The World Is a Hard Place but the Gospel Is Sufficient

by Rex Rouis

The world is a hard merciless place, a dog-eat-dog world filled with haves and have-nots. There is evil all around, and bad things happen to good people. Is there an answer to this misery? Is there any hope for a protected satisfied life? Or are we left to drift alone in this destruction?

We are not left alone. There is hope, and there is an answer to this misery. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is more than sufficient to meet all your needs – spirit, soul, and body. It does work, and it will work you. The Gospel will work for you, but for it to work, it must be worked. Happiness in this lost world doesn’t just happen.

God’s working in our lives is called ‘salvation,’ and it comes through faith (read more).

Why is faith required? We don’t fully know, it is a mystery, but it is the truth and faith is the required way of God. It is the only path to Him and all that He has. He loves everybody in this world but only those who believe receive His future eternity and His current blessing.

For God so love the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

What is offered in love by God can only be received by faith (read more), and receiving faith is a process. I have seen occasions when God’s mercy has produced a quick miracle, but it is the exception, not the rule. And I think in these situations if the truth is known, there was somebody or something going on in the background. I am not saying that God cannot deliver you right now, He can and has. Talk to Him. Fall on His mercy because He is gracious to all that come to Him (read more). It is just that the guaranteed route is one of steady growth in the Word and Spirit of God.

So He said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31, 32

God’s salvation is more than sufficient for every desire and every need, but sufficient salvation requires sufficient faith, and sufficient faith requires sufficient perseverance. Salvation (read more) starts on the inside and moves out to all areas of your life. Some teach that God does it all alone according to His will and whatever we get is His will. We are expected to do little, and in return, we are to be happy with whatever we receive. This doctrine sounds good except for one thing – there is a Devil in the world. He fights everything you do, and he works night and day to hurt you. Not everything in life comes from God. Some things come from the Devil and we need to be able to tell the difference. We also need to know how to receive real things from God.

A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came so that my sheep will have life and so that they will have everything they need. John 10:10

Let’s be honest, God’s promises in the Bible seem incredible. They seem like they are too good to be true, and when we compare them back to the world around us, they seem really impossible. Look at these:

Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:25, 33

I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Wow, don’t you wish they were true? They are true for a believer, if you believe them. They are not intended for the world but for a Christian who believes them. For the Believer they are more than possible. They are there for those who go after them in God with all their strength and with all their soul. God says that there is a narrow path to His blessings but few actually take it. But you can choose to take it. The first step on this road to God’s reality is receiving hope. Everything starts with hope. As you read scriptures and God’s promises, you begin to find out what is possible for you. This possibility brings what the Bible calls ‘hope.’

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4

People become hopeless when they can see no way out of their current situation. But God says that there is a way out and His sayings bring hope and motivation. Hope flows into our heart and life. It encourages us and strengthens us, but we must not stop there. Unfortunately, most do. Keep putting these promises into your heart. Let them grow into strong faith. For it is faith alone that moves the hand of God and will turn your hopes into reality.

Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the evidence of what is not yet seen. Hebrews 11:1

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. Hebrews 11:6

Start by finding scriptures that cover what you want (read more). If you cannot find any, then you will know that what you want may not be God’s will (read more). If you do find them, read them, speak them, study them, and seek God with them. Make them go deep into your heart. Once they take root, they will grow, and will come out as faith. You will then have your answer – by faith. Then continue to walk in obedience and let faith do her perfect work.

My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart. For they bring life to those who find them and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart more than anything else, because the source of your life flows from it.  Proverbs 4:20, 21, 22, 23

How much do you do it? You tell me. How much do you want it? How bad is your situation? You determine your hunger for God and His involvement in your life. You alone determine how you take His promises and turn them into reality in your life. Don’t worry if you do not see this victory in the world. As a Christian, you are no longer of the world. You are a believer with access to the most powerful Person in the created universe. He has promised to help you if you but take the time to allow Him into your heart and life and believe Him. It will not easy at times. The world and all that is in it will fight you but fight back with the word of God. Speak it, believe it, receive it. Fight for it with all you have.

We will help you. We will pray with and for you. Helping people like you is the purpose for all that we do. Contact us; we can help. Never stop and never give up. Keep putting the word of God into your heart. Read the stories of hope and faith on this site. The purpose of God will grow inside of you, and it will change your life. This change is called salvation. We love you.

Turn the promises of God into reality through faith.