The Great Challenge
By Pastor Jeff Arnold, Gainesville, FL
Life all by itself seems to be quite a challenge -- bills to pay, kids to raise, finding time to accomplish needful duties, seeking to mature in all areas of life and on and the list goes. Yet the great challenge to all of us is not health or wealth, nor social status, it is internal. Many have tried to truly conquer the world but the real issue is SELF. It is truly the TOUGHEST FRONTIER. Since we have been into self so long, any alterations we seek to do, any subtractions we try to make or any additions we must make, usually are met with FEROCITY and AGITATION.
We spend most of our lives seeking to get into a groove that we and others approve and then along come THE LORD with HIS WAYS and everything comes tumbling down around our shoulders. He delights in challenging all types of areas in our lives; and, of course, HE is always right and always LORD. His great love for us will not allow things in our lives to stay the same. He has a destiny for each of us and we would do well to bow the HEART to HIS DICTATES quickly. While we usually are vocal and active about various areas OUTSIDE that seek to hinder us, PLACES, PEOPLE AND THINGS, the great battle is still WITHIN the chambers of our hearts.
The Bible states that anyone who can conquer oneself is GREATER than one who is able to win a city. The FOE within is surely the one with which we must reckon and usually the last one to surrender if indeed he EVER does. We must deal with the WEAKNESS WITHIN OUR HEARTS and that surely is a full-time job. May god grant GRACE and HONESTY to accomplish it.
Ó 2005 J.W.
Arnold
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