Day Thirty Nine: Perseverance in the Midst of A Storm
I know like many of you my patience and endurance has been sorely tried over the past month. I've seen things that have made my blood boil. I have had to count to ten, take a deep breath and pray. No one ever said the Christian life was easy. No one ever said that Christians wouldn't be persecuted for their beliefs. No one ever said that if you embraced the words of Christ and followed his teachings that you'd be "set for life." I know those prosperity preachers are still out there, telling people that you can have everything your heart desires if you just follow their leading.
I still cringe when I hear them preach things that are contrary to the Word of God. They're preaching the wrong message, and will be held accountable for leading people astray. I am no preacher. I am just a person who loves the Lord, and is fearful of the dissolution of the Word to fill itching ears. This blog has really opened my eyes and has gotten me to think through the Word. I don't claim any insights, but try to adhere to the Word of God in its original context. In Revelation 22:18-19(KJV) it states clearly "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book; And if any man shall take away from the words of this book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things that are written in this book."
You may be wondering what that has to do with perseverance. It is a legitimate question. We all fall into temptation, especially when we're in the midst of a storm like this one. It isn't easy to resist the temptations. I have struggled with them myself. I have been tempted to hide myself away and avoid eye contact. I have been tempted to wallow in self-pity at the state of our economy. I've been angry and frustrated as my freedoms are being systematically taken away. It is hard to persevere in the face of all that is going on. Yes, I do long just to give up. The prosperity preachers are not helping here. They weave a message that says that you should do this or that to be happy. They preach that everyone should embrace the new normal and go along with their agenda. Everyone who doesn't is a rebel.
Yet in James 1:2-4(KJV) I read: "My brethen, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." Yes, my faith has been sorely tried. I miss the assembling of believers in worship. I miss singing to the Lord in the congregation, but have sung in front of the churches on Sunday. I know that the Lord is working on me now.
Perseverance in the midst of a storm is necessary. Storms like the one we're experiencing now grow us. Romans 5:3-5(KJV) offers a pretty good explanation of what good happens when we persevere and not give in to temptations. It reads: "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also; knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope. And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." You may be thinking to yourself that joy is a weird response to this crisis. The natural response is to weep and wail. There is also a natural response to give into the fear and play along with the government tyrannical response. The need for safety is a strong need. I get that.
Sometimes you do have to persevere in the midst of increasing pressure to conform. Yes, I have to admit that it is scary. I couldn't do this in my own power and resources. Yet I feel if I don't speak up, then no one will. I do have to persevere in getting the message out that God has laid on my heart. I don't know how it is going to end right now, but there are many people out there that aren't receiving the message. They don't know that God is still there, and that he is listening to them. They don't understand why they have been denied so many things right now. Some are blindly following the government mandates "just because", while the government plays on. So I'll persevere as I stand in front of the church buildings reading scripture and praying that one day soon these churches will open up to the disenfranchised.
I still cringe when I hear them preach things that are contrary to the Word of God. They're preaching the wrong message, and will be held accountable for leading people astray. I am no preacher. I am just a person who loves the Lord, and is fearful of the dissolution of the Word to fill itching ears. This blog has really opened my eyes and has gotten me to think through the Word. I don't claim any insights, but try to adhere to the Word of God in its original context. In Revelation 22:18-19(KJV) it states clearly "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book; And if any man shall take away from the words of this book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things that are written in this book."
You may be wondering what that has to do with perseverance. It is a legitimate question. We all fall into temptation, especially when we're in the midst of a storm like this one. It isn't easy to resist the temptations. I have struggled with them myself. I have been tempted to hide myself away and avoid eye contact. I have been tempted to wallow in self-pity at the state of our economy. I've been angry and frustrated as my freedoms are being systematically taken away. It is hard to persevere in the face of all that is going on. Yes, I do long just to give up. The prosperity preachers are not helping here. They weave a message that says that you should do this or that to be happy. They preach that everyone should embrace the new normal and go along with their agenda. Everyone who doesn't is a rebel.
Yet in James 1:2-4(KJV) I read: "My brethen, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." Yes, my faith has been sorely tried. I miss the assembling of believers in worship. I miss singing to the Lord in the congregation, but have sung in front of the churches on Sunday. I know that the Lord is working on me now.
Perseverance in the midst of a storm is necessary. Storms like the one we're experiencing now grow us. Romans 5:3-5(KJV) offers a pretty good explanation of what good happens when we persevere and not give in to temptations. It reads: "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also; knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope. And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." You may be thinking to yourself that joy is a weird response to this crisis. The natural response is to weep and wail. There is also a natural response to give into the fear and play along with the government tyrannical response. The need for safety is a strong need. I get that.
Sometimes you do have to persevere in the midst of increasing pressure to conform. Yes, I have to admit that it is scary. I couldn't do this in my own power and resources. Yet I feel if I don't speak up, then no one will. I do have to persevere in getting the message out that God has laid on my heart. I don't know how it is going to end right now, but there are many people out there that aren't receiving the message. They don't know that God is still there, and that he is listening to them. They don't understand why they have been denied so many things right now. Some are blindly following the government mandates "just because", while the government plays on. So I'll persevere as I stand in front of the church buildings reading scripture and praying that one day soon these churches will open up to the disenfranchised.
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