"I have told you
these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will
have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33
NIV).
"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" (John 16:33 KJV).
What you are hearing is the voice of your heavenly Father. Here are the words of Jesus from the Gospel of John, indicating the spiritual level at which he was thinking and living. The Last Supper is over and Jesus is counseling the remaining 11 disciples about what is going to happen in a few short hours. He is also forewarning them of some of the challenges they are going to face in this material world. These precious words of comfort and cheer came from His loving heart and lips. Therefore, he says to them, "be of good cheer" Why? Because he has already overcome the world, the atonement was about to be accomplished. Death would be irrevocably defeated! Satan would have failed to stop the unfolding plan of salvation.
Now, Jesus is about to be crucified, so he comforted his disciples. Jesus said,
"In this world you will have tribulation: but be of good cheer..." (John 16:33).
Most of us, though, have positive expectations for the future. But what if life is not as we had hoped it would be? How do we manage the unexpected, and the undesirable turn of events? We cannot know the future, but we certainly know this — we will have unforeseen difficulties that take us by surprise. This happens to everyone. When we face all these challenges, we may have no special passion from which to draw strength. Now, at this point, what do we do? How can we overcome these challenges? Jesus has the answer,
"... be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
The phrase, "be of good cheer" means to exercise courage, to be bold and to be confident. It is a command from the Lord (not a suggestion) to continually be of good courage, to constantly be bold enough and forever be confident that the Lord will bring you through. Jesus was not merely telling us to cheer up, put a smile on our face and hope for the best. He was telling us to take an active and courageous position of faith instead of passively acquiescing to the problem. He was telling us to get on the offense side, to become pro-active with our faith instead of merely reacting to our problems. Why? Because the believer will never escape the tribulation that is in the world. The word "tribulation" means pressure, affliction and trouble. Tribulation can come to you through people, through circumstances and through evil spirits. It is a pressure that comes to you from the outside and tries to fill your heart and mind with burdensome and fretful thoughts. If you let it, tribulation will cause you to take your eyes off of Jesus and to focus totally on the problem. But Jesus says, when tribulation comes .... Be of Good Cheer! Take heart! Do something courageous.
We need to be courageous in the midst of adversity. Courage is the attitude that faces and deals with every difficult and painful problem instead of withdrawing from it. Boldness shows a readiness to take risks and face danger. Confidence is a certain feeling of assurance and faith in the Lord’s ability to see you through every trial and every attack of the enemy. The history of the Church is replete with the experiences of those who have struggled and yet who have remained steadfast and of good cheer as they have made the gospel of Jesus Christ the center of their lives. This attitude is what will pull us through whatever comes our way. It will not remove our troubles from us but rather will enable us to face our challenges, to meet them head on, and to emerge victorious. Too numerous examples of individuals were mentioned in the Bible that faced difficult circumstances, and yet persevered and prevailed, because their faith in the gospel and in the Savior gave them the strength they needed. So, take courage ... be confident ... and never lose heart. The Lord will show you how to overcome the trials and tribulations in your life. There is a way out.
Always, we do have a strength for living that counter-balances all our unforeseen challenges and disappointments. How?
1. If we have obeyed the word of God
2. If we are living with sincerity and diligence.
3. If our mind is set on heaven as our primary objective.
None of us makes it through this life without problems and challenges, and sometimes tragedies and misfortunes. After all, in large part we are here to learn and grow from such events in our lives. We know that there are times when we will suffer, when we will grieve, and when we will be saddened. However, the Lord said,
"In this world ye shall have tribulations, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
I testify to you that our promised blessings are beyond measure. Though the storm clouds may gather, though the rains may pour down upon us, our knowledge of the gospel and love of our Heavenly Father and His Son, will comfort and sustain us and bring joy to our hearts as we walk uprightly and keep the commandments. There will be nothing in this world that can defeat us. Beloved, child of GOD, fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith. I declare that God lives and that He hears and answers our prayers. His Son, Jesus Christ, is our Savior and our Redeemer. Heaven’s blessings await us. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!
Rise up now! Begin to talk to GOD. In your prayer, ask GOD to increase your faith. Remain blessed in the LORD. Keep on reading and following the LORD, JESUS CHRIST...@fasuchem, #fasuchem, http://fasuchem.blogspot.com/, http://fasuchem.wordpress.com/, http://fasuchem.livejournal.com/, http://fasuchem.tumblr.com/, http://fasuchem.blog.com/, http://fasuchem.tblog.com/, http://my.opera.com/fasuchem/blog/, http://twitter.com/fasuchem/, http://facebook.com/fasuchem/, etc.
"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" (John 16:33 KJV).
What you are hearing is the voice of your heavenly Father. Here are the words of Jesus from the Gospel of John, indicating the spiritual level at which he was thinking and living. The Last Supper is over and Jesus is counseling the remaining 11 disciples about what is going to happen in a few short hours. He is also forewarning them of some of the challenges they are going to face in this material world. These precious words of comfort and cheer came from His loving heart and lips. Therefore, he says to them, "be of good cheer" Why? Because he has already overcome the world, the atonement was about to be accomplished. Death would be irrevocably defeated! Satan would have failed to stop the unfolding plan of salvation.
Now, Jesus is about to be crucified, so he comforted his disciples. Jesus said,
"In this world you will have tribulation: but be of good cheer..." (John 16:33).
Most of us, though, have positive expectations for the future. But what if life is not as we had hoped it would be? How do we manage the unexpected, and the undesirable turn of events? We cannot know the future, but we certainly know this — we will have unforeseen difficulties that take us by surprise. This happens to everyone. When we face all these challenges, we may have no special passion from which to draw strength. Now, at this point, what do we do? How can we overcome these challenges? Jesus has the answer,
"... be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
The phrase, "be of good cheer" means to exercise courage, to be bold and to be confident. It is a command from the Lord (not a suggestion) to continually be of good courage, to constantly be bold enough and forever be confident that the Lord will bring you through. Jesus was not merely telling us to cheer up, put a smile on our face and hope for the best. He was telling us to take an active and courageous position of faith instead of passively acquiescing to the problem. He was telling us to get on the offense side, to become pro-active with our faith instead of merely reacting to our problems. Why? Because the believer will never escape the tribulation that is in the world. The word "tribulation" means pressure, affliction and trouble. Tribulation can come to you through people, through circumstances and through evil spirits. It is a pressure that comes to you from the outside and tries to fill your heart and mind with burdensome and fretful thoughts. If you let it, tribulation will cause you to take your eyes off of Jesus and to focus totally on the problem. But Jesus says, when tribulation comes .... Be of Good Cheer! Take heart! Do something courageous.
We need to be courageous in the midst of adversity. Courage is the attitude that faces and deals with every difficult and painful problem instead of withdrawing from it. Boldness shows a readiness to take risks and face danger. Confidence is a certain feeling of assurance and faith in the Lord’s ability to see you through every trial and every attack of the enemy. The history of the Church is replete with the experiences of those who have struggled and yet who have remained steadfast and of good cheer as they have made the gospel of Jesus Christ the center of their lives. This attitude is what will pull us through whatever comes our way. It will not remove our troubles from us but rather will enable us to face our challenges, to meet them head on, and to emerge victorious. Too numerous examples of individuals were mentioned in the Bible that faced difficult circumstances, and yet persevered and prevailed, because their faith in the gospel and in the Savior gave them the strength they needed. So, take courage ... be confident ... and never lose heart. The Lord will show you how to overcome the trials and tribulations in your life. There is a way out.
Always, we do have a strength for living that counter-balances all our unforeseen challenges and disappointments. How?
1. If we have obeyed the word of God
2. If we are living with sincerity and diligence.
3. If our mind is set on heaven as our primary objective.
None of us makes it through this life without problems and challenges, and sometimes tragedies and misfortunes. After all, in large part we are here to learn and grow from such events in our lives. We know that there are times when we will suffer, when we will grieve, and when we will be saddened. However, the Lord said,
"In this world ye shall have tribulations, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
I testify to you that our promised blessings are beyond measure. Though the storm clouds may gather, though the rains may pour down upon us, our knowledge of the gospel and love of our Heavenly Father and His Son, will comfort and sustain us and bring joy to our hearts as we walk uprightly and keep the commandments. There will be nothing in this world that can defeat us. Beloved, child of GOD, fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith. I declare that God lives and that He hears and answers our prayers. His Son, Jesus Christ, is our Savior and our Redeemer. Heaven’s blessings await us. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!
Rise up now! Begin to talk to GOD. In your prayer, ask GOD to increase your faith. Remain blessed in the LORD. Keep on reading and following the LORD, JESUS CHRIST...@fasuchem, #fasuchem, http://fasuchem.blogspot.com/, http://fasuchem.wordpress.com/, http://fasuchem.livejournal.com/, http://fasuchem.tumblr.com/, http://fasuchem.blog.com/, http://fasuchem.tblog.com/, http://my.opera.com/fasuchem/blog/, http://twitter.com/fasuchem/, http://facebook.com/fasuchem/, etc.
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