Believe ‘Til The End

Hebrews 4:1-11

No matter how hard life gets for you, don’t give up. Despite daily trials, tribulations, and seemingly unending struggles, strive to endure until the end. This advice goes out to all who are fighting the “good fight of faith”, and continue to boldly represent holiness, in an ever-changing world.

Throughout history, there were many who started out following after righteousness, but grew weary in doing well. While some had ample opportunity to consider the inward struggle between good and evil in their hearts (like Judas Iscariot), and allow their faith in God to supercede the latter, their supposed hope in the Lord was exposed as being fraudulent. Others who followed after Jesus, allowed the negative influence of family or peers to steer them away from doing what’s right, in place of fulfilling carnal desires. How often are you invited by someone close to you, to participate in events or activities that do very little to promote healthy spirituality? Oftentimes, we are tempted to do things that only satisfy our flesh, and does nothing to build or edify our soul. Gone are the days when believers looked forward to prayer and Bible study meetings, where God could be exalted, and hearts could be encouraged. Nowadays, church folk gravitate more toward what the world promotes on social media or television.

The church looks identical to the world in the way they dress, speak, and think. This is very unfortunate, as many who blend in with the world usually get pulled away from their first love (God), and cling to the fads and trends of carnality. The world is indeed a sphere of continual wickedness, masked with the guise of perpetual happiness, but underneath the semblance of peace and hope, is the true evil intent of the adversary of the believer.

Trust God until the end, and don’t let anything or anyone cause you to fall, or turn away from your faith in the Father. The enemy is coming at the church with full force, but the power of God resides in all His children, through His Spirit, and has equipped them to stand against all the wiles of satan. Don’t give up, don’t give in, because you have the victory over wickedness and sin.

Worthy Of The Kingdom

2 Thessalonians 1:3-5, 11-12

What is the proper way to conduct oneself while facing persecution? Well, there are two answers to that question. One response is fairly simple and straightforward, while the other can oftentimes be rather vague. For the child of God, enduring inevitable persecution requires patience and faith. For those who live beyond the realm of God’s readily available safety, persecution tends to consume them without a sense of reason, or purposeful end. When worldly men suffer, they typically expect others to pity them, and make sacrifices on behalf of their tragedies. On the contrary, when a believer suffers, they endure to prove that in their suffering, they can still perform works that are pleasing to God.

The church doesn’t suffer, so that they can get contaminated government assistance, but it suffers because the world hates the truth, and will go to great measures to silence those who go against worldly beliefs. In our text, the apostle Paul, and those who sojourned with him, were pleased to see that those in the Thessalonian church were continuing to grow in faith exceedingly, and spread love amongst each other, despite enduring persecutions and tribulations. The apostle Paul did not commend the Thessalonian church for building a great edifice, or rendering awesome praise and worship, but he counted them worthy of the kingdom of God, because of their suffering.

When hard times come in our lives, God allows them to test our level of faith in His Word, and to prove to our adversary, he has no claim, nor influence in the lives of God’s people. Take pride in being a child of royalty, and see your suffering as a way to show God that if those who died before us endured until the end, then you can too! “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 1:3-4).

Keep your chin up… it’s easier to see Heaven that way,

Ell

No Contest

Esther 3:7-11

The war between good and evil, was determined before it even began. The all-powerful God, cannot be bested on any platform, nor by any being or entity. God reigns supreme over all beings, and all things, so why does satan continue to contest His authority, knowing he already lost? That’s a valid question, deserving of a reasonable response.

While in heaven, Lucifer was blessed by God, to hold a very unique position. From his platform, the beautifully anointed cherubim, allowed pride to settle into his heart, thus initiating his eternal demise. When he fell from heaven, the devil had all intentions of rendering evil to God, for stripping him of his prestigious position. After his stupid mistake, the devil was never permitted to reside in God’s eternal glory, ever again, so the only way to get back at the Father for seemingly humiliating him, satan finds ways to use his powerful methods of deception and manipulation, to influence men to turn against God.

After easily besting the first man and woman, satan continued to cloud the judgment of men from then, until now. How sad it is, to know you missed out on your blessing, but try hard to keep others from receiving theirs. The enemy will NEVER give up, trying to block the children of God, from making it to heaven, and he’s successfully caused many to actually miss it already. The easiest way for a man to be influenced by evil is, for them to refuse, or lack the knowledge of truth. Without the truth of God’s Word, men are easy pickings for the devil to corrupt. For this reason, it’s vital for men and women of God, to deliver the unadulterated truth, so that others can easily discern when the enemy is attempting to trick, and trap them.

Walk in love,

Ell

Living among wrongdoers

Psalm 57

Many teach that the proper response to negative treatment is retaliation. When being attacked, whether you’re a Christian or not, rendering a counter attack is the worst possible thing anyone could do. For one thing, prolonging a negative situation is never a healthy option, so stirring up such a fire could cause flames that could affect innocent bystanders as well. Violence never solves anything, it only creates opportunities for people to get hurt spiritually, physically and mentally.

When a person submits their life to God, they automatically become a target for satan to attack, so it’s common for men to harbor ill wills against them. There will even be times when others will have resentment towards a Christian, when they’ve done nothing to cause it. The world hated Jesus, so expect it to also hate the fact that we operate under God’s agenda, and not the devil’s. For the believer, king David left a perfect example of how to conduct oneself in the presence of those who intentionally seek to disrupt their spiritual and mental focus. God sees and knows all that we face in life, but it’s required that we acknowledge Him in all our ways, so David made it his business to approach God with his issue, as well as praise. God knows we need Him, but He also knows when we try to pimp Him. There were many times I prayed to God to get me out of jams, but only to go back into those same situations after He had delivered me. David knew in his heart that He needed God to stand with him against his enemies, so that he would be free to offer more worship, praise, and good deeds that would bring glory to His name. When you seek God’s help, always check your motives for doing so. David also made certain to promote God’s power in his prayer, more than the ploy of those against him. God doesn’t need to be convinced of His power, but we must first convince ourselves that He is able to do “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20).

God stands at the ready to assist His people in all situations, but we must activate that power with our faith. You can sit in a car all day and pray that it starts, but until you turn the key, or push the start button, you’ll sit there until your buttcheeks get numb. In his prayer of distress, David’s faith was shown in his great admiration for God, and His everlasting mercy. When you pray, do you cry and moan about your issue the entire time, or do you reverence God, then get off your knees feeling motivated to knock the devil out like Rocky did against that tall Russian dude? Talking to God should always motivate us to stand strong against our adversary, because it’s in Him that we live, move, and have our being, so acknowledging our association with the greatest source of power known to all creation, gives us the hope we need that all will soon be well.

Never be afraid of what men try to do to you, because they can only go as far as God allows them to. God allows certain situations to occur in order to see what level our faith is, and whether we need to mature more, or use our faith to motivate someone else. “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:44-45a).

Walk in love,

Ell

Living together in harmony

Romans 12:16-21

According to Google’s definition, an enemy is considered a person who is actively opposed or hostile to someone or something. Merriam-Webster defines an enemy as, one that is antagonistic to another, or one seeking to injure, overthrow, or confound an opponent. In every novel or film, the enemy is usually the bad guy who plots to overthrow or eliminate the good guy, so that he can reign and rule with all authority. Did you know, that before you were saved and delivered from your sins, you were an enemy to God? Yup, all believers were, but God still showed us love, mercy, and grace, while allowing Christ to suffer, so that we could be saved. Being fully aware of the fact that God extended His love to us while we were yet sinners, I question those who claim to be sons and daughters of God, yet find it difficult to love their enemies. It’s seems as if some have forgotten that they were once sentenced to eternal damnation, and now feel that they are worthy to pass judgment on others, but they are mistaken. Our job is to love others at all cost, while God handles the judge duties.

Another reason members of the body of Christ have trouble loving others is, they aren’t all on the same page. God preserved His Word, and made certain that it was written for all to understand, but many have allowed false doctrines and teachings to cloud their judgment of God’s words, thus causing them to venture into territories believers are to keep away from including pride, selfishness, and ambitions to be rich. Many who claim to be righteous even shun away the poor, in favor of entertaining those who are rich. This is not the behavior a righteous man exhibits, but one who lacks focus and faith in the Word of God. It’s vital that believers be of the same mind, and remain humble before even attempting to do any work for God, because living in harmony is what makes ministry effective. When Paul set off on his missionary journeys, those who accompanied him were firm believers in the same God and standards he lived by. The harmony between these men of God was essential in keeping them firm and focused, even under the pressure of false accusers, and persecution.

The goal of satan is to overcome the children of God with evil, but our good is powerful enough to subdue the wicked plans of our enemy, because we operate under God’s authority. As a member of the body of Christ, seek first to maintain peace and harmony among the brethren and sisteren (I made that up 😊), so that when we witness and minister to others, our good won’t be evil spoken of, and we can leave a positive impression in the hearts and minds of those we aim to reach.

Walk in love,

Ell

God overpowers adversaries

Nahum 1:2-8

In the midst of all the chaos taking place in this world of wickedness, the fact remains, that God is still in charge. Does God approve of man’s evil deeds and sinful lifestyles? Absolutely not! So why won’t God simply rid the world of all those who are influenced of the enemy, and make the world a better place? God is omnipotent, and there’s nothing that can rival His power, yet He has to allow time for all men to taste and see that His love is worth dying for. The prophet Nahum declared in this text that God is jealous, furious, and has amazing power, but He is not one who blows a fuse uncontrollably. Unlike men who are unable to control their rage, and does all sorts of outlandish things to each other, our God is slow to anger, and reserves judgment for the appointed time. Disney and Marvel makes superheroes seem almost God-like, by showing how they can destroy mere planets, and alter universes, but that fictional depiction of a man’s childlike imagination pales in comparison to the God of creation who made the world, and can literally dry up rivers, rebuke the sea, control storms and whirlwinds, cause earthquakes, and will eventually bring an unquenchable fire to this earth.

God is capable of doing some awesome things, and He has performed numerous omnipotent acts in the past when bringing judgment on certain nations. It’s important for everyone to understand, God has a set time to bring future judgments to the people of our generation, and beyond. It’s a sad thing to be on the opposite end of God’s terrible wrath, so believers should make it their business to strive to win souls daily. God loves all whom He created, even those who have been beguiled by satan and his evil influences, but there is still time for sinners to turn away from a defeated foe, satan, and turn to the omnipotent, righteous, loving, and holy God.

Walk in love,

Ell

In God I trust

Psalm 56:1-8

The most secure way a Christian can receive the ultimate protection from those who harbor evil motives and intentions toward them is, to put their complete trust and confidence in the God of heaven and earth. I mentioned, “most secure”, because there are moments when God will send deliverance our way, even when our faith has been shaken, but we are guaranteed heavenly security from our enemies, when all our trust is placed in the hands of the Lord. The life of the Christian will be met with diverse attacks from satan, and his good-for-nothing imps, so it’s important that they learn to never lean on their own strength and understanding when encountering spiritual attacks. Only the power of God, through His Spirit, can ensure us the victory over our adversaries.

King David encountered many challenges from wicked men, even when he had done nothing wrong. He was the victim of another man’s jealousy, that eventually turned to rage. King Saul couldn’t accept and appreciate all the great works God performed through His servant David, so he plotted to murder him, so that all the praise and honor he received would supposedly die along with him. On multiple occasions, Saul made attempts to take David’s life, but God would not allow that to happen. I always say, it’s easy to tell someone how to fight, when you’re watching from the outside, but I can only imagine how David felt being on the run from a jealous king, and all his men, seeking to kill him. While trying to understand the reasons for the unsolicited drama in his life, David made two requests to God. He asked God to be merciful unto him, and to put his tears in God’s bottle. Hmm, that piques my interest. God holds, and remembers our tears? That’s actually reassuring, because there were moments when I wondered whether or not God even cared that I suffered, but I’m so grateful He does.

David had good reason to make those requests to God, because he was facing a great deal of oppression. It matters not how much “God” people say they have in them, we’re all still human, and are susceptible to hurt, pain, and other sensitive feelings. Even after all his accomplishments, the many enemies he defeated by his own hands, and the victories he brought to Israel, David felt that the countless men pursuing him would potentially swallow him up, and continue to oppress him, if God delayed His rescue. In the midst of being persecuted, David came to the realization that God was greater than his enemies, and that he would not fear what fleshly men could do to him.

In this life, believers are to be confident in the power of God, and never fear the flesh, people, idols, evil, war, or sufferings. Follow after David’s example, and offer God praise in the midst of your persecution, and let your enemies see that their efforts are useless against the powers of our loving God. “In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.” (Psalm 31:1-3)

Walk in love,

Ell