Published by admin on 21 Aug 2015 at 06:00 am
LISTEN TO AND OBEY THE LORD
There is a lot of people talking fear in many places. And like a bad cold, fear is contagious to all who listen. All you have to do is turn on the news and you will hear bad news after bad news. Does the devil indeed have the upper hand in the world today? Is God on the losing side? That depends on who you ask. By the way some people talk, God is all washed up, the devil has already won, and it’s all downhill from here for God’s children. And Daniel 7:25 was even used to verify that. Let’s just look at that verse and a couple others for a minute, ok?
Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
Dan 7:26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
Dan 7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
Yeah, it might look like the devil is winning, and he IS speaking great words against the Most High, and the pressure DOES wear out some of the saints and they give up, and he DOES think to change times and laws, and he manages to do some of that FOR 3 ½ YEARS….But you need to read THE REST OF THE STORY….go ahead, read the rest of it and tell me the devil won. No, the devil doesn’t win. I read the back of the Book and it says the saints of the Most High win. Hopefully, YOU are one of them.
You see, the LORD has not, nor will He EVER forsake His children. He has given us His Holy Spirit to lead and guide us. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. So what do I do when brothers and sisters in Christ try to put fear in me? I rebuke it, for fear is NOT of God. His children should be bold as lions, not fearful kittens cowering in the corner. I’m told some of God’s children are suffering immense persecution in other countries for the Word of God, and some are hacked up by religious nuts thinking they are doing God a service, and yes, it is happening, and we have no promise it could not happen to any of us who serve Christ Jesus. After all, is the servant better than the Master? If they hate the Master, they will also hate His servants. That goes with the territory. BUT, they can only kill the body; they cannot kill the soul, so why fear them?
Rather, pay heed to the words of the Lord Jesus:
Luk 12:4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
Luk 12:5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
When you’re planning a trip, you look at the map to find the way to your destination. If your focus is only on this earthly life, you’re already lost. I prefer to use a GPS, but not the kind you may be thinking of. No, my focus is on God’s Plan of Salvation, the heavenly GPS. That GPS tells me not to fear, even when things are falling apart around me, and it reminds me of the words of Jesus, which said, We’re going to the other side….here, read it for yourself:
Luk 8:19 Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press.
Luk 8:20 And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee.
Luk 8:21 And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.
Luk 8:22 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.
Luk 8:23 But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.
Luk 8:24 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.
Luk 8:25 And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.
Take the time to read these seven verses over a few times and let them sink in. Jesus said HIS mother and brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it. Did you get that? It’s easy to listen to all the fear going around, especially when your little boat is sinking, not only with YOU on board, but all your closest friends and brethren with you. The disciples, in a state of complete peace, woke Jesus in the midst of the storm, right? WRONG! They were out of control, in a complete state of PANIC!! JESUS, WE PERISH, DON’T YOU CARE??? Yes, He DOES care, and in His perfect time, He does something about it. And He rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and they ceased and there was a CALM. Remember, BEFORE the storm Jesus said, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake.
Well, you can see what happened afterward, Jesus asked them Where is your faith? Now let’s suppose that YOU are presently in one kind of storm or another, and you’ve read those verses. How are YOU going to deal with the storm; are you going to learn from God’s Word and rebuke fear from your life, or are you going to panic and shake the dickens out of the LORD yelling, Master, master, we perish, so that He will also say to YOU, Where is your faith? Or will He say to you, Well done, my good and faithful servant?
I cannot stress enough how important it is to listen to and obey the LORD, especially now. These ARE perilous times, and the devil will wear us out if we let him. But we have a choice: we can fear or we can trust the LORD. Many put more faith in the devil’s ability to hurt them, than they put in the LORD to deliver them. Others will face the storm knowing the calm is coming because the Master is in the boat with them. Which one are YOU?