Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.” (James 1:2 NLT)

There are certain passages of Scripture that make you say, “Huh?” James 1:2 is a prime example. It almost defies logic. Doesn’t it seem natural for our circumstances to dictate our response? It’s just input and output, isn’t it? If we’re dealt personal troubles, the obvious responses are anger, frustration, and anxiety. If we experience a betrayal, the logical response is bitterness. If the input is disappointment, the output is sadness. Right?

Not according to James 1:2. “When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.” If that seems like a weird thing to say to a suffering person, look more closely. James isn’t saying enjoy it when you suffer. And he’s not saying that troubles are joy because they’re not. Hebrews 12:11 tells us, “No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful!” (NLT). James is saying when you’re confronted by difficult situations, make the choice to rejoice.

Jesus set the ultimate example for us in this area. Hebrews 12:2 says, “Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame” (NLT). Joy? What joy? Jesus was scoured with a whip thirty-nine times. His beard was ripped from His face. He was punched countless times by Roman soldiers. He had a crown of thorns pressed into His scalp. After losing a tremendous amount of blood, He was forced to carry a heavy crossbeam to the site of His crucifixion. He had spikes driven through His wrists and feet.

Can you find the joy in this picture? Jesus could. The joy was you. The joy was me.

Jesus knew what His suffering and death on the cross would accomplish. He came to this world to be a suffering Savior, to bear our sins, to die in our place, and then to rise again from the dead. Instead of focusing on the misery and pain of His immediate circumstances, He saw the joy in the big picture. He made the choice to rejoice.

Paul and Silas made the same choice when they sang praises to God after they’d been thrown in a Roman jail for preaching the gospel (see Acts 16:25–40). They didn’t give in to self-pity, fear, or anger behind bars. Instead, they counted it a privilege to suffer for their faith. They understood that God was doing something bigger, and they rejoiced that they were able to play a part in His plan.

You can do the same thing. If you’re going through a time of trial right now, rejoice. It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to or don’t feel like it. Rejoice. Why? Because God is in control. He knows what you’re experiencing. Rejoice because God is working your situation for His purposes.

If you’re struggling in a relationship, rejoice. God may be strengthening your bond. Or He may be giving you clarity about what your next step should be. Whatever the case, know that He is aligning your relationship with His will.

No matter what you’re going through, it will work together for God’s glory and ultimately for your good. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (NLT). God is in control, so we can make the choice to rejoice.

Reflection Question: What might keep you from rejoicing when you face troubles in your life?

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“And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, ‘God is tempting me.’ God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.” (James 1:13 NLT)

The urge to “pass the buck”—that is, to blame others when you get caught doing something wrong—was one of the first byproducts of sin. Genesis 3 tells us that sin entered the world when Eve and Adam ate the forbidden fruit. Shortly thereafter, they heard God walking through the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day, and they hid from Him.

“Then the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’

He replied, ‘I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.’

‘Who told you that you were naked?’ the Lord God asked. ‘Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?’

The man replied, ‘It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.’

Then the Lord God asked the woman, ‘What have you done?’

‘The serpent deceived me,’ she replied. ‘That’s why I ate it’” (verses 9–13 NLT).

First, Adam passed the buck to Eve. What happened to the Adam who said of Eve after she was created, “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man’” (Genesis 2:23 NLT)? He quickly changed his tune to “She did it!” He threw Eve under the bus and then drove it over her a couple times.

What he really did, though, was blame God. If you read between the lines, you see that he’s essentially saying, “Hey, I was just taking a nap. When I woke up, my rib was missing, and she was here. If You hadn’t created her, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

Eve tried a different approach: “The devil made me do it.” Nope. The devil can’t make you do anything. He can tempt you, but you have to want what he’s offering, or the temptation won’t work. Ultimately Eve was responsible for her sin, even though she was deceived by the serpent.

You’re responsible for your sins, too—no matter what the circumstances were that led to them. The devil’s not to blame. And neither is God. (Look at those words in James 1:13 again.) We all do a pretty good job of getting ourselves into trouble because we have a sinful nature.

But if we try to shift the blame, we miss a golden opportunity to repent and receive God’s forgiveness. First John 1:9 promises that “if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (NLT). To claim that promise, we must take full responsibility for our sin. The verse doesn’t say, “if we incriminate others”; it says, “if we confess.”

When we take responsibility for our sin, we also set a powerful example for our kids. Or other loved ones. Or people who look to us for guidance. Through our example, we give them the courage to take responsibility for their own sin.

Reflection Question: How can you resist the temptation to pass the buck when you do something wrong?

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“He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles.” (1 Corinthians 15:4–7 NLT)

The New Testament book of James was written by someone very close to Jesus: His half-brother. Jesus was the Son of God the Father and Mary, who conceived supernaturally. James was the son of Joseph and Mary. Jesus and James had the same mother, and they were raised by the same man.

The Bible tells us very little about the first thirty years of Jesus’ life. We know that when he was twelve, He amazed the teachers in the Jerusalem temple with His understanding of Scripture (see Luke 2:41–52). Aside from that, we have no information about what He was like as a boy. Or as an older brother to James and His other half siblings.

We know that Jesus lived a sinless life. That means He never lied. He never stole anything. He never lost His temper. He never rebelled or talked back, and He always did His chores.

But did that register with James as a boy? Did he know the story of Jesus’ birth? Did he have the slightest inkling that his brother was the long-awaited Messiah? There’s no indication of it.

And what about later, as an adult? If he didn’t witness any of Jesus’ miracles personally, he certainly knew about them. According to John 7:3–4, “Jesus’ brothers said to him, ‘Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!’” (NLT).

That may seem like a statement of encouragement and faith. But verse 5 says, “For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.” James was aware of Jesus’ miracles, not to mention His teachings and His claims to be the Messiah, the Savior, the Son of God. Yet James refused to believe. He hardened his heart against the truth for as long as he could.

It was Jesus’ disciple Thomas who said, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side” (John 20:25 NLT). But that seems to have been James’ attitude, too. So, as Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15, Jesus appeared to His brother after His resurrection. He didn’t punish James for his years of unbelief. He gave him the evidence he needed to believe.

After decades of a hard-hearted refusal to believe, James’ heart softened. He finally recognized Jesus for who He is. He embraced the truth of Christ.

Hard-heartedness is a tough condition to overcome, but it’s not impossible. If you encounter someone who stubbornly refuses to accept the truth of the gospel, don’t give up. Keep praying and sharing your faith. You never know where the tipping point is.

The hardest people to reach are the ones closest to you—your spouse, your parents, your kids, your siblings, your oldest friends. If you try to tell them how Christ has changed your life, they get suspicious because they know you too well. But don’t get discouraged. You don’t know the work God is doing to soften their hearts and make them more receptive to the gospel.

Reflection Question: What’s the best approach to sharing your faith with someone whose heart is hardened?

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“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” (James 1:5 NLT)

Some people treat prayer like a Christmas list. They see the words “generous God” and launch into their “gimmes.” Gimme a new car. Gimme a vacation home. Gimme a Gulfstream jet so I don’t have to fly commercial. The problem is, if you focus your attention on material possessions, you overlook the most valuable asset God makes available to you: wisdom.

James says, if you need wisdom, ask for it. God won’t rebuke you, no matter how many times you request it. Believe me, I’ve tested the limits. I pray for wisdom all the time. When I start a business meeting. When I prepare a message. When I think about the future of our church. I love to say, “Lord, You’ve promised in Your Word to give us Your wisdom. I’m praying for it right now.” Which is another way of saying, “I need to know Your will, Lord. Show me Your will.”

If you’re married or in a relationship, the need is even more pressing. God’s wisdom can help you navigate the highs and lows of life together. It can help you meet your relationship challenges head-on. It can help you keep your eye on the big picture while you work out the small details.

God’s wisdom is something we should all be seeking after. Proverbs 9:10 says, “Fear of the Lord”—that is, reverence for the Lord—“is the foundation of wisdom” (NLT).

Don’t mistake intelligence for wisdom. You can be smart but not necessarily wise. I’ve seen people who are very intelligent, who have advanced degrees hanging on their wall, and who are very successful in their chosen field do some of the most ridiculous things imaginable.

Intelligence is acquiring knowledge and applying it, developing certain skills. But wisdom comes from a different place. Some wisdom comes from life’s lessons. We learn from things we’ve done right—and we also learn from our mistakes. But the ultimate source of wisdom is God and His Word. That’s what we want to build our lives on.

In Matthew 7, Jesus tells the story of two men who built on two different foundations. The wise man built his house upon rock. When storms came and beat upon the house, it stood firm because it was built on the right foundation. In contrast, the foolish man built his house on sand. When the same storms came, his house collapsed. Jesus said, “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock” (NLT).

Building a life is different from building a house. It’s not always obvious what’s rock and what’s sand. That’s why God wants us to pray—as often as we need to—for wisdom. Some people build their lives on a relationship that seems unshakable—as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar—only to have their foundation collapse when the relationship ends. Other people build their lives on job security or financial security, and then find themselves in rubble when the industry or market collapses.

God will help us find the solid ground of His will in every situation. All we have to do is ask.

Reflection Question: In what area could you use God’s wisdom today?

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“This disciple is the one who testifies to these events and has recorded them here. And we know that his account of these things is accurate.” (John 21:24 NLT)

Simon Peter was a fisherman by trade. So it seems fitting that his first encounter with Jesus had taken place on a boat. Luke 5 tells us that after an unsuccessful fishing excursion, Peter was cleaning his nets when he saw Jesus being followed by a large crowd. Jesus stepped onto Peter’s boat and asked him to row Him out a little bit so that He could teach the crowd from the boat. After Jesus finished teaching, He instructed Peter to row a little further out and let down his nets again. This time when Peter did, the nets became so full of fish that they began to tear. It was a miraculous haul.

In the last chapter of John’s Gospel, Jesus repeats the scene. Peter and six other disciples had returned to their boats in Galilee. After fishing all night with nothing to show for it, they were rowing back to shore. A voice from the beach told them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat. When they did, their nets filled immediately.

“It’s the Lord!” John realized in verse 7 (NLT).

That was all Simon Peter needed to hear. In true Simon Peter fashion, he immediately jumped overboard and swam to shore.

Jesus had breakfast ready for His hungry disciples. After they had eaten, Jesus asked Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” (verse 15a NLT). In other words, “Is your love for Me greater than the love of these other disciples?”

“‘Yes, Lord,’ Peter replied, ‘you know I love you.’

“‘Then feed my lambs,’ Jesus told him” (verse 15b NLT).

Twice more, Jesus asked if Peter loved Him. Twice more, Peter said yes. And twice more Jesus gave a variation of His instruction: “Then take care of my sheep” (verse 16 NLT) and “Then feed my sheep” (verse 17 NLT).

On the night of Jesus’ arrest, Peter had denied three times that he was Jesus’ disciple. On the shore of the Sea of Galilee, three times he announced that he was, in fact, Jesus’ disciple. Jesus gave Peter the chance to redeem himself and prove his true character.

The disciple who had been too timid to admit his connection with Jesus would soon become one of the boldest in proclaiming Jesus’ message. Peter would become one of the cornerstones of the first-century church. And, as Jesus informs him, he would one day die by the same means Jesus did. “You will stretch out your hands” (verse 18 NLT) is a reference to crucifixion. Church tradition tells us that Peter was crucified in Rome.

In the final chapter of John, Jesus shows us that no failure is too devastating to come back from. As long as we have breath to confess and repent, we can recover. Jesus will forgive us. He will restore us. He will give us an important purpose and place in His work.

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“Then Jesus told him, ‘You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.’” (John 20:29 NLT)

Jesus’ followers had seen Him turn water to wine. They’d seen Him heal the sick, the deaf, the blind, the disabled, and the demon possessed. They’d seen Him feed 5,000 people with five small loaves of bread and two fish. They’d seen Him calm a storm at sea. They’d seen Him raise Lazarus from the dead. They’d heard Him explain countless times that He had to die but that He would return.

Yet it doesn’t seem to have occurred to any of them that He would rise from the dead.

Mary Magdalene visited Jesus’ tomb very early on the Sunday morning after the Sabbath. Her plan was to anoint Jesus’ corpse with more spices. When she saw that the heavy stone in front of the tomb had been rolled away, she suspected that His body had been moved.

She found Simon Peter and John and told them. The two disciples ran to the tomb. John, the younger one, got there first but stopped outside. Simon Peter, the bolder one, ran inside. The two of them saw Jesus’ grave clothes—but not His body.

Suddenly the truth dawned on John. “He saw and believed—for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead” (verses 8b–9).

The two disciples returned home without telling Mary Magdalene what they had seen. She stayed at the tomb, crying. But when she looked inside, she saw two angels sitting where Jesus’ body had been. And when she turned around, she saw what she thought was a gardener. She asked him where they had taken Jesus’ body.

“Mary!” the man said in verse 16. That one word was all she needed to recognize Jesus’ voice.

That evening, all but one of Jesus’ disciples met together. Only Thomas was missing. Apparently, they sensed the targets on their backs because they met behind locked doors. Suddenly the risen Jesus appeared to them. He showed them His wounds to prove that He had, in fact, died. Naturally, the disciples were overjoyed to be in His presence again.

But Thomas wasn’t overjoyed when they told him about it later. For him, the news was too good to be true. “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side” (verse 25).

Eight days later, the disciples met again behind locked doors. This time, Thomas was with them. Suddenly Jesus appeared again. “Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!’” (verse 27).

He gave Thomas the evidence he needed to believe. Thomas and the other disciples had an essential ministry ahead of them. They would tell the world what they’d seen Jesus do and what they’d heard Him say so that others, who hadn’t seen or heard Him, might believe. Jesus ensured that His followers had what they needed to carry out their assignment.

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“When Jesus had tasted it, he said, ‘It is finished!’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:30  NLT)

The Jewish religious leaders found Jesus guilty of blasphemy. But they didn’t have the authority to execute Him. Only a Roman official could sentence someone to death. That’s why they brought Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor. They hoped that he would rubber-stamp their capital punishment plans.

Pilate saw through their scheme. He sensed that Jesus was innocent. But the religious leaders had instigated a mob to demand Jesus’ blood. Pilate tried to appease the mob’s bloodlust by having Jesus scourged—that is, beaten several times with a multiheaded whip. Each head was studded with sharp bits of metal designed to tear flesh.

Pilate’s soldiers placed a crown made of thorn branches on Jesus’ head and a purple robe on His shoulders. “Hail! King of the Jews!” they taunted in verse 3 (NLT) as they slapped and punched Him.

Pilate paraded the mutilated form of Jesus before the crowd, hoping that would satisfy them. It didn’t. The crowd, many of whom had cheered and welcomed Jesus a short time earlier, wanted Him to die.

“Crucify Him!” the religious leaders shouted in verse 6. “By our law he ought to die because he called himself the Son of God” (verse 7 NLT).

Those words scared Pilate. Romans believed that godlike figures sometimes disguised themselves as humans. People who mistreated them were punished. He didn’t want to make that mistake with Jesus.

He tried to talk to Jesus, but Jesus was interested only in fulfilling God’s plan, no matter what the cost was to Him. Pilate reminded Him that he had the authority to release or crucify Him. Jesus pointed out that Pilate had no real control of the situation. His Roman superiors told him what to do. An angry mob was influencing his actions. And God’s will dictated everything that happened.

With no other options, Pilate turned Jesus over to be crucified. Prisoners sentenced to crucifixion were forced to carry the horizontal beam of their cross to the execution site. Their wrists and feet were nailed to the cross with almost medical precision. The goal was to make them suffer as much pain as possible with as little blood loss as possible. Some people suffered for days on the cross before they finally died.

The Romans often placed a sign on the cross that listed the condemned person’s crimes. Jesus’ sign read “King of the Jews” (verse 19 NLT). The offended religious leaders tried to get Pilate to change it to “He said, I am King of the Jews” (verse 21 NLT). But Pilate refused. So as Jesus suffered and died for the sins of the world, the sign on His cross announced the truth about Him.

Before He died, Jesus arranged for John to care for Mary, Jesus’ mother. With nothing left to accomplish, “he said, ‘It is finished!’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (verse 30 NLT). He willingly died. And He did it so that we might live.

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“But Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?’” (John 18:11 NLT)

John 18 tells the story of Jesus’ arrest. Keep in mind that John was writing his Gospel decades after the other three were written. The events in the garden and the trials that followed already had been covered in detail by Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And those details were well known in John’s day. That may explain why John doesn’t offer as many specifics in his account.

The fact that Jesus’ enemies brought armed soldiers to arrest Him showed that, despite their years of plotting against Him, they still didn’t understand Him. He refused every effort to make Him king. He had no political aspirations. He never encouraged rebellion among His followers. And He wasn’t a fugitive.

He frequently taught in the temple, where the religious leaders spent most of their time. They could have arrested Him without incident any time they wanted. (Theoretically, of course. The reality is that they couldn’t have arrested Him outside of God’s timetable, not until Jesus’ “time had come”—which it had, in the garden.) And if anyone were prone to violence, it was the religious leaders, who several times picked up rocks to stone Jesus because they refused to believe the truth of His words.

It may not have appeared that way in the confusion of the moment, but Jesus was in control of the situation. As His enemies approached, He stepped forward to identify Himself so that none of the disciples would be harmed. And that should have been the end of it.

But Peter failed to read the room. He boldly drew his sword to “save” Jesus and . . . cut off the right ear of an unarmed slave. Oops. Jesus told Peter to put away his sword and reminded him that what was happening was God’s plan.

In Matthew’s version of the story, Jesus said, “Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?” (Matthew 26:53 NLT). Jesus allowed Himself to be arrested because it set in motion the events that would lead to salvation.

There was nothing just about Jesus’ trials. The verdict was a foregone conclusion. The high priest Caiaphas had already decided that Jesus needed to die for the people—that is, so the Roman government wouldn’t crack down on Jewish religious practices (see John 11:49–53).

John was the disciple who accompanied Peter to the high priest’s residence, where Jesus was being tried. Since John knew the high priest, he was able to get past the gate and into the courtyard. But then he had to convince the woman watching the gate to let Peter in too. “The woman asked Peter, ‘You’re not one of that man’s disciples, are you?’

“‘No,’ he said, ‘I am not’” (verse 17 NLT).

Inside the courtyard, Peter warmed himself by a fire. Twice more, he was asked if he was Jesus’ disciple. Twice more, he said no. This was a total of three denials, just as Jesus had predicted hours earlier.

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“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message.” (John 17:20 NLT)

Jesus and His disciples were together for about three years. There’s no telling how many times they prayed together during that time. In John 17, He prays with them for one of the last times before His arrest.

There are three parts to His prayer. In verses 1–5, Jesus prays for Himself. He was facing unimaginable suffering. He was about to take the punishment for the world’s sins. He was about to experience His Father’s perfect wrath.

That explains why Jesus wanted to confirm the connection between them. “Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you” (verse 1 NLT). Jesus was ready to complete God’s mission. To finish the work of salvation. To make eternal life possible. When we picture eternity, we may think of heavenly streets of gold and angels praising God. But Jesus said eternal life is “to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth” (verse 3 NLT).

Jesus also revealed the primary purpose for His saving work: to glorify God. And if we follow Him, that should be our primary purpose too. The apostle Paul wrote, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NLT). Everything we do, from the biggest moments of our lives to the smallest daily decisions, is an opportunity to give glory to God. That’s what we were created to do. And that’s where we find genuine fulfillment and joy.

In verses 6–19, Jesus prays for His disciples. Those men would face the consequences of their discipleship. All but one, John, would follow Jesus to their deaths at the hands of their enemies. But they were equipped for battle. Jesus said, “Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world” (verse 18 NLT). Jesus asked God to protect them—not only from the persecution to come but also from spiritual doubt and despair. Jesus would no longer be around to encourage them and lift their spirits. He wanted to make sure they were prepared for what lay ahead.

The key to spiritual well-being is joy. Jesus prayed, “Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy” (verse 13 NLT).

If your joy has diminished, ask God to restore it, as the psalmist did in Psalm 51:8. In Matthew 21:22, Jesus says, “You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it” (NLT). God wants to ignite the spark of joy within you so that you can see the world from His perspective.

In verses 20–26, Jesus prays for all believers. His chief request is that we remain unified. There’s strength in numbers. If we can trust that our fellow believers are allies, our ministry benefits. Unity is also a way of identifying believers. God wants unbelievers to see the closeness that exists among us. That can be a powerful draw for some. Our mission is to communicate God’s love to the world. Unity is one of the most powerful tools we have to accomplish it.

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“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NLT)

Ultimate victory is assured to everyone who believes in Christ. On the path to that ultimate victory, however, there are countless battles we must fight and hardships we must endure. That’s Jesus’ message to His disciples in John 16.

Jesus was about to face unimaginable suffering as part of God’s plan of salvation. His disciples were about to face some harsh realities of their own after He left them. He warned them about what was to come not to discourage them, but to encourage them. He didn’t want them to be caught by surprise by the trials and tribulations that lay ahead. He assured them that their faith was strong enough to withstand what was coming. There was no need to abandon it and return to Judaism, which many of His followers would do.

Because of their association with Jesus, the disciples would be banished from the synagogues, the places of Jewish worship. They would have targets on their backs. Jesus refers to “those who kill you” (verse 2 NLT). The disciples had to get used to the reality that eventually they would pay the ultimate price for their discipleship.

And the people doing the banishing and killing? They would claim they were doing it in God’s name. But their opposition to Jesus was proof that they had never known God.

Once again, Jesus comforts His disciples with a reminder of the Holy Spirit’s coming. The Holy Spirit would be the disciples’ most valuable ally. He would make people aware of their sin and their need to repent. He would direct their attention to God’s righteousness. He would give them a sense of God’s coming judgment. He would prepare people’s hearts for the gospel message. And for the disciples, He would be a source of truth, power, direction, and encouragement.

Jesus hinted at His resurrection: “In a little while you won’t see me anymore. But a little while after that, you will see me again” (verse 16 NLT). The disciples were confused in the moment. Later, however, they would look back on those words as evidence of God’s amazing plan.

Jesus also warned them that they would soon lose their courage and scatter, leaving Him alone. But their courage would return. After all, there was a world to be changed.

Jesus’ words in John 16 apply to everyone who follows Him. If you identify yourself with Jesus, you can expect an adventure. You’ll have many trials and tribulations. Jesus gives fair warning. Battles await us. So do temptation and persecution. They’ll test us. They’ll sharpen us. They’ll humble us. They may cause us occasional doubt or anxiety.

But they can’t defeat us. The war is over. Jesus destroyed the power of sin with His sinless life. He destroyed the power of death with His resurrection. God has given us His Holy Spirit to go into battle with us. What do we have to fear?

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