It All Started in the Garden

“…In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (NIV)

I think there can be a misconception that once we begin a relationship with God, then all of our problems will be over. But that’s not true. Jesus Himself says, “…In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NIV).

It truly all goes back to the Garden of Eden. You’re likely familiar with the story of Adam and Eve found in Genesis Chapters 2 and 3. In the Garden, they lived in Paradise. There was no sickness or pain, and all of their needs were met. However, Adam sinned when he ate a piece of fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil—something the Lord had commanded them not to do.

Romans 5:12 (KJV) says, Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.

Through Adam’s action, sin entered the world and changed everything. It’s the very reason why we needed a Savior—Jesus—to take away our sins. When we begin a relationship with Jesus, we are cleansed on the inside and seen as 100% pure in God’s Eyes. We can look forward to spending Eternity in Heaven with the Lord when everything will once again be Perfect, as it was in the Garden of Eden.

However, while we still live in this world, things won’t ever be Perfect. When sin entered through Adam, it brought with it sickness, death, and corruption. That’s why many people refer to it as a “fallen world.” The Bible says that even Nature itself groans as if in childbirth because it longs for the days when Jesus will return and everything will once again be Perfect (Romans 8:22).

Right now, we have physical bodies that age and wear out. But in Heaven, we will have “incorruptible” bodies that never grow tired or get old (1 Corinthians 15:42-54). It will be glorious! Yes, we can and should pray and believe God for health and healing. I thank God for the times when He has supernaturally helped me to recover, kept me safe, or protected me from harm. But while we’re in this world, we will never be completely immune to difficulties or sickness.

For example, a couple years ago I injured my back. Since then, I have undergone a couple surgeries and have spent a lot of time with doctors and a chiropractor to relieve the pain and recover. There have been times when I’ve had to call my husband Dave for help to simply get out of a chair!

Someone may think, Joyce Meyer must not have very much faith if she can’t receive healing for her back. While faith and prayer are powerful (and I’ve seen God do mighty things), there are times when we will go through difficult situations.

Let’s go back to John 16:33. Jesus says we will have some troubles. But He also says to cheer up because He has overcome the world! What does this mean? It means that we have the Kingdom of God living on the inside of us—all of His Peace and Joy are available to us at all times (Luke 17:21; Romans 14:17).

The Bible also tells us that God has given each one of us His Holy Spirit as a down payment until the time comes when we go to Heaven (Ephesians 1:14). We literally have God and Heaven itself living inside of us!

Finally, we can cheer up because we know the war has already been won. No matter how difficult this life gets—and I know it can get difficult—we have Eternity with God to look forward to. Romans 8:18 says, …the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (ESV).

In this life, we will all go through some really difficult things. There will be times when we don’t understand and things seem unfair. But we can take courage because God is with us every step of the way. And a Day will come when there will be no more suffering or heartache, and God will wipe away every tear (Revelation 21:4).

Prayer: “Father, thank You that I can receive Your Peace in the difficult times…even when life doesn’t make sense. When things are hard, help me to press into You and draw strength from Your Word…and believe You can make something good even out of a messy situation. Please help me to have Your Eternal Perspective and remember the amazing things You have in store for my future. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”