Life can be difficult. Being a Christian in a non-chrisitan world poses all kinds of problems. The world does not know Jesus. The world does not love Him. The world does not understand why He came. You, on the other hand, do know Jesus. You do love Him. And, you do understand why He came. He came to save you from your sins and to give you new life. He came to bring you peace and joy in the Spirit. He came so you might have fellowship with God.

These things you already know. And you also know that though you are saved from sin and filled with the Spirit of God, life in this world still is not perfect. It is still difficult.

The Christian is, in a sense, in a battle with the world. And the world is at war with the Christian -- with you. The world offers vices, self-fulfillment, and greed. The world wants to convert you to its paganism, to its ungodly devotion to the unholy. And if you don't conform, if you don't bend the knee to its idols and sacrifices, you will be ridiculed, mocked, and attacked.

So the world is against you. The evil one is at war with you. And in the battle there are all sorts of struggles. On the inside, you struggle against sin: pride, lust, greed, boasting, and various wantings. On the outside, you struggle against illness, poverty, marriage problems, job difficulties, an unsure future, and more. Maybe right now you are facing a serious struggle. Or maybe you've recently had to deal with a difficult situation. Maybe you fear that one is coming.

As a Christian, what do you do when life is coming down on you hard, when there seems to be no way out, when your relationship with God is being affected? When you are worried or afraid? When you are in distress?

What do you do when you are facing such monumental obstacles? How do your resist temptation, flee from evil, or believe beyond your ability to understand how your problems can be solved?

The answer lies in the Word of God.

( www.carm.org - 2 Chronicles 20)