Before I start let me share a story with you. One that you may be familiar with. There was a man once who had moments that he felt like he couldn’t handle; he felt so unnecessary and a complete failure. He wanted to give up the good fight of faith. But what he failed to realize in his self-pity and defeatist attitude is that, when you are down to nothing, God is up to something. You see, this man walked difficult roads in his life but was eventually able to overcome it all by turning a new lease into a better mortgage! Despite the feelings of despair this man had he was favored by his parents…much to the resentment of his brothers. They didn’t like the fact that their brother was getting all of the love and attention from the rest of the family, especially from the father. So they plotted and planned to take away any and all of what was given to him. This story goes on to tell how Joseph felt defeated, but eventually won all of the battles by trusting in God. Biblically, the story of Joseph is very compelling. God intended him to become the ruler next to Pharaoh, but he went through situations he never imagined—sold into slavery in a foreign land out of his comfort zone, wrongly imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, accused of acts that wasn’t part of his makeup.  Here’s hoping that none of you are at the point now of giving up. Since I’m on the story of Joseph, this is not so much about his fall from the good life, but for how God allowed it to give insight to what can be reaped if the sowing is in place for a magnificent harvest. When seeds are sown they eventually grow where they must be nurtured with proper care. Joseph came from a good seed, but the field became fallow—but for a purpose. Trouble doesn't last always when prayer has the ability to change things. This message is tailor-made for you simply because at some point there has been doubt through all of your pain and infirmities that there’s no end in sight, but the God you serve says differently. 

The Battle Inside of You—You have lived, or is living a full life; you’ve gone through all kinds of trials, tribulations, and have had quite a few triumphs; you’ve met many people in your lives, people who have been there for a season, reason or a lifetime…some are still perhaps on the periphery of your mind, and many of them have even left. You’ve seen quite a few good things, and of course there have been the things that have left a bad taste in your mouths. All of these things are the symptoms and circumstances that causes an all out assault for control of your emotions. If I put them in the context of this essay it would be akin to waging battles that are still simmering within you. Nobody knows what is deep in the bowels of your soul…things that you are dealing with that are heavy on your mind but there seem to be no resolve. Those little nags don’t leave you. They are there daily to remind you there’s plenty to do if you want to win the war. In Ephesians 2:10 the scripture reads, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  There’s nothing better in this world than for Divine illumination to guide us to steps to Christ, no matter where you are in your living experience. God will put you on display with a special gift He’s given you so that He may receive all the glory. It all begins inside of you. Everybody wants light, but the right type of light is not given to all. It’s about being in place to receive it. God’s flashlight reveals vision and purpose. My wife, the last time we were in deep conversation talked about how a vision is the embodiment of hopes and dreams in a particular area; she mentioned the total picture of what has not yet happened perhaps in the both of our lives that may be destined for fruition. Purpose consists of the central motivating aims of our lives—the reasons we get up in the morning, the reason why we have lived so long, and ultimately the reason why all of us are here. That inner Purpose can guide life decisions, influence behavior, shape goals, offer a sense of direction, and create meaning. There will be no battle inside any of us if the elements of discord are silenced and the belief that destiny will be for victory in winning the war.

The Battle Around You: It’s inevitable to live a full life and get to a point where age limits your mobility. That’s human nature—it’s a natural process where the Lord purposely allows you to diminish to a point where you have no choice but look up to Him. But through it all, it always gets to points of contention relative to the things around you. Know that it is not your fault that you are in predicaments that may be beyond your control. That battle inside of you is also raging because you feel that you are powerless to get an upper hand on the people around you who may not know the God you endeavor to serve; they do not realize the resolve you have knowing that there IS an Upper Hand you serve. Know that if consternation is ongoing it is only temporary with a permanent goal in your new illuminated state. You will focus on Jesus and not the circumstances around you…you will minimize the pain and maximize the reward. You wake up every morning because He has delayed yet another day for New Jerusalem to be in your vision, to overcome times when you feel like giving up. Yes, looking beyond the short term as you think about what is in store for you when you don't give up. If this sounds like me giving you hope, it is, but it’s much more than that. You want circumstances around you being significant and satisfying. You cannot control what goes on around you, you’re not always in a position of control when you feel something is wrong, or when you want something to go more to your liking. Those are the types of things that God sees as battles He can win on your behalf. All you need to do is bow your heads, and thank Him for the opportunity to work on your behalf. 

The Battle Against You: This last battle has a lot to do with your greatest enemy—Satan. He wants to have the last word on where you end up. He wants you in his kingdom, no matter how old (or young) you are. He wants your soul. And to possess it he wants you to continue feeling that you should be giving in. Ultimately, he wants nothing more than for those inside battles, and all other battles around you so that you can lose the war that God said you will win. Now let me remind you how he does it. He tries to make you feel that you can’t sleep at night. He gives you all the reasons to believe that no one cares about you. He places in the spirits of those working here that they can’t wait to get home. These are just a few of the things that COULD be happening that Satan uses to perpetuate how slick, sly, and wicked he is. You must realize that living faithfully will not spare you from pain. God to a certain degree invites pain in your life just to see how faithful you are. He wants you to look to Him for your healing balm, for you to give HIM the glory for keeping you out of the clutch of Satan. There’s a race to the finish line…God has given you the baton and He expects you to gain strength as you run to glory. Grace is given to those who are obedient to the will of God. As we continue to tell you, God’s promises to all of you will be fulfilled in eternity, and that the people who have died and gone before you cannot receive the ultimate prize at the end of the race until YOU finish the race. In Hebrews 12:1-4 God talks mainly through Paul, Luke, and Silas when He admonishes: When you are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, you should throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily is entangled around you, where you should be running with perseverance the race marked out for you. Fix your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith who for the joy, set before Him endurance on the cross shameless, eventually sitting on the right side of  the throne of His Father. Consider Him if you would, who ignored the opposition against Him, so that you would not grow weary and lose heart striving for that finish line!

      In closing, the Christian life involves a sense of purpose for perseverance and privileges. It’s hard work, and it takes faith and obedience. It requires us to give up whatever endangers our relationship with God, to run patiently but with a renewed resolve to triumph no matter who is against us. To live, even where you are now mentally and physically you must keep your mind on Jesus, lest you stumble before crossing the finish line. We should be running for Christ and not ourselves, keeping Him in sight. It’s not whether you win or lose—it’s how you run the race. I bid you all the success through the words He has given me to say, ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS!