Prepared for Difficulty - Thursday December 11, 2014
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you. 1 Peter 4:12
The island of Galveston, Texas was totally caught off guard in 1900 when it was destroyed by a hurricane. People there had a false sense of security, had decided not to spend the money to build a sea wall, and had cut down sand dunes (natural barriers) to level low areas for building. The storm was not predicted to develop into the deadly hurricane that it became, killing almost 1,800 people. We should learn from this tragedy not to be lulled to sleep but to fight the good fight of faith during trials.Life in the United States can give us a false sense of security. There is also a part of us that desperately wants life to be easy, everyone to be kind, and the sun to always shine. We know the harsh reality is that everyone's life will include pain, suffering, setbacks, and the unexplained. The challenge for us is to be realistic and still maintain a faith in God to do miracles-to supernaturally make things better.Many of us become bitter and cynical along the way and allow life to beat us up. Instead, like Peter, we must be prepared for the fiery ordeals by acting on these truths: God sends trials for our growth; we are precious to God (1 Peter 1:6-7). Our adversary wants us to blame God for hardships (1 Peter 5:8-9). We are empowered by rejoicing and trusting God (1 Peter 4:13, 19). We are to pray for, love, and support others who are suffering (1 Peter 4:7-9). We are to read God's word daily to prepare for trials (1 Peter 2:2).Brethren, do not be surprised! Prepare for difficulty.
Submitted by:
Stephen Scott Nelson
Atlanta House Church
Atlanta, Georgia
One-Year Reading Plan:
Amos 4:1-6:14
Revelation 2:18-3:6
Psalms 130:1-8
Proverbs 29:21-22
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SCRIPTURE REFERENCB-ES: Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible B) The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are from the Holy, Bible, New International Version, copyright B) 1973, 1978, 1984 by InternaB-tional Bible Society; (NKJV) are from New King James Version B) 1982 by Thomas Nelson; (NLT) are from the New Living Translation, B) 1996, Tyndale House Publishers; (ESV) are from English Standard VersionB., B) 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers; (TM) are from The Message B) 1993 by NavPress Publishers.