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Luis Alberto Alves
Sometimes, in a moment of great struggle, we think for a few seconds that Jesus has forgotten his promises. The realization of our dreams. That's when sadness and despair knock on the door of our heart. Corrupt and deceitful, he stacks and increases the affliction, throwing adrenaline into sinful desires.
When the problem is sentimental, we imagine that happiness will never enter through the door of the soul. Right now, the weak Christian looks at the people on the street and thinks they are happy. He observes that coworker, beautiful in face and body, or in the case of women, that charming man with an athletic body.
Through the mind, thoughts of greed and desires emerge and images arise of what life would be like next to that person, who in this terrible desert is before our eyes. The devil, cleverly, adds fuel to the fire and suggests that this proposal cannot be ignored, but strongly embraced.
Illusion
Sentimental crises hurt, especially when our faith is shaken. They quickly remove the feet of the Christian, still inexperienced with the move of the Lord. Young people think that they will not find the so dreamed soul mate. That Jesus Christ forgot to keep his promises. Everything is in the past.
In the spirit world, demons are working to turn this reality into a nightmare. They open the way for the spirits of vices, prostitution, lasciviousness, sensuality, deceit and lies. That's when the phrase "nothing to do" becomes frequent vocabulary on the lips of someone who is far from Christ.
Note that someone sad for the loss of a boyfriend or girlfriend, fiancé or bride or even just out of a divorce will seek refuge in drink, drugs, prostitution or even in the arms of false gods, who are nothing more than demons with the appearance of goodness. . The excuse is to cool your head, forget the sadness.
Sadness
Note that someone at this stage starts listening to sad songs, whose lyrics describe the routine of people who have lost great loves. They surrender their lives, imagining that these depressing lyrics will serve as a consolation. They don't know what demons are working on emotions for this stage to get worse, until that someone takes their own life.
Jesus Christ never forgets his promises. He has the right time to fulfill what he has in store for us. It is up to the Christian to wait. It is not new that we have the impression that everything has fallen into oblivion. However, the Lord's chronology is spiritual, different from ours, attached to the earthly world, where we are passing through.
The Lord said that “heaven passes away and the earth passes away, but his words shall not pass away”, Matthew 24:35. Why does the Christian forget what Jesus Christ said? Why in moments of affliction, people prefer to look at the damage caused by the devil, instead of standing firm in the ways of Christ. Is it a lack of faith, is it a lack of fellowship, or did they simply stop believing in the Lord?
Future
If people imagined how much beauty the future announced by God will have, they would never open their mouths to utter words of curse and sadness. The devil knows that these days of wonder will come in the life of the Christian who takes quality time for the Lord. He will try to prevent the realization of this dream.
It's like the football coach who knows how that promise from the youth team will shine. Because of the experience, he also recognizes that all that could go up in smoke if this young athlete does not follow the sporting precepts to the letter. Satan does this. Sowing stones, with the appearance of beautiful flowers, to confuse the person towards the blessing.
But which strategy to adopt when anxiety knocks hard on our heart's door? Leave the Lord aside and dive once and for all into the world of deceit? When we are anxious, it is a sign that our trust in Jesus Christ is weak. We imagine that the Lord is unable to fulfill what he has promised us.
Prophecy
To complicate the situation, false prophets appear on the scene, sowing words that look good but have evil content. They say that walking alongside Jesus will be filled with joy, without any kind of war. That we will never set foot in the desert. In the view of these false prophets, that place is reserved for Christians weak in the faith.
False prophecy is not fulfilled. Because it's a lie. Smoke fills a room, but soon disappears and vanishes into thin air. The truth, which is the Word of God, is eternal. It remains forever. In the Lord's time, it will come to fruition. At the moment when the servant of God is discouraged and even forgot what God had told him.
So if you are struggling, facing the heat and cold of the desert, don't let the lie of the dark deceive you. Jesus Christ will fulfill what he promised you. In the Lord's time everything will come true, to cheer your heart and revive your soul. It's up to you to persevere in prayer and not let your guard down to the devil.
Luís Alberto Alves is pastor
