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Overcoming Trouble

Briefing: Do you know anyone who lives a trouble-free life? It is a natural fact; if you live long enough you will experience troubles in this life.

Dispatch (Assignment): Read John 16:17-33.

On the Street: There was a time in my law enforcement career that I wanted to be a motorcycle officer (motor jock). I sat down one day with a motor officer and asked him what he thought about being a motorcycle officer. The first thing he asked me was how I felt about wrecking on a motorcycle. I was not excited about having a wreck and told him so. He informed me that when you rode a motorcycle, the question was not if you would have a wreck but when you would have a wreck. I lost my desire to be a motor jock.

It reminds me of a time when I was about ten years old. I spent a lot of time at my best friend’s house. Jason’s dad loved to go fishing and when he would return home, Jason and I would ask him (knowing his answer before we asked), “Did you catch anything?” Jason’s dad (Ben) would always answer, “It’s not if I caught any fish, it’s how many fish I caught.”

This principle works in many areas of our life. The question is not if you will have trouble but when, where, and how often you find yourself in trouble. I have had seasons in life where I thought I lived in a constant state of trouble.

Everybody has troubles but there is good news for the Christ follower. Jesus tells His followers, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (NIV). Because Jesus conquered sin and death, we have a future hope. We can live in peace knowing that salvation in Jesus is an end to our troubles. We don’t worship Christ or ask for salvation just to avoid trouble but it is a promise to those who chose Christ and His free gift of salvation.

As a matter of fact, Jesus has been telling His disciples to prepare themselves for added trouble. The occupants of this life will all have trouble. The followers of Christ will have more trouble because they are a reflection of Jesus. The more you live and love like Jesus, the more this world will persecute you. Jesus has been preparing us for this but throughout His teachings He has also been revealing His promises to us. Promises to send the Holy Spirit, to give us what we ask for in His name, to leave us His peace, and the promise that He will abide in us as long as we abide in Him.

I don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to living a trouble-free existence when I get to heaven.

Investigational Resources: For more verses on how to handle trouble, see Nahum 1:7 and Matthew 6:34. Don’t be like the seed in Matthew 13:21.

Officer Safety Principle: Have peace in knowing there is light at the end of the tunnel. It is not just a light, it is The Light.

from The Gospel of John Through the Eyes of a Cop
©by Charles Gilliland. Used by permission.
Click here to check out the entire Through the Eyes of a Cop series!