Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Cor 1:3-5)

Over the last few days, I have faced the buffeting of flesh and the evil one in ways I never even knew were possible for a Christian. Doubt, grief, and anxieties have attacked me from all sides in ways that have sunk me to the lowest points of my Christian life. But thanks be to God, that He has restored my strength and my hope! For though the fight continues, it is not one where I am helpless, but it is one in which He hath armed with His own armor! And the dark and angry clouds which loomed above my head have broken forth by the splendor of my Savior’s light!

So, for the edification of you, my brethren, many of whom have your own struggles and fights, I have the following pieces of counsel, from my own struggle the last few days. It is my prayer that God would use my weak words to give you courage to fight and press on to the heavenly city. And remember now, and always, your sufficiency all comes from Christ. Look to Him and be strengthened weary saint! He has not made you to be defeated and desolate, but has promised grace and power to give you victory! Fear not, for the Lord is nigh!

First, continue to fight! This is essential! We cannot give up! We must press on to our heavenly city! Let us not be discouraged, for God has given us mighty weapons! Let us fight, for we are children of the most High God, and victory is promised to us! As God told Joshua, “You will have victory! Only have courage and fight!” God is sovereign over our victory, but He commands us to fight still!

Second, do not focus on your feelings, but on Christ. In the midst of terrible buffeting, it is inevitable that your soul feels much despair and hopelessness and other wretched feelings of grief and anxiety. But, we cannot base things on our feelings! We must look to Jesus Christ, and act by faith! We may be as a man lost in the woods, with no sight of light, with the clouds of darkness hanging over us. But it is a beautiful sight when that man lifts up his face to the darkness and says, “Lord, I do not know what’s happening. I’m confused. I’m distraught. But I will trust in you, even when my feelings deny you.” Simply “cast your cares on Him, for He cares for you.”

Third, remember that you have mighty weapons to fight with! We are told that we have mighty, spiritual weapons! Why? Because God has given us His only Son to be our commander, and He has given His strongest weapon, the Holy Spirit, who was so powerful as to raise Christ from the grave! These are mighty weapons, against which no enemy forces can prevail! And indeed, we are told that our faith overcomes the world, so let us press on and fight, for the promise is ours that when we fight, we will have victory, not by our own strength, but by Him who gave Himself for us!

Fourth, focus on the present. The devil will try and make us doubt by thinking of the glory of the past, and make us doubt ourselves and doubt God. Today, I felt like perhaps all of my past joys were but illusions! Yes, so great is the convincing power of the evil one against the defenseless Christian! But God has not left us as defenseless orphans, but has made us mighty conquerors! Not only that, he will try and make us despair the possibility of a fruitless future. But in all this, we must not think of the past or the future. Let us think of today, and realize that God’s grace today is sufficient for us. He told us not to worry about the future. This applies not only to things in the physical realm, but also in the spiritual realm. God wants to keep us depending on Him moment by moment, and we would do well to do this, and trust.

Fifth, when fighting, do not be grieved at loss of communion, but simply FIGHT! It is a foolish thing to expect that your joys and comforts will be unshaken in the midst of a fight. When the soldier fights for his earthly master, and is one-on-one with the enemy, do we expect him to be thinking fond thoughts of His King? Nay! He is focused and afraid of his enemy! But, let this not discomfort his soul, for it is only once the enemy is conquered, that the soul can rest still and enjoy the sweetness of communion with God! So press on, and fight, till the dew of the Spirit falls upon you. Be vigilant and alert at night, and remember that joy comes in the morning!

Sixth, realize the source of your false feelings and oppose them. Realize that they are not natural fears and griefs, arising out of certain losses of things. Realize that when your feelings have no cause, they are from the evil one and from the weakness of your own trembling soul! And therefore, tell your soul and tell the devil, “These fears are irrational! These griefs are irrational! This is not me! So I will refuse to cede to you!” Fight them by realizing how false they are and how they are not part of your nature, and remind yourself that because they are not natural, they will soon pass.

Seventh, do not doubt yourself, nor more importantly God. It is often easy in times like these to either doubt God, because your feelings do not approve of Him, or to doubt yourself because you think the variation in your feelings arises out of your sin, and perhaps even insanity. You notice how unusual the feelings are and you are terrified and confused, leading to increased grief and torment and agony! But be not afraid, but trust still! “Be still and know that I am God” and likewise, remember and say boldly with Paul, “I am what I am”. This is not pride, but an assertion of confidence in God, for “I am what I am, by the grace of God.”

Eighth, know that God is sovereign over it and that Christ has gone before you. God is sovereign over your affliction. Did He not permit Satan to torment Job? And thus, did not Job say, “My redeemer still lives”? Realize God’s sovereign hand over all affliction and realize that just as quickly as it came, it may pass away! Not only that, realize that Christ is well acquainted with your fears and anxieties and griefs. Look to His torment in the wilderness when the devil buffeted him. Look to His grief in the garden of Gethsemane. Look to His terrifying cry of “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?!” See Him in all these things, and realize that He went before you and is well acquainted with your trials. But not only that, remember that He went before you into the cave of darkness and there, by His victory over the grave and over the darkness of His soul on the Cross, He lit a lamp in the cave. In the dark cave that you now walk in, look to the light Christ has lit, and have hope! The tunnel has light at its end, so hope still and walk towards the light!

We are conquerors through Him who loved us! So therefore, rejoice and be glad! God is God and you are yourself, no matter what feelings and fears say! Your FAITH overcomes the world, not your feelings! Nay, God is far greater than your weak heart! So trust still in Him, look up, face darkness in the eye, and laugh at it in derision and say, “My Lord, He has set His Son upon His throne, atop the holy hill of Mount Zion, and I shall not fear!”

Press on, dear friend. The love of Christ is powerful to work in our weak souls a strength that is foreign to us. Do not depend on your feelings, or your frame for self-justification, but look to Christ alone. He will be your victory in all this, and you will one day soon, praise Him for His glorious grace!

Psalm 42:5 – “Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”

A special note of thanks to Holly Dye who through all my struggles, ministered to me and exhorted me to press on, and it is through the help the Lord gave me through her that I was able to find hope in the darkness, and write these words to you all!