“To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” (Proverbs 21:3, ESV)
I feel defeated. What do I do?
“As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.” 2 Timothy 4:5
Reading in 2 Timothy this morning I noticed something. Whether the timing for us is favorable OR unfavorable we should still be proclaiming God’s message.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:30-31
Every one, no matter the age, goes through rough waters. We all have seasons of weariness and doubts. Yet what is important during the fight is to keep striving, even if we feel like we can’t. Even if we lose the sense of purpose. We are urged to to endure this suffering. Urge sounds pretty urgent, persistent, important. Doesn’t it?
He doesn’t just urge us, but solemnly urges. This is with deep sincerity. God isn’t just trying to pump you up or motivate you, but instead genuinely strengthen you and show His consistent faithfulness.
Our Father has more faith in us than we do ourselves. Proclaim the message. Keep the faith. People will always do their way, everyone has a choice, yet, You as a child of God have a mission. You have a direct order from the Commander in Chief Jesus Christ. Carry out your ministry…fully!
Finish the race.
“From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8, NRSV)
The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (2 Timothy 4:18)
“A significant amount of risk is involved in trusting God in all things, relationships, choices, and decisions. Risk, after all, is part of the very nature of faith.”
It can be hard to fathom faith and what it entails.
To have faith can be defined as, complete trust or confidence in someone or something. & in our case, this some-One is God.
For some this is easy and for other this is daunting. Jesus did mention, “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:14, NKJV) Meaning, there are many paths and options we are allowed to take. There are many roads that are available that seem pleasing to the eye, but they may lead to destruction.
“Not every opportunity is a good one. And with even greater certainty I can tell you, not all of them are sent by God. “
Passion & Purpose – Charles F. Stanley
Which is why following Jesus despite what it may look like in the moment is so important. We must think to ourselves, ‘will this glorify the Lord?’, ‘will this lead others to Jesus?’, ‘will this veer me away?’, ‘is this a distraction?’, and foremost ‘did I pray about this situation and wait on a response?‘.
Many hear the saying, “Faith not sight”, and miscue this for it being “blind faith”. Except, this isn’t the case at all. True Christians are not blindly following their Shepherd. In fact, they are provided with all that they need.
‘Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ‘ (Matthew 6:26, NKJV)
God’s plan for your life (yes you) is to provide you with peace, a future, and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). Do you think a Father who wishes this for you would just throw you into a pack of wolves with no solution or way out? Absolutely not, that is not who God is.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”
Psalms 119:105, NKJV
If you have read my previous posts, you should know that we have two things that God has gifted us: His Word and Prayer. Briefly, His Word is one of the ways He speaks His truth to us. His lessons lie within the text. Everything we need to know is in the very pages of the Bible. Prayer, is a direct landline to the Father. You can call on Him when ever and where ever you need His assistance. Both are tools within this realm to help us and others for the benefit of His kingdom.
There is also something else or I should say some-One else we are gifted by believing. The Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit!
“the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:17, NKJV)
1 John 5:6-12 (KJV)
This is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three who testify{Only a few recent manuscripts add “in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that testify on earth”}: the Spirit, and the water, and the blood; and the three agree as one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is God’s testimony which he has testified concerning his Son.
He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. He who doesn’t believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son.
The testimony is this, that God gave to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has the life. He who doesn’t have God’s Son doesn’t have the life.
Once we believed we changed. God intervened on our behalf and did the impossible. Well, what would have been impossible for us, but for God nothing is impossible (Jeremiah 32:27). With His Holy Spirit as our helper, guide, encourager, interceder, and more (forever), we have more than we need.
Yet, it isn’t all about the gifts we have in this life, no. God even went above and beyond that.
As you just read from 1 John, we are citizens of God’s kingdom, with Him, for eternity.
Therefore, we are not blind even though we cannot see. Faith without seeing does not make us foolish for believing. It is actually the opposite. Did you know that non-belief is actually evil in the eyes of God? “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12, NKJV).
Faith in Jesus Christ may be a risk, but it is not a risk that will put us in danger or harm us. He is the way The Way, The Truth, The Life.
‘“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”’ (John 14:1-4, NKJV)
NO ONE can enter the kingdom of God without going through/believing in Jesus Christ.
Are we willing to take on the risk?
I pray that you already have, and if not, today is your day, because unfortunately, all the other paths are going to lead you where you never thought they would.
Choose life.
“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:35, NIV)