Remain Steadfast And Confident Jesus spoke of days that were coming that would foretell the things that were to pass as earth, as we know it, would cease to be. His Words also warn us that, “we must hold firmly,” which is telling us to remain steadfast. We must also remain confident and assured that God loves us more than we could possibly imagine. Hebrews 3: 12-14 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. 14We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. Why is this so very important at this time? To me it is very clear. Just think of everything the Lord and we Christians are facing today. Right now there is an all-out attack on Christ, His Word and Christianity. There are attacks on the Divinity of Christ, ridicule of the Bible and its Divine Word. The present generation faces vile and raging temptations never before seen by our forefathers. Rampant displays of sexually oriented materials, addictive substances and alcohol use are our everyday fare on television and billboards. Never before has there been such immediate telling of world events. Satan has unleashed his evil principalities in a war that is designed to ensnare the souls of Christ’s followers. It is as if targets had been sewn on our backs. We see terrorism, senseless violence, mounting financial crisis and near panic. We see our government officials lower themselves as they succumb to a lust for power. We see a great apostasy as once steadfast believers abandon Christ for debauchery and carnal pleasures. Satan’s powers of darkness are waging a battle designed to wear down the confidence and steadfastness of God’s saints. The battles we face today are but a forerunner to the war to be waged against us. People, hear this, hear this and etch my words clearly in your minds; it is going to get worse, much worse! It is going to get so very bad that we, as mere mortals, are going to need spiritual powers to sustain us. Our humanity will be used against us as we are going to be faced with demonic manifestations. Temptations will confront us and many will succumb. Without a fresh outpouring from the Holy Spirit there is not a Christian alive that will prevail without God’s strength and love! None of us…let me say that again…NONE of us will survive unless we know and hold dear the works of God’s Spirit. It will be by that knowledge and holding firm His love that we will have a chance for eternal life with Him. I can hear some of you as you are saying to yourself…’Not me, I will never lose sight of God and Jesus Christ. I will not fail Him.” Let me remind you of one thing. Peter, a man who lived, traveled, and talked with God daily, denied Him three times! Three times he said, without hesitation, “I do not know Him.” Three times within a very short period of time Peter denied our Creator. To be the people, the people of God, true Christians, we must know what it takes to obtain and hold onto a fresh outpouring from the Holy Spirit. We must be strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit and remain steadfast and confident in God’s love. Who is the Holy Spirit? …The Holy Spirit is a Person of God and is the mutual love of God the Father and Jesus Christ, His Son. He gives the gifts that see us through this world. The love of our Father was bestowed upon us as He sent His Son. His Son, Jesus Christ then promised, and sent, the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s everlasting love for mankind. Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a]have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we[c] also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. We must, and I say M U S T, with conviction, remain secure in our knowledge of God’s love for us and, when faced with seemingly unbearable hardships, we MUST know that God is there for us and the Holy Spirit will be our guide. Isaiah likened the work and Ministry of the Holy Spirit to the love and comfort of a mother. Isaiah 66:13 As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem." Think of God in the role of a mother. Her love is tender and although her child rejects her love and sins against her, she never gives up on her child. Her love is pure, strong and everlasting. No matter how stubborn and rebellious her child may be, her love remains strong, even fierce as she seeks to regain the mutuality of feelings for her. If her love is not returned, a mother goes on loving she continues to love her child. There may be times that a mother cries silently in the dark and grieves for her child; she continues to love without reservation. Just as a mother loves her child God loves His children; each and every one of us. There is one thing I will never question and that is my Heavenly Father’s love for me. He has revealed His love by the Holy Spirit who dwells in me. Many see the Holy Spirit as the ‘hard man’ that stands over them and scowls at their failures. They reference Him as ‘Counselor,’ which conjures up thoughts of a hard headed attorney that is ready to do battle in the Court room. In truth the Holy Spirit’s mission is, “To revive the spirit of the humble, and revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Isaiah 57:15 15 For this is what the high and lofty One says— he who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in If we are ever tempted to fall into despair over our sins and our shortcomings we must be ever aware that the very mission of the Holy Spirit is rescuing us from that despair. Recall the Words of Isaiah 66 that said: “You will be comforted in Jerusalem.” These Words can be said as; God’s people will comfort one another and ease their sufferings. Be nourishing of your fellow Christian as you remain confident in the knowledge that God loves you all. You may think that God isn’t loving towards us as we are faced with the problems we face today. We are in an actual battle with the demons of Satan and sustain many wounds. We suffer our sinfulness and our human weaknesses as we seek to do His will and His will alone. We are often sidetracked and often call on God to ‘put a stop to this sinfulness.’ We think God isn’t listening but, believe you me, He is. 2 Corinthians 3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. You may note that nothing is said about deliverance from the battle but what is said is that He will, “comfort us.” We are also taught that,” we can comfort those in any troubles.” How are we able to comfort others when we, ourselves, are suffering? The answer lies in the closing Words of this Scripture. “With the comfort we, ourselves, have received from God.” (Closing prayer) Father, we come to You with hearts filled with praise of You and for the purposes of asking You to empower us with Your Holy Spirit to combat the evils around us and to grant sufficient blessings for us to share with our fellow Christians. We are weak Lord and it is only by the power of Your Holy Spirit that we can face the sinfulness of this world without falling. Lord, hear our prayer. We ask that You bless our military, our elected officials, our judges, police forces and those charged with keeping America safe. Lord, please, hear our prayer. Lord, for the many transgressions we have committed. We ask that You forgive us and send Your Holy Spirit to strengthen us as we fight the wiles of Satan. Lord. Hear our prayer. Father, we come to You as our God and as the Father of Jesus Christ who is One with You and the Holy Spirit, and we ask these things in Jesus’ name, Amen, amen and amen. |
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