Does your cross feel too heavy today?

Written by Courtnaye Richard on 18/05/2021

Series: Weekly Devotional

Tags: Faithful, Apathy, Discouragement, Talk, Endure

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation.

Psalm 42:5

I want to take the time to encourage you today to keep pressing and carrying your cross. Each one of us has our unique one to bear. And one thing that's certain is that God will never put more on us than we can handle. (By His power (Galatians 5:16) and respecting any provided means of escape. (1 Corinthians 10:13)) Trust me; wherever you are at this point in your spiritual journey, God is in this with you. You are not alone. Yep, He knows where you are. So whether life is good, crazy, awesome, or challenging for you right now, the Lord wants you to know that He loves you and that He wants you to keep carrying your cross and stay faithful.

If you've been a Christian for a while, then you know that there are good days and bad days. There are days when you're on cloud nine and days when you feel so discouraged that you don't know which way is up. It's just a part of the journey. I recall David saying, "Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again-my Savior and my God!" (Psalm 43:5 NLT) This Scripture is so encouraging to me because it's a moment when David's spirit is so low and cast down, yet he realizes that he needs to shake that feeling off and praise God anyway!

Talk to Me

It reminds me of a recent time when I was feeling discouraged. I sensed the Lord telling me to talk to Him. He said, "Talk to me like I was a friend sitting across from you, and tell me everything that's going on with you." Now, God already knew what was going on inside of me, but He just wanted me to get it out so that He could put things into their proper perspective. So I did. I talked to Him and let Him know what I was feeling at the time, and I sensed the Lord reminding me to stay faithful. It was all around me…in word, in song, and prayer. After that, I immediately put on some praise and worship music and basked in His presence. It was awesome!

Sometimes you have to do that. Amid the noise, busyness, fatigue, or discouragement, you have to stop and sit down and talk to God. He's available to listen at any time. Even when things are great, you still need to make time just to sit down and talk to Him. This is a part of being faithful. It's about having a relationship and connecting with Him about everything.

Wait Patiently

So as you wait patiently for God to fulfill the promises in your life and press on to do what God has called you to do, remain fruitful and faithful. Yes, at times, you will get tired of doing what's right, but keep pressing beyond your feelings! The Bible tells us in Galatians 6:9, "So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time." (NLT) Know that God will reward your diligence and patience. I've seen it happen in my own life and others. Before I close this, I also want to give you some Scriptures that I pray will help you as you continue to be faithful in this Christian race. Here goes…

1 Corinthians 15:58, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain."

2 Chronicles 15:7, "Be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded."

Hebrews 12:12-13, "So take a new grip with your tired hands and stand firm on your shaky legs. Mark out a straight path for your feet. Then those who follow you, though they are weak and lame, will not stumble and fall but will become strong." (NLT)

Philippians 1:6 "And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again." (NLT)

The Word of God is life! Breathe it in. Be encouraged, friend, and whatever you do…stay faithful until the end!

 Remember, Jesus is coming back soon! And those who endure unto the end shall be saved. So let's get ready from the Inside Out!

Used with permission by Global Media Outreach from Courtnaye Richard. This article was first published at https://www.insideoutwithcourtnaye.org/stay-faithful/

Pray this week:

Lord Jesus, I want to be faithful to You always!  Please encourage me today like You encouraged King David.  You are my Savior and my God.