“As much as we hate to think about it or admit it is true, ‘Death’ is a road we must all travel in order to gain eternal life.” ~Jay Meyer
This lenten series in our quest to tick the devil off by replacing fear with God has been an amazing journey so far. I very much appreciate the emails of encouragement and support. I ask you to please keep me covered in prayer because I am certain the devil is looking for any crack open in my armor these days. As you all know, he is a cunning and baffling spirit.
Easter is a little less than 5 weeks away and if you are still struggling with all of the by-products of fear you still have time. Please note replacing fear with God is a process, it is not an event. It takes lots of prayer and practice…remember, I write from experience.
I don’t know about you, but I do not fear death as much as I once did because I believe in Jesus and the gift of eternal life he has given us.
Although the above is truth to me, it still doesn’t help me understand tragedy. It’s like “OK God, I know we are all going to die but why can’t it be a peaceful death on our terms?”
Why does it have to come from the gun held by a deranged individual? Why does it have to come in the form of a tornado or a hurricane? Why does it have to come in the form of a brain tumor or breast cancer? Why does it have to come at the expense of my own mental health issues? Why does it have to come through a bad batch of heroin through a needle? Why does it have to come through a drunk driver? Why does it come because of ONE bad decision? Why do you let me fight cancer and make me feel like I’m cured only to take me away a couple months later? Why? Why? Why?
The tragedies that have taken place in my neck of the woods the past few years has caused me to pause and reflect a lot these days.
Tragedy is the devil’s favorite place, plain and simple. For it is in tragedy where our human mind begins to say “Why?” to God and if not firmly planted in our faith the devil will begin to dig in and try to get us to believe God is the cause of the tragedies, and if He is, “why would you want to believe in a God like that?”
When the devil comes at me with that thought I immediately go back 2000 years and think about what God went through in the form of Jesus. To be whipped, beaten, spit on, kicked, mocked, laughed at and hung on a cross to die so we can gain eternal freedom from our sins?! When you let your own son experience this torturous and pathetic form of death it has to make me think God does not view death the way we do.
The fact is, God beats death every day of the week. To Him death is an entry to eternity. To the devil death is an entry to the end. When the devil thought he had won on “Good Friday,” God had one more card to play and trumped his butt for eternity. GOD BEATS THE DEVIL EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK…when called upon.
If you struggle with the “Why’s?,” join the crowd, it is only human nature. But if you stay in the “Why’s?” the devil is going to dig in and become your best friend.
Dealing with the “Why’s?” of tragedy requires lots of prayer, the ability to picture eternity, plan for eternity and practice a life of eternity…which means bringing others away from “the end” to eternal life…and ticking the devil off for yet another day.
P.E.A.C.E.
Jay@EagleLaunch.com
John 5:24, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”
