Anchored in Trials

 "I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency]." (Philippians 4:13 AMP)
Paul was locked away in prison while he wrote this letter.  If we look back through the book of Acts we read about Paul in Jerusalem being persecuted by the Pharisee's.  The Pharisee's didn’t accept Paul’s ministry or his message and were threatened by the gospel of Jesus. Really they were opposed to anyone preaching Jesus as the Son of God in that day.

 So Paul goes to Jerusalem and meets with the Church.  One day as Paul is walking into the temple, he is taken captive by the local Pharisee's claiming he has broken the law by preaching against the law of Moses and bringing gentiles into the temple.  There is such a riot over this issue that the Roman soldiers are called in to figure out what's going on and bring some sort of resolution.  We could spend weeks going through the story of how Paul ended up in jail by the Roman government and the significance of everything involving the story.  However, in this post we simply need to understand that Paul was imprisoned while he penned these letters.

Even though Paul was imprisoned at this time of his life he still takes every advantage available to witness and minster to those around him.  During Paul's journey to Rome where he would appeal to Caesar, he ministered to and preached Jesus to countless high profile government officials.  He didn't allow his physical circumstances to get in the way of him fulfilling the call of God on his life.  Mere chains were not enough to drag Paul down and prevent him from influencing government and culture.

There is a verse found in the book of Jeremiah, if you've spent any amount of time in church you've heard this verse before.  It says, "For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts  and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome." (Jeremiah 29:11 AMP)
The word says, "Before you were in your mother's womb, I knew you."  God knows you!  Let that sink in for a moment, reread it a few times.  God knows you!  Not only does God know you, He has a plan and purpose for you, plans for good and not for evil.  He has chosen you for success.  God has set a plan for your life that only you can fulfill with His strength because He created you specifically for this purpose.  What is that purpose?  Seek Him and He will reveal His plans to you.  Jesus told us to "knock and keep on knocking..."  He said "Those who seek me will find me..."
Today I want you to be encouraged.  No matter where life has taken you, no matter what unfortunate circumstances have come your way, know that God knows you, He has a plan and purpose for your life, and through the strength of Jesus Christ you can overcome any and all situations, persecutions, and circumstances that stand in your way and try to prevent you from fulfilling your God given destiny.

I call you blessed,

        - Jen.