We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 2 Corinthians 4:8-10

As time unfolds and we usher in the next great outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we are challenged by the enemy to give up. Daily we are challenged with threats, symptoms, anguish, emotional sorrow and pain. We understand that the devil is a relentless adversary and we also understand that in order to counter his relentlessness, our trust in God must become deeper. Not long ago, the Lord showed me myself as a little boy swimming in a pool alone and fighting with all my might to come up above the water to breath. When I saw that, I questioned and thought to myself,” why did I just see that?” In an instant the Lord spoke to me and said, “Michael, that is what you are doing constantly in your battles in life. You are striving and fighting to stay above water and enduring the attacks on your life.” I responded and said, “well Lord, isn’t that what I’m supposed to be doing, fighting?” He replied,” yes, except the primary tool of your warring is not being engaged with your strength or emotions, but rather being engaged by using your trust in Me.”

You see sometimes in certain battles we may need to go under water for just a bit and trust God instead of using up all our emotions with worry and then losing our physical strength. Trusting God is not easy, not because God isn’t trustworthy but because trusting requires us to come to the end of us and that is never comfortable. The end of you and me means being ever more closer to God. We do need to engage in war against the enemy and his plans, but engaging in war requires total reliance and trust in the Captain of the Hosts, Jesus. Paul says it perfectly in 2 Corinthians 4:8-10,

⁸ We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

⁹ Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

¹⁰ Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

You may feel troubled, perplexed, persecuted and cast down but you must also know that you are not distressed, in despair, forsaken and destroyed. If you do feel that you are, then it is the emotions that are lying to you which are being puppeteered by Satan. Trust in God requires a certain blind eye to our issues and problems. It requires us to look unto Jesus while everything we are feeling tells us the opposite. God knows that trust is not a fond human trait well mastered, but He offers you and I help doing this through His Holy Spirit.

I leave you with this well known scripture,  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.