John 13:34-35: So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples.

Have you been born again by the Spirit of God? If you have, then you are a member of the body of Christ and a part of the largest family on earth. Paul tells us in Ephesians that we are one body, and all have one Father. In Christ, we’re all made one family. As members of the same family, we are to love, care for, and bear one another’s burdens. As we do this, we are fulfilling the law of Christ—love.

When you’re going through hard, tragic, and perplexing situations, it can open the door for Satan to try and convince you that you’re all alone, and God has somehow forsaken you. Peter addresses this sense of abandonment in his epistle as he teaches on suffering as a believer:

1 Peter 5:6-11: Humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you. Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against Him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. In His kindness God called you to share in His eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, He will restore, support, and strengthen you, and He will place you on a firm foundation. All power to him forever! Amen.

The Lord doesn’t want you or me to feel alone when we’re faced with horrible or difficult attacks from the adversary. Let me encourage you to take this opportunity to allow others to help you carry any burdens that you may be carrying today. Jesus, Himself, had to have someone help carry His cross, and sometimes we do too. Post your prayer requests below and the odj community will pray with you and for you. —submitted by Asa Dockery, US