THE KEY OF HOLDING ON
There is no problem on earth God can’t solve. Often times, when men and women are going through one form of turbulence or the other, they conclude that God has no solution to it and give room to despair. Our cities, villages and nations are filled with men and women who are tired of their very existence. No wonder the suicide rates have reached an alarming rate in developed nations as well as in developing nations.
The greatest problem of the white man is loneliness and desperation. Many whites who are successful and wealthy still commit suicide when there is no apparent problem. The truth is that many people are finding it difficult to hold on in a world that has gone berserk. Research has shown that eight out of ten whites feel dejected, lonely and isolated.
By the time you go through the complaints or the problems of men and women in civilized nations, you will discover that suicidal tendencies abound. It seems that the demon of the white man is suicide.
A man suddenly discovers that he can no longer cope with the pressures of life and he decides to swallow a pill that will take his life. It has even gone to a stage where men are seeking to legalize suicide. Bills are likely to be passed in some countries allowing people to terminate their lives whenever they feel that they have had enough of the problems. This may be done in the physical realm while the devil will be busy programming the spirit of a suicidal tendency into the lives of men and women.
All suicides or the thoughts of it emanate from the pit of hell. God is the author of life. He has nothing to do with suicide. But you may ask, ‘Why do men commit suicide’?” It is because of lack of the ability to persevere. Those who possess the spirit of perseverance will not entertain the thought of committing suicide.
It is unfortunate, that most men and women who commit suicide do so at the point when holding on would have brought in the desired change. But why should a man or a woman take his or her life when holding on for a day or two would have solved the problem?
There is no denying the fact that, the devil is the force behind everything that drives a man to take his life. You must take cognizance of the fact that, or anything that makes you feel like putting an abrupt end to your life will not solve your problems.
Why must you think of suicide? Suicide does not solve any problem. Rather, it creates greater problems. The man who commits suicide will open his eyes in hell in the next moment to discover that he has abandoned a lesser evil for a greater evil.
It is high lime men and women became mature. We must not behave like the fool running away from reality.
If a man decides to commit suicide, what will that kind of demonic death do to solve his problem? Shakespeare once said, “Cowards die many times before their death”. In the first place, it is an act of cowardice for any human being to think of suicide as the best option. It is wrong for anyone to think that death is the answer to life’s problems. It is nor those who are thinking of suicide, should consider the word of the Scripture which says, and as it is appointed unto men to die, but after this the judgement” (Hebrews 9:27). Therefore, death should not be viewed as an end in itself. It is the beginning of another problem – divine judgment. The man who resorts to the use of suicide as an escape route will discover that the problems which he tried to escape from on earth would remain as they were. He will discover that he has gone to the city of no return. Therefore, the only sensible option is for one who feels tired of living to decide to trust the Lord and hold on even when everything seems hopeless.
However, I have good news for you. There is hope for the hopeless, help for the helpless, power for those who are fainting, strength for those who are weary and divine help when all forms of help are nowhere in sight.
God is the God of wonders. He can turn impossible situations around. He can re-write your history, bring cheer into despondency and a divine change into a situation that is completely hopeless.
Whatever you are going through, you must take cognizance of the fact that nothing hid from God. He knows what is happening to you even before you experience it. Oftentimes, in His divine wisdom, God allows a contrary wind to blow across your pathway to bring His will to pass in your life.
If God should decide to shield you from all contrary winds, you will never amount to anything. Do you know that the strongest trees are the ones that have seen many seasons of winds and storms. If you do not go through any storm, you will not be useful to yourself, nor will you be useful to any other person. Your usefulness to the society will also be affected. A man who has not seen any storm cannot become a leader in the church of God. If you do not know how to handle contrary situations, you will be reduced to a nonentity.
Therefore, God allows the winds of adversity to blow against your life to make you strong.
Exodus 14:19,29:And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
This passage shows that human beings need divine help. The angel of the Lord was to go before the camp of Israel. Both the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire were to be positioned ahead of them.
This passage shows us that, there was a sudden change which was capable of bringing fear into the hearts of the children of Israel. It is natural, for a human being to respond to sudden change. However, we must realize that a shift in the positioning of our angels of protection does not mean that we have been abandoned by God. The angels may temporarily go behind us for a reason that is best known to God.
We must hold on at such a time, knowing that the angels will soon be restored to the original position.
We must learn a lesson from the movement of the sun. The sun shines in different parts of the world at different times. Do you know that when you are having sunshine, people in other continents are having darkness? By the time an office worker is busy working in his office in Nigeria, his counterparts in the United States of America are sleeping. So, one man’s sunshine may be another Man’s darkness.
The good news is that, the darkness is not permanent. The fact that you are going through darkness now may just be a situation which is transient. The eclipse of the sun is always moving. One of these days, your dark situation will give way to dazzling light, night time will give way to day time and the glory of the sun shall be risen upon you.
Do not give up at this moment, if you are surrounded by darkness. The eclipse will soon move in your favour and sunlight will bring cheer, joy, and gladness into your life.
Do not allow your present circumstances to make you conclude that God has forgotten you. God forget no one, In fact, you are written on the palms of His hand since you are the apple of His eyes. He cannot forget you.
The. Bible says, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me:”Just hold on and all
shall be well.
The second fact which we must consider is that, the shift in the position of our angels of protection has a divine purpose. They may change position to confuse and defeat our enemies. Such a change should not make you draw wrong conclusions and give in to discouragement. God cannot abandon any of His children in the midst of the fire of affliction.
You must therefore hold on unto God instead of giving up.
The Bible says, “Behold go forward, but He is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him, On the left hand, where he doth work; but I cannot behold him, he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him. But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23; 8-10).
A time comes in the life of every mortal, when it seems that God is at a distance. There are moments of joy, excitement and wonderful testimonies but there are also moments of discouragement in life.
There is a time when some of us feel that heaven has come down into our hearts; there are times when we also feel that our hearts are filled with darkness.
There are moments when we are not sure of what will happen the next moment. No matter what happens, we should not lose sight of the fact that our trials in life will make us come forth as gold.
Job went through trials, but at the end he became victorious. Thank God Job did not give up. He persisted. He became a symbol of those who received the overcomers crown by going through affliction. If Job had decided to throw in the towel or if he had resorted to suicide, he would not have witnessed the glory which God later bestowed upon him.
Job 42:10-13: And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. “Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and everyone an earring of gold. “So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. He had also seven sons and three daughters. Jobs example remains a challenge to all men in all generation. The man who endures is the man who wins, while the man who gives up becomes a loser. Somebody has rightly stated: ‘Winners don’t quit and quitters don’t win”.
THE KEY OF HOLDING ON
The Bible has provided us with guidelines for survival during moments of trial, otherwise called the day of adversity “if thou faint in the day of adversity thy strength is small” (Proverbs 24:10).
Fainting in the day of adversity amounts to quitting near the point of ovation or deciding to give up just when you are about receiving the winners’ crown.
The day of adversity is a wrong moment to exhibit weakness or discouragement. The enemy that is after your life is desperately wicked. He is looking for your weak moment to go for the kill. A little weakness on your part, will make the enemy take an undue advantage over you. If the enemy finds you faint-hearted, weak or discouraged, he will deal with you mercilessly. He uses your weak moments as weapons for attacking you.
That is why; it is not safe for any believer to relapse into discouragement. Whenever situations seem tough and human conditions appear hopeless, Christians who decide to welcome discouragement do so to the detriment of their physical and spiritual lives.
While you are busy entertaining discouragement, the devil is busy gathering momentum to launch a violent attack against your life. If you spend hours getting angry with yourself, your pastor, your Church and God, you may be giving the devil an open invitation to come into your life. Do not allow the devil to use the moment of discouragement in your life as an opportunity for launching an evil attack against you.
If you decide to relax, when the enemy is planning a dangerous attack against your life, your problems will be compounded. Why must you give up while your victory is around the corner?
When tears are about to turn pale and trials appear too much for you to bear, and it appears that your burdens are weighing you down, do not count your experiences as strange. Many believers are passing through similar conditions. I can tell you that a lot of Christians have gone through what you are going through right now and have become victorious. You too will become victorious.
THE MISSING INGREDIENT
The missing ingredient in Christian living today is persistence or endurance Believers who are persistent are always victorious. Those who will survive in these perilous hours are people who combine persistence with holy determination to come against the onslaught of satanic discouragement.
Do you know that, persistence, holy determination and perseverance are the trademarks of champions? Persistent people begin their success story where others fail. They know that the battle of life is won by those who have made up their minds to keep on trying.
My basic training is in the sciences. As a researcher, I have read a lot about scientists and I am amazed by my discovery. A particular scientist challenged me. He started out with an experiment but did not succeed initially. He tried the first time and failed. He tried the second time and failed. He continued the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh times. By the time he had recorded 1,000 failures he remained undaunted.
You may ask, “How can a man that has failed 1,000 retain the will to keep on trying?” The man failed 18,000 times before he succeeded. Today, we are all enjoying the fruit of this endurance and perseverance. He has left a legacy of technological breakthrough in the world just because he refused to give up. Do you know that the man who discovered Polio vaccine failed several times before he experienced success? The man worked 16 hours every day for three years. Thank God he did not give up. Today, millions are reaping the reward of one mans persistence just because the man did not give up.
Those who give up will not record any outstanding success in life. Of course, it is very easy to give up but it takes sterling qualities to persevere. Anybody can say that there is no water after digging the ground for a few minutes. But it takes a persistent man to dig enough until water is found. There is enough water in the ground for anyone who cares to dig deep enough.
It is unfortunate, that too many people are falling by the way side. A lot of people who started out with great enthusiasm, unusual energy, iron-hot zeal and powerful confessions have become casualties before the last round of the battle. Many people who are expected to emerge victorious at the end of the day have fallen flat.on their faces. Persistence has turned to scarce that the thing you find today among men and women is discouragement or hopelessness.
As stated earlier, I have discovered that suicide, which is the greatest disease among the whites has found its way into the African environment. It is fast gaining ground in African communities. In ancient times, suicide was a taboo in Africa. If anyone committed suicide, he was never buried. The corpse was thrown into the bad bush. But in Western nations, the reverse is the case. Stories of suicide would hardly hit the headlines in a country like America simply because it is common.
The only kind of reports that are carried concerning suicide are stories of celebrities who decided to commit suicide. However, in Africa more people are now attempting suicide than before. It appears the demon of suicide is gradually finding its way into African nations. That is why we have come up with a book like this.
We have received reports of prominent Christians, that have attempted suicide when their words seemed to cave-in on them. Many have wondered why Christians, of all people, could ever nurse the thought of suicide. That is why we want to address the issue. We must rise up from the slumber of spiritual ignorance and deal with the demons of discouragement and suicide.
Perseverance is the twin sister of patience. Many good projects, including marriage, have failed because of lack of perseverance. Many people have headed towards the courts seeking divorce just because they could no longer persevere. Many couples that started out with wonderful dreams have allowed their marriage to hit the rocks just because they did not allow the fruit of perseverance to be seen in their lives.
I was amazed the other day, when a couple took so much of my time because of a trivial matter. They quarreled simply because the husband kept his dirty socks on the bed. I managed to listen to them with the heart of a pastor but I also wondered why they should allow such a very insignificant matter to cause a quarrel between them. I wonder how many homes are scattered today just because husband and wife cannot manifest endurance.
Perseverance is the son of constancy. Constancy is a great virtue. Additionally, perseverance is the friend of peace. Those who persevere rarely fight. Impatient people are quarrelsome. Ifyou take cognizance of the fact that you are not perfect; you will rarely expect perfection from others.
Perseverance is the hallmark of holiness. People who persevere work silently. They might appear slow but they are steady. Do you know that, the problem of the leaking roof is caused by persistent down pour of rain on those strong roofing sheets? Again, persistent rainfall makes the existence of oceans possible.
Some people take a particular prayer point and stop just when they have prayed it for one or two minutes. Such people wonder why they should go on with such prayer points. Do you know that some prayer points may not achieve the desired result until they have been prayed for 30 minutes or an hour?
A certain man of God prayed a single prayer point non-stop from 7.00 a.m. till 9.00 p.m. By the time he finished, fire came down from heaven and the unprecedented took I Ate. Such a prayer point would have yielded no result if prayed by someone that gives up too soon.
Some people, when given prayer points, often come back to tell us that nothing has worked for them when the problem is that they do not know how to experience persistence in prayer. Stubborn pursuers may not yield unless the force of persistence is applied against them.
Some satanic agents are generally stubborn. Half measures will not do. If you believe that a little effort will make them quit, you are mistaken. Tq solve some stubborn problems; you have to take certain steps again and again before the enemy will yield.
Persistence is therefore one thing that is needed by believers in this end-time. If you are persistent, you will experience victory in the battles of life. Persistence will always win, while giving up easily will make you to lose great opportunities.
Persistence is a virtue that we must cultivate. Academic excellence, popularity and human experiences cannot programme persistence into your life. You need perseverance, more than any other thing, if you want to achieve your goals in life.
Perseverance is a great asset. It may sound strange to hear that a determined snail may reach the same height with an eagle if it finds something of that height to climb. If you want to succeed in life, you must be armed with the resolve to try again and again.
Never give up.
Are you thinking of giving up at this time? Have you become tired of the tipsy-turfs conditions of life?
I can tell you to cheer up, knowing that it is darkest before the dawn. The Bible says, For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: Weeping may endure for a night, but, joy cometh in the morning” (Psalms 30:5).
Do not be intimidated by difficult moments. Such moments may endure for a night, but joy will surely come in the morning. I am aware that many people are going through hard times and turbulent situations. Many people do not know what to do as a result of the avalanche of problems that are heaped on them.
A lot of people have come to a point, where they have considered suicide as the best option. Many people are finding it difficult to face a new day. When some people woke up in the morning, they pray that night time should come. At night, they pray for the dawning of a new day. Many peoples problems have made sleeping a hard job. No matter how many sleeping pills some people take, they find it difficult to sleep. The road of life has become so rough and bring that many people are regretting being born into this world.
A man of God once became weary of constant harassment by a counsellee. Counselling became a burden rather than a duty to be undertaken with joy. The woman approached the man of God and said: “If you call yourself a man of God, you must be able to solve my problem. Why do you call yourself a man of God when you cannot solve my problem?”
The man of God did not know what to do. He began to ask God to deliver him from that kind of harassment. One day, . he prayed with holy madness asking God to answer by fire. God answered and gave him a word for the woman: “Tell her I am going to do something but she must remain faithful and persistent”.
The man of God sent for the woman and gave her the word from the Lord: “The Lord told me that He is going to remove all the problems in your life. However, there is a condition attached to it. You must remain faithful and persevering”.
The woman received the divine message with faith and enthusiasm. She was consistent in the church and constant in her Christian duties. But a whole year went by and nothing happened. Nothing happened after two years. The third year passed and nothing happened.
Mere was a turn of events in the fourth year. But before THE KEY OF HOLDING ON
then, the devil cornered her one day and engaged her in a dialogue: “Madam, you must be a very strange fellow. Have you ever thought about the fact that you have attended that church of yours for four years without anything to show for it? Dont you think that you should reconsider the religious project you have undertaken’?”
She made the greatest mistake of her life when she decided to listen to the satanic lecture. She did not know that the devil is such a brilliant lecturer and an excellent propagandist that cannot be defeated by human reasoning or logic. She drew a long breath and decided to meditate on what the devil told her, threw her Bible on the bed and decided that she had had enough of lifes disappointments. She made up her mind that she was not going to attend church that day.
Unknown to her, the angel assigned to convey her blessing from heaven to earth had began his journey before the devil came up with the demonic lecture. Unfortunately, by the time the angel arrived at the church, the woman who had waited for four years was no-where in sight. The angel sought for her desperately but sho was no-where to be found. The angel had no other option than to drop the blessing meant for her for the next available believer.
Persistence is such an invaluable quality of character that the absence of it may make one to lose life’s greatest blessing. If you neglect this virtue and you go about shedding demonic tears, you may end up multiplying your problems and increasing your sorrow.
Why must you allow discouragement to fill your heart when the Bible has stated, “Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in me” (John 14:1).
If you take what you have just read as a command to be obeyed, you will discover that the devil will not be able to catch you with the weapon of discouragement.
Some situations are so tough that many people have become despondent. Many people suddenly discover that things have gone haywire and life has become a burden. For some people, the debt burden has become unbearable, problems are multiplied, the home front is crisis-ridden and many heads are bowed, smiling has become hard work, and the heart is over-weighed by the burden of coping with the complexities of life.
I may not know what you are going through but God understands. Your debt may be so enormous and what you have at hand in your bank account may be so meager. Don’t give up.
, Problems might have reduced you to a skeleton. Don’t give up.
Today, life may be so dark, bleak and hopeless. Don’t give up.
Your community might have written you off. Don’t give up.
‘ Remember, there is a silver lining behind every dark cloud. In Gods economy there is a ray of hope behind every darkness. What you are going through is not beyond God. The God of suddenly can come into your situation and turn it into a success story.
One of the names of God is Elishama meaning God hears. Do you know that God has seen your secret tears, listened to the deep cry of your heart and understood the unintelligible groaning that emanates from the inner depthsof your heart? God hears.
Dont carry your burden. Let Jesus, the burden bearer, bear it on your behalf. Remember the words of the song writer.
If the world from you withhold of its silvers and its gold,
And you have to get along with meagre fare,
Just remember, in His word, how, He feeds the little bird; Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
When your enemies assail and your heart begins to fail,
Don’t forget that God in heaven answers prayer,
He will make a way for you and will lead you safely thou; Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
If your body suffers pain and your health you can’t regain, And your soul is almost sinking in despair,
Jesus Knows the pain you feel, He can save and He can heal; Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
When your youthful days are gone and old age is stealing on, And yaw body bends beneath the weight of care;
He will never leave you there, He’ll go with you to the end; Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there,
Leaved there, leave it there.
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there,
If you trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
✓ Why must you carry your burden when the Lord has promised to bear them on your behalf? The Bible says, “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee; he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved”(Psalm 55:22).
Somebody might say, It is very easy to tell people to trust the
Lord to help them bear burdens but practical experiences
are quite different. When one is bearing a heavy burden it is difficult to know what to do.
Yes, I understand what you are saying. Certain situations in life are capable of confusing the most intelligent person. Somebody might say, “What I am going through can be likened to a heavy burden. It is too heavy for me”.
Beloved, what do you do if your burden is too heavy? You must turn it over to the only one who can handle what you cannot handle – God. You must cast all your burdens on ;od knowing that “He careth for you”.
It is amazing, that many people who struggle with every ounce of energy in them, give up at the edge of their breakthroughs. You must not quit, when things appear rough. You must not give up, when taking ordinary steps can be likened to climbing a mountain.
Success begins with failure. Specifically, success is failure turned around.
I was amazed when I discovered the following about Abraham Lincoln, one of the most respected American presidents.
• In 1831, he suffered business failure.
• In 1832, he sought election into the legislative arm of the American government and failed.
• In 1833, he suffered another business failure.
• In 1836, he suffered a nervous breakdown.
• In 1838, he contested for the post of the speaker of the house and lost.
• In 1840, he suffered another political failure.
• In 1843, he contested the election into the Congress and failed.
• In 1843, he contested another election into the Congress and failed.
• In 1855, he contested election for the post of senator and lost.
• In 1856, he contested an election for the post of vice-president and lost.
• In 1860, he contested for the post of president of the United State of America and WON.
The story of Abraham Lincoln aptly illustrates the power of persistence. The greatest problem today lies in the inability on the part of many people to hit the finishing line. Many give up when they are about succeeding.
A lot of people quit, instead of holding on to the Lord. Many people have allowed discouragement and fear to keep them in the dungeon of failure and non-achievement.
Many of us are too much in a hurry to experience breakthroughs, without giving any thought to the need to give God a chance.
A man who has spent 40 years outside the gospel suddenly discovered that he needed the help of God for one or two things. Instead of waiting on God patiently, he wanted to receive his miracle in a flash. Since he did not receive the magic miracle, he began to blame God for his woes. Such a man did not know that he had to blame ,himself for all the years wasted in the occult, idolatry and other forms of sinful practices. The man began to blame ministers of God for not responding appropriately, forgetting that he had spent 40 years making serious mistakes.
Are you a quitter or a winner? A researcher once came out with the finding that, discouragement and despair kill ten people to every one person killed by typhoid fever, malaria, diabetes and other diseases. In other words, the death rate traceable to discouragement is higher than those that are traceable to diseases.
A believer should not allow discouragement to hold sway over the territory of his life. You must never give up. If you have a bunch of 20 keys in your hand you will naturally try each one of them, as you may not know which one will open the door. If you try two keys out of 20 and you decide to give tip, you are an example of a quitter rather than a winner.
At this point, I would like you to close your eyes and pray this
prayer point:
The enemy will not lock my door of blessing, and if he locked it, you door, men. in the name of Jesus—
You don’t have to give up:
Even if you had received any form of a clinical prophecy from respected medical doctors. You must believe the word of God more than the word of any medical doctor. the Bible says, “God forbid, yea let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written. That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged” (Romans 3:4).
Only God is the one who has the final say in all the matters that concern you.
You must realise that, God often allows contrary winds to blow into your life because He wants to remove the chaff from the wheat. What you are going through, is allowed by God in order to run you through the refiners fire.
This reminds me of the story of a particular brother who passed through an interesting experience. He had been in charge of the spending of a large sum of money in his place of work.
After his retirement, he was resting lazily one day when he was given an awkward letter which reads,
Dear Sir, this establishment has discovered that a lot went wrong with the fund that was placed in your care when you were the spending officer of this company. Our findings reveal that so much money disappeared in a strange manner. We require your attention to explain how the mismanagement took place under you. Additionally, you will be required to return all money that you cannot account for. Please, be informed that we shall pursue this matter to its logical conclusion.
Yours sincerely.
Please, contact the undersigned for necessary information.
The brother was shaken to his marrow. It is instructive to note that the brother had grown flabby by the time he received the letter. He was no longer fasting the way he used to do when he was a younger believer. He had become so comfortable, physically speaking, that he no longer approached spiritual matters with diligence. Fasting was no longer a common feature in his personal programme. He was so fearful that he decided to do a three-day dry fast. He cried unto God like a baby seeking divine intervention. At the end of the three-day dry fast, he summed up the courage and went to his former office.
The officer that signed the letter did not allow him to say a word before apologizing profusely: “Sir, we are very sorry for causing you any embarrassment. The letter sent to you from this office was wrongly directed to you. Please, we are sorry. The letter was never meant for you. It was meant for another officer who had been guilty of embezzlement of funds. We regret the embarrassment and inconveniences caused your person. Please, accept our apology”. The brother opened his mouth and he couldn’t close it.
I lie experience taught him a great lesson. He discovered that God allowed that situation to drive him into dry fasting, simply because he had become too comfortable to attend to his Christian duties. If someone had told him to do a three-day dry fasting, he was likely to come up with a brilliant reply: You people are talking about three-day fasting simply because you are new in the faith. We have done all types of lasting when we were younger. Now, we are enjoying the fruits of our sacrifice.
‘When the General Overseer talks about fasting, you can be sure he is referring to new folks in the church. When we were young, we even did seven days dry fast. How can you tell someone like me who underwent seven deliverance to do any fasting now? I stopped fasting when i discovered that the devil is under my feet’.
Such statement can confuse some people but it would only make the devil to laugh.
Many of our sisters are lean because they have allowed worry to dry them up. If you ask them why they are so worried, why they have allowed their problems to be written on their faces, they would likely say, “Why must I not look worried? My husband hardly stays at home. He has no time for me. He goes about with strange women. He does not even eat my food. I have got lots of reasons to worry.
have spent much time crying, fasting and praying”.
I often tell such sisters: “Worry will get you nowhere. All you need is faith in God. In any case if you choose to continue to worry, your countenance may end up driving your husband away. When you allow the joy of the Lord to lighten up your face, you will appear beautiful. Worry will make you look ugly”.
If most women who worry about their husbands will throw worry and anxiety overboard and allow faith and confidence to fill their heart, they will experience a change in their situation. What you need is faith and persistence. Trial should not make you to lose your faith in God. Any student that is worth his salt must be prepared to sit for examinations. Any school that does not test its students cannot be called a school. Many Christians need certain incidents or experiences that will jolt them into action.
t I pitied a young man I met recently. He was busy carrying a bag and following a Pastor. I called him and I told him: You are simply wasting your time. Don’t you know that the anointing upon your life is greater than that of the man you are following like an errand boy? May God have mercy on you.
You are busy carrying a bag while your colleagues are busy fighting beasts at Ephesus”.
The brother caught my message, and thought about what I said, threw himself into a prolonged fasting and God turned his life around. For the first time in his life, he discovered himself.
We are all students in the school of faith. Many are quick to call on the God of Abraham while they are not ready to sacrifice like Abraham.
Many are quick to claim Abrahams blessings while they are very slow in surrendering their all, the way Abraham did.
Many love the God of Elijah, the God that answereth by fire, but they are not prepared to go without food for several days like Elijah did.
Many are praying to receive Paul’s level of anointing but are not ready to suffer persecution like he did.
Many are telling God that they want to do exploits like our fathers in the faith but they are not ready to go through opposition the way our fathers in the faith did. When they read the biographies of great men of God they are excited by reports that border on the miraculous while they are put off by instances of persecution and hindrances to the gospel. If they happen to open a chapter that tells the story of how God sent His servants into the bad bush to spend 21 days in prayer, they would close that chapter saying that nobody in his right mind would do such a thing in this modern age. Such people lose sight of the fact that men of God were made strong through such suffering.
Being born again, does not exempt the believer from . problems of life. The Bible has rightly said that it is through much tribulation that we would enter into the kingdom of God (Acts_14:22).
God has not promised that we shall get to heaven by lying on a bed of roses. Rather, He has specifically told us that we must pass through tribulations. Do not despair when everything around you appears dark. Do not give up. Hold on to the Lord. The Bible says, ‘Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and the elders which were come to him. Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves: When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me; but this is your hour, end power of darkness”(Luke 22:52-53).
Do you know that there is something called the hour of the power of darkness? Everyone in life goes through the hour of darkness. Mankind in general, share what is called the time of Jacob trouble?
Fasting for the whole year will not grant you immunity from that kind of hour. Men of God and other believers have their own dark moments. The fact that you are going through unpleasant situations does not mean’ that God is unhappy with you.
Problems are necessary experiences that we all must go through to become veterans in the battle field of life. Tough situations cannot be avoided, they must be endured; The only man never get disappointed is the man who expects nothing. The man who never makes a single mistake is the man who never tries. The man who never fails is the man who attempts nothing. Everybody gets knocked down at one time or the other, but what matters is how fast you are able to get up.
If you ever get knocked down, don’t be knocked out.
The fact that you have never been knocked down is not the problem. If you remain so then you have a great problem on hand. Failing is a normal human experience but remaining on the ground shows that you have chosen to enthrone defeat in your life. Persistency will always overcome life’s problems.
-Great men and women who have succeeded, today, have success stories to tell simply because they employed the weapon of perseverance. Great Bible characters that have become symbols of excellence and success did so because they made up their minds to remain on their best, irrespective of what they passed through.
All the failures you have ever experienced in life can become reference points as far as the issue of success is concerned. Have you ever experienced defeat in any department of your life? Don’t give up. Hold unto the Lord. Those who once abandoned you will come back to you asking you to share with them the secrets behind your persistence, if you refuse to give up.
Men and women who are celebrities today had their moments of discouragement but they did not stay longer in that situation. Hold on and it shall be well. What you are going through is temporary. Remember that the Bible says: But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, 0 Jacob and He formed thee 0 Israel, fear not, fort have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name thou art mine. When thou passeth through the water I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; whell thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame once kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy one of Israel, thy Saviour; I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou halt been honourable, and I have loved thee therefore will I give men for thee and people for thy life. Fear not: for I am with thee. I will bring thy seed from the east and gather them from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, keep not back, bring my sons from far and my daughters from the ends of the earth”(Isaiah 43:1-6)
This passage shows us that it is possible to pass through the fire without being burnt. You can pass through the rivers of life without it overflowing into your life. Fear not. Hold on to the Lord and victory is yours.
There is no one who goes through life without facing the power of darkness. You either face it triumphantly or allow it to crush you. Yours is the choice. Coy either hold on or give up.
A believer is never alone. You are safe in God’s hands. Underneath are His everlasting arms. He will never leave you. Neither will He forsake you. He has not taken you thus far to abandon you in the midst of your problems. He is a caring Father who will never allow His children to go through life as orphans. He is deeply moved and touched by the feeling of your infirmities.
It is possible that you have been in the same situation for a long time, God is never late. He is the God of suddenly. He is going to arise suddenly and rescue you. Cheer up! Your miracle is on the way.
God has the ability to bring any problem under control. Do not allow whatever you have gone through to becloud your vision. One single touch from God, and what has appeared like a permanent feature in your life will become a thing of the past.
Isaiah 43:18-19 says. “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth: shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert”.
God is ready to do a new thing in your life. The manner, in which He will do it, is described as a springing forth. Therefore, you must not allow anything to make you give up in despair, when you are close to your miracle.
A sister had a very strange experience. A man of God gave
her an assignment which she did not know was spiritually symbolic. Instead of carrying water to the point where the man of God showed her, she poured out some because it was too heavy. After walking some distance she poured more on the ground because she was feeling tired. After trekking for still poured more away. And she did it so carelessly that the whole water fell from her hand and the container was broken. She went back to the man of God with apologies. The man of God told her: “The water I gave you represents your marriage. You have lost the greatest opportunity of your life for allowing the water to waste. This may sound strange to you. You have wasted your marriage”.
The woman burst into tears. If she had been persistent in carrying out the assignment, she would have experienced miracles in her marriage.
Never give up. Hold on to the Lord and all will be well.
PRAYER POINTS
1. I declare my failure success. in Jesus name.
2. The demon of failure, at the edge of success, loose your hold, in the name of Jesus.
3. Listen to me satan, I refuse to give up, in the name of Jesus.
