Be Encouraged
There is an old Gospel song that was sung by Rev. James Cleveland that goes:
I don’t feel no ways tired.
I came to far from where I started from.
Nobody told me that the road would be easy.
I don’t believe He’s brought me this far to leave.
There are times in our walk with God that we undergo so much adversity, so much opposition, and so many trials that we wonder ‘God, where are You?’ During times like that we begin to wonder why we’re even going through so much hassle while we’re trying to be obedient to what God requires from us. We eagerly desire to do what He’s told us to do, but at the same time, we’re wondering why He couldn’t or wouldn’t make it just a tad bit easier for us.
Most of this week we’ve been discussing opposition and obedience; however, in this entry we will discuss the flip side to opposition and obedience. The flip side to the coin can sometimes include hurts, struggles, ridicules, rejection, heartache and pain. If you find yourself currently in this situation, I want to encourage you today. I want to tell you what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s’ (2 Chronicles 20:15).
Though the battle is really the Lord’s, the enemy enjoys magnifying our problems then reminding us of our weaknesses, what we lack as well as our past failures. In the midst of all of this, we’re also doing our best to fight against feelings of:
Anger
Loneliness
Rejection
Resentment
Depression
Hopelessness, that no one cares about us nor what we’re going through
Doubt, saying to ourselves, ‘Maybe everybody else is right’ or now questioning what we knew God had told us
Being treated like an outcast amongst our peers
Being invisible amongst those who should care for us; as there’s no one taking the time to really see our pain and offer us words of comfort and encouragement
Trust me, I know all of these feelings all too well, and beloved, I encourage you to continue doing what it is that the God has told you to do. I know it seems hard right now and doesn’t seem like nothing good will come out of what you’re facing, but I promise you that there is an enormous amount of good that will come out of all of this if you trust Him. More importantly, God promises you that ALL things work together for the good of those who loves Him (Romans 8:28). If you love God then you’ve met the requirement needed to have this promise fulfilled in your life. When God says, “All things…”, He actually means ALL things. This means all the hell you’re dealing with and every problem you’re currently facing will work for your good. Even the false rumors that are spread abroad in your community or your workplace will work out for your good. Beloved, iron sharpens iron and what the opposing parties may not know is that they are the catalyst God is using to thrust you into a new dimension of faith, trust and relations with Him. Their opposition toward you is causing you to become increasingly stronger in Christ and is deepening your relationship with God through prayer. What they don’t understand is that the very same relationship they envy is the very same relationship they are furthering. Moreover, “The LORD shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you seven ways (Deuteronomy 28:7).
We ourselves sometimes forget that God is so faithful and true to His Word; for He is watching to see that His word is fulfilled (Jeremiah 1:12). He’s promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Thus, trust Him in the moments when you feel like He isn’t with you and know that He really is. As the loving Father He is, He is stretching you to grow, which is something you yourself have asked for Him to do. In order for you to be strong in Him, beloved, you must work out your spiritual muscles as you would physical muscle. Your increase of muscle is based upon the amount of tension you can endure. As you further along, you learn to withstand more tension, increasing your ability to lift up a 10 lb weight to a 50 lb weight. As it is in the natural, so it is in the spiritual; thus you cannot grow any spiritual muscle if you don’t go through any tension aka trials and tribulations. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Romans 5:3-5).
One thing I’d like you to keep in mind is that Jesus says the following to all who have sacrificed for His sake, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life” (Luke 18:19 NKJV). How does this apply to your suffering? Well, your following Christ is a sacrifice and sometimes even a sacrifice of your own reputation, resources, job or friends and family. Thus, the above promise does apply to you and your circumstance. I am not in any way, shape or form exalting material things by using the above Scriptures, au contraire. What I am instead trying to do is to show you that Jesus sees your sacrifices on His behalf and He wants you to know that your sacrifice will not go unnoticed by the living God. There’s another Scripture I’d like to also share with you. Here is what Jesus says in Matthew 5:8-12, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” Thus, if you truly love the Lord and are seeking to please Him and walk upright before Him, then these rewards are something you can look forward to. Before I move forward, I just want you to understand that God has a good plan for you; plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). He also wants you to live an abundant life filled with joy (John 10:10). I believe that we discount ourselves from these blessings because we think it’s wrong or we think it doesn’t apply to us. You know, we tend to see other people’s good qualities very easily and clearly, yet we fail to see our own. Please note that NONE of us are perfect; however, God says that when we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). Doing this puts us back in right standing with Him, which makes every good thing available to us as long as we seek to serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts (1 Chronicles 28:9).
During times of adversity, maintaining the proper attitude and perspective is key to a successful and less stressful outcome. When you truly trust in God, your entire mindset is different, which in turn, makes your actions and reactions are different. I’m not talking about just quoting Bible Scriptures, but rather quoting those Scriptures because you actually believe them and not quoting them with a heart filled with fear and doubt. When you truly believe that your God shall supply ALL of your needs according to His riches and glory, then the fear that is gripping the world due to our economy will not by any means shake the confidence you have in your God. When you truly believe that ALL things work together for good to them that love God, then you learn to look at adversity quite differently and trust that your Heavenly Father knows all that is best for you! There are times when God will allow us to go through adversities so that the fruit of the Spirit can be developed within us. Remember it is the gifts of the Spirit that are GIVEN; however, the fruit of the Spirit must be GROWN (developed). Such fruit include love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (Galatians 5:22-23), and this fruit cannot be developed without tension, trials and tribulations. Thus, we know that our trials is working good on our behalf; as we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord (II Corinthians 3:18). Halleluyah!
I assure you that as you truly follow after the Lord and release unto Him your worries and cares, God will move mightily on your behalf. He will open doors for you that you nor anyone else could ever open; He will also close doors that you couldn’t close yourself. He alone is able to change the hearts of man, so don’t try to fight against the people who are opposing you; instead leave them to God and keep your focus on Him. As strange as this may sound, sometimes you’re disliked because of your relationship with God. Consequently, you will have some people who will try to belittle you or be condescending to you so that they can feel superior and make you feel inferior. However, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord (Exodus 14:13); know that you are fearfully and wonderfully made into God’s own image (Psalm 139:14, Genesis 1:27). If you know that you are in obedience to what God has said, do not waste time trying to convince or win over your ridiculers. Neither try to prove yourself to others, but instead seek God’s face and cast your cares upon Him. It is He who is your Vindicator and I speak from personal experience when I say that God will surely fight your battles IF you will release it to Him. Remember that “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD (Isaiah 54:17).
Whatever tears you must cry, cry and don’t hold back; and once you’re done, release your burden to your Heavenly Father and leave it there! And while you are waiting on the Lord, wait with a praise continually flowing from out of your heart and your mouth. Even if you don’t feel like you want to praise, praise Him anyhow; for praise is a decision and not a feeling. Furthermore, your praising God is actually spiritual warfare. It confounds the enemy as it simultaneously invites the presence of the Lord; and in the presence of God there is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). In addition, your praising God is a demonstration of your faith and trust in God; which is essential especially during this time. Though you cannot see the whole picture, God is actually working things out on your behalf, even while you’re reading this message today: for the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him (II Chronicles 16:9). If that would be you, then praise the Lord your God for the triumphant outcome and for your victory through Christ Jesus. Know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:3-5). Know that God will bring you out, from faith to faith and glory to glory!
Be encouraged!
You are in my prayers. God bless you and have a wonderfully blessed weekend!
© 2009, Living Under God's Favor. All rights reserved. This site is part of NWC Ministries.
