Adversity_:
It's A Battle...Friend.

Adversity_ may be an unwelcome guest in your

life right now...

...but the hard truth is...

...it should be expected.

Actually...

..."guest"...

...may not be the best word for it.

Perhaps...

..."opponent"...

...would be better.

Because...

...I'm not saying you should necessarily welcome

the intrusion...

...as you would a guest.

As a matter of fact...

...I'm not sure I even like the term...

..."opponent."

It makes it sound like a friendly game of tennis...

...or something...

...and it's not that...

...at all.

It's a battle...

...my friend.

IT'S A BATTLE

Adversity_ can come in all kinds of shapes and sizes...

...but when it comes...

...it is NO game.

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It can visit you in the form of:

• Health issues:

  (cancer, diabetes, heart disease, etc.).

• Relational problems:

  (divorce, separation, abuse, etc.).

• Financial hardship:

  (loss of job, home, car, etc.).

• Mental or emotional crisis:

  (depression, anxiety, irrational fear, etc.).

• Any combination of these things...

...and so much more.

*************************************************

So...

...for example...

...when you talk about cancer...

...you say you're...

...battling...

...cancer.

There's no "opponent" here.

There's an...

...enemy...

...an antagonist.

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Enemy:

* 1) One who feels hatred toward, intends

injury to...

...or opposes another; a foe.

* 2) Something destructive or injurious in

its effects.

Antagonist:

* 1) One who contends against another; an

adversary.

Antagonism:

* 1) Hostility that results in active

resistance...

...opposition, or contentiousness.

* 2) The condition of being an opposing

principle...

...force or factor.

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THIS IS SERIOUS STUFF

Adversity_ is war...

...my friend...

...and it takes no prisoners.

That's why it must be...

...CONQUERED!

Did you know that your adversity_...

...no matter what it is...

...is a spiritual matter?

Adversity_ goes against everything...

...that was originally intended by God...

...when He created all things.

Disobedience to His ways...

...through temptation by the Adversary...

...brought the adversity_ you and I face everyday. Go to "The Surrender"

You must understand... ...the Word of God says...

...that our enemy is a spiritual one!

1 Peter 5:8-11 (NCV)

8 Control yourselves and be careful! The devil, your

enemy, goes around like a roaring lion looking for

someone to eat. 9 Refuse to give in to him, by standing

strong in your faith. You know that your Christian

family all over the world is having the same kinds of

suffering.

10 And after you suffer for a short time, God, who gives

all grace, will make everything right. He will make you

strong and support you and keep you from falling. He

called you to share in his glory in Christ, a glory that

will continue forever. 11 All power is his forever and

ever.

Amen.

You may be experiencing some very real...

...tangible...

..."visible"...

...crises right now.

But...

...it's source is...

...spiritual...

...in its essence.

When I say "spiritual"...

...I mean it is spirit in nature...

...not tangible or material.

DON'T LET ME LOSE YOU HERE

You see... ...when God created everything...

...it was all perfect!

Evil revealed itself through temptation...

...which brought disobedience to God's commands...

...which brought a curse upon the earth and its

inhabitants.

This was not God's intention.

He created human beings to be in relationship with

Himself...

...living in a flawless world of beauty and abundance.

***************************************

His original design was perfect:

* Perfect health.

* Perfect relationships (with Him and each other).

* Perfect obedience to the laws of life.

(Which promotes a continuous flow of goodness and abundance.)

* Perfect earth.

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In other words...

...perfection in all things in all ways.

Well...

...life is not all He...

...originally...

...designed it to be.

He gave you and I free-will...

...so we would not be...

puppets...

...controlled by Him.

He wanted humankind to choose to love Him...

...through obedience.

Human nature chose unwisely.

God's disapproval...

...to the choice of disobedience...

...was expressed by casting our ancestors out...

...of the perfect environment He had created for them.

The earth was cursed...

...and man was forced to fight for survival.

Humankind fell from the place that God had placed

them...

...and became slaves to the one who tempted them...

...Satan.

That's when pain and suffering entered the world.

Adversity_ came through disobedience.

GOD LOVES YOU...MY FRIEND

God loves you and I so much...

...that He paid a very great price... ...to bring you and I out of our bondage.

This is explained in the above link...

...but it provides the KEY to...

...conquering...

...adversity_.

You see...

...adversity_ can become a means of personal growth...

...if you have the... ...KEY.

It's time to CONQUER adversity_...

...use it for growth...

...and become friends with God again.

It's a battle...friend...

...and there is power to come against the enemy... ...victoriously.

There is NO reason...

...for you to be defeated by any kind of adversity_...

...my friend.

Do NOT surrender to the enemy! Surrender...instead...to the One Who loves you...

...and wants only the best for you.

You see...

...there are only two options.

Conquest...

...or defeat.

There can be no retreat.

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No retreat.

No retreat.

They must conquer or die who've no retreat.

-- John Gay (1685-1732)

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ADVERSITY_ CAN BE A GOOD THING

Friend...

...adversity_ can become a means...

...to draw you to the One Who created you.

Wonderful things can come from adversity_...

...if you give the battle to the One...

...Who desires to set you free...

...from the grip of the enemy.

God wants to fight your battle with you...

...and for you.

Check this out.

Zechariah 4:6 (NCV)

6‘You will not succeed by your own strength...

...or by your own power...

...but by my Spirit,’...

...says the Lord All-Powerful.

You need to have the KEY...my friend.

I'm moving on to...

...CONQUER...

...want to join me?

Let's join the winning side...

...and defeat the enemy...

...in the power of God...

...and experience all the good things...

...that can come through adversity_.

Adversity_ is here to stay...

...as long as you and I are alive.

Why not turn it into something...

...positively...

...life-changing...

...and...

...good?

Follow the links to find...

...the KEY.

You won't be disappointed.

It's found in... "The Surrender"...

...AND... ..."The Breath."

After that...

...join me as I discuss... ..."Conquering and Overcoming."

Also...

...check out the... ..."Adversity_ Quotes"...

...when you can.

Blessings...my friend...

...and lets conquer some adversity_!

:)

-- Pilgrim

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***All Scripture taken from:

The Everyday Bible : New Century Version.

Nashville, TN. : Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2005