The Good Fight

If you are a child of God and living a righteous life, then you can expect to be blessed, to have things go your way and to be freed from the negative struggles of life - right?  Not!  At least that would have been news to the apostle Paul. 

As he looked back over his life, he didn't say, "How pleasant my life has been ever since I accepted Jesus as Lord. I an only describe it as 'Easy Street!'"  What Paul actually said was, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Tim 4:7).  Hmmm, sounds like the temperature went up, the closer he walked with The Lord. 

In fact, listen to a more detailed accounting: "… I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again...received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one...beaten...shipwrecked...I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else..." (2 Cor 11:23-28).

The Lord does bless us and protect against the Enemy but we do not live in a DMZ (demilitarized zone) or on our home shore, we live behind enemy lines and the blessings come in the middle of an active war with ongoing battles. Our journey takes us through the Enemy's stronghold on foreign soil. 

God does not promise to give us a life of ease but rather to ensure that we safely navigate this hostile environment and arrive on Heaven's shore - that we have what we need to make it home. Listen to Paul's hope: "The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom" (2 Tim 4:18). 

If you think about it, the more problems you face, the more God is blessing you with cover and support. Jus' Sayn.