Torch, Summer 1994

A three-year old boy stood on the pew beside his mother in the morning worship service. The congregation was singing the doxology. As they concluded with the words, "Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost," a look of despair clouded the face of the lad. He announced his concern loudly enough for all around him to hear: "Ghost! That scares me!" Unfortunately, many Christians live their lives today in fear of, or at least in ignorance of, the Holy Spirit. Scripture addresses two specific areas of struggle for the believer: adversity and the adversaries. In both instances, the Spirit is the supernatural enabler for overcoming. He provides discernment and strength for surviving the pressure and winning the battles. Overcoming Adversit~-----"'-- Few would disagree with the fact that ours is a self-centered, comfort– zone culture. Evidence for that fact abounds, but perhaps no evidence is more compelling than the way we meet and handle circumstances. Christians are not exempt. Believers move from mountain-tops to valleys in the blink of an eye. Too often, our attempts to overcome are motivated by a desire for deliverance. God, however, has designed our circumstances for our development. Adversity is the tool of the master craftsman who would mold and shape us into the image of Jesus Christ. Understanding the activity of the Spirit in it all is a major help for coping with and growing in response to adversity. Romans 8:26- 29 provides special insight into the handiwork of God. Paul counseled the Roman believers that the Holy Spirit comes alongside to intercede for believers. According to Paul, we Christians don't even know how to begin to pray as we ought when faced with the difficulties that plague the planet and the race. Paul notes that the Spirit always prays according to the will of God (v. 27). The Father, in response to the Spirit's prayer for us, orchestrates our circumstances, working "all things together for our good." Verse 29 denotes what is the "good" for which He is working. Our good is conformation to the image of Jesus Christ. In summary, our circumstances are arranged by God in response to the Spirit 's prayer that we might resemble the Lord Jesus. Understanding this specific regarding our circumstances certainly helps to adjust our perspective. We can live above our circumstances rather than being controlled by them. The Spirit enables us to overcome adversity with a godly attitude of submission and acceptance. Paul wrote similarly to the Corinthians: "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10: 13 NKJV). The word translated temptation is the same word as testing in James 1:2- 12. The message to the Corinthians is not so much a promise for times when one is tempted for evil as it is a promise to those who are in the pressure cooker of circumstances. Note that Paul does not say God has provided a way to escape so that we can escape. He has provided an escape so we will be able to endure. He does not say God provides a trapdoor overhead so we can be delivered. Rather, He provides a light at the end of the tunnel that we might endure and emerge the better for the experience. Dr. Warren Wiersbe tells of the lady from his church who suffered from cancer. She was hindered from regular attendance at services. One Sunday, when she was able to be out, he greeted her at the door. He inquired how he might pray for her. She said, "Pastor, don't pray that I'll get well. Pray that I'll learn the lessons God wants to teach me through this." I believe that 's a testimony of one who has overcome in the Spirit. Paul's letters to the Thessalonians are great words of encouragement to individuals experiencing adversity. Chapter one makes it clear they are availing themselves of the energy and perspective of the Holy Spirit. As a result, adversity served to strengthen their faith rather than weaken it. Their common suffering pressed them together in a loving relationship with one another. The result was a vibrant testimony for Jesus Christ radiating to the entire Grecian peninsula and beyond. This is, perhaps, what Paul had in mind when he exhorted the Ephesian believers to "walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, [understanding] what the will of the Lord is, [being] filled with the Spirit..." (Ephesians 5: 15-18 NKJV). When controlled by the Spirit, the Ephesians could overcome their circumstances, Torch 7