But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57 NIV

The victory comes through Jesus, for he has redeemed us on the cross but maintaining a relationship with God on a day-to-day basis is not without its challenges. C S Lewis in the book The Screwtape Letters, supposedly from a big devil to a little devil, discusses how we are creatures of undulation. We live through emotional troughs and peaks. When we first meet God, our life is rich and easy, but it does not remain that way. “He will set them off with communications of His presence which, though faint, seem great to them, with emotional sweetness, and easy conquest over temptation. But He never allows this state of affairs to last long. Sooner or later, He withdraws, if not in fact, at least from their conscious experience, all those supports and incentives. He leaves the creature to stand up on its own legs — to carry out from the will alone duties which have lost all relish. It is during such trough periods, much more than during the peak periods, that it is growing into the sort of creature He wants it to be. Hence the prayers offered in the state of dryness are those which please Him best. … He wants them to learn to walk and must therefore take away His hand; and if only the will to walk is really there he is pleased even with their stumbles.” Your growth as a Christian will undoubtedly be in small incremental steps but every little advance forward is a victory. Your will and his strength combined will bring precious growth into God’s image.

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