The world is changing around us, while signaling to us that Our Lord, Jesus Christ is soon coming back. But in the midst of the changes taking place, there are many Christians who had been compromising their faith in Him, so as to fit into and find relevance for themselves within the changing world.
The love of many for Christ is getting lukewarm, and in other cases it is already cold. This is a sign to us as Christians, that our redemption is nearer than ever before. It is something that should be making us rejoice in the Lord; because we do know that God is about to put an end to it all – MARANATHA!
By rejoicing in the Lord, we receive strength in the midst of the chaos going on in the world right now. If we do not want to grow lukewarm, we need to always rejoice. For the joy of the Lord become our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
Being a Strong Witness
The surest way for us to prepare the way for the Lord, is through our witnessing and testimonies of Jesus. We do live now in the moment, that Christ warned us about when He declared:
“Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
Matthew 24:12-14 NIV
By renewing our minds in the promises of God, we are strengthening our testimonies of Jesus (Romans 12:2). The mind of a believer in Christ is designed by God, to grow stronger and stronger in His promises to us until we get to heaven. We must not allow the enemy to steal those promises away from us.
The enemy knows how to make the human mind crave for his evil reports. We must resist him always. The believer’s mind grows stronger in God’s promises; just as the unbeliever’s mind grows in the deceptions and evil reports of the enemy. But we can stop him by choosing to grow strong in the Lord, as we daily meditate on the promises of God to us (Joshua 1:8).
Daniel saw our days
The Prophet Daniel saw our days and was given inside information, concerning the world in which we live in today. He wrote about the works of evil and wickedness, that we see in our world today; and the ability of certain believers to proclaim the gospel in the midst of it all.
He wrote:
“Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.”
Daniel 11:32 NKJV
When people are growing lukewarm or cold towards the things of God; then they are definitely working “wickedly against the covenant” with their God. The enemy may have corrupted them with his flattery, and has succeeded with his tricks in getting them lukewarm or cold towards God.
But there are those believers in Christ Jesus, who (according to Daniel) will continue to get stronger, based on their personal relationship with God. They are the ones whose testimonies of Jesus, will enable them to do great exploits for the kingdom of God. They will be able to do exploits for the kingdom of God, in the midst of the evil and wickedness going on around them.
As pointed out to Daniel, it is the ability of these Christians to get stronger and bolder in a corrupt and wicked world, that enables them to do exploits for the kingdom of God.
We need not make any mistake about it: we are now living in very dangerous and toxic times; with regards to our faith in Christ Jesus. The plan of the enemy is to pollute faith, and then distort it so that the people of God may stop walking by faith. If anyone keeps quiet about his/her testimony of Jesus, the enemy will destroy the faith of that believer. Witnessing or testifying about Jesus is the surest and most powerful way for us to live by faith in these days.
This is no time to keep quiet about Jesus. By being quiet, we will never get anything done for the kingdom of God. Quietness in Christianity produces gullible and goofy believers, who are easily pushed over and beaten by the Devil.
The big question now is: On whose side are you? On God’s side or on the side of the populous world? God is looking for those who are faithful. He is not interested in Christians who will confess Him as Lord; but who cannot walk by faith in obedience to Him.
If any believer cannot stand strong and bold, in his/her witness for the Lord at this moment on earth, that believer will eventually grow lukewarm and cold towards the gospel.
The Devil desires to take the faith of every believer in Christ away. Make no mistake about it, he is very serious about it too. He knows that if he cannot succeed in doing this; his only available option will be to influence our world as Christians, in order to make us lukewarm or cold towards God.
Many have already given in to his tactics. But we do not need to be among them. We can be strong and bold with our testimonies of Jesus, in the face of an opposing and antagonistic worldview.
On the contrary our testimony of Jesus ought to be changing the world around us today. Daniel saw our world today and he saw us strong and doing exploits for the Lord.
The reason God showed Daniel our world, was for him to understand that, people will continue to be rebellious against God; just as the children of Israel were in his time. But God revealed to him not to worry about the people who are rebellious. Our job today as Christians is to remain strong, and to strengthen one another in the faith walk.
Burning Desires gives birth to the things of God
But if there is no burning desire for the things of God inside a Christian; then that Christian does not have anything that can impact his/her world for Jesus.
Jeremiah said about the influence of the word of God in his own life:
“Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name.” But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not.”
Jeremiah 20:9 NKJV
Our strength comes from the deposit of God’s word in our hearts. It is shut up in the bones. It cannot be held back. It must manifest what it is designed to manifest in glory by Christ Jesus.
Paul enjoined us also:
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”
Ephesians 6:10 NKJV
We are not to be strong in ourselves, but in the Lord. Neither are we called to be strong in our church denomination. The body of Christ is bigger than any denomination. We are living in a world now that can never be saved through denominationalism. It is time to put off that religious mask of denomination and be strong in the Lord. Being strong in the Lord means to be strong in his word and in the Holy Spirit.
The proclamation of the gospel through the testimony of Jesus, must come out of a burning desire within us to see our world saved.
We are not called of God to live according to the standard of our world. We follow and obey the standard of God. It’s the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, that had set us free from the law of sin and death in the world. God’s word to us is our eternal bond with Him. If we stay faithful to the end trusting His word, He will be faithful to us also. If we chose not to be faithful to Him; He cannot and will not deny Himself or His own faithfulness to His word.
Jesus said:
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
Matthew 24:35 NIV
God’s word is therefore His bond to us. Stay fixed and strong on His word.
Paul’s burning desire
Paul once wrote to the Romans about the burning desire for God inside him.
He said:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”
Romans 1:16 NKJV
When we begin to take delight and pleasure in the things of God; God will begin to satisfy our hearts desires (Psalms 37:4). Jesus took away all of our shame on His cross, so that we may not have to live with them again. He publicly displayed every one of those things in our lives, that are making us shameful of our testimonies on the cross.
The scriptures says:
“having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”
Colossians 2:14-15 NKJV
Jesus made a public spectacle of everything that may be bringing shame into our lives. That ought to be making you joyful, because you never deserved any one of His mercies; but He gave them all to you anyway.
That’s why you can’t just keep quiet in the midst of an unstable world. You have the power in you to change all of it with the testimony of Jesus in your life.
We must be Bible-taught and not religiously brainwashed
The enemy of our soul is very cunning. If he can’t get you off the track of rejoicing and delighting in the Lord (as mentioned last week), through the temptation into sin; he will do everything possible to lower the fire for God in you. He does this to destroy faith in any believer.
He gets people loaded with doing good works, in order to take them away from the word of God and prayer. He knows that rejoicing and delighting yourself in the Word and prayer, is what keeps their relationship with God strong and alive. He desires to block that flow of the spiritual blessing of God into people’s lives.
For example, there are so many religiously brainwashed believers on earth today, than those who are Bible taught. The brainwashed believers do love to talk about their own opinions and feelings concerning the things of God, rather than what the Bible actually says about those things. And by doing this, they limit God’s power in their own personal lives.
They love to talk about their feelings, rather than what the Bible says. These are the ones that loves to prey on the emotions of others. You’ll often hear them say things like: “I feel like …” or “My own opinion is…”.
Well, our feelings, views or opinions do not ever matter; where the will of God is known. In most cases such people do know the will of God, but they’ve stopped hearing about it over and over again. They think that because they’ve heard the word of God once, they do not need to be reminded of it again.
That’s why their faith is dead. And if their faith is dead, they are spiritually dead also. And spiritually dead people cannot hear God. They can only react to their feelings, because their faith is dead. The enemy gets them into the position, where they stopped listening or reading and meditating on the word of God.
The enemy then progresses by getting them so much involved with the things of the world, until their faith becomes completely dead, and they backside away from God and the fellowship of believers. That is the moment that their feelings, personal views and opinions supersedes God’s word in their lives. Make no mistake about it, the Devil knows how faith comes (Romans 10:17). And he will do everything possible to keep you away from it.
That’s why Paul warned us:
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
II Corinthians 5:7 NKJV
Never allow the enemy to keep you away from the faith walk. The faith walk will keep you in the supernatural realm with God. Walking by faith will keep you strong and bold in the midst of an evil and wicked world.
People who are emotional and are often led by their feelings, rather than by faith will often resort to doing good works; in order to keep themselves relevant within the household of faith. But in reality their faith is no more working for them.
Oftentimes they want to be healed, but they do not want their preachers and pastors to remind them, of what they think they do know from the Bible about healing. So they stopped hearing about faith for healing, even though they are seeking healing from God.
They then often degrade into taking the scriptures about healing out of context, in order to follow the desires of their flesh with good works.
Good work is not the vital expression of our faith for healing. Living in accordance with the word of God, in the confession of our mouth does so much for a sick person than anything else. Live by the standard of God’s word, speaking what His promises says about your healing at all times. Never allow the enemy to take your eyes and your heart from meditating on God’s word. All of God’s promises in His Word for your healing are “Yes” and Amen. Rejoice in them always.
It is nice to be good towards people; but being good will never get anyone healed. Being good towards people will never move the Devil either; because he knows that only God is good. Nothing in us is good, except by the blood of Jesus Christ.
The Devil fears those who are strong and bold in faith towards God. They are the most dangerous people on earth to Him. So stop clinging on being good to save your soul.
You need faith in the promises of God to receive your healing. And faith comes by you taking time out of your busy schedules, to listen to that faith preacher remind you of your inheritance of healing in Christ Jesus over and over again (Romans 10:17).
That’s what makes you stronger in faith towards God. You may have to quit watching those goofy television shows. They are faith killers in you. Get yourself deeper and grounded in the promises of God about healing and stay healthy.
Martha and her Good Works
The Bible gives us a perfect example of people like this in the encounter of Jesus in the house of Mary and Martha (read Luke 10:38-42).
In that story, Martha was so much involved with doing good works. She was so busy cooking for the people, who had come to listen to the words of Jesus. She thought that cooking was more important, than hearing the word of faith from Jesus. But she was wrong, even though her intention was right.
She was so busy doing the good works (or her own ministry), without the love for the words of Jesus into her life. Jesus pointed out to her, that it is like doing dead work.
The scriptures says:
“And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.””
Luke 10:41-42 NKJV
We need to be very careful not to allow doing good things, to rob us of our time with God. We need to set aside time regularly to study the Word, to spend time in God’s presence, worshipping Him and praying always. Jesus told Martha that good work is listening to the Word of God, because that is how faith comes to make us strong in the Lord.
Be hungry and thirsty for God
The scriptures says:
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.”
Matthew 5:6 NKJV
And again:
“As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him?”
Psalms 42:1-2 NLT
Spiritual things to any child of God should never become common or too familiar. This is the threshold that we need to always use in guiding our hearts diligently (Proverbs 4:23). Familiarity will breed contempt for the Word of God in our lives.
We must never allow the enemy to get us into a spiritual position, where we are not hungry or thirsty after God’s presence and His Word. God wants us to always hunger and thirst for Him.
Paul puts it better in this way:
“He made from one the whole human race to dwell on the entire surface of the earth, and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions, so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for him and find him, though indeed he is not far from any one of us.”
Acts 17:26-27 NABRE
We must never get complacent with the things of God’s kingdom. It is dangerous to be like that spiritually. The times in which we live in requires that we draw closer to God than ever before. We get stronger and bolder when we do this.
When we draw closer to God, He will draw closer to us also. We will experience God’s move in our lives, that will cause people coming up to Him. The Holy Spirit is there to help us get stronger and bolder. Get closer to Him and He will come closer to you also. You need Him now than ever before.
