Be of Good Cheer
The phrase “be of good cheer” is the Greek “tharseo” which means to exercise courage (which is the attitude of facing and dealing with difficult and painful circumstances instead of withdrawing from them), to be bold (which means to take risks, face danger, to become daring and fearless) and to be confident (trusting in the Lord's ability to see you through difficult times).
Jesus wasn't merely telling us to cheer up, put a smile on our face, and hope for the best. He was telling us to take an active and courageous position of faith instead of passively acquiescing to the problems that surround us.
This means that Jesus is aware of the conflicts that we face on the earth. God is not ignorant of the warfare that we will encounter. In fact, He refers to the devil as our adversary in 1 Peter 5:8–“because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion emphasizes that there is a real spiritual warfare going on in the life of a believer. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”.
While we cannot avoid all pain and suffering in this life, Jesus, nonetheless assures us that He will guide us safely through any difficulty or trial we may have to undergo for His sake. Jesus calls each of us to take courage, because He has overcome the world. The Holy Spirit gives us a living hope in the power of the resurrection and a confident trust in God's abiding presence. Nothing can overcome this faith and hope in Christ's victory–no trial, suffering, temptation, or testing. The Holy Spirit gives us the strength and courage we need to overcome adversity and to persevere in faith.
We cannot overcome without the Holy Spirit. The question is what is the Spirit saying? What is the witness of the Spirit? What is the word of the Spirit that is essential for us to overcome in life? The answer is so simple and it is found in Romans 8:16. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God”. Yes, that's how simple it is. It is the revelation that we are the children of God.
As a child of God, you have His nature, you have His life. If you are conscious of this and walking in this light, there is no way you would lose any of life's battles. We are to identify or connect with Him if we are going to overcome. We are joint heirs together with Him so that all that belongs to Him belongs to us. Overcoming is part of our inheritance as children of God.
“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall arise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.” (Isaiah 54:17).
“To execute upon them (the princes of darkness) the judgment written: this honour have all the saints. Praise ye thee Lord” (Psalm 149:9).
Jesus said in John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye may have peace”. He wants us to find peace in Him. You cannot overcome if you are overwhelmed. To overcome you must receive God's peace. A revelation of the peace of God will put one in a position not to be disturbed by the circumstances of life, hence enabling the individual to consistently overcome without fretting. It takes a man of peace to win the battles of life.
Every single one of us will have to engage with a certain amount of storm clouds in this life before we can finally depart to be with our Lord and Savior for the rest of all eternity.
And until that day comes, put on the whole armor of God and take on your trials and tribulations as a good and mighty soldier of Jesus Christ.
If you are willing to take the storm clouds of this life head on like David did with Goliath, you have no idea how many other people you may be able to save, touch, heal, and deliver in this life–as well as increase your own personal faith levels in the Lord and improve yourself as a true man and true woman of God.
The rewards will eventually be enormous for those who will not be afraid to step out onto the battlefield of life from time to time to take on the real Goliaths of this world.
Michael Cochran
PublisherFaithWriters.com
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