The battle over hearts and minds in this world is intense! Few understand the stakes; few understand the powerful forces at play; few understand the advantages needed for victory.
Yet, we are not left in darkness. God reveals the truth to us in His holy word!
There is a battle raging over the souls of men; of people everywhere. This battle began in Heaven (Rev. 12:7-9), and it has been carried on fiercely upon this planet since its inception, especially since the first humans decided to venture forward to embrace the lies of the arch deceiver. Genesis 3:1-7; Revelation 12:12.
There will be a final showdown. The greatest conflict this planet has ever known is just ahead of us.
"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book" (Daniel 12:1). See also Matthew 24:21-22; Revelation 13:11-18.
But how will you and I fair, in this conflict? The answer to that depends on how well armed we are, spiritually, for the conflict. How much do we trust God? Really, how much?
We need to learn to trust God implicitly.
In the boat on the Sea of Galilee, when the winds and the storm raged, Jesus asked His followers, "Why did you doubt?" (Matthew 14:31). "And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?" (Mark 4:38-40).
Trouble is coming upon the world; the storms and winds of trouble and persecution will come. And yet will we trust God and His power to deliver?
Do we trust in ourselves? Do we fear what man and hell can do to us? Or, do we fear what God can do? Do we trust in God's promises?
Cowardice will get us killed, but bravery in God, the boldness of the righteous who are empowered by His Spirit is the only thing that will carry us through. It is not of us, but it is of Him. God prepares us for the conflict. We simply must seek Him and be armored by Him to face the trials which arise.
Jesus warns us that "the fearful, and unbelieving" (Revelation 21:8) will have their part in the "Lake which burns with fire" along with all the sinners. This is simply because the fearfulness of man and the doubting of God leads to sin and rebellion; to a sense of a need for "self-preservation" rather than reliance upon God for "divine-preservation."
"The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe" (Proverbs 29:25).
Jesus said, "And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? 7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows" (Luke 12:4-7).
God is infinite (i.e. not limited). Man is limited. Satan and his angels are limited. That means that God is infinitely more powerful than man or Satan. Once man and Satan have reached the limits of their power - a power that was only granted by God, God's power is still infinitely greater! There is no limit to the power of God!
So is God afraid of the sinful boasts of men? Is He afraid of the snarls and snares of Satan? Not at all! Not in the least. God will smoke them, in an instant, and without even breaking a sweat. Without losing any breath, God wins.
Should we be afraid if we trust in such a power as God, our Divine Deliverer? No, we should not be.
We need FAITH for the conflict ahead. Not fear. We need the power of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. The only kind of "fear" that we need is the "fear of God," which is supreme reverence, trust, obedience, and love all combined. "Fear God, and give glory to Him" (Revelation 14:7).
We need the power of God in our lives. We need to trust Him. Do not trust self, because self cannot deliver. Give God the reigns of power; give God the perfect trust. Live at peace now because God is our Deliverer.
When we learn to trust Him more today, we'll be able to face the crisis of tomorrow with "no fear." Instead of with fear, we can face the end time troubles with trust and with the peace of Jesus.
We have to trust our lives fully into God's hands and say that we are His. He is the keeper of our lives. If God permits us to die, that is HIS business, not ours. But as long as God says for us to live, we shall live and nothing will stop that. Ultimately, He wants us to live for eternity with Him!
We are NOT our Savior. God is. Jesus is.
Jesus says, "Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it" (Luke 17:33). "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it" (Luke 9:24).
Let's trust God to be our Deliverer, shall we?
If we face the fires, if we face the mob, if we face the deaths of men, in perfect faith and trust in God, we shall be emboldened from Heaven by the Spirit of God. Like Stephen, the first Christian martyr, who closed His eyes in death after seeing the vision of heaven, forgetting the cruel acts of evil men, in the moment of their assault, he prayed for their souls' salvation. He turned his thoughts to God. We too shall have a peace that passes all understanding (Acts 7:9; Philippians 4:6-7). They took his earthly life, but could not take the heavenly one.
"And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" (Acts 7:59).
Here are some biblical tips for victory:
- Armor up fully (Ephesians 6:10-18)
- Be in prayer, be in the word; watch and pray, forsaking the careless world (Luke 21:34-36)
- Meditate on the King of Heaven, King Jesus, and learn to trust Him; REPEAT and TRUST in HIS PROMISES. Memorize them and learn to trust their every word. Claim them. (Titus 1:2)
Believe His promises, believe His prophets.
"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD" (Isaiah 54:17).
Our righteousness is of Him. Our protection is of Him.
"...Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper" (2 Chronicles 20:20).
Let's believe in HIM (not self, or man). Let's TRUST in God, my friends.
Let us pray to this experience and end - to be those who live by FAITH in God; Not the fear of man.
May the Lord richly bless you in the love of Jesus this week!