Friday, February 6, 2026

John 16:33 1 John 5:5

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

That’s a powerful pairing of Scriptures. They answer fear and identity in one breath.


“Be of Good Cheer: The Overcomer’s Peace”

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace…” (John 16:33)
“Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:5)

1. Jesus does not lie to us about the world

Christ begins with honesty, not comfort.

“In the world ye shall have tribulation.”

He does not say maybe.
He does not say if you lack faith.
He says you shall.

Tribulation is not proof of God’s absence.
It is proof that we are still in a fallen world ruled by broken systems, pride, flesh, and the prince of this age.

If your life feels pressured, resisted, misunderstood, delayed, or painful—
you are not failing spiritually.
You are living where Jesus said you would be.

2. Peace is not found in escape, but in union

“…that in me ye might have peace.”

Notice the location of peace: “in Me.”
Not in circumstances.
Not in success.
Not in answers.
Not in relief.

Peace is not the absence of storms;
peace is the presence of Christ inside the storm.

The world offers peace by removing discomfort.
Jesus offers peace by remaining with you while discomfort remains.

This is why believers can weep and still be steady.
Why they can grieve and still hope.
Why they can be pressed and yet not crushed.

3. “Be of good cheer” is a command, not a suggestion

“But be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

This is not emotional denial.
This is faith anchored in a finished victory.

Jesus does not say, “You will overcome.”
He says, “I have overcome.”

Our confidence is not in our endurance, holiness, discipline, or strength—
but in His completed triumph.

The cross looked like defeat.
The tomb looked like silence.
But resurrection declared:
the world has no final authority.

4. Who is the overcomer? Not the strong—but the believing

“Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?”

This is deeply humbling.

The overcomer is not:

  • the most gifted

  • the most productive

  • the most visible

  • the most disciplined

The overcomer is the one who believes rightly.

Why?
Because believing that Jesus is the Son of God means:

  • You trust His authority over all things

  • You trust His sacrifice is sufficient

  • You trust His resurrection is final

  • You trust His word over your feelings

  • You trust His kingdom over this world

Faith is not passive—it is allegiance.

5. Overcoming the world does not mean escaping it

Many think overcoming means:

  • life gets easier

  • trials stop

  • pain disappears

But Scripture shows something deeper.

To overcome the world means:

  • the world no longer defines your worth

  • the world no longer owns your joy

  • the world no longer dictates your hope

  • the world no longer has the final word

The world may wound you, but it cannot claim you.
It may resist you, but it cannot rule you.

6. Your weakness does not disqualify you

Some believers think,

“If I were stronger, more faithful, more useful, then I would be an overcomer.”

But the text does not say:

“He that performs well overcomes.”

It says:

“He that believeth.”

Even trembling faith laid on a mighty Savior is victorious.

The power is not in the size of your faith—
it is in the object of your faith.

7. Final encouragement

If you feel:

  • weary in serving

  • unseen in obedience

  • delayed in calling

  • small in impact

Hear Christ again:

“In Me, you have peace.”
“Be of good cheer.”
“I have overcome the world.”

Your life may feel hidden, but your victory is not uncertain.
Your path may feel narrow, but your end is secure.

The world is loud.
Christ is victorious.
And the one who believes in Him cannot ultimately lose.


If you want, I can:

  • turn this into a spoken sermon manuscript

  • make it more prophetic / warning-focused

  • or shape it for students / children / a small group

Just tell me the direction.


 

Saturday, January 17, 2026

 Steps or Rungs on the Ladder to Heaven

The Scala consists of 30 chapters, or "rungs",

  • 1–4: Renunciation of the world and obedience to a spiritual father
    • 1. Περὶ ἀποταγῆς (On renunciation of the world, or asceticism)
    • 2. Περὶ ἀπροσπαθείας (On detachment)
    • 3. Περὶ ξενιτείας (On exile or pilgrimage; concerning dreams that beginners have)
    • 4. Περὶ ὑπακοῆς (On blessed and ever-memorable obedience (in addition to episodes involving many individuals)
  • 5–7: Penitence and affliction (πένθος) as paths to true joy
    • 5. Περὶ μετανοίας (On painstaking and true repentance, which constitutes the life of the holy convicts, and about the Prison)
    • 6. Περὶ μνήμης θανάτου (On remembrance of death)
    • 7. Περὶ τοῦ χαροποιοῦ πένθους (On joy-making mourning)
  • 8–17: Defeat of vices and acquisition of virtue
    • 8. Περἰ ἀοργησίας (On freedom from anger and on meekness)
    • 9. Περἰ μνησικακίας (On remembrance of wrongs)
    • 10. Περἰ καταλαλιᾶς (On slander or calumny)
    • 11. Περὶ πολυλογίας καἰ σιωπῆς (On talkativeness and silence)
    • 12. Περὶ ψεύδους (On lying)
    • 13. Περὶ ἀκηδίας (On despondency)
    • 14. Περὶ γαστριμαργίας (On that clamorous mistress, the stomach)
    • 15. Περὶ ἀγνείας (On incorruptible purity and chastity, to which the corruptible attain by toil and sweat)
    • 16. Περὶ φιλαργυρίας (On love of money, or avarice)
    • 17. Περὶ ἀκτημοσύνης (On non-possessiveness (that hastens one Heavenwards)
  • 18–26: Avoidance of the traps of asceticism (laziness, pride, mental stagnation)
    • 18. Περὶ ἀναισθησίας (On insensibility, that is, deadening of the soul and the death of the mind before the death of the body)
    • 19. Περὶ ὕπνου καὶ προσευχῆς (On sleep, prayer, and psalmody with the brotherhood)
    • 20. Περὶ ἀγρυπνίας (On bodily vigil and how to use it to attain spiritual vigil, and how to practice it)
    • 21. Περὶ δειλίας (On unmanly and puerile cowardice)
    • 22. Περὶ κενοδοξίας (On the many forms of vainglory)
    • 23. Περὶ ὑπερηφανείας, Περὶ λογισμῶν βλασφημίας (On mad pride and (in the same Step) on unclean blasphemous thoughts; concerning unmentionable blasphemous thoughts)
    • 24. Περὶ πραότητος και ἁπλότητος (On meekness, simplicity, and guilelessness, which come not from nature but from conscious effort, and on guile)
    • 25. Περὶ ταπεινοφροσύνης (On the destroyer of the passions, most sublime humility, which is rooted in spiritual perception)
    • 26. Περὶ διακρίσεως (On discernment of thoughts, passions and virtues; on expert discernment; brief summary of all aforementioned)
  • 27–29: Acquisition of hesychia, or peace of the soul, of prayer, and of apatheia (dispassion or equanimity with respect to afflictions or suffering)
    • 27. Περὶ ἡσυχίας (On holy stillness of body and soul; different aspects of stillness and how to distinguish them)
    • 28. Περὶ προσευχῆς (On holy and blessed prayer, the mother of virtues, and on the attitude of mind and body in prayer)
    • 29. Περὶ ἀπαθείας (Concerning Heaven on earth, or Godlike dispassion and perfection, and the resurrection of the soul before the general resurrection)
  • 30. Περὶ ἀγάπηςἐλπίδος και πίστεως (Concerning the linking together of the supreme trinity among the virtues; a brief exhortation summarizing all that has been said at length in this book)

Sunday, January 11, 2026

 

Do Not Grow Weary in Hardships

Key Scripture:

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”Galatians 6:9

1. Weariness Is Human, But Giving Up Is a Choice

Hardships do not mean God is absent. Even the strongest believers grow tired—Elijah sat under the broom tree, David cried out in the caves, Paul despaired of life itself. Weariness is a condition, not a condemnation.

But Scripture never says, “Do not feel tired.”
It says, “Do not give up.”

The enemy doesn’t always attack with persecution—sometimes he simply waits until we are exhausted, discouraged, and tempted to quit quietly.


2. God Sees the Hidden Faithfulness

Much of our hardship is unseen:

  • Prayers no one hears

  • Obedience no one applauds

  • Tears no one wipes away

Yet God says:

“Your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

He is not unjust to forget your work. Heaven keeps better records than the world.


3. Hardships Are Not Punishment, They Are Formation

Gold is not destroyed by fire—it is purified.
Muscles are not built by comfort—but by resistance.

“We also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:3–4)

If the hardship hasn’t destroyed you, it is shaping you.


4. Strength Comes from Waiting on the Lord, Not Escaping the Trial

We often pray, “Lord, remove this.”
God often answers, “Let Me strengthen you in it.”

“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.” (Isaiah 40:31)

Waiting is not passive—it is trusting God when nothing seems to change.


5. Jesus Understands Weariness

Christ did not save us from afar. He entered suffering:

  • He was rejected

  • He was misunderstood

  • He carried a cross while collapsing under its weight

“Consider Him who endured such opposition… so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:3)

When you are weary, you are not weak—you are walking the same road He walked.


6. The Harvest Comes After the Long Season

Farmers do not harvest the day after sowing.
There is a due season, and it belongs to God.

“At the proper time we will reap…” (Galatians 6:9)

Your endurance is not wasted. Your tears are not pointless. The delay is not denial.


Closing Exhortation

Beloved, do not let temporary hardship steal eternal reward.
Do not quit in the valley—because valleys are where roots grow deepest.

You may be weary—but you are not abandoned.
You may be pressed—but you are not crushed.
You may feel weak—but God’s strength is being perfected in you.

Hold on. Keep walking. Trust God. The harvest is coming.