Sometimes we are faced with real opposition.
It might be serious sickness, for instance. Or criticism. Or bitterness. Or depression. Or fear.
We have a choice of giving in to the opposition–or taking charge of it through Jesus Christ. We can either resign in life or reign in life! The difference in spelling is minimal–only one letter–but the difference in life is colossal!
Whether we change the situation or change ourselves, we can still overcome.
One of my favourite passages of Scripture says:
With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall… It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
The theme of this passage is one of victory and mastery. Many times there seems to be a whole troop of troubles before us or a wall too high to climb or a mountain too rugged to scale.
But God gives us strong arms for fighting and sure feet for climbing so we can win a certain victory and safely mount the heights.
To read more on this topic see Living in the Image of God, Barry Chant (Miranda: Tabor, 2012 available in eBook and Paperback) from which this edited extract is taken.