Last week in our small group, we read through Romans 8:37-38. Paul writes this:
“In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things of the present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
I don’t know about you, but every time I read this text, I lose my breath. I read through this text and there is something within me that longs to feel like a conqueror. I want to believe these words, I want to know that they are true, I want to feel like a victor. But the truth is that I don’t always feel that way.
And as I sat there listening to everyone talking about their similar longing and desire, I felt God nudge me. So today, I want to share that nudging with you.
First, let me admit once again, that I don’t always feel like a conqueror. And you probably don’t either. But whether we feel like it or not, we are all conquerors. You see, this text states that we are conquerors not because of what we do, but rather because nothing, not even death, or leaders, or struggles can separate us from the love of God.
We are conquers because at the end of the day, we know we are still children of God and no matter what we went through, what we did, or how we responded to things, God still claims us as his very own. We are conquerors because at the end of the day, the struggles of this world did not defeat us and we held on tightly to God despite it all.
Now, you might be thinking to yourself that that sounds great, but that you still don’t feel like a conqueror. Let’s fix that then.
Are you a mom or dad? Have you had to split yourself in a million directions? Have you had to learn patience when your child throws a temper tantrum? Have you had to sacrifice your personal preferences for the sake of the family? Have you had to help your family through grief, sorrow, anxiety, worry and so many other things?
If you said yes to any of these and you are reading this, you are a conqueror. Being a parent is hard. It was never meant to be easy to be a parent. From the very beginning of the bible, Adam and Eve have to struggle with raising their children. And they have to deal with a horrific experience dealing their kids. But let me tell you something: at the end of the day, they made it through. As tough as it was, they went to bed at the end of every day, woke up the next day, and did it all over again. And the same is true for you. The struggles of being a parent have not defeated you this far, and that makes you a conqueror.
How about this. Are you struggling to balance your finances at home or work? Are you constantly stressed that you won’t make ends meet or that you will have to let people go? Do you carry the burden that all of these things fall on you and you are afraid of letting people down?
If you said yes to any of these and you are reading this, you are a conqueror. Balancing our finances is hard. It was never meant to be easy. In the bible we hear of a servant who owed his king millions of dollars. It was so much money, in fact, that he ended up threatening others for money that was owed to him as a response to the fear he felt for his own debt. But let me tell you something: at the end of the day, there are many characters throughout the bible who despite their struggles with money, they made it through. As tough as it was, they went to bed at the end of every day, woke up the next day, and tried all over again. And the same is true for you. The struggles of balancing our finances have not defeated you this far, and that makes you a conqueror.
What about your marriage, or relationship? Is it struggling? Do you find yourself arguing more and more? Do you feel like you are both just eternally irritated with each other? Do you feel like you can’t even bring up an issue anymore because it causes a bigger problem?
If you said yes to any of these and you are reading this, you are a conqueror. Relationships are hard. It was never meant to be easy. In the bible we hear of so many relationships that are broken and people part ways because the brokenness is so big. But let me tell you something: at the end of the day, there are also many characters throughout the bible who despite their struggles in their relationships, they made it through. As tough as it was, they went to bed at the end of every day, woke up the next day, and tried all over again. And the same is true for you. The struggles of your relationships have not defeated you this far, and that makes you a conqueror.
What about your health? Is it deteriorating? Do you have a sickness that you just cannot shake away? Did you receive a terrible diagnosis?
If you said yes to any of these and you are reading this, you are a conqueror. Taking control of our health is difficult. It was never meant to be easy. In the bible we hear of people whose health deteriorated so quickly that they lost hope and some even lost their lives. But let me tell you something: at the end of the day, there are way more characters throughout the bible who despite their health related struggles, they made it through. As tough as it was, they went to bed at the end of every day, woke up the next day, and tried all over again. And the same is true for you. The struggles of your health have not defeated you this far, and that makes you a conqueror.
Let me give you one last example. Are you a student? Do you feel like you are constantly overwhelmed with school and homework? Do you feel like your parents or your school have unrealistic expectations of you and your anxiety level rises every time you look at your grades?
If you said yes to any of these and you are reading this, you are a conqueror. Balancing our schoolwork is hard. It was never meant to be easy. In the bible we hear of people who just could not understand what Jesus was teaching them. Many of them got frustrated and stopped paying attention. But let me tell you something: at the end of the day, there are many more characters throughout the bible who despite their struggles with education, they made it through. As tough as it was, they went to bed at the end of every day, woke up the next day, and tried all over again. And the same is true for you. The struggles that come with pursuing an education have not defeated you this far, and that makes you a conqueror.
You are a conqueror not because you go to bed unscathed at the end of the day. Rather, you are a conqueror because despite the million things this world throws at you, you clung on to Jesus and made it through another day.
In 2013, I was diagnosed with depression.
I can tell you that I never felt like a conqueror because I felt like at the end of every day, my depression was kicking my butt. But let me tell you what. Depression can kill. Depression can lead you down some pretty bad rabbit holes. Depression is evils way of telling you that you are not good enough, not smart enough, not attractive enough, and so much more. Depression doesn’t try to slow you down, it tries to stop you.
And despite me not feeling like a conqueror, I was a conqueror because at the end of every day, depression did not get the best of me. At the end of every day, no matter how tough depression was, it did not defeat me. And eventually, I was able to overcome my depression.
I want the same to be true for you.
Whatever it is that you are going through today, remember that you have conquered the struggles of this world. And even if at the end of the day you don’t feel like a conqueror, remember that this world did not get the best of you. So, get a good night’s sleep, and face the world all over again tomorrow. For it is through your faith in Jesus Christ, that this world will never, ever, be able to knock you down. Remember that you are a child of God and that through your faith in Jesus, you can, and will, conquer all things.
Together on the journey,
Pastor Fernie
