“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that.”
There are times when we go through trouble just for testimony sake. Yes, sometimes the things you go through are not always about you, it is for the good of someone else.
This can be viewed as a compliment. For God trusts you enough to be victorious on this battlefield. Look at Job, God recommended him to Satan for testing. And be honest – how many of us taken comfort from Job’s testimony? Or have gained strength because of it?
So go through your trouble with grace, trusting God. Because everything is not always about you. But someone does need to hear from you.
Share your testimony, give glory to God for causing you to triumph.
The end of your trouble is the beginning of someone else’s victory!
As the song says, “open your mouth and say something!”
“Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.”
Matthew 24:22
“And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”
Psalms 127:1
“Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”
The mercies of God is unfathomable.
The book Lamentations 3:22-23, tells us that his mercies are renewed every morning. Isaiah 1:11-13 tells us that God is feed up with our vain attempts to placate him by a performance that is played out before men. However, in our heart we are far from him.
For this reason God has in place “exceptions” that are important for our survival. God understands our human limitations, our propensity to fall into temptations, and sin. Even though he understands these things, he does not excuse them. In fact, God expects his people to over come by faith and to excel. To this end he has given us tools to help. In addition to these new daily mercies.
God understands our challenges:
⁃ He has left us a remnant. To be witnesses, to pray, and to serve.
⁃ He has shortened the days – because given to much time, even the very elect would be lost.
⁃ He builds and he keeps watch. He requires us to be lead by him in whatever he has given us to accomplish for him. Doing things on our own leads to destruction.
The times we live in are very distracting from every angle. Life as we once new it is over. The only way forward is to walk by faith, live by faith, and to trust God. We are told to study the word of God. To hide it in our hearts. We are told that the Spirit of God will bring it back to your remembrance at the appropriate time.
There are so many people going through the motions, but their hearts are not involved. Because of the state of the world many have lost faith in God. Mostly because they did not have a personal relationship with God in the first place. But also because many people have so poorly portrayed the life of a Christian (a follower of Christ) that they want to label us all as hypocrites.
However, this is an excuse. Yes, our lives are lived in front of the world, but when our time is over, we must stand before God alone to give an account of this life. At this point we cannot blame the actions of others. We can only speak for our own. No excuses.
This brings us back to God’s exceptions and his mercies.
God is all knowing. But he asks (Isaiah 1:11-13), what is the purpose of your multiple sacrifices? Why are you before me? He asks because he wants you to consider and search yourself for the answer. He does not want any more of our vain offerings. If you are not sincere in your heart to him, than stop. He knows the truth, we are only fooling ourselves.
We are living in the last days. It is time to get it together before it is everlasting too late. To this end, take the time and consider the questions that God posed in Isaiah. Why are you doing what you are doing? Is God pleased with your offering?
It is a new day with new mercies. Repent, and do better, be better. In the end, we all want to be accepted of God.
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”
Sometimes we need examples of faith, testimonies of victory, that are an inspiration for us to push on further. The 11 Chapter of Hebrews provides this information.
The 12th chapter opens by talking about this same cloud of witnesses. People of faith who have used their faith in God to accomplish great things. We are to take these great examples of faith a step further. We are to take corrective action.
Know Yourself
With the exception of God, no one knows you better than you know yourself. You know the things you struggle with, you know the things that you fall prey to over and over again. You know those things that adversity impact your ability to please God, or to be used by him.
To this end, God speaks directly to us. I am paraphrasing here – “look at the great heroes of faith. See how they conquered and/or what they accomplished through faith? Learn from them, and look at yourself. Lay aside those things that may not be sin, but are certainly designed to weigh you down, preventing you from pleasing me. Remove those sins that persistently trouble or threaten you. After this is done, then run your race.”
Running Your Race
What is your race? Our individual race is the life that God has given us. Our race is unique to us. What makes ours different from another? The choices we make. and how we deal with the consequences of our choices. Whether they be good or bad.
With every choice we make we shape our lives. Deuteronomy 30:15-16. We are told to chose between life and good, death and evil. In Joshua 24:15, he reiterated the choice, and advised of his own. We all need to make a choice. The hope is that we will choose life and good, that we will choose to serve God.
Choices Have Consequences
With every action we take, we are to underscore our initial choice. We do this by seeking guidance from God as we go through our daily lives. We ask for his help, we ask God to order our foot steps, to place us in the position we need to be in. The little choices we make shape our lives. We need to be lead by God for every decision we make. By doing so we are in line with Proverbs 3:5-6, we don’t lean on ourselves, but we are trusting God.
Poor choices reap less than favorable results. For example, If you choose to spend your money on excessive or needless shopping rather than paying your bills. Your decision can lead to loss (such as losing the use of utilities, car, home, poor credit). Your choice has shaped your life. Now you must deal with these consequences.
When you make wise or godly choices the blessings of God are evident in your life.
Understand we are not perfect. At some point we all make bad choices. But God remains faithful. He will give us grace even in this. We should not make a practice out of poor choices. We still walk by faith, even in the face of poor choices we made.
God is Faithful
If we go back to Hebrews 12:1. If we lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily trouble and threaten us, we are able to succeed. By getting rid of these things we become lighter. We are now able to run this race with patience. We can live a victorious life through faith. We will have a testimony that we can share with others. A testimony that will strengthen others, and inspire them to greatness.
Yes, our struggle is real, but the God we serve is faithful.
“12. Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
“19. So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”
By definition unbelief is an absence of faith. Doubt is a feeling of uncertainty or lack of conviction.
The Bible tells us that the just shall live by his (or her) faith (see Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11).
To underscore the importance or necessity of living by faith, Hebrews 14:23b tells us that what is not of faith is sin.
People will have you think it is a small thing to doubt God, or try to do things on our own. Or to do things your own way – without adding God in the equation. But the truth is God’s plan for us is that we trust him, and allow him to direct us.
Proverbs 3:5-6 5 tells us to trust God and not our own understanding. Why? Because our understanding will fail us. We cannot see the complete picture. We don’t know what is behind the closed door or even around the next corner. However, we are encouraged to trust God, because he will direct us in the way that we should go. And make the way straight.
Faith is a personal thing – how you live your life. No one has a heaven or hell to put you in. No one should be given the job of judging (approving of, or not) your life. Ultimately, whether we live or die it is unto God. Our goal is to be accepted of God.
However, as a minister of the gospel, we are given the duty to preach (teach and share) the word of God. We are instructed to be instant in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2…” Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine”).
We are not given the luxury of choosing what part of the Bible we want to share. We must share it all.
There are times when the life a person may choose to live comes in direct conflict of the word of God. Just because the word hits you hard does not mean that the vessel who God used to deliver that word is attacking (or judging) you.
You can simply accept it or reject it – the choice is yours. Whatever choice you make, you must judge it by the word of God (the whole thing and not just special scriptures you believe proves your point). Isaiah 28:10 “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.”
Whatever choice we make we must be prepared to accept the consequences of that choice. God loves us enough to allow us to make a choice and to receive what follows as a result of the choice. For example, if you choose not to pay your bills, you will receive a low credit score. A low credit score leads to higher interest rates, causing you to pay more for the same items others can get cheaply. This will teach a person to make a different choice later. They may choose to start paying bills.
Why? Because God is faithful. He will deal with you heart and mind to give you an opportunity to choose differently.
Back to unbelief
Hebrews calls it “an evil heart” because it takes God out of the equation. Unbelief replaces God with you (I, me, we, us). God is a jealous God, and he will not share is glory with another. By removing God, we are saying to him “I don’t need you,” or “I can do this on my own,” or even “I don’t fully trust that you are capable, or even willing to do.”
Unbelief is the absence of faith. It is dark and void (completely empty). Unbelief separates you from God. There is no middle ground.
We are not perfect. There are times when we struggle with and in faith. However, the difference is the person of faith chooses to press through and rebuke his or her own doubt, and unbelief, striving to trust God. The unbeliever settles in their unbelief and chooses to stay there.
Even in this God is still faithful. If the person, (who is shrouded in unbelief), were to repent, and strive to get to know God at a deeper level, they too can be accepted of God.
So let us all examine ourselves to see where we stand.
Praise- to express a favorable judgment of: Command. To glorify God. To express approval or admiration, of, command, extol. To offer grateful homage to God as in words or song.
Praise is a weapon of warfare- Old Testament whenever the children of Israel would go into battle, they would send the Levites first to praise and play skillfully.
Have you ever had a moment when you just had to stop what you are doing just to give God a praise ? So you do, but you really don’t understand why? My wife would say- “me and the Lord are working on some things” after her praise.
Why did Paul and Silas pray and sang praises unto God? They must have felt – While we’re in this situation we might as well praise him!
While you’re in your situation you might as well praise him too! Remind him of how amazing he is, and what a awesome God he is.
This was Paul and Silas’ moment to spontaneously praise God. Paul and Silas were not expecting for the shackles to fall off. They were not expecting the prisoners chains to fall loose, or the prison doors to be opened. But they knew God. They had the unction to praise God! Praise is a power weapon. It will set the captives free.
Do not let your situation determine if you can or will praise God. No, everything does not work out the way we planned. Yes, sometimes the worst things happen. In spite of this, God remains faithful. God remains worthy of your praise. Sometimes you have to praise God in your “prison” experiences. God can use these situations to bless you and everyone around you.
Your praise is powerful and purposeful.
⁃ Your praise can set you free.
⁃ Your praise can bring diabetes to a normal level.
⁃ Your praise can stop Corona virus.
⁃ Your praise can deliver you from drug addiction.
⁃ Your praise can deliver you from lying, cheating, gossiping, hating, etc.
Remember sometimes you just got to give him praise.
Psalms 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
In the Garden of Eden, man communed and talked with God daily. The the enemy, that subtle serpent, came in and caused separation between God and man. Ever since that day God had a plan to get together again with man. The plan was Jesus. Through Jesus’ life and death on the cross. The way has been made.
Reconciliation (by definition):
1. the restoration of friendly relations.
2. the action of making one view or belief compatible with another.
3. the action of making financial accounts consistent; harmonization.
2 Corinthians 5:17-19 King James Version (KJV)
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
This time around God wants us to choose him, not for himself to be forced upon us.
To this end God has entrusted the ministry of reconciliation to us. Our job is to share this good news with everyone we can. To let the world know how he loves us and wants to dwell is us.
God sets before us all the opportunity to choose life and good, or death and evil. If we choose life and good, and endure, we shall see his face in peace. If we choose death and evil, we will place ourselves on the path to hell. Away from God’s presence forever.
We are to witness – give testimony of what God has done. Anyone can read a book, but personal experiences of victory and triumph are priceless. We are called to be written epistles seen and read of men (2 Corinthians 3:2-3). The very life we live can work to reconcile men to God.
It is duty to be taken seriously. Because our life can draw or repel. It can bring glory or dishonor to God. How? With our mouth we speak one thing, but with our life we live something totally different.
This is hypocrisy. Unfortunately, the “church” is full of it. But God also knew this would be the case. He instructed his disciples to let the wheat and tares (weeds) grow together. In the end, he would separate. This is important to note that God would separate- we are not qualified to judge what is tares, and what is not (Matthew 13:24-30). After all, there was a time when we ourselves could have been described as tares.
We must understand what we do and say does matter. It matters because people are watching us. Our actions and reactions are viewed under the microscope of how the “church” is perceived. We must live up to the true standard of Christianity (followers of Christ). It seems to be a simple requirement – to actually live what you believe. When (or if) you stumble or fall, admit it, repent, forgive yourself, and move on.
We are not perfect!
Rather, we share the gospel (good news) with all. The word of God alone is powerful enough to do what needs to be done in the individual who hears and receives it.
We don’t judge, we pray.
We don’t accuse, we pray.
We don’t throw people away, we pray.
We trust God.
We take him at his word.
We do what he has called us to.
We love.
Loving God means loving his people. Our gift, our calling is for people. We feel their hurt, and we feel their pain. We work to bring them to God, who is able to touch, to save, to heal, to deliver, and to set free.
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;”
Comfort your heart. This day (the times in which we live) have not caught God off guard. He is now, and has always been, in control.
Before a you say or think it, God is not punishing his people for the state of the world. Sending a plague as in the days of old. Understand that sickness has always been in the world since man fell in the garden of Eden.
No matter where you fall on the subject, one the thing remains the same. We have a responsibility to share the good news of the Gospel with the world. We have a remedy to what ails the world – Jesus.
We have a responsibility as believers, children of God “… them which believe and know the truth.” (I Timothy 4:3b). That is us.
Looking around we see a world that needs love. Some are pushing us toward a race war. Others are pushing for division to keeps us apart. Others are only focused on the state of the economy. Others are peddling fear for there own selfish reasons. Caught in the middle of this are people who are not sure where to turn, what to believe, and are afraid to leave their homes.
Yes, these are those days.
But God. He has made provisions for the times in which we live. We gave us the power and ability to reach those people who are caught in the middle. Share the truth, the unvarnished word of God. It is powerful enough to do the work that needs to be done. It is our responsibility as believers to meditate on the word of God, and then share it as God leads us.
These are those days.
You are needed. Let your light shine. There are times when words are not needed. Your life will speak volumes. It will tell tales that your mouth cannot verbalize. Smile. Share a hug, a laugh, and cry with someone. Share the love of God. Let people know they are not alone, and yes, someone does care. Pray for those around you – earnestly!
These are those days!
It’s time to get busy. People are waiting for you!
Share the love of God.
Share the peace of God.
Pray (for people, situations, the government).
Teach (people need what you already know).
Give of yourself (your time is so valuable to people in need).
Yes, these are those days, but there is still hope.
“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
“Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Yes, there is a lot going on.
But in all your moves and actions, don’t forget to pray. Prayer does change things. But prayer also changes us – equips and prepares us to do the work to which we were called.
Distractions – a mighty tool the enemy uses to keep us busy with the wrong things.
Be careful not to allow distractions keep you from being effective of the kingdom of God.
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