WHO IS IN CONTROL?
My heart belongs to Jesus and He changed my life forever since the age of twelve, when on my knees in my bedroom, I gave my heart to Him. After giving my heart to Jesus, I thought I would no longer do wrong in my life. However, I realised soon that with all the challenges of life, growing up and having to make choices along the way, it would affect my doing right or doing wrong. The difference was, when I did wrong, the Holy Spirit convicted me, showing me where I went wrong and guiding me on the way to go to live a life of righteousness. As a child, I did not realise that it was about authority and control. However, I did know that Christ in me, must have the first and last say over my life.
God says in Matthew 5:45: “In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in Heaven. For He gives His sunlight to both the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.” It means that no matter whether saved in Christ or not, we all face difficulties in life, having to face storms of various kinds, whether in our marriage, friendships, health, work or finances. It makes me think back to the story of Joseph and how he had to go through the one challenge after the other. He was humiliated and betrayed by his brothers, taken from his dad, worked as a slave and then falsely accused and jailed for something he did not do. Let us take it one step further. What are you facing, that seems to be so overwhelming that it consumes your whole being? Have you had so many blows that you stopped counting, resulting in you even starting to question God and His presence in all of this?
God knows that we will have difficulties and He told us so in John 16:33: “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.” God never said it would be easy, and understands how we feel, for His own Son, Jesus Christ had to endure tremendous hardship, for us to be saved and set free from the law of sin and death. Yes, God asks us to stand firm in our faith (Isaiah 7:9) and trust Him with all our hearts, even when we do not understand (Proverbs 3:5). Yes, He also says in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” He also tells us in Philippians 4:13 that we can do everything through Christ who gives us strength. So, if we know all of this and have Jesus as our example and strength, how do we get through all of this, with our faith in Jesus, still intact?
Let us look at the life of Joseph again. We should not for a moment think that Joseph had it easy. He was taken from his family and therefore he was alone. He was forced into slavery and therefore had no free will. He must have had moments of questioning God, longing to be with his dad and wanting all the hardships to stop. I am sure he prayed over and over, trying to understand, whilst he had to wait upon the Lord’s promises to take effect. So yes, Joseph had to go through great difficulties over a long time, yet he made it. For me, what stood out in Joseph’s life, was the following:
• He acknowledged God.
• He was called by God.
• He accepted His calling by God.
• He stayed focus on His calling.
• He did not give up.
God says to us in Luke 10:19: “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” He also tells us in 1 John 4:4: “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” Furthermore, He confirms to us in Romans 8:37 that in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us. Amen!
With the above said, let us then reflect on what we do, when the storms of life hit us. We know that storms come and we know that they are fierce, which means that we should in some way be prepared, correct? For me, being prepared means:
• Having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
• Praying the blood of Jesus over yourself, your loved ones, your work, home and where you move around every day, over your finances, health, marriage and basically over all areas of your life.
• In Jesus name, daily, cancelling all curses that have been spoken over you and your loved one’s lives.
• In Jesus name, calling in the protection of God’s angels around you and your loved ones.
• Knowing and living out your identity and authority in Jesus Christ.
• Daily, giving yourself over to the Holy Spirit, for His direction and guidance.
• Studying the Word of God and then using it daily as your weapon against the enemy.
• Realizing and exercising the power of fasting and prayer.
In addition, when a storm hits, ask yourself the question, who is in control? Yes, the situation might be uncomfortable and feels unbearable, but is the situation controlling you or are you in control of the situation? When I refer to you, being in control, I am not referring to your earthy abilities, for God says in John 15:15: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Therefore, I am referring to Christ in you and you using the authority that He has given you (Luke 10:19), to stand firm in the storm, and to overcome it.
Putting what we discussed into practice, let me share something with you. I was travelling a long distance from where I visited, going back home. It was quite a distance and involved a layover of two hours. After my ten-hour flight, whilst waiting for the connection flight, I received and email indicating that the connection flight was delayed by one hour. Thereafter, I received two more emails, informing me that the flight was delayed even further, resulting in an almost six-hour layover. After getting on the plane, we were delayed for about another hour prior to take off and when we landed at our destination, we had to remain in the aircraft for another thirty minutes due to ground control issues.
By then, I was tired, not happy, way behind my pickup schedule time and angry. However, I realised once again, that I had a choice, whether the situation was going to control me or whether, I was going to take control of the situation. I had to make this decision more than once, whilst facing the challenge. I decided to not allow the situation to control me. I used my energy to think about my life and my family, praying and then eventually getting some sleep. Getting more upset, would allow the situation to control me, ending in me probably being rude and then sinning in my anger (Ephesians 4:26). Furthermore, it would not change the fact that I was delayed.
I want to share another experience with you. There is a lady, who as a child, was raped and molested multiple times. As a child, she did not know how to deal with the matter and resolved to over eating. Years later, she came to realise that she had a challenge and why she had the challenge. She started facing these challenges and did not allow it to control her any more. She lost a great amount of weight and could start living a normal life again. It did not change the fact that she was molested and raped, but by choice of forgiveness and a process of healing, those things no longer controlled her, and therefore not her future.
I used the above experiences as examples, but the same principle applies to whatever storms you have had to face in the past, are facing now and will still have to face. It could be unprofessionalism, deceit, physical pain, dishonesty, lies, molestation, physical abuse, denial, unfairness, rejection etc. The reality is, things happen, life happen and wrong choices of others and ourselves hurt us.
Dear reader, whatever the storm, ask yourself who is in control? Do not attempt to solve issues on your own. You need Jesus, as much as you need air to breathe. Allow Jesus to take control of your life and then make sure that you stay in control of the challenges, by using the authority that God Himself deposited in you.
Love in Christ, Princess K