Hard-Pressed

Hard-Pressed

2 Corinthians 4: 8-9

8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—

   Reading other translations of this passage, I found in The Message – “We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken.”

   When the sailors of the sailing ship days faced bad storms, they would call out to encourage one another.  They would say, “Hold fast.”  When the waves smashed against the side of the ship and washed over the decks and the winds howled around them and lightning cracked overhead and it seemed like everything was against them, they would encourage each other with, “hold fast.” 

   Paul calls to us in our storms with a similar cry.  In Ephesians 6:14a says, “Stand therefore.”  He writes to us to be prepared for opposition from the devil.  He tells us to put on spiritual armor and describes what and how to put it on.  Then he says that when you’ve done what you can do to stand up to the devil to stand therefore. 

   You’ve gotten ready for a fight and now is the time to be prepared for that fight.  You’ve gone through all that you needed to do to be ready to fight so expect the fight to come.  The enemy does not want to see us marching into battle and will try to hit us before we can do damage to his kingdom.  And if you’ve already begun working to tell the Gospel then the enemy will move against you.  This is a surety.  You’re actively working against him so he will strike back.  So when you’re done everything to stand, stand therefore.

   But take heart; even though our enemy walks around like a roaring lion seeking who he can devour, we are in the army of the Lion of the tribe of Judah.  The enemy will show his teeth and he will try to frighten you with his fierce roar.  You will think you’re about to be attacked by a wild lion.  But he only has the power over you that you allow him to have.  You are not a helpless victim waiting to be consumed by this wild beast.  You are marching side-by-side with the real Lion and as long as you stay by His side you are safe.  This does not mean the devil won’t throw a swipe at you with his claws, it means you can withstand his attacks as long as you remember who you are in Christ and pray and stay with Him.  In other words:  now that you’ve done all to stand, stand therefore.

   Look at this passage from 2 Corinthians again.  We have the promise of “but not” from God.  No matter how strong the attack that we face, God says, “but not.”  “But not crushed, but not in despair, but not forsaken, but not destroyed.”  God never promises “but not attacked, but not tried, but not tested,” He says we will come through these things.  No matter what we face, not matter how difficult the storms of life, it will not last forever:  we will be preserved by God’s grace.  We are not destined to be defeated, we are destined to win in Christ.

Stephen Cram                                               January 26, 2014                    

Daniel 1:8

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture is from the New King James Version of the Bible.