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I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.] JOHN 16:33 AMP

Jesus warns us ahead of time of what we are getting into when we decide to follow him. He's not like the modern preacher: giving out well - constructed sentences to lull you into a false sense of prosperity. He does not promise to supply ALL we ask for, but all that he determines that we need. Nothing in the world, no matter how lovely, can give you peace; only the Prince of Peace can guarantee you that.

The world may not get better, but I can grow deeper in my walk with God, so I can be all that he has purposed for me. Even when things fall apart around me, God picks up the pieces and puts them back together again. My inner man determines my external status; I don't allow the uncertainties of life determine my joy; I rejoice in God because I know that his presence is key to my joy.

This has always been real to me: God is more interested in building my character than in giving me comfort and convenience. He wants to wean me away from self-sufficiency into a state of absolute dependence on God alone. He wants me to focus solely on him, because only as I focus on him can he guide my steps away from every snare of the enemy. As I trust him completely, I walk into his permanent victory, secured for me long before I was born. His victory is abiding, his conquest already accomplished. He is God, not because I call him so, but because that is who he is. Long after I have ceased to exist in this life, God will remain God. He knows what he is saying, as he is the ruler over all things. His time of favour is here.