John 16:33, ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’

DAILY READING; • Revelation 3; Nehemiah 4; Psalm 98

Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was a social activist and Baptist minister who became the spokesperson and leader of the Civil Rights Movement in America.

Martin Luther was brought up in a strong Christian family, where almost all the men in his family history were pastors. His father, grandfather, great grandfather and great-great grandfather had all been preachers. Even his only brother was a preacher, including some of his uncles. And so when Martin Luther also became a preacher, he found himself surrounded by a family of faith from where he could always draw spiritual strength and wisdom. And so somehow, Christianity became to him an inherited religion and he was less reliant on his own personal relationship with God.

However, things changed when he left his family and went to pastor a church in Montgomery, Alabama. There he was appointed as spokesman for the black community in the fight against segregation. And as a result he began to receive hate phone calls from white racists, threatening his life and that of his family.

One night, after a particularly frightening death threat from a caller, who promised to blow out his brains and blow up his house, Martin Luther realized he was in a situation where he could no longer continue to rely spiritually on his family. He now needed to depend on his own personal faith in God. That night he fervently sought God’s face and prayed like never before.  And as he prayed, he had such a definite encounter with God that gave him the inner peace and assurance that he needed. Thus with confidence and boldness he was able to go forth to play the crucial role that he did in the fight against segregation. And today, he remains one of the most celebrated black leaders in American history.

The truth is that there are some battles in life that no one can fight for you. Others may help you with their prayers and their faith to a certain point, but a time comes when it will be your decision to either sink or sail.

Martin Luther came to that point. And when he decided to seek God for himself, he found the peace and confidence that enabled him to go forth and accomplish great things.

We each need to seek Christ individually for ourselves. We all have a responsibility to intimately build our own personal relationship with Christ to find the needed peace and assurance for our soul.

When we come to Christ in His Word, we will experience that peace that passes all understanding. In His Presence we will be full of joy, as all worries and anxieties pale into insignificance.

Presently, the world is bombarded daily with troubling and disturbing news. And if all your focus is on the global News headlines, then you are going to eventually lose your peace because of all the fear and anxiety. Constanlty seeking God’s face, is what will anchor our hearts, at this time when men’s hearts are failing them for fear in looking at the things that are coming to pass in the earth.

Indeed our greatest investment now should be in building a strong relationship with Christ through daily fellowship in His Word.

In John 16:33, Jesus said ‘..in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’

Truly, through Christ we have overcome. Through Him we have the victory over every storm. He is our Prince of peace and our ever present help at every time of need. Indeed He is our bridge over the troubled waters. And despite the tribulation in the world, through Him we can always enjoy continual peace and rest.

PRAYER: Father please help me to invest the needed time to build a more intimate relationship with You. Please grant me renewed appetite for Your Word, so that I can draw the faith and strength I need to enjoy continual victory in life in Jesus Name.

Quote :

As long as Jesus is in your boat, you cannot sink or fail, God’s Presence always guarantees your victory. WORDBITE 222.