The Bible clearly states in Galatians chapter 6 verse 7 to 8, Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, But he who sows to the spirit will of the spirit reap everlasting life. People who choose to make their own rules in order to do what is convenient, easy, or just because it feels good are choosing to deny the truth of God. They have decided to either make excuses for sin, or they have just determined to tolerate it. Either way, there is a consequence for not accepting the truth for what it is, the actual and eternal Word of God. Unfortunately for believers, the idea that people will call good evil and evil good means that those who have decided to live godly in an ungodly world will be destined to spiritual warfare. As Christians standing for what is right and good, we are a target for attack, not from people but because we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. This is why, as followers of Jesus Christ, we must put on the full armor of God and always be prepared for battle against the forces of evil. We must know the truth and live it out every day. We must guard the righteous nature of our hearts. We must stand firm in our faith, and we must shield ourselves against the fiery darts of the enemy who seeks to kill, to steal, and to destroy anyone who loves and lives for Jesus Christ. The world has been led astray by the deceitfulness of the enemy of our souls. He has persuaded people to do whatever makes them feel good and to get everything that might help in that process. Give me money, give me power, give me material things, give me lovers, give me drugs, give me everything that I want and never make me do anything to have to earn what I have, such as the preferred way of living for so many. In fact, this way of living is so enticing that if it were possible, even the very elect of God would be deceived by the idea that I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, and however I want. Just like in the book of Judges, when everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes because there was no king in the land. However, for us as Christians, what makes us so different from those caught up in the deceitfulness of the world is that we have Jesus Christ, and our king loved us so much that he actually died for us on a wooden cross. He was buried, and after three days he rose again to live again for all eternity, and we understand the truth and what is really good. So here's the thing. If we can just believe and have faith in God's Word, if we confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and live for Him with all our heart, He will help us to never be fooled by the deceitfulness of anyone or anything again simply because we are a part of the family of God, and God always protects His children just because they are His. No Christian goes through this life without feeling weak in their faith at times, but we all can take comfort in knowing that our God is Emmanuel. He is with us in every season, whether it's good or bad. And the thing about faith through different seasons is that you'll hear people talk about faith when things are good. I knew things would turn around if I just had faith. You'll hear people recommend faith when they're not sure what to say. I'm sorry you're going through a rough time. Just have faith. And when others seem unfazed by life's obstacles, they might tell you it's because they have faith. But what does that mean? Hebrews 11 verse 1 defines faith as the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11 verse 6 says, And without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God, must believe that He exists, and that He rewards those who seek Him. Faith causes us to act on what we haven't experienced yet. It causes us to believe promises in the Bible that haven't been fulfilled yet. And faith causes us to trust God when our situations haven't changed yet. Consider this Bible scenario. Take David in the story of how he killed Goliath. At the time, David was a shepherd boy, not a warrior. But when he saw Goliath mocking God's people, David approached the king and asked to go down and fight. Just picture the babysitter next door or the kid who delivers your papers telling the president, let me handle this one. David's ability not to be shaken by Goliath's sighs resulted from David's faith in God. David tells the king in 1 Samuel 17 verse 37, The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion, and from the paw of the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go, and the Lord be with you. David had faith that God would defeat the giant and deliver his people. What an amazing picture of what our lives can be when we have faith in God. When we are right with God, we never go into turmoil alone. We have the creator of the universe on our side. But saints, let me ask you this. Have you ever met someone who seems unshakable? The coworker who takes a deep breath when the computer crashes instead of slamming her head on the desk. The mom who manages to keep her calm as her kid's last minute requests pile up. Faith in God is what allows us to experience stability in the middle of instability. When life feels out of control, we take comfort in knowing that God is in control. Faith can do a lot of things in your life if you let it. It will help you to grow up and wholly lean on, rely on, and trust in Jesus Christ. Don't give up on God. Sometimes God will allow you to go through deep waters before he provides a way out. That's the testing of your faith. It builds character. It builds resilience in you so that in the future, you remain steadfast in the Lord. Keep the faith, child of God. Keep the faith. Don't let your present circumstances destroy your faith in God. Don't let this setback or disappointment make you doubt God's ability. Keep the faith. I want to encourage you to believe that God's hand is on your life. Believe that he's working even when you can't see it. Believe that he will never leave you nor forsake you even when you don't feel it. And remember that feelings have nothing to do with faith. God is sovereign and he is faithful, so don't give up. But instead, keep the faith no matter what. God is sovereign and he is faithful, so don't give up. God is sovereign and he is faithful, so don't give up. God is sovereign and he is faithful, so don't give up. God is sovereign and he is faithful, so don't give up. God is sovereign and he is faithful, so don't give up. With AJ Bell, we believe every customer deserves brilliant service, which is just one reason we're rated excellent on TrustPilot. And we all trust pilots, with their smooth, captainly voices that make you feel like you'd let them land anywhere they like. Sorry, where was I? Right, AJ Bell, rated excellent by sexy pilots. I mean TrustPilot. I'm a flight risk. AJ Bell, feel good investing. The value of your investments can go up or down.
