Trials of faith

 

“Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” – 1 Peter 1:5-7 

   It seems these days that most people I speak to are enduring some trial in there lives, some level (usually great) of spiritual warfare. Well, no matter the trial or the circumstances, we are a people who have the express privilege of being under the government of a sovereign God! He can see what is coming in our future and He is leading us down a path of restoration and refinement. Though the world may seem to being crashing down around us, as Billy Graham once said “No situation is beyond God’s control.” Even on that note, every situation is in God’s control, He allows in His wisdom what He could prevent in His power.

   Are you in heaviness? Are you saturated in despair? Realizing that God is orchestrating your life and leading you through the wilderness certainly won’t rid you of the wilderness, but at times perspective is everything. “SURELY IN VAIN! the net is spread in the site of any bird” - Proverbs 1:17 If we are seated with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6) and we set our affections on things above rather than the things of this earth (Colossians 3:2) then the devices of our enemy seem as nothing in the light of eternity. I went through some survival training in the military and one of the things they teach you is to find a high point to try to get a view of where it is you are going, what direction to travel in. We should be the birds in the verse from proverbs, the enemy spreads a trap for us in vain. Why? Because as we are walking in the presence of God, and we are seated with Him in a heavenly place, our affections are set on His face we can easily avoid the trap that the enemy has set for us. 

     Verse 5 of the passage in first Peter says the we are kept BY the power of God THROUGH FAITH. That word for power is “Dunamis” which is the greek word meaning “force, miraculous power, abundance, strength, violence.” We are kept by that kind of earth shattering power! It is a violent kind of power, the bible says that “The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force” – Matthew 11:12. (The word violence is not it an evil sense, it literally means to take something by force, as in we take ground from the enemy by force, we aren’t passively allowing the devil to do whatever He wants.) We are not going to lay down while the enemy takes over the kingdom of God. The violent, forceful, miracle power of God is abundantly sufficient to overthrow our enemy. In Matthew 16:18 when Jesus says that “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” So many people take that to mean that the gates of hell will not prevail over us. Frankly that is a little bit “glass half empty” kind of thinking, Jesus did not walk around with a defeatist attitude. What He was saying was that the gates of hell will not be able to withstand the onslaught of sons of God! The true people of God, with the miraculous power of God flowing through them are gonna be breakin’ down the doors baby. The gates of the enemy won’t be able to stand up, because the people of God will take back the kingdom with violent force. Why are we in such trial and tribulation? Yes it is true that God is a God that tries His people, but it is also because the enemy is AFRAID! He knows that his time is short and that very soon, God is going to gain the victory IN His people.

   We are the temple of the living God. We are kept by His power through our faith in all the He is and we are READY! for Him to be revealed in us. We rejoice in that but for this season were going through the dealings of God. That word for season in the greek means “puny (in extent, degree, number, duration or value);almost, briefly, few, (a) little, a season, short, small, a while.” In other words, it won’t be a long time unless we make it a long time. If we bow to what God is trying to do in our lives, it will be a short season. The things you are going through won’t last for ever, and if you can just hold fast! You will reach the other side and then the bible says that you are an overcomer. You can’t be an overcomer unless you have overcome something. Revelations 12:11 says “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” So much revelation there, but they overcame him (the devil) BY the blood of the lamb slain which is obviously Jesus and the word of their testimony or the things which they have overcome. The things that you endure become the things that God uses to mold and shape you like that potter into a vessel that will bring honor and glory to the mighty precious name of JESUS!

   Now we see next in this passage, that all these trials and circumstances, the “trials of our faith” are much more precious than gold that perisheth. It isn’t our faith, it’s the trial that is much more precious that gold. It’s just an analogy, but God always has the best ones. Because what He is saying in this passage is that the trial of our faith, to God, is more precious that anything existing in the earth. All the things of this world will burn with a fervent heat the bible says, but the trial of our faith is so precious to Him because it is working in us something eternal, we are storing up treasure in heaven! The bible says “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; ” – 2 Corinthians 4:17. This light affliction!!? I never really considered my afflictions light, but God does. Why? Because the balances are extremely unequal concerning this matter! The everlasting and awesome riches of what we gain in and exceeding eternal weight of glory are not worthy to be compared to the Glory that shall be revealed IN US! They so greatly outweigh our trials.  ”For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” - Romans 8:18

   Hallelujah! Finally we see that when all this transpires; when we have endured trials and testings and have “come forth as gold”  (Job 23:10) we will as it says “be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” Well what does that mean? It means that when we have endured all, when we have gone “on unto perfection” (Hebrews 6:1) as the bible says; Not only will we have an eternal weight of glory and treasure built up in heaven, we will be the Bride of Christ and God will be able to bring through us, glory and honor and praise and VINDICATION to the precious name of Jesus IN THIS EARTH! Hallelujah! One of the greatest things we can do in this life is Become His bride and by laying down our lives, bring honor and glory to God. To vindicate His name in the earth! In the old testament, the people of the earth feared the God of Israel. It was as an awesome respect of a God in whom they had seen real power, real miraculous forceful violent power. This wasn’t something contrived, the fame of the power of God spread over the entire earth of that day. I believe in these last days that the real power of God is going to be revealed in His people, and the earth shall once again fear and respect the Lord. Then the name of Jesus will be vindicated in the earth and to be a Christian will no longer be a mockery of the nations, but an awesome respected thing. Why? Because people will know (just like Elijah’s name meant) that OUR GOD IS GOD! 

   So if you are facing horrible circumstances today, if you are facing despair and depression and great affliction in your life, HOLD ON TO JESUS! He won’t let you go, He has a purpose for all that you suffer and endure. He must increase and I must decrease, (John 3:30) We are brought low and humbled and tried, but take hope! He is a loving God who correcteth His children and it is only because He is perfecting that which concerneth you! (Psalms 138:8) He is simply bringing you back to the garden, back to what you were originally created as, what you were before the fall of sin. Whenever you are going through it the enemy always seems to whisper in your ear, but you can bind those lying voices and command them to be gone from you in Jesus name. No matter what you hear in your mind, Be still and know that HE IS GOD. (Psalms 46:10) He knoweth the way that you take, (Job 23:10) and all these things will work together for your good.(Romans 8:28) He shall not leave you comfortless, (John 14:18) because  ”The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath (you and I) are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.” – Deuteronomy 33:27. Amen.

     

 

Our Eternal Salvation

     Is our salvation eternal? Have you ever considered it, or heard someone preach about it? Well, I believe we should always search the scripture. “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the honor of kings is to search out a matter.”    – Proverbs 25:2 .Amen. We are kings and priests unto God, and we should be always searching out a matter in the word of God, to see whether or not it is so. (Acts 17:11)  In Hebrews 5:9 it says “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;”  Well, it says “eternal” right there in the scripture. The greek word there meaning “perpetual, forever, eternal.” P.S. the word obey here in the greek means to hear under, to heed or conform coming from a root to be under. It doesn’t mean that if you don’t obey you lose your salvation. It simply means that salvation is eternal to those that are in the kingdom of God, those that are saved. If you are saved, don’t you love Jesus, don’t you want to obey him and do His will for your life, Ok then. you are someone who obeys Him. Just because you messed up, He isn’t going to throw you out.

     Lets look in John 10:28 – “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”  Our eternal life is a gift from God (Romans 6:23) The verse even says that they shall NEVER perish. It doesn’t say, you shall never perish if you are real good and don’t make God mad. It goes on to say here and then again in verse 29 that “no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”  Nothing is able to pluck us from His hand. Not your enemies, not your own sin, nothing, because He “is greater than all” the beginning of verse 29 says.

     Lets look at some more scriptures concerning this topic. I want to give each of you an absolute knowing that your salvation is assured and can never be taken from you. Not because I said it, but because God did! Because the scriptures declare it! 1 John 5:11 – “And this is the record (meaning EVIDENCE, report, testimony, witness) that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His son!” God has given!, He did it, so nothing can be taken from it or put to it (Ecclesiastes 3:14). He has given it to us, and what He has given is eternal life in His son. It is so clear in the scripture. Now people, who frankly don’t know the true heart of God, are going to say, well what about this scripture? I am going to try to shed some light on those that they would use to say you can lose your salvation. But listen. Forget about what every one has told you, leave behind all your preconceived ideas. Search the scriptures for yourself.  Sometimes you will find that you have a lot of scriptures that say one way and others that seem to contradict. All you do in that case is go with the weight of evidence. Because the case is usually that we may just not have revelation about those few passages as to what they really mean. You can not ignore a hundred passages saying your salvation is eternal for 3 or 4 that seem to say it isn’t.

     We can’t lose our salvation because we have an everlasting covenant with God through Jesus. David says in 2 Samuel 23:5 that His house is not so with the Lord, BUT he says “yet He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and SURE: for this is all my salvation…” See David was a true worshipper. God called Him a man after His own heart. (Acts 13:22) And David knew that his covenant with God was sure (sure In hebrew, hedged about, protected, preserved). Well,you say but im not David, I have sinned horribly, im so far from God. Look at David’s life. He committed adultery with Bathsheba, had a man killed to cover it up and the resulting baby from that union died. Yet his covenant with God, his salvation, was still sure, and he knew it! Why are you any different? Your not. Your covenant with God is still intact, and you can be SURE just like David if you let the scripture declare it too you.  Because listen, my covenant and your covenant, is with Jesus. Jesus became man and sinned not SO THAT, we could have eternal life that wasn’t dependant on us. We are IN HIM. When God the Father looks at us, He looks at us through glasses that are covered in the blood of Jesus. 1 John 2:1 “…And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous…”  Our covenant being sure is dependant only on Jesus. We can see God’s covenant with Jesus in Psalms 89:27-37. God the Father is speaking here of God the Son. Look in verses 30-34! He says in 30-32 if we sin, He will correct us, chasten and teach us, but NEVERTHELESS! He will not take His lovingkindness or suffer His faithfulness to fail! MY COVENANT WILL I NOT BREAK! Our covenant is with Jesus! And Jesus’ covenant is with the Father, and He will not break it! Hallelujah!  Jesus has sat down at the right hand of the father! It is finished! It is already settled, so therefore it is impossible for the covenant to be broken! Argue you with that, all you fowl devils, up there, preaching a lie to the people of God! Yes, I said it. The preacher’s telling God’s people that they can lose their salvation are perpetrating one of the most horrible lies the body of Christ has ever seen. It grieves the heart of God so terribly and I am setting the record straight. How dare you lie so about our precious God! When God passed before Moses and declared Himself, the first word He used to describe Himself after God, was MERCIFUL. (Exodus 34:6) Because everything God does He does in MERCY. It’s ok, we need not worry about false prophets, why? Because for the true disciple, (disciple in greek means learner, pupil, a student of the word) you and I have the word of God. When your life, is founded on the bedrock of God, when you have a foundation in His word, you will have an answer for those lying voices trying to deceive God’s people.

•      What God does is forever. He never changes His mind.  Ecclesiastes 3:14 – “I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.”  Numbers 23:19 – “God is not a man that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? Or hath He spoken and shall He not make it good?”  Romans 11:29 - “For the gifts and calling of God are without (outside of, irrevocable) repentance.” Well, what does that mean? That means that gifts, (salvation, deliverance, healing,prophecy, faith, and tounges for example) will never be taken from you once you have received them.
•      His mercy endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34 – “O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good; for His mercy endureth forever.”  If His mercy endures forever, how can we lose our salvation?    If He was to take our salvation, that would be unmerciful. 41 times in the bible, the scriptures declare “His mercy endureth forever.”  Here are a few of those scriptures. Ezra 3:11/2 Chronicles 7:3,6,20:21/ Ps 118: 1-4/ It is also the refrain throughout the entire chapter of Psalms 136. Three hundred plus times, the bible speaks of God’s great, enduring, lasting mercy.
•      He will never forsake us. Hebrews 13:5 – “…for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”  Psalms 94:14 – “For the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them…”  Yes, Israel is an actual nation in the natural, but spiritually speaking they represent or are a type of the people of God, the body of Christ as a whole. Joshua 1:5 – “as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”  Again, in the natural, God was speaking to a man, but the principle is still the same to all of God’s people. God doesn’t change His mind. He was the same God then as He is now. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever!” That passage doesn’t end in an exclamation point but it should! How awesome it is in a world where nothing is sure, where nothing is constant to have a God that NEVER CHANGES! Say amen somebody. Rejoice and give thanks unto God for His greatness!

   Finally, I want to look at some scriptures. Now some groups and denominations use these scriptures to try to prove that you can lose your salvation. But I want to use those same scriptures to show that our salvation is absolutely sure in Jesus. The lie that some have spread out to the body of Christ is an anathema to God. He despises it, plain and simple. You see, because what you’re doing when you tell people they have lost their salvation and that they are going to hell is putting in their hearts an image of  God that doesn’t love them anymore. A false image, of a God that is no longer merciful. How it grieves the heart of God to see this happen to his sons and daughters! Don’t heed those lying voices. Paul said in Romans 8:38-39 “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord!” Again, another scripture that should have ended in an exclamation point. God loves you, all this world, all that has ever been has all been working for your good. His heart is to help you and put you over bless God, He isn’t up there waiting for you to mess up. Proverbs 24:16 – “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.” What just happened inside of you? Did you automatically think of yourself as the wicked man or the just one. Well, guess what? For the saved today, you are a just man or woman despite yourself. Because to be saved is to be justified unto God by Jesus! We may fall ans sin, but rise up again, repent before the Lord in sincerity and keep on walking with Jesus. That is our daily life as Christians, a simple everyday walk with the Lord.  

•      Hebrew 10:26-31. If you don’t have a bible with you I will put links to the scriptures at the beginning of each of these since they are long. I am using the King james but I encourage you to use as many different translations as you like in order to gain insight to these passages.  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2010:26-31&version=KJV

1. Verse 26 – We have all sinned willfully after salvation. But we can still be forgiven, His word declares that we can. (1 John 1:8-10, 2:1-2) What this verse means is that we can’t be born again. Jesus died once as a sacrifice for us and the price was paid. It is finished!
2. Verses 27-29 – God judges His people, but it isn’t to hurt us. His judgement is meant to teach us. When we sin, there is a “fearful looking for”, that phrase “looking for” means expectation. We sometimes fear the fire and judgement of God, but look at the end of the verse. The judgement and fiery indignation devours who? THE ADVERSARY. (1 Peter 5:8) Our adversary the devil. An adversary is an enemy, or things in our life that cause us to stumble and fall. Hatred, racism, addictions, lust, and perversion for example. God’s indignation is against the sin in our life, not the sinner. He is trying to rid us of our sin, because it separates us from Him.
3. Verse 30 – Look at the end of this verse. Who is Lord judging? He is judging HIS PEOPLE. Even though they are being judged for their sin, they are still His people.
4. Verse 31 – It can be fearful to be judged by God, but at the same time the bible says in Genesis 18:25 – “…Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

• Hebrews 6:1-9 Link – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%206:1-9&version=KJV

1. Verses 1-3 – These principles spoken of here, I believe are a beginning to a foundation in the word of God. Basically speaking of growing up in God, once you have laid the foundations going on to perfection in Him. We should all have a foundation in His word.
2. Verses 4-6 – This part is talking about being saved again. Once you have been saved, you can’t be saved again. Because you never lost it in the first place. Your can’t be given again something you already have. If God heals you of cancer, and you are in good health, do you have need to be healed again? Of course not.
3. Verse 7 -  This speaks of believers who go on with God.
4. Verse 8 – This speaks of those who do not go on unto perfection. “Rejected” here means disqualified. It is speaking of those who don’t finish the race (1 Corinthians 9:24) Who are disqualified from obtaining the prize of the High calling in Jesus: perfection, the Bride. (Philippians 3:13-14) He says they are nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned. This isn’t referring to Hell but what happens to those who don’t build upon their foundation of their salvation. (1 Corinthians 3:12-16)
5. Verse 9 - The writer of Hebrews here is saying, “yet in your case, beloved, (that means you and me) we are firmly convinced of better things” – Amplified. The end of the verse is what I want to get to. Because the writer here clearly states, “things that accompany salvation” Meaning that He has been speaking of in the previous verse about things that accompany or go hand in hand with salvation. Because, to the writer of Hebrews, and to the recipients of the letter, salvation was already established and sure. They were moving on to other things.

A few more…

• Galatians 5:4 – “Fallen from grace” simply speaks of someone who is back in bondage of the law, and refuses to allow the grace of God to help them. As it says in the beginning of that verse they are “justified by the law.” We are justified by Jesus. He replaced the law of Moses when He came. (John 1:17/Galatians 3:23-29)
• 1 Timothy 1:18-20  – In verse 20 “delivered unto satan” means being judged and tested. Consider the story of Job. God mentioned him to satan (Job 1:8/2:3) or allowed satan to test Job, and Job ended up with twice what He had.
• Ezekiel 18:24-30 – “The wages of sin is death”  makes no mention of a loss of salvation. It speaks of bringing death to your soul. Your spirit is still saved. We are 3-fold as God is 3-fold. He is Father, Son, Holy Ghost; We are Body, Soul and Spirit. When we are saved our Spirit is made perfect in Jesus. He comes and dwells there. This is our Justification. Our sanctification is the (lifelong) process in our soul in which God deals with us and tests us and we go on unto perfection by allowing our souls to be perfected by God. Finally our glorification is when we receive a perfect, glorified body from God, as Jesus did on the mount of transfiguration. A 3-fold salvation for a 3-fold man from a 3-fold God. This is being made into His image, this our High calling. Because when we are perfected we will be without spot, blemish or any such thing. A spotless bride. The death spoken of here is death that enters into your soul from sin, frustrating the sanctification process of God. It has nothing to do with loosing your salvation.

    I pray that your eternal salvation is now settled in your soul. Our covenant with Him is everlasting because it is not dependent on us. Man has never been able to keep a covenant, so God the Father made the covenant with the Son of man (because it had to be with a man) who is Jesus. That is why Jesus became man, so that the covenant from God could still be with a man, but with one who could keep it. Our salvation is sure because He can’t break the covenant with the Father. Jesus has already prevailed, the work is finished, the sacrifice complete. We have eternal salvation.

(To give credit where credit it is due, the last paragraph and the exegetical studies of the scriptures are from a manual on the doctrine of baptisms written by my father in the Lord, Sam Greene. You can find that manual and many others on our website www.narrowwayministries.org

He knoweth the way the I take

“But He knoweth the way that I take; when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” – Job 23:10  

   He knows the way that I take. Some may just be meandering through life, but God knows the way that you take. Isaiah 46:10 says that He is “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done…” He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. He sees you as you will be, not as you are now! Think of that! How exciting. Someone so loving and so merciful, who sees what we can be! In First Samuel 16:7 it says “…for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” He looks at our intentions, our desires, our cares and our worries, the good and the bad, and He sees us as we will be when He is finished with us! Hallelujah! Praise God that He looks right past all of our faults and problems! 

   We have all heard the saying, “Everything happens for a reason.” Well, in many cases, that is absolutely true. Everything God is doing he is doing for your GOOD.  In Romans 8:28 it says “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according His purpose.” That word “all” in the greek means “all or whole” and the word “called” means “invited or appointed.” God most certainly invited you! You are invited! He wants you there! Your not just another person wandering about, He counted the cost and sent His son for you! We need to realize, if you were the only one that was going to be saved, God still would have sent His son. He love us that much. So if you are the called, the invited, which you are, then that means ALL THINGS, say that out loud, ALL THINGS, work together for YOUR GOOD!  Not just the good things, ALL THINGS, GOOD AND BAD. Take the story of Joseph for example, He was despised of his brothers, sold into slavery, believed to be dead, accused of rape, imprisoned, eventually brought out and there he stood, before the very people that had sold him into slavery in the first place, his own brothers, and what did he say, watch this with me now in Genesis 50:19-20 “And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me, BUT… GOD MEANT IT FOR GOOD!, to bring tp pass, as it is this day, to SAVE MUCH PEOPLE ALIVE.” First of all He acknowledges that he was were he was because of the plan and grace and sovereignty of God, second, he realizes; they meant it for harm, but God purposed it for good. Because of Joseph’s interpretation of pharoah’s dream, pharoah stored up a lot of food in the store house and when the famine came, that food saved the then known earth from starvation and death. Do think joseph knew what was happening when He was being sold into slavery or thrown into prison? No, he was probably saying, “Why me God” “Those people over there have it so much better than me”, just complainin’ away. The point is that He knows the way that you take! and He means it for good and not for evil. In Jeremiah 29:11 it says “For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

   He is working all things together for our good. To give us an expected end. The dealings of God, all of the things we go through. The things you thought that nothing good could come of, God is working them all together to bring about an expected end, to bring about His will for your life and for my life. SO REJOICE! Ask for the strength to carry on if you need it, but rejoice! He is giving us an expected end. What our expected end is, is another story for another time, but I just want to encourage anyone reading this, if you are going through a tough time. Our precious loving Father knows every tear. Every hair on your head. Every grievance, not matter how minuscule. Don’t be discouraged or depressed, HE LOVES YOU. He loves you enough to take care for every tiny detail of your life. He is going to help you, He is going to see you through. The bible says in Deuteronomy 32:9 “For the Lord’s portion is His people;” Out of all of time! Out of all of existence! All the Lord our God gets from this whole deal, from who knows how many millions of years is YOU. You are HIS PORTION! You are all He thinks about! All He is longing for! Listen to me now, He LOVES YOU! There in no length He would not go too to put your over, to make sure you make it! To make sure that you fulfill all that He has for you. All you have to do, is love Him back. Run after Him with all your heart, soul and might. Deuteronomy 6:5 “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”   

   Finally, I just feel to say that I am no body. I have issues just like you. I share what is on my heart in hope of edifying and encouraging whoever reads. Be blessed.