“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man (or woman) availeth much.” KJV
“The prayer of a righteous man (or woman) is powerful and effective.” NIV We cannot separate the power of prayer from the power of the Holy Spirit or from the power of faith. The Spirit directs us in prayer and faith opens the door of prayer. Prayer is a powerful force in our lives, because we have a powerful God. (That is a real understatement.) But prayer has no power in our lives until we actually pray. Let’s look at some people in the Bible who prayed and experienced God’s power in their lives, and let them serve as examples to us in our prayer needs. David depended on the power of prayer. In Psalm 51, David prayed for forgiveness for his sin with Bathsheba. According to Psalm 32, he was forgiven. I will give two brief examples of the prayer and the forgiveness: Psalm 51:1: “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.” Psalm 32:1: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” If David had merely surrendered to guilt and despair, he would have never gone beyond his grievous sin with Bathsheba and all of the sins that accompanied it, including murder. Please let this be an example for you: David depended on the power of prayer and received forgiveness. I doubt that you have done anything more grievous than David. God will forgive you for your sins!!!! The great apostle Paul depended on the power of prayer. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Paul advised the Thessalonians to “pray without ceasing.” No doubt, Paul took his own advice. It would have been impossible for Paul to have done all that he did, wrote all that he wrote, suffered all that he suffered, or started as many churches as he started without depending on the power of prayer. Do you think that you can accomplish anything in your life, or your church, without depending on the power of prayer. Whatever demands are on you now, or whatever suffering you are enduring now, you have the same God that Paul had to answer his prayers that you have to answer your prayers. Get the point: If Paul can experience the power of prayer you can too!!!! The early church depended on the power of prayer. Take your Bible now and read Acts 12. In the fifth verse we are told, “but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.” (That was Peter who was in jail because of his faith.) Would Peter have been delivered from his false imprisonment if the church had not prayed for him? If so, why did the Holy Spirit inspire Luke to record the fact that they prayed for Peter’s release. Tennyson wrote: “More things are wrought by prayer than the world dreams of.” Peter’s deliverance came about because the church prayed for him. Their prayers alone could have done nothing without the power of God behind their prayers. Do you pray for people without ceasing? Do you have friends or family members who are in trouble? Pray for them without ceasing and the great God who hears your prayers will answer. Do you want your pastor to succeed? Pray for him without ceasing. Do you have trials and troubles in your own life from which you need deliverance? Pray without ceasing and the great God who answers prayer will do a work in your life that will either carry you through, or around, your trials and troubles. I have tried to illustrate for you in each of the examples given above that you have the same power in prayer that the people of the Bible had. You will find that your prayers will either deliver you or give you grace and strength to endure. I repeat: the same God who answered prayer in the Bible hears and answers our prayers today. Bro. Joe
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“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering. 13 Forbearing one another and forgiving one another: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”
The power of forgiveness is recognized by its effect on our lives. Many people’s lives are at a standstill because they are unwilling to accept or give forgiveness. (Both are very important.) This could be said of many Christians, and, sadly this unforgiving spirit exists in churches. When we receive the forgiveness that only Christ offers, we should share it by being forgivers. God's forgiveness of our sins, and our forgiveness of others are powerful when received and lived out. The power of forgiveness begins with God’s forgiveness. God’s forgiveness frees us from guilt and shame. A short time before he preached his great Pentecostal sermon, Peter denied that he even knew Jesus. How could Peter preach this powerful sermon which resulted in 3,000 conversions. We don’t have a record of Peter specifically asking for forgiveness, but somewhere along the line, he sought forgiveness and, of course, received it. He was then free to preach with power. God’s forgiveness frees us from the stain of sin. The great 16th century church-reformer, Martin Luther, tried all sorts of torture as penance for sin. Forgiveness did not come. It was only when he discovered in Romans the forgiveness that only comes through faith in Christ, that he realized the forgiveness of God. He received forgiveness when he asked for it through faith in Jesus. The story of Luther shows us that God’s forgiveness enables us to go on with life. This applied to both Peter and Luther, and it will apply to us too. If you haven’t received God’s forgiveness ask Christ into your life, and accept that He has forgiven you. We fully realize God’s forgiveness when we forgive others. Forgiving others heals relationships. Many marriages, friendships and churches could be healed if people would forgive. It is important to note that forgiving others enables us to overcome personal problems as well as problems in relationships. Unforgiveness complicates personal problems and relationship problems. Forgiving others helps us to realize that God has forgiven us. Until we forgive others, we curb the power of God’s forgiveness in our lives. Perhaps you do not “feel” forgiven by God today because there are others that you need to forgive. That’s why you need to forgive those that you need to forgive now. Until you do, you are not going to realize the many blessings that God wants to give you through Christ. Don’t rob yourself of that joy. There is someone else that we need to forgive – ourselves. Forgiving ourselves sets us free to live with ourselves in peace. Why would we think that not forgiving ourselves is more excusable than not forgiving others? We probably won’t forgive others until we forgive ourselves. Perhaps you are experiencing depression because you have not forgiven yourself. Forgiving ourselves helps us to go on with our lives in peace and joy. If God has forgiven us, we can surely forgive ourselves. Do we know something about ourselves that God does not know? Of course not! When we fail to forgive ourselves it minimizes God’s love for us in our own minds and hearts, and is an indication of a lack of trust in Him and in His love and forgiveness.. For you to know the power of forgiveness, you must ask for and claim God’s forgiveness. You need to decide right now that you are going to forgive those whom you have not forgiven. I am aware that this is not always easy. You must also fully forgive yourself. This might be the most difficult forgiveness of all, but you will not know real peace until you do. Ask for God’s forgiveness, claim it and live it. Bro. Joe "These things I have spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in your, and that your joy might be full."
We do not normally relate joy and power, but joy has great power in our lives. Victorious Christians are most always joyful Christians. Joy and despair have difficulty co-existing. However, joyful people are not always healthy or wealthy Christians. Some of the most joyful Christians I have known were beset by problems on every side. Christian joy empowered them to not give up or give in. Their joy was an indication that their hearts were anchored in Jesus, not in present problems. Why is joy powerful in our lives? One reason for its power is that joy is a gift from Jesus. John 15:11: “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” Christians do not have to depend on life’s circumstances. Happiness is circumstantial while joy is eternal. It would be a good idea for you to memorize John 15:11 and claim the joy that Jesus has already given you. James 1:2 also relates this truth to our lives: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diverse (many) temptations (tests). The trial of our faith breeds patience and patience teaches us to maintain our faith and joy, since God will work it all out to our good. (Remember Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.”) Another reason for its power is that joy is part of the “fruit” of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith….” The joy that Jesus has implanted in our hearts is invigorated by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowers us to live for Jesus. He takes the joy that Jesus gives us and activates it in our lives. Most of the New Testament, if not all of it, was written to people who were undergoing various forms of persecution. Yet Paul could write to the church at Philippi: “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.” The Holy Spirit working in our lives causes this rejoicing. Circumstances should not determine our joy. Joy should be determined by faith in Jesus, faith in His promise to give us joy, and faith in the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives. Can’t we all confess that there are times when we forget the promise of the joy that Jesus gives and give in to depression of spirit? The important thing is that we do not have to give in to any circumstances, for Jesus is the source of our joy and the Holy Spirit is the sustainer of it. (Stop here and praise Him.) If you are giving in to negative circumstances at the present time, pause, pray, and claim the joy that you already have. Still another reason for its power is that joy is enhanced by fellowship with Jesus and with our fellow Christians. 1 John 1:3-4: “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.” Sometimes we do not rejoice because of the people that we spend time with. We should seek fellowship with joyful Christians who know the power of the joy of Jesus in their lives. This is why churches should be joyful. Being around Christians should enhance the joy of other people. Does the power of joy rub off on others in your life? Do your fellow Christians really enjoy being around you? Are other people that you encounter each day in the various places that you go encouraged by the joy that they experience in you? These are important questions! Joy is a powerful force in our lives because of Jesus who gives it, the Holy Spirit who sustains it, and fellowship with joyful Christians that maintains it. We need to unleash our joy on the world and the world will beat a path to our door. If there is one thing that the world needs today it is joy. Let’s share it. Bro. Joe 1 John 5:4-5: “For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. 5. Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”
1 Corinthians 15:57: “But thanks be to God. Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” I have a lot of “favorite” hymns, but one of my very favorite hymns is “Victory in Jesus.” It is a triumphant song of praise and its lilting tune makes it exciting to sing. Look at these words from the chorus of this hymn: “O victory in Jesus, my Savior forever, He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood, He loved me ere I knew Him and all my love is due Him. He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood.” What a triumphant theology this great hymn promotes. We do have victory in Jesus: but what does that mean? To begin with Jesus won the victory for us in an unusual way. In most historical sagas, the hero wins the victory by great strength and bravado. This is not how Jesus won the victory. He won the victory when He: “humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:8) What was the result of Jesus’ death on the cross? We learn the answer in Philippians 2:9-10: “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name. 10.That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.” That is a great declaration of victory. The amazing thing about this victory is that Jesus willingly died on the cross to give us victory. Look at what John 10:17-18 tells us about the victory that Jesus bought for us with His own life: “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 10. No man takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received from my Father.” Then in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed: “Nevertheless not My will but Thy will be done.” Jesus surrendered to death and took our sins upon Himself in order to give us the victory. But notice that, while the victory over Satan and sin was won on the cross, the victory was sealed in Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus said: “I have the power to lay it down and I have the power to take it again.” This is a reference to His resurrection. Paul was referring to Christ’s resurrection when He wrote: “But thanks be unto God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” How do we claim this victory? Well, we can’t earn it. Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:8: “For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves.it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.” John wrote: “…and this is the victory that overcomes the world even our faith.” John recorded in the first chapter of his gospel: “He came unto His own and His own received Him not. 12. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” Throughout the New Testament we are reminded that the victory that we have in Jesus is not really our victory but His. When we put our faith and trust in Jesus, we become partakers of His resurrection power. The New Testament also reminds us that we become servants of Christ in this world. We proclaim our victory in Jesus by sharing it with others so that they can also have victory in Him. We proclaim the victory that we have in Jesus, not just by telling others, but by living a Christian life before them and let them see the victory in our own lives. If you have victory in Jesus, rejoice and thank Him. If you don’t, you can claim it by faith today – right now. Bro. Joe “And that you study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you.”
In verses 9-10, Paul reminded the Thessalonians that they were to love one another, then in our text he gave them some advice that we could all benefit from. Paul advised them to “study to be quiet.” The NIV translates it: “Make it your ambition to be quiet.” The Beauchamp interpretation of this is “make it a point to be quiet." I don’t think that Paul intended for them to never speak about anything. In that case they would never be able to witness to others about Jesus. I look at it this way: There is a time to speak and a time to be quiet. Now, I can’t speak for you but I can tell you that there have been many times in my life when I wished I had kept my mouth shut. I think the total message of the Bible bears out that we are wise when we keep our mouths shut when we should keep them shut, and that we should speak up when it’s time to speak up. Then we should really learn the difference between the two times. Don’t you agree? I know that there are times when we really want to speak out about something, but before we do, we should think twice about it. Sometimes what we have to say might be important and helpful, but at other times we might cause more trouble than we do to help the situation. I’ve heard people speak out in church conferences when I thought they would have done better had they held their tongues. To be fair, I must confess that I have been guilty of the same thing at some time or other. Job's friends come to mind here. For seven days they mourned with Job and kept their mouths shut, then they spoke and for most of the rest of the Book of Job proved that they were right the first seven days. Paul advised them “to do your own business.” The NIV translates it: “To mind your own business.” That’s what I saw when I read it. There are times that we might be justified in “putting in our two cents worth” when with other people. More often than not it is a better idea to hold off until they invite you into their business. When I was a pastor, people would tell me about a husband and wife having problems and that I should go and talk with them. I learned from bitter experience that the best thing for me to do was to put that couple on the top of my prayer list and wait until they invited me into their troubles. That seems to be callous, but if you think about it, you do not wish for people to mind your business until you are ready for them to. As a general rule, I finally ended up talking with them because God heard and answered my prayers. It is a good idea to do more praying than prying – if you get my drift. I know that there are times when we feel that we have good advice to offer people about their lives, and sometimes that may be true. What we need to do is think prayerfully and carefully about this lest we be accused rightly of not minding our own business. Paul advised them: “and to work with your own hands.” This was a particular problem in Thessalonica. Some of them had the mistaken idea that because Jesus might be returning at any time, they could just quit working and do nothing until He came. In 2 Thessalonians, Paul advised those people that: “Those who do not work will not eat.” This doesn’t give us an excuse to withhold help from needy people. There are people who genuinely need help, but there are also people who are just lazy and want others to take care of them. As Christians, we are advised to be industrious in our lives and to make our contribution to the betterment of life. It could be that you need none of this advice from Paul – good for you. However there are people out there who desperately need it. It is important because it is in the word of God. Bro. Joe “I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knows quite well.”
This thought came to me: “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Of course you know that this is not original with me, but came from the text printed above. As I was looking in the mirror this morning while I was shaving, this thought came to me as an old man was staring back at me. (That was me of course.) But no matter how old we become, we are still “fearfully and wonderfully made.” The bodies that God gave us are fearfully and wonderfully God-made computers that amaze us when we think about it. Bear with me as I chase this thought through. For example I thought of our hands and arms. I knew a man in the nursing home that my mother was in who had no use of his hands or arms. When I thought of all the things that he could not do because of this, I thanked God that I could use mine. Think of the thumb. Just think of the things that you couldn’t do if you didn’t have thumbs. God gave us this opposing digit so that we would be able to pick things up. You can pick things up, but it is much more difficult without the God-given thumb. (Pause and thank God for your thumbs.) I thought of our brains which tell our hands and arms, and legs and feet what to do. We take all of this for granted and forget to thank God for the manifold gifts that He has given us in our created bodies. When I think of the intricacies of our body parts, like our hands and arms, I know that we have them by design. All of the “fearful and wonderful” things that our bodies can do had to have a designer. Of course, this designer was God. God did not create us fearfully and wonderfully to disobey Him. Oh, I know that beginning with Adam and Eve we have disobeyed Him, but He created us to serve Him. He wants us to use these great faculties that He has given us to serve Him. He gave us creative minds so that we would be able to devise (if that’s the right word) ways to serve Him. He gave us our hands to do things for Him. He gave us our feet to go places for Him. He gave us our voices to speak out for Him. I think that this is what God wants for everyone of us, but He knows that it will not always be that way. I don’t think that our lives are really complete until we know what it is that God wants us to do. So you say that most of the people in the world do not do that. I know they don't, but that does not mean that it is not true that God created us to obey Him? Our disobedience is our fault and our problem, not His. The Bible is the story of humanity’s disobedience and God’s plan to bring people into obedience to Him. It is called the story of redemption. The Bible does not ignore the fact that we disobey God, but it deals with it in detail. The Bible gives us the whole sordid story of our disobedience. We even see the disobedience of people like Moses and David who were real men of God but who depended on God’s grace just as we do. The Bible is the story of God’s forgiveness of those whom He fearfully and wonderfully made. He even sent His Son to redeem us. We are not just “fearfully and wonderfully” made; we can be wonderfully forgiven. Thank God for that. Bro. Joe “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.”
You might be thinking that you have never taken the Lord’s name in vain because you have never used a certain slang word that we will not repeat. You need to hold up on that a minute, for this sin is not just limited to one swear word. In fact refraining from using that word is not even the tip of the iceberg in this matter. According to William Barclay in his book The ten Commandments, there are many ways that God’s name can be taken in vain. (The sentences in quotation marks are quotes from Barclay.) “We take God’s name in vain when we use His name to further our own ambitions.” We belittle God’s name when we use it to advance our names instead of His. For example, I know an attorney who was convicted in his heart when he realized that he was attending a certain prominent church to attract clients. He realized that he was advancing his name instead of God’s. He was taking God’s name in vain until he repented. We should not do church work for the praise of people instead of for the praise of God. Paul dealt with this in Colossians 3:17: “And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.” We are to serve in Jesus’ name, not our own, or we take God’s name in vain. “We take God’s name in vain when we use His name to appear godly or righteous.” Jesus condemned the Scribes and Pharisees for using God’s name to make themselves appear to be righteous. The Pharisee’s religion was a mile wide and an inch deep. They gave alms and prayed in order to be seen by others. (Matthew 6:16-18) They were guilty of both hypocrisy and of taking God’s name in vain. We need to be careful that we do not attend church, carry our Bibles, wear crosses, or anything of a religious nature to promote our own righteousness. (I think we can be glad here that God is the God of grace in this matter – just saying.) If Jesus condemned the Pharisees for such behavior, he would condemn us as well. We need to weigh our motives. What we do should be done out of love for Jesus and in true service to Him. “We take God’s name in vain when we use His name without thought or reverence.” God’s name is a holy name; therefore, it is not to be used thoughtlessly or irreverently. This is where the well-known swear word comes in. Jews in the Old Testament, and I think it would be true of orthodox Jews today, would not even say or write the name of Jehovah. We do not need to take it that far, but we do need to be careful how we use His great name. Consider what Paul wrote in Philippians 2:9-11 in reference to the name of Jesus: “Wherefore God hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name that is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” We should be careful how we use the name of Jesus. His name is as worthy of reverence today as it was in Paul’s day. I’m sure that there are many other ways to take God’s name in vain, but these give us enough to pray about –don’t they? It is still true that “the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh the Lord’s name in vain.” The word “vain” means empty or useless. If we are servants of God, we have to take Him seriously. We also do not need to leave the impression with other people that we are not taking Him seriously. I’ll ask the question again: “Have you ever taken God’s name in vain?” Give it some real thought and prayer. Bro. Joe “For whoso findeth me (wisdom) findeth life, and shall obtain favor from the Lord.”
All of us like to think that we live in wisdom, and we need to make sure that we are. I can only speak for myself, but looking back I can remember things that didn’t come from wisdom –come on you know what I mean. If we want to find the favor of the Lord, we need to seek His wisdom and base our lives on it. This is why I am asking you to do yourself a favor and live the best life possible. You have probably already guessed that I am about to share with you what I think that means. Do yourself a favor and make every effort to love people. Those of you who have read my blogs know that this is one of my main themes. I guess that’s true because I do make every effort to love all people. I am sure that you will agree with me that it is not easy to love everybody. (Sometimes it’s even hard to love ourselves.) Some people do not make it easy, but I try to remember that most of the time this is because of personality differences. However, there are some people who are just downright unlovable, and these are the people that we most need to make every effort to love. If we really and truly want to be like Christ, we should make every effort to love all people. Do yourself a favor and make sure that what you do in your life is serving God’s purposes. The problem that a lot of people have is that there is no great purpose in their lives, and there are others that their purpose is destructive to themselves and to others. I am glad that God called me to preach, because this gave me a great purpose in life from the start. But I have to admit that even in that great purpose I have found myself drifting from His real purposes. These are not happy times in my life, and I’m sure that they are not in your life either. I don’t mean to leave the impression that you have to be a preacher to serve God’s purpose in your life. God brings great purpose into every life that He touches. I think that Romans 8:28 applies to this idea: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to God’s purpose.” I have not written about specific purposes, because God’s purpose for you is between God and you. Do yourself a favor and make it a purpose of your life to pursue those things that will make your life better. I can think of no better place to go than Philippians 4 to find that which will make your life better. Take verses 6-7 for example: “Be careful for nothing (Do not be anxious about anything); but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Verse 8 will really put the trimmings on a better life:“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report: if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” There is no better advice anywhere to make your life better than this. Do yourself a favor and purge those things from your life that you know are keeping you from being as close to God as you can be. I can’t tell you what you need to purge from your life, because that is a personal decision, but I can promise you that the Lord will hear your prayers and will help you get rid of those things that you need to get rid of. Paul gave advice on this point in 1 Corinthians 5:7: “Purge out therefore the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened…”The leaven referred to here is anything that you know is holding back your Christian growth. Do yourself a favor and do the things that you need to do to grow in Christ. The four points above should give you a good start. Bro. Joe “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you. 2. And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all (people) have not faith. 3. But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, and keep you from evil.”
Paul’s ministry was always plagued by opposition. I do not mean that his opposition was from people who were just being ornery; rather, they were really enemies of the Christian gospel. Paul actually made an understatement when he wrote: “for all (people) have not faith.” We have not had nearly the kind of opposition that Paul, and the early Christians had as they tried to present Jesus to the world. But I have seen a lot of changes in the public attitude during my years in the ministry. I don’t think that it is as wide-spread as we might think, but the opposition is powerful – just as it was in Paul’s day. I am not trying to convince you that our opposition is as formidable as Paul’s, but it is powerful. Paul wanted the Thessalonians to pray that “the word of the Lord may have free course,” and that they “may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men.” Thank God that verses 1-2 are not the only verses, for verse 3 lets us know that God is aware of the opposition and will watch out for us. Paul wrote that “the Lord is faithful.” Paul knew this, because he had experienced the faithfulness of the Lord in his missionary journeys in Acts. We can recall that when Paul and Silas were imprisoned in Philippi, they were delivered by an earthquake that obviously was of the Lord. We also see in that incident in Acts 16 that God was faithful and the Philippian jailor and his family were converted. We will find the Lord faithful in our service for Him too. I don’t mean that He will “grease the skids” for us, for we will have hardships along the way. But in every situation that we face in our service for Jesus, we will find that His faithfulness will come to the fore. It might be that He will have to do a work of grace in us to change our attitudes as well as the attitudes of those who oppose us. At least, I have found this to be true in my service. Next Paul wrote that “He will stablish you.” (Stablish is the King James word for establish.) David wrote about this in Psalm 40:11-12: “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry. 2. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” The Bible doesn’t record that Paul was aware of that passage, but I think that Paul had surely read it. David wrote that God: “Set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” When we put our faith in the Lord, He puts our feet on the Rock of Ages (Jesus) and we can go on serving Him in spite of the opposition we might have from the world. It is the nature of the world system, under Satan’s control, to oppose God’s work. The promise is given however, that God will establish us, but we must persevere as Paul did. Finally, Paul wrote that God will “Keep you from evil.” Jesus told us in the Lord’s prayer to pray that God would “lead us not into temptation, but to deliver us from evil.” Through Jesus He has done just that. I think that this deliverance is from from Satan himself. We cannot scare Satan, but He can be controlled by Jesus. The promise in this text is that God can “keep us from evil.” The problem is that we need to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit, or we will get ensnared by evil – either the evil of opposition or evil that we commit. The point is, that in spite of evil, the word of God does have free course, because God wills it so. Ask the people of China, who are forbidden to even have a Bible, but are being converted in spite of their great opposition. The promise of these verses is available to us. The world cannot stop the forward progress of the word of God, for He establishes us and keeps us from Evil. The way will not always be smooth, but God will be with us, in the end, He will prevail. He has prevailed throughout history and will continue to do so. Praise Him! Bro. Joe |
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