Category Archives: Trouble

Bible, Persecution, Romans, Scripture, Separation, Tribulations, Trouble

NO SEPARATION

ROMANS 8:35

“Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or trouble, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?”

Whenever I travel, I am physically separated from my wife and family. In days past, that meant a daily phone call from a motel room or complete silence. I remember my first trip after I got married was to Liberia. I left my wife who was seven and a half months pregnant for about 3 weeks. And her doctor was with me. Talk about crazy. But I was young and stupid, lol. On that trip there was a phone call when I arrived in Monrovia and one when I returned to Monrovia to fly home. The rest of the time, we were completely separated.

As followers of Christ, that will never happen with Him. Paul begins a five verse dialogue about this topic of separation in today’s verse. Notice how he starts. He says, “Who will separate us,” not “what can separate us.” Matthew Poole references this in his commentary. “he does not say what, but who; though he instanceth in things, and not in persons, yet it is expressed personally, because that these things do commonly do us hurt in the improvement of persons, whether of Satan or wicked men, who are instrumental thereunto.” All the things Paul’s mentions are brought on my individuals.

APPLICATION

The Greek word for “separate” here in today’s verse and also in verse 39 is chorizo. It’s translated as “leave” or “left” over half the times it used in the New Testament. But in Matthew 19:6 and Mark 10:9 where Jesus is talking about the bonds of marriage, it is translated as “separate.” That separation could only be caused by someone else.

So, Paul is saying in today’s verse that all these things – tribulation, or trouble, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword – are powered by others. Don’t forget that Paul knew how it felt to be separated from others. He was thrown into jail, put under house arrest, and struck blind on the Damascus road. He had felt the anguish of separation from others. But he is reassured that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.

That love transcends time and place. Christ loves us wherever we are. I have read of the many followers who have faced intense persecution and torture for their faith. They tell of an unending reassurance of Christ’s love, even in the darkest cells or prisons. Christ is aware of every breath we take. His love will never leave us or forsake us. His love is secure.

O God, I thank You for the power of Your love in my life and the reassurance You will never leave me.

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Bible, Devil, Forgiveness, Humility, Scripture, Sin, Trials, Trouble, Warnings

YOU’VE BEEN WARNED

ZECHARIAH 12:9

“And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”

We receive all kinds of warnings in this life. Our automobiles have warning lights and sounds. We see lights flashing from emergency vehicles that give us warning. You may live in a region where you have tornado sirens to warn you of an impending storm. If we are wise, we will heed those warnings and take appropriate action.

The nations have been warned. Do not come against Jerusalem. Do not attack God’s chosen people. I believe this warning is still in place. Israel is still precious to our God. He still longs to see His people redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. So, He is still protecting her to the end. We may not live to see the miraculous protection of Israel from her enemies, but I believe God is faithful to His words spoken right here in verse 9.

APPLICATION

Here are six warnings Scripture gives us which we need to pay attention to.

  1. Sin – Jesus said in John 8:34, “Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.’” We are to avoid sin at all costs, not just excuse it.
  2. The devil – Too often we don’t take the devil seriously. We “don’t go in for all that super spiritual stuff.” Well, he’s real and has you in his crosshairs. Remember he even tempted Jesus in the wilderness.
  3. Stuff – Matthew 6:19 Jesus tells us, “‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.’”
  4. False teaching – We are warned over and over about this in the Scriptures. 2 Peter 1:19 warns us “And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”
  5. Judging others wrongly – In Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus tells us not to judge someone else when we are guilty of the same or worse sin.
  6. The lack of humility – Oh, this is a big one for most of us. But the Bible is plain on this. Both James (James 4:6) and Peter (1 Peter 5:5) tell us that God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble.

Father, help me heed these warnings today. I want to walk in a manner worthy of You.

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Affliction, Battles, Bible, Courage, Destruction, Encouragement, God's Will, Harvest, Judgment, Modeling, Persecution, Scripture, Trouble

LOTS OF BUGS

JOEL 1:4

“What the gnawing locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; and what the swarming locust has left, the creeping locust has eaten; and what the creeping locust has left, the stripping locust has eaten.”

I was hunting a couple of years ago during the very beginning of the deer season. It was still a little warm outside, so the mosquitos were still around. I got into my blind and got situated. I had applied repellent on my body. I even had a Therma cell unit working which is supposed to get rid of them. But that day nothing scared off those little pests. I eventually had to leave because of them.

Locusts aren’t mosquitos, but they are just as relenting. Joel recalls a severe locust infestation. Four different kinds are mentioned – gnawing, swarming, creeping and stripping. In other words, they left nothing. This would have been devastating for the economy which centered around the wheat and barley harvest. They couldn’t run out to the local supermarket and buy groceries.

APPLICATION

We face seasons like this in our lives. It may not be locusts, but jobs losses or medical issues can wipe us out. It’s strange to me that people who trust God with their eternity can’t trust Him with their paychecks. I used to be one of them. I fretted about everything. I usually didn’t tell anyone. I kept it all inside which is not good.

Are you fretting over something right now? Let God have it. He is big enough to handle anything you are facing. It’s been said that anything over our heads is under His feet. I like that. God stands above and beyond any trouble we encounter. Will you trust Him with your crops today?

Locusts don’t scare me because I don’t live in an area where they are an issue. I have to battle taking back from the Lord what I have laid at His feet. Will you pray with me today that we won’t do that? Once He has it, let Him have it. There is too much work to do for the kingdom to let locusts bother us.

Thank You, Father, for delivering me from the fear and dread of locusts in my life. Help me persevere through any troubles that may come my way.

LOTS OF BUGS

JOEL 1:4

“What the gnawing locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; and what the swarming locust has left, the creeping locust has eaten; and what the creeping locust has left, the stripping locust has eaten.”

I was hunting a couple of years ago during the very beginning of the deer season. It was still a little warm outside, so the mosquitos were still around. I got into my blind and got situated. I had applied repellent on my body. I even had a Therma cell unit working which is supposed to get rid of them. But that day nothing scared off those little pests. I eventually had to leave because of them.

Locusts aren’t mosquitos, but they are just as relenting. Joel recalls a severe locust infestation. Four different kinds are mentioned – gnawing, swarming, creeping and stripping. In other words, they left nothing. This would have been devastating for the economy which centered around the wheat and barley harvest. They couldn’t run out to the local supermarket and buy groceries.

APPLICATION

We face seasons like this in our lives. It may not be locusts, but jobs losses or medical issues can wipe us out. It’s strange to me that people who trust God with their eternity can’t trust Him with their paychecks. I used to be one of them. I fretted about everything. I usually didn’t tell anyone. I kept it all inside which is not good.

Are you fretting over something right now? Let God have it. He is big enough to handle anything you are facing. It’s been said that anything over our heads is under His feet. I like that. God stands above and beyond any trouble we encounter. Will you trust Him with your crops today?

Locusts don’t scare me because I don’t live in an area where they are an issue. I have to battle taking back from the Lord what I have laid at His feet. Will you pray with me today that we won’t do that? Once He has it, let Him have it. There is too much work to do for the kingdom to let locusts bother us.

Thank You, Father, for delivering me from the fear and dread of locusts in my life. Help me persevere through any troubles that may come my way.

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Abiding, Advocate, Affection, Bible, Comfort, Compassion, Direction, Encouragement, Following, Hope, Protection, Scripture, Trouble

DOOR OF HOPE

HOSEA 2:15

“Then I will give her her vineyards from there, and the Valley of Achor as a door of hope. And she will respond there as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she went up from the land of Egypt.”

From September 2019 through around April 2020, I went through a pretty grueling physical test. I have a rare blood disease called Amyloidosis. The treatment of this disease required me to go through my second stem cell transplant, this time with six months of chemotherapy beforehand. It was hard. I kept my hope in the fact that I had been down this path before in 2010 and knew the treatment could work.

The Israelites had seen God work in the past. They knew what God had done bringing them out of Egypt. They knew their hope was not a false hope. One scholar defines the Hebrew word for hope as “patient, enduring longing.” I kind of like that. I can relate. That’s exactly what I had last year – patient, enduring longing.

APPLICATION

What are you longing for right now? On what are you basing your hope? If you are hoping in anything by God, you are bound to be disappointed. There is no sure thing out there, except Him. Everything and everyone else will let you down. I don’t care how much someone may love you, they can’t give you the hope God can through His Son, Jesus Christ.

I love the expression we have today in the verse that says “the valley of Achor. This valley was on the border of Judah. Achor actually means trouble or disturbance. God brings us through our valleys of trouble into hope. But we have to pass through it first. We can’t forget that if He leads us into a valley of trouble, He will lead us out. We just have to stay with Him.

I just got this picture in my head of an old western where the good guys have to ride through a desert canyon that is probably being watched by the bad guys. There is only one way through. They know trouble is ahead, but they have to ride anyway. Listen, God sent us Jesus to see us through those times. Stay close to Him. He will lead you to the door of hope.

I am so thankful that I know my hope lies in You. There is no one else I would yield my trust to.

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