Nevertheless

 Gtcotr/ws083023

Life is full of wonderful moments, enjoyable adventures, and happy memories, sprinkled with some trying times. The book of Genesis tells us that God designed the earth to respond favorably to the man and woman He created. He intended the earth and all of nature be a safe, supportive, and sustaining environment in which mankind could be fruitful, multiply and replenish the earth. God instructed Adam and Eve to subdue and to exercise dominion over all creation.

The pattern of life is simple. God said that day and night, summer and winter, seedtime and harvest would not cease for as long as the earth remains. God made this promise to mankind through Noah so that we could have justified expectations in life.

Life is designed to be fruitful.

When we plant a seed, we expect to reap a harvest. We sow in hope, we wait in hope, and we reap in hope … we hope the fruit of our labor will taste good and be enough.

God further created mankind to live in peace and to enjoy each other’s company. Life is designed so that every person is born into a family. The meaningful relationships which begin at birth are intended by God to last a lifetime.

This is the way God designed life. Life was always meant to be filled with work and purpose with boundaries and limitations. The glimpse we have of the Garden of Eden reveals that even in a perfect world there is work and boundaries … some do’s and some don’ts’s, if you will. “Do be fruitful and multiply … don’t eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”

I will assume we are all familiar with the account of the fall of man and the birth of sin when Eve was tempted by the devil in the Garden. Sin brought trouble into this paradise we call home. Work became more difficult, pain became a reality, families began to be divided over personal issues, and loss due to death became the future.

Because of sin, man lost an eternal relationship with God, and the earth, along with its inhabitants, began suffering under the cruel hand of the new leadership. The prince of this world, who is the prince of darkness, the devil, satan, and his minions of varying ranks, take pleasure in bringing sickness, disease, infirmity, famine, drought, pain, worry, and all kinds of problems to mankind who were created in the image of the God they hate.

Demonic spirits spread lies, create hardships, divide nations, cause wars, and devastate families in their attempts to destroy the peace and hope of the world. Yet in all of this, God has raised up men and women who know Him and trust in His Word. Try as he may, the devil has never been able to overcome those who have faith in God.

Jesus said that as long as we are in this body, we will experience some amount of tribulation and trial. Hebrews 11 tells of so many men and women of faith such as Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Rahab, who believed God despite their circumstances.

Hebrews 11

32 ¶  And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets:

33  who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

34  quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

Since the fall of man and the birth of sin, the devil has attempted to destroy the faith we have in God and the hope we have in this life. But he has not been able to stop us … and he never will. Through threats and accusations, pain and loss, the children of God have triumphed. When tested we come forth like gold.

There is an account in the book of 1 Chronicles which occurred just after David was crowned King of all Israel. As with so many things, some people liked it, and some didn’t. However, we know it was the will of God.

The nation of Israel had been deeply divided for seven years after King Saul’s death. The tribe of Judah accepted David as their King however the other 10 tribes of Israel chose a different King. Seldom is there something more heartbreaking than a divided family, especially when your name is God!

7 years later:

1 Chronicles 11

1 ¶  Then all Israel came together to David at Hebron, saying, “Indeed we are your bone and your flesh.

·        Things don’t have to end with your last disappointment.

·        It’s not over because someone else says it’s over.

2  “Also, in time past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the LORD your God said to you, ‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over My people Israel.’”

·        After some years of reflection, the people who did not like David realized they were wrong.

·        God has a way of bringing people around with time.

3  Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD. Then they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD by Samuel.

·        According to the Word of the LORD by Samuel.

·        Samuel had been dead for many years … yet the Word of God was still alive.

·        God watches over His Word to perform it.

4  And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land.

·        Just because your last problem is resolved, does not mean you won’t encounter another one.

·        The devil tempted Jesus in the Judean desert … when it didn’t work, the Bible says the devil stopped only to wait on the next opportunity.

5  Then the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You shall not come in here!” Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David).

·        Nevertheless …

·        We cannot allow ourselves the luxury of believing the devil’s narrative.

o   We think what we think …

o   We feel what we feel … and

o   We want what we want …

o   Because we believe what we believe.

·        Don’t believe the lie of the devil.

o   He will lie to you about everything.

o   He will say “you can’t do it” then he will say: “you did it!”

o   He will tell you lies about everything and everyone …

·        Jesus said the devil is the father of lies.

Nevertheless!

Push back against the lies that try to take you rob you of love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.

We learn from this passage that it may not be easy or immediate, but we cannot let the devil or this world have the last say. Whatever God does, and whatever His will … be like Jesus who did not initially want to go to the cross at 33½ years old however … He prayed … and the scriptures say that He endured the moment of the cross for the joy that was set before Him.

What did Jesus know … despite the cross, the pain, the accusations and even the death … Nevertheless … He had peace and joy in doing the Father’s will.

Refuse to believe what the devil is trying to sell you. You can know it when it goes against the design of life God created you to enjoy in every circumstance.