Bitter Water

Have you wondered as you walk out your relationship with God, why sometimes it seems like you are having to come to places that are bitter? You spend time with Him, praying, reading His Word, practicing the principles of love as He teaches, yet hardships seem to come. The very things that you profess that God takes away show up in your life, berating you, confronting your beliefs.

I challenge you to consider this; life’s tribulation is by design. The Lord allows you to be tested so that you will be strengthened. For you to grow stronger, you must exert yourself against that which challenges you. An athlete gets stronger, faster, and better by constant training. A boxer becomes a better fighter by practicing against opponents and thus is prepared for the real contests.

In Exodus 15, the Israelites had just passed through the Red Sea and witnessed the destruction of the Egyptian army. They traveled three days following the pillar of fire by night and cloud by day into the wilderness and had no water. They came to a place called Marah where there was water, but it was bitter, and they could not drink it. Think about this for a minute; they followed the Lord God who led them by cloud and fire to this place. They were following God, but He led them to a place where the only water around couldn’t be consumed.

Moses cried out to the Lord and the Lord showed Moses a tree that when he cast its branches into the water, it would purify the water and make it drinkable. God tested them and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, I will not allow the diseases that came on the Egyptians to come on you; for I, the Lord, am your healer.” By calling on the Lord, they were learning to place their trust in Him. They were learning to exercise their trust and their faith in the Lord God.

A similar passage can be found in John 16 where Jesus is talking to His disciples. He tells them that they will have tribulation in this world. As they walk out the things He has taught them, they are going to face opposition. Trouble will come to them. But He adds something very important. He tells them to be of good cheer; He has overcome the world.

We can’t stop there though. In Luke 10, Jesus tells us that He has given us authority over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt us.

While trouble may show up beating on our doorstep, we have authority over it. We can and should by the power and authority we have been given, command it to go from us. So yes, we are following His commands. Yes, we are diligently obeying His word and yes, trouble will come while we are doing that. But He has overcome all that trouble and given us the authority and power to do the same. We just need to exercise our faith and trust Him. Speak 𝐭𝐨 your problems, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 them, and tell them to go. Because you have His authority, they must obey.