Declare: “This is working for me”

“Our…affliction…is working for us.” 2 Corinthians 4:17 NKJV

In a survey, pollster George Barna reported that two out of three Americans refer to themselves as “casual Christians.” It’s an interesting term, but what does it mean? In essence it means uncommitted…hit-and-miss…when I feel like it. But here’s how Paul describes the Christian life: “We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” (v. 7 NKJV). Note the word treasure. Paul treasured what God had put within him; he protected it, rejoiced over it, and maximized it. Does that mean the Christian life will be easy or trouble free? No, Paul continued, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing…the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (vv. 16-18 NKJV). Notice that “our…affliction…is working for us.” God uses life’s experiences—good and bad—to enrich, sharpen, deepen, and stabilize you. And here’s another important truth: what you believe and speak during difficult times determines the quality of your spiritual life and your future. “Since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed and therefore I spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak” (v. 13 NKJV). So instead of seeing your situation as working against you, stand up in faith today and declare, “This is working for me!”

Bible in a year: Lamentations 3-5 and Hebrews 4