This Is Too Hard

[hldude]

YouTube Channel Video Devo

“This Is Too Hard”
Matthew 26:39 NLT
He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

I don’t know how many times I’ve used the phrase, “This is too hard” through my life. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve found myself either thinking this or saying it to someone because of a challenging situation I was in. I’m sure many of us have said this multiple times as we’ve found ourselves in unwanted, uncomfortable and challenging times.

Who really wants to wake up each day and look forward to challenging times that make life hard? No one! I think it’s so important for all of us to take time to focus on this moment in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus is so close to His death and He is honestly pleading with His Father to possibly get Him out of the situation. This is one of the most human situations in all of Scripture. Jesus knows what He has to do, but He wrestles with this and agonizes over it.

Friends, when we go through hard situations, Jesus knows how it feels. No matter what pain or agony you are feeling, He is right there with you. As I pondered this Scripture and scene today, it just made me think of all the times we have all said, “This is too hard” as we experience challenging situations. There are times we just don’t want to be in and don’t want to deal with. We’d rather walk away and not deal with the situation in front of us. We plead with God to remove the hard times so that we don’t have to suffer anymore.

As much as we want to avoid pain, sometimes God needs to use the painful situations to help us grow. Whatever painful situation you might be experiencing right now in our life, have a real heart to heart conversation with God and tell Him everything you are feeling. He’s not surprised that you might be pleading with Him. He wants to hear your agony and your pain and for you to be real with Him. It doesn’t mean He’s going to take the pain away, but it will bring you much closer to Him.

There are many situations in life I wish that I could just steer clear from, but I know that God challenges me and wants me to grow through these to become stronger. I also know He will be with me through all of it. I’ve been dealing with a lot of stress and anxiety through the past months in various ways and learning about myself in ways I never considered before. I know that God is teaching me to deal with what I’m experiencing and He is showing me nothing is too hard to get through with Him.

Every time I think something is too hard for me, I just need to remember what Jesus experienced and I know that I’m not alone. Whatever your painful time is, know God is with you also.

 

[for_his_glory]

Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

What many are missing is the word "shall" in Matthew 24:13 as it's expressed as a future tense that indicates a promise.

For by grace, as it's only Gods favor extended to all who will receive it by faith, is a free gift as we become His workmanship created in Christ unto good works that God ordained that we should continue walking in the good works of Christ, Ephesians 2:8; Matthew 25:31-40. We can not earn our salvation by our own works nor do we even deserve Gods grace, Genesis 6:6-8. Only by a mustard seed of faith do we come to Christ and repent of our sins are we then only washed clean by the blood of Christ and become Spiritually reborn again (not saved) through the Spiritual rebirth of John 3:3-6 by that of Romans 10:9,10.

Matthew 24:13 says that those who endure until the end shall be saved. This means enduring all the trials and tribulations that this world will bring against us for the sake of our witness and testimony of Christ, Acts 14:22, Rev 2:10. The end means the end of our days here on this present earth when those in the grave and we who are still alive at His coming will then be caught up to Christ and are saved at that time as we have endured all things and never gave up our faith in Christ.

God's word never said we would not go through trials or tribulations, but through many trials and tribulations if we endure until the end then we will see the Kingdom of God, Acts 14:22, as we are all called into discipleship as we share our witness and testimony with those who have not yet repented and turned back to God. Below are twenty reasons why God allows us to go through trials and tribulations so that we will always remain in His will.


Why God allows us to go through trials and tribulations:
1. Training as God prepares us for the future
2. Patience as we rely and trust in God's timing
3. Perseverance through trials that we remain in Gods will
4. Trust as God's ways are not our ways and He has a better plan for us
5. To learn from our mistakes
6. To humble ourselves before Him
7. To discipline us
8. Teach us to be dependent on Him alone
9. To spend quiet time with God so He can speak to us
10. To teach us of His protection
11. That we also share in the sufferings of Christ that we be not ashamed
12. Strengthen us to become more like Christ
13. To develop character
14. Build up our faith in the Lord
15. For a testimony and witness to help others
16. To show us sin in our lives that we need to own up to having
17. To remind us that God is in control
18. Helps us gain knowledge and understanding God's word
19. Teaches us to be thankful
20. To take our mind off the things of the world and put them back on God

Satan's attacks are very real that can cause us to be sick, depressed and our anxiety levels can go through the roof. Satan will also put thoughts of suicide in our heads as he has done to me in the past. But, if we are seeking and growing our relationship with Christ we then learn to put on the whole armour of God as we stand against his devises, Ephesians 6:10-20.