I Received Some Bad News Today...

Today I received some bad news, but I refuse to allow life's bad news to overshadow God's good news. As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ I've learned that we are not exempt from having rough days, but because we are in relationship with God we can still have hope that God's good intentions will ultimately manifest in our lives. In John 16:33 Jesus said, "​And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in me. For in this unbelieving world you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous, for I have conquered the world!” Did you see that? Everything that Christ taught is so that we can navigate and overcome those rough moments that will occur.

I wish that Christians were exempt from struggle, heartache and pain, but we're not. What we do have is hope. Hope gives us the drive to keep moving forward when circumstances reflect otherwise. Hope causes us to continually declare, "By the stripes on Jesus' body I am healed!" when you have just left the doctor's office and have been given bad news regarding your health with worsening symptoms Hope gives you a vision of a restored family after years of disunity and dysfunction. Hope is a powerful force in the life of the believer because it's gives birth to the manifestation of your faith (see Hebrews 11).
Today refuse to embrace discouragement. Decide to move forward and persevere regardless of the external circumstances that may seem more real to you right now than your faith in God. Look for someone else that you can impart hope into and watch God refresh you while you minister to the them. Breakthrough is right around the corner. Expect a miracle today. You have the opportunity to flourish in the midst of adversity.