THE TRIAL OF YOUR FAITH II
Matthew 14:29-32 (KJV): And He said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
Our theme scripture highlights Peter doing the seemingly impossible: walking on water. Notice that when he first stepped out of the boat, he walked on water. Even when unbelief caused him to begin sinking, the Lord steadied him, and together they walked on water back to the boat!
When Jesus and Peter returned to the boat, the Bible says the wind ceased.
Let me reveal a mystery to you. The Greek word for ceased in this scripture is kopazo, meaning "to grow weary or tired." Essentially, the wind grew weary and tired.
What is God teaching us here?
Child of God, you can tire the devil. If you know how to fight in faith, you can frustrate him until he grows weary.
The devil may apply pressure and throw every obstacle in your path, but you must never give up. Persist in your trust in the Lord! If it’s pain, when the devil intensifies it, increase your endurance. If it’s a challenge in your career, business, or ministry, and the situation worsens, toughen up and expect better days.
I have said this before, and I will say it again: the devil may fight hard, but he cannot fight for long. You, on the other hand, have divine tenacity to endure and prevail. Hallelujah!
FURTHER STUDY: Romans 5:3; James 1:2-3
PRAYER: Loving Father, I thank You for this truth. Your Word says that this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. I do not draw back, give up, or give in. I am a warrior in spirit, and I know how to fight until the end. No demon in hell can intimidate me because the Greater One lives in me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. (1 Corinthians 9:24(KJV)
RUN TO WIN I
In the Christian walk, the end game is to win.
That is what our theme scripture means by ‘run that you may obtain’.
The Message version of our theme scripture clarifies our victory chant when it says ‘run to win.’
We are not in this for the runner-up prize. We are not in this race to come up third best.
Because we are playing for high stakes, we do not have the choice to settle for less than God's best for us.
There is no middle ground in this journey of salvation.
I do not know about you but I am not in this for some sick days and healthy days but divine health for the rest of my life.
I am not in this for slightly well mannered children but godly children raised perfectly in the way of the Lord.
I did not sign up for a limping ministry marching on regardless of its limp but one thriving under the power of the anointing because it is God's best.
I do not plan to run this race half way and slink to the sidelines when the terrain gets rough or the cheerers on the sidelines become naysayers. I am here, like Paul, to boldly say at the end of it, ‘I have run my race, finished my course, kept the faith.’(2 Timothy 4:7)
I am in this to WIN!
Hallelujah!
FURTHER STUDY: Hebrews 10:39; 2 Timothy 4:7
PRAYER:
Loving Father, I thank You for this word. Thank You because You have revealed to me the mystery of Your will. You want the best for me and I receive and embrace it with joy. Increase, divine health and progress are mine, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
DESIRE VS ASSIGNMENT
Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people: As for me, I had in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and for the footstool of our God, and had made ready for the building: But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because thou hast been a man of war, and hast shed blood. (1 Chronicles 28:2-3 KJV)
Your desires should not be mistaken for the assignment of God.
Sometimes what we wish to do is contrary to what God ordained for us to do.
For example, King David, as per our theme scripture, had a desire to build the temple of God but He was not assigned to do so.
The desire might be noble, admirable and even godly. That should not be the primary motivation to follow it through. You may end up burdening yourself with what was never on God's agenda.
Another example is the Apostle Paul. He had a burning desire for the salvation of the Jews, however, he was not assigned to them (Romans 9:3).
No matter how passionately you feel about an issue, SUBMIT IT TO GOD. Never allow zeal to obliterate God's voice in your life.
Some Christians whom we have labelled as martyrs died in places of desire and not assignment.
God understands your passion but it is more important to Him that you serve Him in the place of assignment than merely that of desire.
Praise Him!
FURTHER STUDY: Romans 9:3; Galatians 2:9
PRAYER: Loving Father, I thank You for this truth. Thank You for opening my eyes to my assignment and allowing me to separate it from my desires. I see with clarity what You have called me to do. I will never veer from this path in the name of zeal without knowledge, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
PRAYER– SETTING THE ATMOSPHERE OF YOUR LIFE
Confess to one another, therefore, your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offences, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]. (James 5:16 AMP)
If you are a man or woman of the spirit, you can sense a Christian who does not pray.
The dryness of their spiritual atmosphere is almost tangible. Such dryness provides a good abode for demons in search of a place of rest.
As you well know, unclean spirits make a habit of walking through dry places seeking rest (Matthew 12:43).
One of the benefits of prayer is that demons hate to linger around praying men and women. They cannot stand an atmosphere that is continually charged with divine energy.
As such, consistent prayer must become a part of your life and not merely a desire. You must stop admiring people of prayer and become a lover of the presence of God.
CULTIVATE A LIFESTYLE OF PRAYER. It will launch you into a unique atmosphere saturated by God's power and grace.
Hallelujah!
FURTHER STUDY: Matthew 12:43; Isaiah 40:31
PRAYER: Loving Father, I thank You for this word. The Bible says that the House of the Lord shall be a house of prayer. I am the temple of the Holy Spirit and as such, a praying Christian. I continually abide in You because Your presence makes me whole, Amen.
#PARENTS
GOD trusted you with those Children so you can raise them into Godly children and help them find HIM. You’re serving GOD in looking after your own children, So train them up in the way of GOD
Bring them for #InterSchoolsRevival
Sat 20th Jan,MillenniumPark,KCCA Grounds)