Off-Season devotionals
Truth or Consequences
John 8:31-32 (KJV)
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
During the off-seasons of life we have a choice to make: focus on the Word of God or focus on the trial at hand. Your decision is critical; you must abide in the Word if you want to see victory. You must choose the Word, the truth, or you will experience the consequences of the lies that disagree with the word. Any feeling that does not line up with the Word of God is a lie; it is a fruit of your flesh. You must be convinced of this truth. You cannot agree with your flesh and the Word of God simultaneously.
Each Christian has two natures – a Spirit and a flesh. Your dominant nature is the nature that you feed the most. If you spend more time taking in the Word of God than you do taking in the things of the flesh, your Spiritual nature will control your flesh. Your Spiritual nature considers your trials pure joy because your Spiritual nature knows that God is in control and that He has nothing but victory in mind for the final outcome. The opposite is also true, however. If you are focusing on your trial more than you are the Word of God, you will never consider your trial pure joy. Trials of many kinds will come, but how you look at them makes all the difference.
Your off-season demands the truth of the Word. If we are ignoring the Word of God, then our off-season will continue on. Truth or consequences. The choice is up to you.
Common to Man
1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)
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.
When we encounter trials we can waste plenty of time simply feeling sorry for ourselves. Trials will come. Period. We must understand that others are struggling, too, and we are not just being picked out to be picked on. Life is full of circumstances – and all of them are not pleasant.
We are not the only ones facing an off-season. It may seem like others are doing just fine, but you must remember that not everyone voices their hardships. You may be assuming that someone else’s life is perfect; when in fact, they're quietly pressing on through an off-season.
Instead of feeling sorry for ourselves, we should get busy discovering God’s loving plan for our lives. Even though the trial is common, it is not the sum of life. With the trial comes the ability to handle it. The same verse that assures us that we will all struggle also assures us that we have what we need to endure and see victory because God is faithful!
God provides the way out of our off-seasons through His Word. Faith is the victory that overcomes everything that we come up against (1 John 5:4) and faith is the result of our steady intake of the Word (Romans 10:17). We cannot be faithful apart from Christ; we cannot do anything to “earn” victory over a trial. He has already paid the price for our victory; we simply must rest in His faithfulness and His promise to bring that victory into all of our situations.