Hello, everyone, I’m TyAnn Brown, encouraging you to keep the faith.
Happy new year to everyone. Phew! We finally made it to the other side of 2020, and many of us are ready to put the past behind us and charge forward.
Still, there has never been a time in our lives where we feel that there is so much to overcome. It’s January 2021, and the coronavirus is still wrecking havoc around our world. And while there’s great reason for us to have hope, there are so many who are still suffering, unemployed, worried, isolated, sick, and many who are grieving those lost to the virus.
The good news is that you can generate power to overcome any of your difficulties. You can start by taking in the powerful message of John 16:33. “I have told you these things so that in me, you will have peace. In this world You will have trouble. But take heart! For I have overcome the world.”
What does this mean? Let’s break it down. First of all, Jesus was telling the disciples what was about to happen to them, once He left them, the good, the bad, all of it. The reason He was telling them this was because He ultimately wanted them to have peace in Him and through Him and only Him. Seeking peace anywhere else just wasn’t going to work. And the same is true for you today. You can try to find peace through a promotion, through food, through buying a house, through anything, but the peace and satisfaction that you find is fleeting. The only true peace is through Jesus Christ.
The verse also tells us that nobody escapes trouble. Not me, not you, nobody. Jesus certainly didn’t escape trouble; He had loads of it. It’s part of the human condition. It’s not just in 2020, but all the time. But Jesus wanted his disciples and all of us to know that we can take heart in the fact that He has overcome the world. He said these words shortly before being crucified and overcame, He did. He was risen from the dead and He joined our Heavenly Father so that each of us could have eternal life in Him. And the best part is He bestowed this overcoming spirit to all who believe in Him, and that spirit is within you today.
So whatever it is that you want to overcome this year, maybe it’s shame or fear or the apprehension to move forward—I know I personally want to overcome fear—but whatever it is, look toward Jesus, for it is He that’s going to give you the peace and the hope and help you to tap into the power to overcome. So tell us what you want to overcome this year by sending us your prayer requests to the web address on the screen. Jesus overcame the world, and so you can overcome too. God bless you. Keep the faith.
