“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever” (Isaiah 40:8).
Unless you have your head deeply hidden in the proverbial sand – you MUST be somewhat alarmed at the blatant satanic powers at work in the earth and in the church.
But I do believe that Satan instructs his minions to work hardest in our churches. He wants to cast doubt into our minds about the reliability of God’s Word – just as he did in the Garden of Eden.
“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John 2:16).
When mankind feels that they can do a better job than the One who created all there is in the Universe, that’s when Cults are born – that’s when preaching becomes the words of men and not of God; and that is what we are seeing with the apostate movements masquerading as Christianity.
Sometimes It is too heavy to carry
We must remember that God is always in control. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like He is, but we must not rely on our feelings and emotions. We stand on the Word of God. And we come to Him in prayer and talk to Him about our fears and anxieties.
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
In order to learn from Him, we must read His Word which He left for us.
Jesus is our Rock
When we read the news more than we read the Word of God, we will ultimately find ourselves in shifting sand. Just as Paul said that his flesh warred against his spirit, we have these same battles raging in us. So, what to do? Jesus would have us praying to Him and reading His Word.
In these last days, this is more important than ever before!
“And Peter answered Him and said, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.’ So He said, ‘Come.’ And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’ And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’ And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Truly You are the Son of God’” (Matthew 14:28-33).
When Peter was focused on Jesus – he walked on the water. As soon as he focused on his circumstances, looking down at the water, he began to sink.
When we stand on His Word, we are standing on the Rock of our Salvation.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
The Storms of Life
Think back to a time when your child became frightened. Perhaps it was a terrible storm raging outside. Do you remember how the child would look into your eyes, as if they wanted to see how you were reacting to the thunderous booms and the lightning strikes.
You would draw them close to you and speak words of comfort. You would assure them that they were safe with you.
Can you imagine how much the Lord wants to hold us right now? We are His children and the apple of his eye! In order for us to feel His warmth and closeness, we must go to Him in prayer – talk to Him and tell Him how we are feeling. We must read His Word.
His Word brings Him to us and us to Him. It wraps us in His unfailing Love.
The persecution will increase. We were forewarned. Sometimes, just saying the name of Jesus over and over during these times will calm us and bring us back to truth. That truth is this:
“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39).
“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).
Shalom b’Yeshua
MARANTHA!!