Is The Word No Longer Interesting?

Twenty years ago, no one would have thought of a time where such an idea as ‘Internet’, better still, ‘social media’, would change our pattern of interactions, ways of life and how we do things.

Change is truly remarkable when it offers more good than harm to everyone. The world is now very much mobile, everything happens on-line with all sorts of smart phones and advanced gadgets produced every year in large figures. But to what extent has this helped people in appreciating, studying and promoting the Word of God more than ever before? To what extent has this influenced people in understanding and liking the true Gospel of Christ?

I had cause to think lately of how weird it is to have so much engagement on posts, pictures and videos of less value and little or no relevance, where hardly do you get up to five (5) comments, fifty (50) likes and ten (10) shares on posts that remind one of God and the core essence and teachings of His word.

I am not talking about posts from ‘motivational pastors’ (by their fruits you know them) and posts like these...

where people hear what they want to hear, see what they want to see and ask for amen as though you were demanding for tithe and offering. You tell people about salvation, repentance, holiness, righteousness, about Isaiah 55:6-7, Acts 2:38, 4:12, John 3:3-5, tell them about heaven and hell; and watch that post ignored like a plague, and you wonder what’s wrong?

Would you type amen?

What’s wrong? This is the same question I ask myself whenever I share posts established on the Word of God to encourage believers and persuade unbelievers to come taste the grace, goodness and love of God in Christ Jesus. Likes, comments and shares have become gold that no one wants to part with. Even Christians on-line barely do well in this regard except in cases like this...

Would you type amen?

I fully understand that the truth is bitter and very few people appreciate being told what they need to hear and not necessarily what they want to hear. I understand the handwriting on the wall that we are in a time “when men don't endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they turn away their ears (and eyes) from the truth, and turned unto fables (comedy, mockery, porn, etc)” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

Is the Word no longer interesting? Has it gone so bad that even with the advent of the Internet and prevalence of virtual spaces and social media (that ought to be a boon for the Gospel), the Word of God could still be shown this much apathy?

Haaa! I already hear someone saying “this writer” has followers and likes issues; he is jealous because his posts aren't enticing incredible likes, comments and shares as desired. Quite frankly, I may want to accept this sentiment a little bit but these are not words from a frustrated or a discouraged young man, but words of a concerned and troubled believer. The essence of this article stands and this really troubles me to my marrow.

Would you type amen?

“Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you... (Luke 6:26); I believe these words of Jesus validates my supposition on this matter or not. However, it should be told as a reminder that the Living Word (The Bible) remains the power of God unto salvation, and identifying with it, letting it find expression in your words, deeds and actions; nothing delights the Lord more than this.

“For the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). And whether likes, comments and shares are rendered or not – even to this very article – I will continue to preach Christ and Him crucified to the world, so that the faith of whosoever cares to listen or read will stand in the power of God and not in the wisdom of men.

“No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. And if a man also strives for masteries, yet he is not crowned, except he strives lawfully. The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits. Consider these words of Apostle Paul; and may the Lord grant us understanding in all things” (2 Timothy 3:4-7) Amen.

Is the Word no longer interesting? What do you think is wrong? Please feel free to share your opinions, views and insights. Thanks.

*** Written by Jacobs Adewale (Admin) ***

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Courageous Stand For Christ

“And he keeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep” (Acts 7:60)

Text: Acts 7: 57-60

The greatness of a man is not necessarily measured in terms of the accumulation of material perquisites. Greatness is measured in parts by the adroitness and strength of character displayed in the face of intimidating odds. It is also quantified through the readiness manifested to be a medium of out-poured grace and blessings to others.

Against the foregoing, Stephen, the first martyr among the disciples must be adjured a great man. The religious leaders understood the meaning and implications of Stephens’s preaching and what it was all about. They could no longer withstand his bold and powerful message. Stephen, on the other hand, was not intimidated by the furious and malicious men.

The enraged religious leaders went ahead to order that he be stoned to death. In the midst of it, he was courageous, undaunted and uncompromising. He prayed for his persecutors that God should not lay it to their charge.

There are people who are easily crushed and broken in times of difficulties and challenges of life. They think that they are helpless and hopeless. Some who suffer a little defeat are fallen unto the dust of failure, despair and discouragement. A courageous believer can never accept defeat as final because there is something better, higher and brighter ahead. Stephen demonstrated the virtue of true discipleship by asking forgiveness for those hell-bent on killing him. His spirit of forgiveness clearly manifested the divine nature of Christ.

Life is not a treasure for us to tuck away but to invest in the noblest of virtues that count for God. This must be done in spite of the trials, temptations, troubles and challenges of life. The death of Stephen undoubtedly concluded his ministry. Yet, his martyrdom is a testimony to all who will take a courageous stand for Jesus.

How courageous are you in times of challenges and battles of life? A life invested in Christ will have bountiful dividends in time and eternity.

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Give Me This Mountain

"Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims werethere, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said." (Joshua 14:12)

Text: Joshua 14: 6-15

Probably the first thing a person learns when they make a quality decision to live by faith is that the answer to their prayers is almost never manifested immediately. The Bible says that it is through faith and patience that we inherit the promises of God (Heb. 6:12).

Timing is of the utmost importance when it comes to receiving from God. All believers need the confident assurance that God is never late when it comes to answering their prayers. On the other hand, neither is He early. Patience, therefore, is what God uses to keep us in His perfect timing and faith is our positive response to His ability to perform what He has promised (Rom. 4:21).

Jesus, when informed of the sickness of His friend Lazarus, stayed two more days in the place where He was at. His explanation for His delay in going to the scene of His friend’s eventual death is found in John 11:14, 15a: “Then Jesus said to them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sake that I was not there, that you may believe.’” Going through a phase of waiting from the time you first believe to the time of manifestation will build your faith and help you to believe to a greater degree. It is during this time of waiting that persistence and tenacity needs to be built up in the life of all believers who sincerely wish to walk by faith.

Faith that is persistent is faith that gets the job done. It is a quality of faith that forces its way into the kingdom, takes it by storm, and remains there and does not rest satisfied until it receives what it is believing for. Persistence is the power of continuing in some effort or course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition. It means to be steadfast in purpose, to pursue to an end, to go on stubbornly, to remain unchanged or fixed on a character. Persistent and tenacious faith doesn't look at the failures of the past but at the promises of the Word of God. It is a faith that refuses to be denied.

The story of Caleb going into the Promised Land is a tale of a man who did not let go of a promise made to him many years before. With possessive boldness the old man Caleb stood before his long time friend, Joshua, who was now leader of the Israelites and made the proclamation, “Give me this mountain!”

Like Joshua, Caleb had been one of the twelve spies Moses sent into the Promised Land to spy out the Land of Canaan. Caleb reminds Joshua of this in Joshua 14:7, “I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart.” Ten of the twelve spies brought back an evil report saying, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we” (Num. 13:31). They later said in vs. 33, “We were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

Caleb and Joshua, however, came back with a good report. “Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, ‘Let us go up at once and take possession for we are well able to overcome it” (Num. 13:30). Because of his good report, Caleb now reminds Joshua of a promise made to him by Moses, “So Moses swore on that day saying, “Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children’s forever because you have fully followed the Lord my God” (Joshua 14:9).

The old generation of murmuring and disbelieving Israelites had died off in the wilderness and now the new generation, along with Joshua and Caleb, were ready to take possession of the Promised Land. Caleb was now eighty-five years old and he felt he was still just as strong as he had been when he went into Canaan as a spy. The land now had rest from war and Caleb was ready to go on with his life.

Before Joshua divided the Promised Land among the other tribes he would give his faithful friend first choice of what land he wanted. As his inheritance Caleb had chosen Mount Hebron where a race of giants called the Anakims still had control of the land. Moses had promised him a place of his own and now he wanted to take over that land.

Joshua 14 tells us, “Then the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite said to him, “You know the word which the Lord said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh Barnea. As yet, I am as strong this day as I was on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in.

“Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.’ And Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance” (vs. 6,11-13).

In order for Caleb to take possession of his inheritance he would have to once again go to war and risk his life and those of his men. To gain what was rightfully his, Caleb would have to force his way onto the mountain and take it by storm. Joshua chapter fifteen goes on to tell us that this is precisely what he did. For those of us living today under the new covenant, Mount Hebron might symbolize any one of the many blessings God promises us in His Word. The promises available to us today are greater than those in the day of Joshua and Caleb. 2 Peter 1:4a says, “…by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises.”

We may not be living in the Promised Land but we are in the land of promises. The good news is found in 2 Corinthians 1:20 which says, “For all the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” Because of this verse and our relationship with Jesus Christ, we can boldly go before the throne of God and say, “Give me this mountain! It’s mine! Your Word promised it to me and I take possession of it now! In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I believe, I receive! So be it!” All faith needs is “Thus saith the Lord…”

Caleb held on to the promise of God and waited forty-five years to receive his inheritance. Sad to say, most people give up if they have to wait forty-five days or, for that matter, forty-five hours. Like Caleb, we must all learn Paul’s message in Galatians 6:9, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not lose heart.”

The mountain is yours! Do not lose possession of it because of a simple thing called ‘time.’ Be like David who said in Ps. 31:14,15a, “But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, You are my God. My times are in Your hand…” If you have made Jesus the Lord of your life, then also make Him the Lord of your time.

You can trust Him. He will not let you down. And if you do not lose heart, you can count on Him to give you your mountain. Receive it today in Jesus name! Amen.

*** Written by Randall J. Brewer ***

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Keep Burning For The Lord

I remember an old song we sang in old times:

“Give me oil in my lamp,

Keep me burning.

Give me oil in my lamp, I pray”

It’s not God’s responsibility to keep you burning neither is it His task to give you extra oil. He has given you all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Remember the foolish virgins, they didn't get extra oil for the night but the wise virgins got enough to take them for the night. They got it by themselves; the bridegroom (Jesus Christ) didn't buy it for them.

When you become born again, God gives you His Spirit (like the oil that carries you through the night but in this case, through your life). This is His free gift to you. However, it is your responsibility to keep yourself aglow and burning; not in your energy but by the same Spirit you have received.

Expose your heart to the Lord; put yourself under His teachings by studying the Word and meditating daily. Pray in the spirit, be the doer of the Word and the results will definitely wow you, as you will be consistently aglow for Him.

It is time to wake up and take responsibility for your life. The power to succeed and fail in life is in your hands and not God’s, for He has equipped you with all you ever need. Your outcome depends on what you do with what you have been given.

Let your light so shine before men... and keep burning for the Lord!

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#KD4C2016: Kneel Down For Christ 2016

It is with great joy and anticipation that we announce to you a world changing and life altering milestone event that will take place on Thursday, October 20, 2016. "Kneel Down For Christ 2016" (#KD4C2016).

Kneel Down For Christ (#KD4C) is a worldwide outreach where young people around the world between the ages of 12-21 will kneel down as a united body and pray the Lord's Prayer and bring their friends to Christ!

On the morning of October 20^th, youth from around the world will post their prayer circles on social media using the hash-tag #KD4C2016. It is our desire to create a fire storm for the Kingdom of God that has never been seen before.

Imagine your youth group joining other youth from around the world in unity, praying the Lord's Prayer! Imagine those same youth bringing their friends and loved ones to Christ! At a time when our youth are experiencing a society that has turned away from God, we have an opportunity to be a shining light in a dying world!

We humbly invite you to join God-fearing believers from all over the world in this exciting adventure that will literally bring the world to its knees. It is our firm belief that "Kneel Down For Christ" will transform an entire generation.

For more information on #KD4C2016, we invite you to view the following YouTube video: Kneel Down for Christ 2016 - Will You Be Our One in A Million? and prayerfully consider joining us and not letting this once in a lifetime opportunity pass you by.

If you are compelled to help change the world as we are then you can register your youth group for #KD4C2016 at www.warriorarise.com. Once you are on the site, you will see a button on the home screen that says "youth group" -- click this button to register your youth group.

You can also register your youth group by going to the “Resources” tab and choosing "Leader Resources" then choosing "Register Your Youth Group."  You will receive a detailed letter via email once you register providing additional information, and updates will be sent to you on a regular basis.

Thank you and God bless!

Warrior Arise! Ministries Leadership Team | www.warriorarise.com

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Why You Shouldn't Give Up Being A Christian

Have you gotten to that point in your Christian journey where the people you perceive as your role models of faith and the people you look up to for counsels and advice live in such a way that you can’t understand?

These people – your fellow Christians – make mistakes, say things you wouldn't believe they could say and above all, you find them in the strangest of places you feel a person who identifies with Christ shouldn't be found. Then you feel you are done being a Christian. You say, “What’s the point?”, if those who have been in Christ for donkey years can’t inspire confidence in you to keep believing and can’t encourage you to grow in faith with the lives they live.

These people may be the friend(s) who led you to the Lord, the “spirit-filled” chorister with such delightful voice like an angel you admire every Sunday, the head usher who is always neatly dressed, the “never wrong” and “articulate” youth leader and sometimes, it may even be your pastor (your father in the Lord as some call them). The truth is, they are humans and we err.

I know at this point you are saying there is no excuse for a Christian to err. He has the Holy Spirit to help and the Bible as guide, and that “if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature…” and such a person just cannot and should not yield to temptations and sin. Yes, you are right but remember that even the Lord Jesus was tempted more than once. The good news that Jesus overcame them all and was sinless is the hope of the believer – the born again Christian.

No genuine Christian having experienced salvation through the grace of God in Christ would intentionally want to displease the Lord by going back to an old life of sin and depravity. The flesh is weak and it will always be our ‘weak spot’ as long as we remain in this earthly vessel. And the very moment we lose sight of who holds and owns our lives, we slip, lose focus and yield to temptation and sin that get the better of us.

The Book of Matthew chapter four verse one says, “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be “tempted” of the devil” (Matthew 4:1). Mark 1:13 and Luke 4:2 hold similar account of Christ’ ordeal in the wilderness. In other parts of the Bible such as Luke 10, John 8, but to mention a few, we see where Jesus was tempted by the Scribes and Pharisees.

And “the disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord” (Matthew 10:24). Just as Jesus was tempted, so does every Christian go through temptations daily. As sad as it is to see a soldier lose a battle, so is it to see a believer yield to temptation. If this is what you see in the lives of other Christians and want to give up on being a Christian, don’t be discouraged nor feel despaired just yet. “Though the believer falls seven times, he shall rise up again in the name of Jesus (Proverbs 24:16).”

No one is exempted from being tempted. Not even your pastor, head usher, chorister, youth leader and your Bible study leader. What makes the difference and grants us victory is the measure of trust, faith and confidence we have in whom we serve – Jesus Christ. When tempted and in travails, where does your strength lie? In your ability, wisdom and knowledge? Or in the Lord Jesus Christ, our Master, Deliverer, Saviour and Friend?

“…Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” the book of Hebrews chapter twelve verse two exhorts. And not looking up to your pastor, the “spirit-filled” chorister you admire every Sunday, the head usher, the “never wrong” youth president or anybody else.

As Christians, Christ is our role model and the only One to emulate. Who would imagine that having dined, known and been with Jesus for several years, Apostle Peter could deny his Lord and Judas Iscariot could betray his Master when it mattered to declare his stand? But it happened and as was the case of Apostle Peter, he sought forgiveness with tears and received the mercy of the Lord.

Everyone errs, even the believer make mistakes. But what differentiates us as Christians from others is the grace of God and Jesus Christ in us – our hope of glory. The Lord wants us to be spotless, perfect and without blemish when He comes again but we are not completely there yet (Matthew 5:48; Ephesians 5:27).

As reasons abound to feel discouraged as Christian, so do reasons also abound to not join the “pity party” but be strong and encouraged in the Lord at all times. When you notice brethren who have wandered off the path of grace, pray for them; neither condemn nor judge.

The days are evil and we are at the point where the devil has unfettered influence over the affairs of this present world. He (the Devil) seeks to mount pressure on the believer to renege his or her faith. But now more than ever must we be strong and hold on to the Lord, our strength and very present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1) and be ready to fight the good fight of faith till the very end (1 Timothy 6:12).

Don’t stop being a Christian just because your circumstance is out of control and the pains are unbearable. Don’t stop being a Christian because you have become an object of ridicule in the sight of your friends and relatives. Don’t stop being a Christian just because you see no light at the tunnel yet. God is still with you and He never will let you take the fall. No, He won’t; not now and not ever. He said it in His Word and I believe it as you should too.

He will preserve you from trouble and compass you about with songs of deliverance (Psalm 32:7).

God alone can give us help from trouble and pain: for vain is the help of man (Psalm 60:11-12). So my dearly beloved fellow Christians, I beseech you to stand fast in the Lord and walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long suffering, forbearing one another in love… (Ephesians 4:1-6).

It is my prayer and desire that we are all filled with the knowledge of His (Jesus Christ) will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that we might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God and strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness (Colossians 1:9-11). Amen.

*** Written by Jacobs Adewale (Admin) ***

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He Is Coming Soon

Jesus is coming soon

From The Truth Media family,

Happy Good Friday!!!

In these, the closing days of time,

What joy the glorious hope affords,

That soon - O wondrous truth sublime!

He shall reign, King of kings and Lord of Lords.

He is coming soon, He is coming soon;

With joy we welcome His returning;

It may be morn, it may be night or noon -

We know He is coming soon.

The signs around - in earth and air,

Or painted on the starlit sky,

God’s faithful witnesses - declare

That the coming of the Savior draweth nigh.

The dead in Christ who beneath us lie,

In countless numbers, all shall rise

When through the portals of the sky

He shall come to prepare our paradise.

And we, who living, yet remain,

Caught up, shall meet our faithful Lord;

This hope we cherish not in vain,

But we comfort one another by this word.

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The Devil’s Strategy

Millions today profess to hate, abhor, shun and reject the devil because they know he is their enemy. They say, “I don’t worship him, I don’t obey him.” But alas! They are directly being controlled by this arch-enemy of the Light. Friend, if you discover that you are under him, please don’t wait to think. Flee for refuge!

I need not tell you he is wicked. He makes you serve him and later kills you. Jesus said of him in John 10:10, “The thief (the devil) cometh not, but for to steal, to kill and to destroy…”

Text: 2 Corinthians 2:11; John 3:3-5; Isaiah 55:1-8

He comes gently to you to do his evil business either in your room when you are alone, in your place of work when you are signing the attendance register, on the street when you see a lady, in the bus with the conductor, in the class during examination, in the office when he tells you to say that you are married (when you are not) so as to receive double leave grant, or in the hospital with the doctor as you plan to abort a pregnancy. Whichever method he uses, he has his aim – to capture you and get you to that other end – HELL.

His chief method is deceit. He doesn't want you to know that there is a dangerous pit at the end of the sinner’s life’s journey. Remember, he is a lot older than 6000 years; he is a lot older than man. So he is wiser and has more experience than you. Do you care about your soul? Then read on.

If you were the President of a country at war with a neighboring country, and during one of your visits to the war-front, you were deceived into the enemy’s camp, what would you do at the least chance of escape? Linger on for a chat or escape? Escape, or course! The devil’s business in your life is to deceive you into a false hope of heaven. He makes you walk confidently on mats spread over a deep, dangerous pit, and blinds your eyes to the fact that underneath lies a raging, angry and unquenchable lake of fire, burning with brimstone.

Are you a business man, private or public? Or do you work in an organization somewhere? And you are totally given over to the progress of your office? You just want money? Isn't that? Listen! You have a soul that cannot die. When that soul departs from your body, then you become a dead person. But where does your soul go?

“As it is appointed unto men ONCE to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Everyone involved in stealing, lying, murder (including abortion), fornication, adultery, idolatry, pride, wickedness, hatred, covetousness, envy, drinking of alcohol, gossiping and so on will be judged! To escape then will be utterly impossible.

You think that your regular attendance of church services, confirmation, baptism, fasting, giving of alms and offerings, and probably buying some equipment for the church or mosque puts you on a safe ground because your righteousness outweighs your unrighteousness? That’s deceit! You are heading to the other side – HELL, because nothing that defiles shall enter into heaven (Revelation 21:27). Do you care about your soul? Stop and think!

Be startled! You are in the devil’s net. You are fast sliding into horrible hell on a church pew. But do you know that God loves you more than you love Him? That is why He is revealing to you that your good moral life and the very best you can do can never and will never please God, for all our righteousness are like filthy rags in His sight (Isaiah 64:6).

You might have stopped attending church services because you discovered that your pastor or priest is a hypocrite, he drinks and commits sin with women secretly. In fact, he has children born to him outside wedlock. Now, you have concluded that as long as you love God and you love your neighbor as yourself (the golden rule), you’ll surely make heaven. Sorry, you are yet in his net, because you also bound in your sins. Or perhaps you have stopped because you are bored with the things done in the church. You only believe in God, heaven and hell.

Nevertheless, you are presently bound by the chains of alcohol, firmly gripped by the destructive power of smoking and really wallowing in the mire of fornication and adultery. You cannot but attend parties and visit film houses and your way out of trouble is to tell lies. But your hope is “I will be saved someday.” Your condition is greatly to be pitied. You are yet in his net! Read on.

There is only ONE way of escape for you, and this only way of escape from false and muddled beliefs into which the devil has successfully deceived you is JESUS CHRIST (John 14:6). And He (JESUS) was manifested to destroy all the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).

You must be BORN AGAIN (John 3:3). You must have the salvation experience. It does not mean baptism, confirmation or taking of sacraments. It is TRANSFORMATION – a sudden and definite change of your life in JESUS. You become a new creature, old things pass away, and all things become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

This is the only way of escape from eternal damnation for the businessman, doctor, accountant, student, church-enthusiast, Muslim and the free-thinker. Allow Christ to destroy all the works (deceit and sin) of the devil in your life. He will wash you in His blood, the devil will take his hands off you and you will no more be under his dominion.

Run into the arms of Jesus now! It is not too late for you, Jesus loves you. Today is the day of your deliverance. Will you pray? If not, why not? Confess your sins, forsake them, and ask for pardon. Remember that God is faithful and just to forgive and to cleanse you from all your sins. Believe now and thank Him!

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Tested By Fire

Has your faith ever been tested by the fire of afflictions and trials? This test of trial occurs when something in our lives goes contrary to the way things are supposed to be. Since we have against us an enemy who is a thief that comes to kill, steal, and destroy, almost daily are we faced with the task of confronting the evil hosts of darkness.

Text: 1 Peter 1:6-7; James 1:2-4,12; Psalm 34:19-22

Certainly a test or trial will create a need in our lives and God has chosen faith as the avenue to which Christians get those needs met. Our faith in God and our willingness and ability to believe the Holy Scriptures will be tested with each and every trial we face. 1 Peter 1:6,7 says, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Faith needs a challenge and will get its greatest opportunity for use through the tests and trials that come our way in everyday living. God’s Word builds your faith up but only tests and trials will allow your faith to go into action and operation.

In his second letter to the Thessalonian church, Paul commends his fellow believers for having a faith that “grows exceedingly” (2 Thessalonians 1:3). The Bible teaches that faith “comes” by getting into and hearing the Word of God but how does faith “grow”? The answer is found in the following verse, “And this is a cause of our mentioning you with pride among the churches of God for your steadfastness - your unflinching endurance and patience - and your firm faith in the midst of all your persecutions and crushing distresses and afflictions under which you are holding up” (2 Thessalonians 1:4 AMP).

When faith comes it must always be tested by fire because God wants a pure and glorious church without spot or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:27). Is your faith like pure gold or is it cheap gold plating? Faith is exercised and grows in the midst of persecutions and afflictions. This is why it is so important to stay in the Word and pass through the fire when tests and trials come. Psalm 12:6 says, “The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.”

Many times, it is in the midst of the fire and the furnace of affliction that the grace and mercy of God is recognized the most. There is only one thing the devil wants from you and that is your faith. Without faith you are no threat to him. Satan’s goal is to keep you distracted and ignorant of the truth that will set you free. He knows that he is no threat to you by himself and has never won the battle yet. He is a total failure and cannot successfully attack and defeat you without first getting your permission. Permission is granted to him each time we run away from our tests and trials and when we refuse to do anything about them.

2 Thessalonians 1:5, 11, says that our worthiness to God is proven by our passing through the fire. Don’t try to get out of all your troubles by taking the easy way out. You must pass through the fire! How? By using your faith! Your faith will not fail if you continue hearing and hearing and hearing the Word of God. Don’t fall into the devil’s trap by allowing distractions to keep you from reading and confessing God’s Word daily. Know for certain that God will honor your faith at the point it’s developed.

Since faith can grow, continue to build on the faith you now have so that your next walk through the fire won’t take so long and the victory will be greater. Believe Philippians 4:13 which says, “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.” Say out loud, “Yet in all these things I am more than a conqueror through Him Who loves us” (Romans 8:37). Be convinced in your heart that God is on your side and He is bigger than any problem you have.

Let the peace of God rule in your inner man during your times of trial. Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of God. The book of Isaiah 59:1 (AMP) says, “When the enemy shall come in, like a flood the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him and put him to flight - for He will come like a rushing stream which the breath of the Lord drives.”

In Paul’s final letter before his death, he tells Timothy, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12). When tests and trials come, Jesus tells us to “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven…” (Luke 6:23a). Satan cannot stand the sound of praise for it reminds him of the ministry he once had as the top angel in heaven.

For sure, giving glory to God in the midst of the fire is the quickest way to make the devil shut up. Giving praise to God during a test or trial will be the last thing many of you will want to do but we must do it anyway. This is what is called a “sacrifice of praise” (Heb. 13:15). Continually making a sacrifice of praise will touch the heart of God more than anything we know. This is faith in action. When you do this you are not focusing on the circumstances around you but rather on your Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

From a dungeon cell, Paul wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always - delight, gladden yourselves in Him; again I say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4 AMP). The Greek word for “rejoice” means to ‘brighten up, leap, and spin around.’ When trials come, don’t look sad and gloomy. Instead, put a smile on your face and brighten up! Stand in your living room and begin to jump up and down. Leap for joy! Spin around as you’re leaping and make a joyful noise unto the Lord. “But this isn't normal,” you might say. Of course it’s not. That’s why we’re called a “peculiar people” (1 Peter 2:9). The bottom line is that it works.

As you praise God in this fashion and continue to confess what the Word says about your situation, all of a sudden God will get bigger and bigger in your heart and the obstacle will get smaller and smaller. Before you know it, you will exit from the other end of the furnace of affliction having successfully passed through the fire. Rejoice during the times of struggle because “the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

Tested by Fire

Every Christian should view their tests and trials as stepping stones on their journey to becoming Christ-like. Satan will contest everything God wants to do for you and tests and trials are sure to come. Understand, however, that you are not Satan’s punching bag. When God sees an arrow coming at you, He won’t stop the arrow but He will put up a shield (Ephesians 6:16).

Tests and trials are an open invitation for believers to use their faith as a shield against whatever Satan brings their way. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “For we walk by faith and not by sight.” The prophet Isaiah wrote, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you” (Is. 43:2).

A test is nothing to fear if you are able to pass it with flying colors. With Jesus on your side, you can do just that.

*** Written by Randall J. Brewer ***

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20 Vance Havner Quotes - Part 1

May you be blessed by these Vance Havner Quotes to live victoriously for the Lord and be encouraged to seek only the kingdom of God and His righteousness with faith and perseverance.

Vance Havner Quotes

• We may never be martyrs but we can die to self, to sin, to the world, to our plans and ambitions. That is the significance of baptism; we died with Christ and rose to new life.

• Plenty of church members are shaky about what they believe, while not many are shaken by what they believe.

• God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. It is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever.

• Salt seasons, purifies, preserves. But somebody ought to remind us that salt also irritates. Real living Christianity rubs this world the wrong way.

• A soft and sheltered Christianity, afraid to be lean and lone, unwilling to face the storms and brave the heights, will end up fat and foul in the cages of conformity.

• We are suffering today from a species of Christianity as dry as dust, as cold as ice, as pale as a corpse, and as dead as King Tut. We are suffering not from a lack of correct heads but of consumed hearts.

• We are the salt of the earth, mind you, not the sugar. Our ministry is to truly cleanse and not just to change the taste.

• If you are a Christian, you are not a citizen of this world trying to get to heaven; you are a citizen of heaven making your way through this world. We must always remember this at all times.

• Sometimes your medicine bottle has on it, "Shake well before using." That is what God has to do with some of His people. He has to shake them well before they are ever usable.

• We are not bearing our crosses every time we have a headache; an aspirin tablet will take care of that. What is meant is the trouble we would not have if we were not Christians.

• Too many church services start at eight sharp and end at twelve dull.

• I'm tired of hearing sin called sickness and alcoholism a disease. It is the only disease I know of that we're spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year to spread.

Vance Havner Quotes

• Our Lord said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." It is evident, then, that a true disciple is a soul-winner. It is possible to sit on the shore discussing the signs of the times when we ought to be driven by the signs of the times to launch out into the deep and let down our nets for a draught.

• Faith doesn't wait until it understands; in that case it wouldn't be faith.

• We have suffered from the preaching of cheap grace. Grace is free, but it is not cheap. People will take anything that is free, but they are not interested in discipleship. They will take Christ as Savior but not as Lord.

• Our Lord sent His disciples out as sheep among wolves; now the wolves are being invited into the sheepfold.

• We are not going to move this world by criticism of it nor conformity to it, but by the combustion within it of lives ignited by the Spirit of God.

• If you lack knowledge, go to school. If you lack wisdom, get on your knees! Knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is the proper use of knowledge.

• There is a trend today that would put a new robe on the prodigal son while he is still feeding hogs. Some would put the ring on his finger while he still in the pigsty. Others would paint the pigsty and advocate bigger and better hogpens.

• Some missionaries bound for Africa were laughed at by the boat captain. "You'll only die over there," he said. But a missionary replied, "Captain, we died before we started."

*** Quotes from Vance Havner ***

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