"I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears. Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies. Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping. The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer." Psalm 6:6-9
As of late my husband and I have been facing the urgency in need of divine intervention by way of provision and wisdom. There have been times in which our hearts have wanted to faint; the flesh crouching at the doorway just lurking and waiting for us to find some rationale or excuse for reverting back to the old man or the world as our source in lieu of staying the course of faith and confidence in our loving and sovereign God.
The truth of the matter is that victory against our enemies may not be witnessed while we still remain in these temporal bodies. Several years ago God led me to Psalm 73 and I just sobbed, finding such fellowship in the sufferings expressed through Asaph's writings as he grieved over the presumed injustice in the prospering of evil.
"When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end." Psalm 73:16-17
It was then that the Holy Spirit began to tear away the root of doctrinal error that had been embedded in my heart for so many years; an erroneous doctrine that completely discards a call to sufferings and New Testament truth that reveals tribulations as being designed for purposes of separating the wheat from the tares; preparing the saints for eternity.
I remember fellowshipping with a brother a few months back when he spoke; "I pray for a miracle sister, I pray a miracle of God's grace for you and your husband to be able to endure whatever His sovereign will is for your lives." No binding of the devil or claiming that the windows of heaven open wide pouring out gold coins upon our heads. He prayed the most necessary prayer of faith that we be filled with the riches of God's grace and endurance to finish this race.
Some wrong doers may receive their deserved punishment here; but for the most part many will appear to flourish in their sin, accumulating wealth and power at the very expense of the elect of God. Their just reward will not go unpunished however. When all is said and done, their sins will result in the final judgment of eternal separation from God.
We should never fret ourselves with concern over the timing or manner in which the ungodly receive their punishment, supposing that they are getting away with perpetrating evil against the saints. We have only but to put our trust in God and to obey His commands for our lives.
"Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD." Lamentations 3:37-40
I personally believe that the matter of "presumed injustice" is a major part of the overall testings designed by God for the purpose of trying and purifying the heart and motives of His saints in preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ. Upon His return, those who have stood fast in their faith shall receive the fulfillment of God's promise of Eternal Salvation.
If my husband and I were to look at our situation and circumstances right now through the eyes of our old carnal nature, our hearts would have fainted a thousand times over; feeling as though evil has prevailed, God has abandoned us, and that man and this world are our only reliable source. But fainting is not an option when you have come thus far.“Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.” Hebrews 10:35-37
There's a lot of bad news circulating the globe these days, and the hearts of professing Christians are being gripped with anxiety, hopelessness and desperation. Yet I am reminded that there is nothing new under the sun, nothing! The evil present today existed upon the earth from as far back as the original sin of man in the Garden of Eden.“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” Hebrews 6:4-6
“Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” Hebrews 10:38-39
Aside from our country's idolatrous obsession with the recreational worship of an increasingly violent, sexually explicit and morally desensitizing entertainment industry; our high tech capabilities have become far reaching in our ability to report the salacious details of gruesome violent crime, gossip and fear mongering through television, radio, Internet and print media.
The noise is loud, often debilitating, and virtually impossible for us to avoid since it resounds through visual and audio mediums just about everywhere we go. Television screens in stores, banks, restaurants. You can't purchase a dozen eggs without having soft porn images (the hand bra pose being the latest acceptable fad) and titillating headlines assaulting you at the check out counter of your local grocery store. News feed has us all doomed to starvation, unemployment, crime, and natural disasters. It preaches fear while robbing what little hope the lukewarm believer might have. It also sends a message of salvation and hope through some iconic political figure rather than God.
"Men's hearts failing them for fear,
and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:
for the powers of heaven shall be shaken."
Luke 21:26
My husband and I have been walking through the fiery trials since the onset of our call to separation from the world about six years ago; beginning a journey of spiritual liberation from bondage to old habits, carnal relationships, fallacious doctrinal beliefs, lusts, and covetousness. The diluted message of modern religion teaches that Christ does this all for us and that all we need to do is pray a prayer of salvation and then coast on. Although Jesus did once and for all pay the price for our sins, we cannot embark on this journey of separation from the old man without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and a decision to align our will with Gods. It involves our willingness to take up our cross and to follow after Christ Jesus, walking as He walked (I John 2:6) in obedience to our Heavenly Father.
"For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ,
not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
Having the same conflict which ye saw in me,
not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
Having the same conflict which ye saw in me,
and now hear to be in me."
Philippians 1:29-30
Philippians 1:29-30
When my husband and I responded to the call to separation, we were filled with excitement, encouraged at the scriptures relating to God's long-suffering and forgiveness of our past sins (Psalm 103), including the facade of a pseudo Christian lifestyle we had lived for over 25 years.
Yes, this journey appeared to be backed with all the doctrinal assurance that we were going to hold hands and skip down the cobble stone road of joy, prosperity and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Modern day prosperity prophets will tell you that the devil is the source behind all of your trials, and that we are to immediately rebuke Satan and to claim; no, to "demand" God's promises and blessings be ours. And despite the examples provided for us of the Israelites complaining in the wilderness; the new humanistic approach to Christianity now affords us a scriptural basis for excusing our sins and feeling sorry for ourselves in the midst of trials.
Nonetheless, Scripture and examples of those mighty men called of God to greatness throughout the bible show us a deeper truth of the divine refining element of trials used throughout the sanctification process in the lives of God's saints.
"Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus
shall suffer persecution."
II Timothy 3:12
"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
But let patience have her perfect work,
that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing"
James 1:2-4
The joy we are assured by God is not one based on temporal earthly treasures and pleasures, but rather that which is found in the empowering of the Holy Spirit as we walk in obedience to God; along with the joy and peace found through understanding that our ultimate reward awaits us when we abide in the Eternal presence of our loving Heavenly Father.
The Scriptures tell us that the today has enough cares in itself. (Matthew 6:34) The anxious activity observed in the over communication of negative and fear based information added to this steals away the hope and faith of too many professing Christians. We are to abide in His word and meditate on it "day and night" (Psalm 1)."I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." (excerpt)
Remember brethren, we serve a just and faithful God who can not lie!
"Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all." Psalm 34:19
