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When I first began reading the bible I was amazed at the things that
St. Paul had to endure to spread the gospel. Cold and nakedness,
hunger and thirst, beatings and imprisonment all make for a pretty
difficult Christian life. St. Paul suffered in many ways as
Christ suffered. The enemy holds no punches. The devil can
throw a great deal of hardship on anyone. That is a reality today
as it was back then. After more than thirty five years as a
Christian, steeped in the word of God, understanding much of the
fundamentals of faith, when the devil chooses to test, when God allows
the devil to test, it still takes all I have to get through the trial
of faith and live in victory. Today I am living in peace.
There are no major hurdles to overcome. Last year was full of
spiritual warfare. Last year was full of attack. If I were
not prayed up, if I did not know how to fight the fight of faith, if I
did not know the word of God, today might be a different day. But
today is a day of peace because I was prepared for battle. I live
in the quiet. I live in stillness. I live in the
word. I live in God. I know of many people who are under attack. Sickness, disease, poverty, stress, fear, and uncertainty make for difficult times. Many are ill-prepared to meet the challenge. Many have been dealing with trouble for years. Many will not make the changes necessary to gain the victory. Many are not prepared. Many underestimate the enemy. Many are called but few are chosen. Few chose to be the chosen ones. When people I know who have not faced difficult times are faced with a challenge, a challenge that shakes their very foundation and are not prepared to do battle, success in prayer is minimal. They do not know the fundamentals of faith. They do not know the word of God. They do not know people of faith to unite with and stand in the gap. They do not even know who the enemy is or what he is about and they are defeated. My exhortation to you is “get prepared”. Change your lifestyle. Learn the word of God. Speak the word. Obey the word. Live the word. Jesus warns us that if you do not have a foundation on the rock, when the storms come, that house will fall. On the other hand, those who build their house on a rock will withstand the storms. The storms face everyone. The devil hates everyone. He would prefer to see us all in hell. He would prefer to see us all sick, fearful, stressed out, and living in poverty. That is his agenda. If you really know this, you would not waste a lot of time on things that do not have lasting value. Seek ye first the kingdom of God. Seek God first. Seek God before your spouse, your children, your job, your entertainment, riches, power, and wealth. Be at it for God. Be Prepared! Amen |