I will lift up Jesus higher, I will lift up Jesus higher, O Jehovah Alpha Omega, I will lift up Jesus higher, O Jehovah, Alpha Omega I will lift up Jesus higher.// Oh, worship the King, all glorious above. Oh, gratefully sing his power and his love;
Our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days, Pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.
Yes! Our God is our shield and defender, He is the Ancient of Days, He is pavilioned and girded with Praise – our Praise. Yes! Our Praise to the Only Wise God. The God of Heaven and earth, how glorious is His love over all He has made. Faithful is His Name, let my mouth be full with and Praise for ever and ever. Amen!
Beloved, how are doing? Hope you are doing great? Our God is good. Having a look at our topic for today, can you tell what draw you first to salvation? What impression do you have when first give your life to Christ.
I believe you were told that once accept Jesus that everything will be well with you. No more sickness, war, persecution, struggling and peace. But what is your experince as the day go by. You discover that even in the house God there is strife, godlessness, lies and impurities. Then you ask yourself what is happening, but this is not what I was told. This is not the message that was preach to me.
Yes! I agree with you it ought not to be so, but satan has also move into the church of God and took captives of supposedly born-again Christian and make them his disciple instead. Their eyes were close therefore they could see that they have departed from the Kingdom of light to kingdom of darkness. In their quest they forgot the warning of taking care of the weak among them. They forget that they action can make a follow Christian to backslid. What a tragedy in God’s house.
They become willing tools in the hand of their master to inflict pains on the children of God.
And someone is asking, can’t God do something about it? He will, at the right time but now the two must walk side by side, they two must struggle their way through till when the harvest time is ready and the master comes with his sickle to harvest his produce (Matt 13:24-30).
Jesus made it clear to his disciple and to us that will be coming after them that there will be persecution. The only confusion here now is that even most of the persecution is coming from quarters were you least expected it to come from but you have to hold on brother/sister, you don’t have to give up.
If Jesus your master was persecuted then you must expect same no matter what forms it chose to come.
Satan the architect of all evil is subtle in his approach. Initially, I had a fiercely attack from the world, I ran into the church of God thinking It will be a hiding place for me till the storm is over. Dearly beloved, it became evident that the battle now shifted from the things and people I can conveniently avoid to the place where my heart is placed- the house of God. Wow! What a tragedy?
The only option left for me is to go home and suck. That is what Satan wants to see happen to me. But I have to fight back by saying no to my hurts and pains. I have to be resolute about by decision to follow and serve Jesus irrespective of what is happening around me. I took it upon myself to make those things that would have very shameful and painful as nothing for the sake of the gospel of our Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit helped my infirmities and I was healed.
I placed my understanding in the Word of God that said “all things worketh for good to him that believeth.” And I believe God will turn out beautifully and it will.
Beloved, I don’t know the persecution you are in but hear me it will end in Praise. The very thing that wants to take you down will be your lifting in Jesus Name. God will work it out for you as He did for me but you must yield yourself to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Praise God.
Don’t ever be discourage because that is what the devil wants. He want to box you to a corner and finish you up, but you don’t give room to that. Even if you cannot take hold of every other thing around you; you can atleast take hold of your faith in God. Be strong in the power of His Might bearing in mind that the weapon of warfare is not carnal. So kit yourself with the Word of God and meditate therein, then you will see yourself emerging victoriously Praise God (2 Cor 4:8 Eph 6:10-12).
There are diverse forms of persecution but you must not give in to it (Rev 12:11). Beloved you must overcome. That is the ministry’s vision that none of us will be overcome by satan or evil rather we will overcome it in Jesus Name.
Always remember that you are Christ epistle therefore work zealous for the Lord. Work with boldness and put timidity under your feet. Match on, Jesus is on your side. (2Cor 3:3). Let’s discover more why the world is persecuting every child of God:
In fact, all those who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.—2 Timothy 3:12
Living a godly life will not insulate you from hardship. Paul said that the more blameless your life, the more likely you will be persecuted. According to Paul, “evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse” (2 Tim. 3:13). As the world increasingly embraces sin, worldly people are becoming increasingly intolerant of godliness. Darkness cannot tolerate light; the more your life illuminates the presence of Christ, the more you should expect opposition from the forces of darkness. Your Christlike nature will be offensive to those in rebellion against Christ’s Lordship.
You may have recently repented of your sin and taken a new step of obedience to God. Perhaps you expected to experience God’s blessing immediately as He demonstrated His approval of your obedience. Instead, you were met with opposition. The persecution may have come even from other Christians who misunderstood your motives. Perhaps you obeyed God, and still your actions were met with criticism instead of praise.
If you are sincerely following the Lord’s direction, don’t be discouraged. Paul warned that those who seek to live godly lives will suffer persecution. Do not be surprised when this happens to you. If the world crucified the Son of God, surely the world will be hostile to anyone who lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. Persecution may be the best evidence that your life is like that of Christ. Jesus warned that the world hated Him, the Savior, and so it would certainly misunderstand and mistreat His disciples (John 15:18).
Of which you are one, or are not? Let’s discover more:
“And be not conformed to this world.” Romans 12:2
If a Christian can by possibility be saved while he conforms to this world, at any rate it must be so as by fire. Such a bare salvation is almost as much to be dreaded as desired. Reader, would you wish to leave this world in the darkness of a desponding death bed, and enter heaven as a shipwrecked mariner climbs the rocks of his native country? then be worldly; be mixed up with Mammonites, and refuse to go without the camp bearing Christ’s reproach.
But would you have a heaven below as well as a heaven above? Would you comprehend with all saints what are the heights and depths, and know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge? Would you receive an abundant entrance into the joy of your Lord? Then come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing.
Would you attain the full assurance of faith? You cannot gain it while you commune with sinners. Would you flame with vehement love? Your love will be damped by the drenchings of godless society. You cannot become a great Christian—you may be a babe in grace, but you never can be a perfect man in Christ Jesus while you yield yourself to the worldly maxims and modes of business of men of the world.
It is ill for an heir of heaven to be a great friend with the heirs of hell. It has a bad look when a courtier is too intimate with his king’s enemies. Even small inconsistencies are dangerous. Little thorns make great blisters, little moths destroy fine garments, and little frivolities and little rogueries will rob religion of a thousand joys.
O professor, too little separated from sinners, you know not what you lose by your conformity to the world. It cuts the tendons of your strength, and makes you creep where you ought to run. Then, for your own comfort’s sake, and for the sake of your growth in grace, if you be a Christian, be a Christian, and be a marked and distinct one.
The Apostles of old overcame, we will also overcome if we don’t give up. The power of God will bear you up, will strengthen you and make you wise in midst of your persecutions in Jesus Name.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help your infirmities at all times and you will emerge victorious in Jesus Name (1 Cor15:57).
“Father, forgive them for they know what they are doing.” Always confess that and the power of forgiveness will be given to you. Why? Because that was the very prayer of our Jesus Christ on the cross. The CROSS – a crucial time in Jesus’s Ministry and it comes with healing balm Praise God. he forgave peter and hand over the feeding of the flocks to him. So you also must do same else you will not meet the standard of the Word of God. May God help us in Jesus Name.
Read Phil 4:13
Sing this song by Panam Percy Paul- Dont give up is not over if you give up then is over…..
Remain blessed in the Lord
