“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on Earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Have you ever been afraid of the future? Maybe you feel as though you’re in a rut, or maybe you are discouraged. Perhaps you feel that you will have to face the problems and challenges of life all alone.  If any of these things are true of you, then take heart, because you certainly aren’t the first child of God to feel that way (nor will you be the last!).  Jesus had a message for His disciples to give them hope as they faced an uncertain future, so they would not be afraid, but would be courageous. During the last week of His life on Earth, Jesus knew His departure was at hand. So before He left His disciples, He wanted to encourage them. First, He warned them that they would face hardship and difficulty. But then He told them, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NKJV).

“Be of good cheer.” Take heart! It was Christ’s call to courage in the lives of His frightened disciples. Jesus wasn’t simply saying, “Cheer up. Come on, put a smile on your face!” He was saying more than that. He was saying, “Be brave. Be courageous.”

If you are courageous, cheerfulness will follow. Yes we will face trouble and heartaches in this broken world of ours. It’s part of life on this side of heaven. But we also have the assurance that He has already overcome the world.

And that makes us overcomers, too.