The Battle Within

2 Corinthians 1:9,10

But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us

Our outlook on life too often depends on how we feel. If you listen to the constant barrage of media from the world, our culture glorifies feelings. This is not a surprise when you take into account that several hundred years ago, philosophers were determined to promote an abandonment of the standards that God requires because, as the Bible tells us, “people love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.”

That reference presupposes that God is the one who determines what deeds are good and evil. And yes, He tells us that we cannot rely on our feelings to tell us what He says is right because our hearts, what determines our thoughts and actions, are the source of sin and selfishness. So the prevailing philosophy today is that standards of right and wrong are determined by what each of us decides or by the trends in our culture. A politician can make recorded statements about a moral issue that they are committed to one year, and a few years later change to the opposite position because they want to appear willing to support whatever is popular.

When we reject God and His standards, then each of us becomes a god and no one can judge that our demands are not morally right. People today are struggling with what gender they want to identify with, what protest they want to join, what government policy they think is right, based on how they feel without considering the moral implications.

In yesterday's devotional, we highlighted the story of Joni Eareckson, the paraplegic who has lived a successful life by any standards. She said, “You can't allow your feelings to define reality. When you are down, you have to jerk your emotions up from the pit and fill your mind with God's Word.” She has endured immense pain and struggles after the accident that paralyzed her from the shoulders down when she was a teenager, but she refuses to give in to her emotions.

This is a life-long battle we all must face no matter how able bodied we are and it is for the dominance of our spiritual life over our emotional tendencies. She added, “God, in his sovereign care, may not rescue my body, or my finances, or my relationships, but he won't allow anything to harm my soul. God's Word is my soul anchor. So, the harder I hurt, the more I lean on Jesus.” She also offered an eternal perspective for those who deal with pain, no matter what the reason. “When you are suffering or hurting...look for someone to serve. Get up in the morning, take a shower and find someone who is suffering worse than you are. Get up and get serving. Find ways to serve others. Tell yourself, ‘I will get through this by your grace, Lord Jesus. I know that when I get to heaven it will all be worth it.’”

Joni is willing to accept what happened to her as an event allowed by God so that she would be fully relying on Him and that He is the one in whom she has put her hope. And you? Today is your opportunity to surrender to His plan for you.