigger and stronger than all of the evil that is happening. He sent Jesus to die for you so that you will have a future with promise. He defeated death and made us more than conquerors in the battle of this world.
Remember always that the trials that assail you will one day end. God has a plan to dry your tears and give you life everlasting with more beauty than your mind can comprehend. The truth that sets you free and that gives you victory in every area of your life is the cross of Jesus Christ. Because he loves you with an everlasting love, he was willing to pay the price for your debt of sin. He doesn’t care how far you have strayed or how badly you have failed. He has a love that will cover it all.
My friends, if you are reading this message and don’t know Christ, I hope that you will seek him now and ask him to reveal himself to you. My prayers will be with you. I may not know who you are or what problems you have, but God knows your name and he knows how to rescue you. Your life matters to him. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Light. He is stronger than the enemy and his plan for you will never fail. That is the promise he died to give you!
28 comments
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April 1, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Kate
Marianne,
That was a post that was much needed. Our nation has gotten so bad, financially and morally. Satan is trying to destroy us by pulling people into drugs and alchohal and other bad stuff. I have watched the news lately and I find that many people are going to jail lately for watching pornography. I think that many people are so caught up in all this bad stuff, they dont even realize how bad it is. It’s like their minds are so used to all that stuff that it is very hard to pull themselves out of it. Those people really need our prayers! We need to pray that our country would change and be focused around our Lord and Savior instead of sexual immorality. It seems that everywhere I turn, I see something having to do with a sexual theme. Even the M&M commercials! GOD SAVE US!
Kate
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April 1, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Marianne Lordi
Sadly, you are so right, Kate. But in this darkness, we must shine as the light of Christ despite what is going on in the world. If God’s power is truly with us, we must walk in that power as we reach out to the lost.
Jesus will be coming back soon. Will he find us working for his kingdom?
Stay strong, Kate. You are young but God’s power is with you.
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April 2, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Anonymous
Amen!
Marianne and kate
Godbless
From gavin
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April 3, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Joe
Well said and much needed in these days Marianne. You’re so right – the days are growing short. God bless you !
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“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.” – Mark 13:32-33 (ESV)
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April 3, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Marianne Lordi
Thanks Joe for stopping by and commenting. If we only understood how short the days are, we would be on our knees right now.
Bless you.
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April 3, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Marianne Lordi
Hi Gavin,
So glad you stopped by. I am still praying for you. As you know, this message is one that you especially need to take to heart. God is with you. Your problems are big but your God is bigger!!
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April 7, 2009 at 7:10 pm
concernedx2
Thank you Marianne for this valuable post. I remember living through some very hard times as a youth, however, Jesus was always there for all of us. I’m not saying that his goodness was available for us; I mean ‘HE’ was there. No, not the person, but his Spirit was all about us; there to be seen in the neighbors that shared experiences with us. He could be seen in the government that ‘served’ us and in the schools that taught us. What a great gift you are to this society because as one born out of season, you demonstrate that character in this present generation. May your faith never cease and your prayers never fail. God bless and keep you!
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April 7, 2009 at 7:28 pm
Marianne Lordi
Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. I agree exactly with what you say. God’s Spirit was always there for us. Even today, he is with those who still search for him. Unfortunately, so many have banished God from their lives.
I appreciate your site and the truth you always write. God bless!
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April 11, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Joy
I am in a difficult season, but I know that the Lord has His angels watching over me and that He is fully aware of all our family is experiencing. Going from strength to strength.
Thanks for visiting my blogs and sharing such words of encouragement.
Blessed Easter,
Joy
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April 11, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Marianne Lordi
Bless you Joy. You know how to trust that God can take you through the difficult times. Glad you stopped by.
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April 13, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Larry Who
God bless you Marianne, you have a wonderful gift in being able to encourage people with your writing, with your prayers and in your comments.
I found myself reading everything. So, keep on writing.
And also, I see a spiritual promotion happening soon in your ministry, one that you have been praying about for years. With the promotion, many doors will open to you. This is happening because you have been faithful in the little things for years. God bless you.
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April 13, 2009 at 10:19 pm
Marianne Lordi
Thank you Larry for your encouragement! It means a lot to me and I appreciate your word. I believe that God is answering my prayers.
I put you on my blogroll because you absolutely are right on with the word of God. I love your messages and I know them to be truth. Bless you!!
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April 15, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Rachel
Hi Marianne,
I have been out of blog land for a bit. I had PRK eye surgery – now I am glasses and contacts free!! But it kept me from the computer for a week and a half. Then we had family in town. How have you been?? It looks like you’ve been busy too.
Rachel
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April 15, 2009 at 5:53 pm
Marianne Lordi
Hi Rachel, glad you are back and with better eyes too! I’m jealous and so tired of these contacts. Someday……………
I look forward to your messages as they always hit an area of trust that I need to deal with. I will be out of town for a few days this week. I pray that God will give me his thoughts to write when I come back.
How is your book coming? Take care.
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April 19, 2009 at 10:34 pm
brother malachi
Greetings Marianne, your words are both spot on and timely for the day in which we are living. God is faithful and will not allow is to be tempted above that we are able to stand, and through it, a way of escape.
You and I share the same convictions… that we shall find our selves in the Refiners fire and that for the purpose of purification. Let’s covet to pray for the body of Christ that He will under gird us as we stand upon His faithful word. He is a faithful God and is our salvation. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
malachi
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April 20, 2009 at 10:06 am
Marianne Lordi
Thanks for stopping by, Brother Malachi. I guess the message that God is giving me in this article is the truth that his plan for us will never fail despite our circumstances. I value your thoughts as I know God speaks his truth through you. Blessings.
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April 23, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Rachel
Marianne,
Thanks for your encouragment it is greatly appreciated! The book is coming along, I sent it to the editor this morning – so exciting to be moving onto the next stage! I look forward to reading your “insights”.
Rachel
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April 23, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Marianne Lordi
Rachel, I will be praying for you . Knowing that God has blessed you abundantly as you write his word, I just know he is going to use this tool in a very big way. Please let me know when the book comes out!
God is good. I thank you for your faithfulness in getting the message out!
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April 26, 2009 at 8:56 pm
encouragementofhope
God is amazing. That was an awesome blog. Praise the LORD! thank you for reminding me of those wonderful truths. have a great day!
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April 26, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Marianne Lordi
Thank you for your kind words and for visiting! God’s truth is always awesome. We just need to focus on him and not our problems. God bless you!
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March 30, 2010 at 8:45 pm
j.d. stegall
this is the hardest question of why God allows bad things to happen to good people. but when we really sit back and ponder that statement we know that none are really good but him, even our good works are filthy rags compared to him. it reminds me of job chapter 38 when the LORD shows up and schools job on how the universe runs and his power compared to this puny human. job was a good man, but he was an ant starring up at a mountain compared to the Ancient of Days
http://www.todaystruthwriter.com/2009/11/12/an-ant-starring-up-at-a-mountain-.html
i like the way you tie in the eternal aspects of God’s authority into this one, it gives hope and encouragement and is something that i along with your other subscribers need especially, like you said, in a world filled with sin and darkness. we must suffer as you put it, but it works out to our good in the end. thanks for the good word.
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March 30, 2010 at 10:09 pm
Marianne Lordi
Hi j.d., it is so hard for most of us to remember that in all things, God is sovereign. He is high and lifted up. He is over everything. And nothing that comes against us can ever destroy us as children of the living God! For us, all things are working for our good no matter how bad they may seem at the time. In the end, God’s plan for us will always prevail!
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January 29, 2013 at 11:09 pm
tim
Thank you Marianne for this great work. When I read this post again and again, I get such great relief and more confidence to push on with life happily in Christ.
Very nice post indeed. God bless you and your works
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January 30, 2013 at 12:44 am
Marianne Lordi
Hi Tim, I am so glad that you were blessed by this message. I actually printed it out today to give out to inmates in my bible study at the prison. Too many times we let the things of this world bring us down when actually they have no power to do so. We let our circumstance steal our joy when the power of God is working in each trial we face to bring us through it and made stronger for having endured it.
We need to focus on our God and know that he is in full authority over all that we face. Even the demons from hell know that our troubles can never take down those who belong to Christ. It is time that we know it too. God bless you, brother.
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March 19, 2015 at 1:10 pm
lindani assani
Marianne
I came across ur blog by sheer luck and i must admit that it is helping me alot. You write as if u know wat am going thru, as if u know my thoughts, doubts and struggle to believe. Thank you for this. May our Lord continue to reach out to His children thru your blog
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March 19, 2015 at 5:22 pm
Marianne Bernard
Hi Linda, I am so glad you stopped and I am blessed by your comment. I may not know you personally, my sister, but we all are going through struggles of every kind. The good news is that if we belong to Christ, he can and he will take us through them all and make us stronger for having endured them. The testing of our faith brings out the power of Christ to work in us to make us more like him. He never allows us to go through a trial for no purpose. There is a divine, deliberate, eternal reason for your pain so remember that it will not last forever but only for a time. Most of all, you are not alone. When you in a battle, it sometimes feels like you are alone. The truth is that God is never more close to you. His eyes NEVER leave you for a second. He is working it out. He will not fail you. And you cannot be destroyed by your struggle.
I am praying for you, Linda. I am here to talk to anytime you want to email me. The days are growing short as Christ gets ready to return. Don’t give up and don’t give in to the lies of the enemy. You have been made a winner and you cannot lose. It is a promise from Christ. God bless you.
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May 29, 2016 at 5:20 am
Chris
God is bigger than all our problems
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May 29, 2016 at 5:22 am
Chris
God is bigger than all our problems no matter how the devil tries to magnify them.
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