Romans In My Own Words - excerpt. Chapter 8:28-39
But get this, not only are our sufferings nothing in light of what good things we will experience in the newly created World. No. Also, and maybe even cooler, is the fact that while we are here experiencing all of these difficult times, we have the assurance that God is working in our lives bringing beauty out of chaos, life out of death, order out of confusion. Somehow He manages to use every situation, good or bad, for the good of those who love Him and are devoted to being like Him. This includes those things that happen to us as a result of our mistakes and those that come to our lives simply because we are in a World of sin. Even the most terrible experiences become tools in His skillful hands to shape His sculpture in our lives. So that puts sufferings in a very different light, doesn’t it? Never forget that God has a much bigger plan than you or I. He sees the end from the beginning and has already prepared the way ahead of us. His purpose will in the end come to fruition and there is nothing that can change that. He is a very orderly and meticulous Leader, nothing escapes His eyesight. He measures all possibilities, all what ifs, all probabilities, all motives and all actions. He has set out to call us out of the World, ordaining our steps before we get to them, knowing ahead of time what we are going to do, preparing all that is necessary for our salvation before we even exist, providing His own righteousness to change our guilty verdict, making us innocent through His merits, taking our punishment, changing us into His glorious image, and finally giving us immortality and His endless life of love. In His mind, all of this has already happened because He’s already there. It’s all history to Him whose purposes cannot be thwarted, whose sovereignty is now unquestionable, and whose kingdom has neither beginning nor end.
So what? you might say. This I say: If God is on our side, who cares what pains and sufferings we must go through! Who cares who our enemies are! He who did not even hold back His own Son but allowed evil to abuse Him and kill Him to secure our salvation will not hold back anything from us. What else can He do that He hasn’t done? What else can He give that He hasn’t given?
So… who did you say was trying to bring us down through trials and sufferings? Who did you say was trying to accuse us against God? Where is he at now? Huh? What are you gonna say now you old accusing snake? The One and Only Anointed One, Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, the second person of the Deity, He Who is all surpassing light, Who has no beginning and no end, He is the One who died and rose again, overcoming evil and death, and Who, after crushing the head of the evil one with an eternal and irreversible fatal wound, went back up to His righteous throne. And it is He who intercedes on our behalf in the celestial courts where our destiny is being decided as we speak. Jesus Himself will make sure that we are declared innocent in the judgment of all souls, where every word and thought will be weighed against the lovely character and written manifestations of His will. His perfection will be granted to us, indeed, it already has, if we stay connected to Him.
And who did you say was trying to break our connection with God? Who is speaking now, huh? Who is it that has the last word? Who is it that stands at the end of the conflict? Who is it that has won? Where are you at, you fallen shining one? How will your darkness and perversion save you now? How will the father of lies separate us from the unstoppable power of God’s perfect love? Will all the junk that he throws at us be able to break the signal of God’s connection with us? Will the sorrows and troubles, unexplainable tragedies and accidents, loss and death, aging and helplessness, persecution and starvation, risk of being ridiculed and discriminated because of His Name (just like the holy messages say that we are constantly put down by this World because of His Name, like forsaken animals in forgotten shelters, facing sure death as outcasts); will all of these things be able to bring separation between us and God? Will the prince of darkness make his evil agents victorious over us defenseless humans? Ha ha, no way, man, no way. I assure you, as I have done before, that through all of these tough things that we experience in this life, we will win. We will come out of this. We will overcome. In fact, we are more than just defeating evil through Jesus Christ. We are not just winning. We are creaming the powers of darkness. They stand already lost. It’s like we are in an American football game and our score is insurmountable. There is only 1 minute left and we have the ball. It’s over. It’s only a matter of time. I am telling you, we already won. It’s done. They might as well give us the trophy now. The fans of evil might as well leave the stadium before the game is over or they will find themselves surrounded by a glory they can’t stand. Those who are on the side of God might as well sing the song of triumph. Bring the trophies! Let the celebration begin! We are the champions and much more than just champions because of what Jesus has done for us. Jump with exultation, bust out in jubilation! We, through our Lord Jesus, the King of Light, have already tasted freedom and victory; don’t walk like slaves, don’t act like prisoners. You are conquerors, you are victorious, you are champions. Today, in the Name of Jesus, you have already tasted the triumph of a million years.
Because I know without a doubt, that neither life nor death, neither highs or lows, neither angels nor demons, neither powers nor pressures, neither governments nor gangs, neither the present, nor the past, nor the future, neither the devil himself nor whatever weapons he uses, neither temptations nor failures, neither tragedies nor trials, neither pride nor thoughtless traditions, neither religious self-righteousness nor licentious living, absolutely nothing that is real or imagined, nothing whatsoever, will ever be able to break the connection, the powerful bond, the eternal unlimited link that God Himself in love has created through His Son Jesus Christ. Praise Him, all of you who had been dead and are now alive for ever more! Worship Him, who has made victory a reality of His love! Oh, how can you stay still, you human, clap your hands! shout God’s Name! dance in holy jubilation! and bow down in fervent silence next to His sacred scarred feet.