The life of a believer should be filled with joy because there is nothing more joyful than the knowledge of having a personal, saving relationship with God.  It is a joy the world cannot match or even come close to!  On the other hand, though, there is another side, the side that says there will be difficulty, there will be hardship, not everyone will respond.  And when we come across those times we say, “Things Just Got Real.”

God is a dividing God:

• Jesus did not come to integrate the church and world, but to separate it from the world
• As a believer you are not called be ‘of’ the world, even if you are ‘in’ the world

God is a possessing God:

• God wants all of you and wants to be first in your life
• People won’t always understand this and believers will face hostility

God is a reassuring God:

• Jesus says “do not fear” or, in other words, don’t live in fear
• No believer will ever be alone, even if the world rejects them for the sake of Christ

(Verses cited: 1 Peter 5:7; Matthew 5:11; 2 Peter 3:9; John 14:6; Matthew 10:14; Galatians 5:1; Matthew 25:32; Genesis 2:24; Exodus 20:12; 1 John 4; Luke 4:22; Isaiah 8:12; Psalm 73:23; Hebrews 13:5; 1 Peter 3:14)