H A R D Love- HARD LOVE

H A R D   L O V E

Morning to all of you Faith Filled People reading today! I feel empowered to deliver this final message from the HARD LOVE series. I have gained such a boldness and a readiness from the film, “God’s Not Dead” and also God Himself.

This final devotion about suffering and hardships in life will be based on the title song, “H A R D love” by NEEDTOBREATHE. I will also talk about the “God’s Not Dead” films in this devotion as well. So let’s jump into it!

HARD LOVE

Scripture Saturday

H A R D   L O V E- NEEDTOBREATHE

Life was never going to be easy, as life is just a big test in the end. You have two choices; to believe in Jesus and His resurrection or don’t. As simple as that. We often get worked up over stress and pain in this life and it seems unfair as we live such upright lives for Christ. God would and should look after us shouldn’t He?

In the “God’s Not Dead” movie, there is a quote which sums this up. It goes like this, ‘Sometimes the devil allows people to live a life free of trouble because he doesn’t want people turning to God. Their sin is like a jail cell, except it is all nice and comfy and there doesn’t seem to be any reason to leave. The door’s wide open. Till one day time runs out and the door slams shut and suddenly it’s too late to get out’ The enemy and all the forces in Hell want to drag you down with them. It may seem like a glamorous lifestyle, the worldly one, but it is a world full of hurt and regret.

‘…Hold on tight a little longer, What don’t kill ya, makes ya stronger, Get back up, ’cause it’s a hard love, You can’t change without a fallout, It’s gon’ hurt, but don’t you slow down, Get back up, ’cause it’s a hard love’ This is the chorus of the song and it sings about facing troubles and adversity. It will hurt. . . A lot, but you are never alone as Christ has His hand on your life and He is by your side.

The word of God says a lot about these hard times, an example being, Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. God has given His grace and His favour into our lives so we could be our best selves. The NLT version is, ‘And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.’ We find purpose and meaning in God and His love. But to know love and freedom we must know what it’s like to not have love or freedom. Sin and the lies of this world hold us down, trapping us and saying, ‘You can’t do it.’ But we can do all things through Christ would strengthens us.

The bridge follows with the lyrics being sung, ‘…When the wolves come and hunt me down, I will face them all and stand my ground, ‘Cause there’s a fire burnin’ in me, They will see my strength in this love I found…’ No matter what challenges may come our way we need to stand out ground placing all our trust in Jesus. The enemy will see the strength in you from Jesus, and he will flee. Love is the strongest strength, and God demonstrates it to us daily.

When the walls come down and you can’t take any more, know that Jesus is Lord and nothing is impossible with Him. We need to get on our hands and knees daily, praising God and seeking Him more and more. We need His wisdom and His strength in these hard times.

‘Pastor Dave: God is good all the time. And all the time, God is good.’ This is another quote from the movie, and it’s one of my favourites. Even when things don’t go right and it makes no sense, we must remember it’s all in God’s hands. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that we need not worry about the future because our God is in control. When we don’t see miracles, even when the doubt begins to creep in, when we get left out or sick or lose someone we love and when we get persecuted for our faith. These things are all the challenges in life that we can grow from if we acknowledge that it’s God’s will and part of His big plan. If we doubt and lose faith from these hard times we will fall away from God and in the end, God won’t know who we are.

There is one last verse I want to share with you all that was quoted in the “God’s Not Dead” movie. Matthew 10:32-33 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.”
This is a brutal scripture that says if we choose to deny Jesus and say God is Dead, then we will be disowned and thrown out of heaven. Let’s be bold. Let’s be Unashamed! Jesus is our Lord and when times are hard, remember to give it to God and acknowledged His strength and His love, because God is both strong and loving.

“May the Lord direct your hearts into Godʼs love and Christʼs perseverance.”  ‭‭2 Thessalonians‬ ‭3:5‬
God will always lead us, and He still leads us through the hard times. We need to ask for His love and forgiveness, acknowledging that He is God and the Lord of our life. If you are struggling with hard times or lose please pray and ask God for His grace. Feel free to message us, you can leave a comment and we’ll get straight back to you. Now please pray this prayer

Dear Jesus, I am sorry for the mistakes I have made. I acknowledge that you are the author of humanity and the creator of the universe. Please forgive me from the mistakes I have made. I leave all my worry and my pain in your hands, because only you can make me whole. I accept you Jesus, into my life today. You are my number one, the only one. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit and help me grow the Fruits of the Spirit. Thank you for your love and grace.
Amen.

Thank Jesus for this opportunity that we have here to talk about you to people all over the world. Jesus we are grateful for your love and for placing us here. God please let us never take this for granted. Let your will be done here today. We give it up to you Jesus. Thank you for you never failing love.
Amen.

Guys thanks for reading and sticking to the end. The whole crew here at The Faith Filled Friends would like to thank you for your commitment. If you have any questions just pop them through and we will gladly answer. God bless and have a great day! Thanks for following the HARD LOVE devotion series.

God Bless

The Faith Filled Friends