If God is with us, who can be against us?

Oh Debbie, you are absolutely right! John reminds us that we CAN recognize things "not of God" and we do not need to fear them:

"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." (1 John 4:4, NIV)

The Holy Spirit is our strength, He IS our faith, our hope, our fire, our discernment, our authority over everything in our world. With, through and in Him, we are more than able to "handle" anything this world presents to us...AND turn it to good of the plan of the Father! Thank God for the redemptive sacrifice of Christ's love, life, and death that allowed His Spirit to come and once again dwell with and in us!!

"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—-how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. " (Rom 8:31-39, NIV, emphasis added)

Thank you, Debbie, for reminding me of this!
love
mags