Published by admin on 29 May 2015 at 01:00 pm
STAY THE COURSE
Time and time again I hear from people, “I’m going through _______(you fill in the blank), and I just haven’t seen the victory yet. How long do I have to keep confessing God’s Word over the situation?” My reply is always the same: what does the Bible say? Until you overcome.
Nobody likes going through trials. (Hopefully, your name isn’t “Nobody”.) Yet, consider this verse found in Philippians 4:19; But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. I see something in this verse perhaps many overlook. ” …God shall supply all your NEED…”. That tells me if we never had any needs, we would likely never seek God, for we would be self-sufficient. Sooooooo, God causes us to HAVE needs, so we will call upon Him, so that He can show Himself mighty in our behalf. Sort of like a parent, He is there to take care of the needs of His child. Can you imagine if a mother birthed a baby and just left and never came back? The baby cannot possibly take care of its own needs, so it could not possibly survive. With someone there to take care of it, the baby will grow and thrive, and it doesn’t take long for a baby to learn to communicate its needs, does it?
Well, there’s something about the urgency in a baby’s cry that brings a parent running, and there’s something about our cries to God that gets HIS attention, too. He created us to need Him, whether we want to face that or not. Even an atheist, who doesn’t believe in God, has needs, only they don’t cry out to God, so they are on their own getting their needs met. I’m sure glad I believe in God, because it would be hard to go through life knowing there is nobody there to take care of me when I can’t meet my own needs.
But anyway, many Christians think God waves a magic wand and makes all our troubles go away, and that just isn’t so. We are continually faced with situations that keep us in “need” mode, and I believe it is to keep us seeking God on a daily basis. Sometimes trials endure, and sometimes we get weary of the battle and consider giving up. None of us have endless resources, energy, time, or patience, but there is One who does, and He is willing to bend heaven and earth to take care of even the least of His children.
Sometimes God chooses to give one grace to endure unpleasant circumstances, while He may simply deliver another from their problem. God is God and it is entirely His choice how He deals with any and all of our circumstances. Let’s read Isaiah chapter 55:
Isa 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Isa 55:2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
Isa 55:3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
Isa 55:4 Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.
Isa 55:5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.
Isa 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Isa 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Isa 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
Isa 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isa 55:10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
Isa 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
Isa 55:12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Isa 55:13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
Can you see it? God’s purpose in everything is to get us to seek Him diligently. In turn, those who do are ultimately those who win, even when in the middle of circumstances that aren’t too rosy. Time after time, God has delivered His children from overwhelming odds, but you’ll also notice it is always those who endure to the end, that are delivered. And they go out rejoicing. How about those who give up before the victory is won? They lose out on the “rejoicing” part, and that isn’t God’s will. Many times I fail to see why God handles certain matters of my life the way He does, but hey, He is God and who am I to question His ways? If I allow God to do His perfect work in me, it is sufficient for me to know that sooner or later, I WIN IF I STAY THE COURSE!
The Apostle Paul and the other disciples of Christ Jesus endured many hardships for their testimony and faith in God, so do we think we in this modern age are greater or better than they? There is a false doctrine being taught today called the “BLESS ME, BLESS ME, I shall see no hard times”, that when the hard times DO HIT, the people think God has forsaken them, and they walk away. People, don’t do that! God did not create us to sit in our air-condition limo in our reclining leather seats, while Jesus bears our cross for us. There ARE hard times coming, and perhaps some of you are already in them right now. But like a relay race where the coach keeps his strongest runner for the last lap, we are not here by accident or lack of planning on God’s part. He did not one day look at me and say, “Hey, what’s Jerry doing in this generation? How did THAT happen? I didn’t plan on that!” I know God has put me here to strengthen my precious brethren, to encourage each and every one of you to ENDURE TO THE END, so we may all receive the crown of righteousness when the battle is over and the dust has settled.
God has supplied us with needs so we will cry out to HIM, and not look to the world and its system for our supply. God is not bankrupt, or even in recession. If He doesn’t presently have what you have need of, don’t you think He can create it? Sure! No worries, mate! God has your situation well in hand, remember He says His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and His ways higher than our ways. Let God be God and your job is simply, trust, obey, and go out rejoicing. Every hardship we face is subject to change, and God knows exactly when that moment is ripe in order to be for our eternal good.
God is not subject to time, as we are. He inhabits eternity, and He is preparing US to inhabit eternity WITH HIM, only we have some “enduring” to do first. How else can we truly appreciate God’s deliverance, unless we have something to be delivered from in the first place? I know that may not make you feel any better at this particular time, but mark my words, if you stay the course and stay true to God until the end, you WILL go out rejoicing, and that will be no small rejoicing, I assure you. Here, feast your eyes on THIS from Revelation 21:7:
Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
I’m so thankful YOU are not going to be one who gave up. Be the overcomer God created you to be! How long will it take? Till you win! It’s not about how long or fierce the battle is, it’s about who is standing when it’s all over. Be sure that’s YOU! Stay the course.
Camila on 30 May 2015 at 8:12 am #
I agree that life has many trials that make us call on God for help. Sometimes we want all our needs to be met automatically, but that is not always the case. God wants to help us and He will. If we live a life pleasing to him by loving him over all things and our neighbor as ourself, learning each day how to obey him better, he will be on our side. No one is bigger or more powerful than God so he always wins. If he is for us, who can be against us?