A quote that I once heard about the fickleness of the faith of current generation Christians rang in my mind today:
A lot of us Christians have grown our faith on a lot of wishbone, but have no backbone!
This because, there is an unfortunate tendency for present day Christians to equate the proof of faith with material prosperity and the visual trappings
of a “good” life; and of course, all these are supposed to be achieved without any trouble at all, or at the very least, with the minimum possible
hassle – that’s faith; right?
Er…, not quite so!
Many times, the proof of faith is actually the endurance of waiting till the promise is realised.
Please hear what Jesus has to say about that:
“33I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, but take courage – I have conquered the world.” (John 16:33)
One thing that is a guarantee in life, is that there will be challenging times; Jesus never promised His followers a trouble-free life. However, what He
does promise is this:
“…but take courage – I have conquered the world.”(John 16:33b)
You are not the first, you will not be the last to go through discouraging times…Suck it in, hold on to the cross, trust in His word, and deal with it!
Dear child of God, please take comfort in knowing that you are in illustrious company walking in the hall of faith with a cloud of witnesses – Men and women who have experienced seasons of discouragement in
their lives, but whose lives bear witness to the Faithfulness of this same God in whom you have believed just like they did:
Abraham had reason to be discouraged. He was; God came through as He said He would.
Moses had reason to be discouraged. He was; God came through as He said He would.
Joseph had reason to be discouraged; He was; the word of God came through as He said it would.
Hannah had reason to be discouraged. She was, and God came through for her.
Jeremiah went through discouragement and depression. God came through for him.
Job, the poster boy for misfortune and discouragement went through hell on earth, but he found that the grace and faithfulness of God outlasted His problems.
Even Jesus went through so much turmoil to broker the deal for our salvation. He was so discouraged that He wondered why His Father had forsaken Him. He
was in so much turmoil that He wished the cup would pass Him by. The bible says in Isaiah 53:3-5,
“He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”
Isaiah 53:3-5 NKJV
As we read earlier in our devotional, As He gave Himself up to the gruesome death on Calvary’s Cross, He looked through the pain, He saw beyond the suffering,
and believed in the promise of the Father, that His sufferings will produce great gain; and guess what? We are the proof of God’s faithfulness to His
promise.
Hard times, challenges, unforeseen forks in the road, the rough and the tough, the bunkers and missed shots are all par for the course. But you know what?
The Master is already waiting at the Clubhouse to give you your prize and refresh you – You just need to finish the course….
Remember what the bible says:
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning”.
The dawn of your new day has come. His promises concerning your life will come into manifestation. Your destiny will surely see the light of day! Arise and shine,
for your Light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. Hallelujah!
LIFE APPLICATION:
1. What is God saying to me in today’s message?
2. What was ministered to me in the bible verses that I read today?
3. What are the changes or adjustments I need to make in my life to align with the word of God?
4. What is my commitment to the word for today?
5. What practical steps can I take to benefit from the word I have read today?
PRAYER FOCUS:
Dear Lord, please keep me in your grace and your love.
Let me see beyond my current struggles and pain and give me a vision for my destiny.
Give me the strength to hold on till my change comes.
You will make it in Jesus’s Name. Keep going strong in God’s grace and power,
