Run, Depend, Cry

Temptation, poverty and adversity - all things we dread!

Why would God say that TEMPTATION, POVERTY and ADVERSITY are NEEDED to develop a godly character???

Because.... 

Temptation keeps you running to God.

Poverty keeps you dependent on God.

Adversity keeps you crying out to God.

All of that running to, dependence on and crying out to God keeps you in His presence - where you belong, where you are safe, where you are free from the wiles are of the enemy.

Challenge: If one of those three things apply to you today, thank God for His chosen method of discipline. Thank Him for drawing you closer to Him. Thank Him for constantly reminding you that your greatest need is Him.

If you are experiencing temptation, poverty, and/or adversity, don't run to, depend on or cry out to other idols. 

But run to, depend on and cry out to God - the ONLY One Who can fulfill your every longing and desire.

God's Word satisfies the soul. 

Feast on His Word. 

And as you feast on it, as you behold Him through the Bible stories, as you ponder on His great sacrifice, you will become changed into His likeness, His holiness. 

Not riches, wealth or fame. But by prayer and Bible study - That is how Christ became victorious. 

This is how we will become victorious. 

"My brethren, 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." (James 1:2‭-‬4) 

5 Bible Verses To Keep Me Going

   Different moments, experiences, challenges, and joys in my life have caused me to latch onto specific verses in Scripture.

   I have either studied or memorized these verses. Because let's face it when you're in a crisis and you need help right away, the Bible is so big it can be hard to know which specific verse to turn to!

   We should daily seek to take time to study the Scriptures, but committing a few verses to memory can really help you in your moment by moment struggles.

   The following 5 verses are some of my go-to verses for comfort, strength, hope, and exhortation. I'd like to challenge you to either memorize these verses or go ahead and make your own list of verses to memorize!

1. Forgiveness

1 John 1:9, 2:1-2
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our's only, but also for the sins of the whole world."

ALL of us struggle every now and then under the weight of sin. That load of guilt can be rather heavy if you don't take God at His Word. According to this verse, all you have to do is confess. That's a simple, but vital step. You can then claim God's forgiveness and cleansing!
Jesus is our Advocate before the Father. And that's the reason why we can come boldly to God's throne to receive forgiveness and cleansing.

2. Purity

Psalm 51:10
"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."

This verse has been around in my memory hall since the time I started speaking. It's a powerful request, asking God for purity of heart, mind, and soul. This is a quick arrow you can use against Satan's temptations to entice you to lust.

3. Fear

Exodus 14:14
"And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace."

What is your "Egyptian"? What is your "Goliath"? Tell yourself: Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you today!

4. Peer Pressure

Psalm 1:1-3
"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in his law doth he meditates day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

Yes, your buddies' activities may look pleasurable, but their way cannot prosper. It is only by delighting in the Lord and His Word that you can be successful in life.

5. Evangelism

Isaiah 55:11
"So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."

   When being mocked for preaching God's Word, whether it be on the pulpit, in the streets, or on social media, God has promised that His Word will accomplish the task He intended for it to do -- save humanity. Preach His Word faithfully and you can claim this promise!

   Those are some of the verses that have greatly impacted my life and helped me grow spiritually.

   Which verses would you add to this list?
Which of these verses mentioned above would you like to commit to memory? How would that verse change your life if you really believed it and acted upon it?

Paul's Poor Eyesight

   Temptation and trials can be a real thorn in the flesh. Constantly gnawing at you,  left, right, and centre. We often ask the question: “If God is leading us, then why do all of these things come upon us?”

   It is because God is leading you that all these trials, obstacles and temptations consistently taunt you.

Let me explain why I believe so... 

   Paul was gaining fame and having many visions and revelations from the Lord. But he had a problem. Paul had poor eyesight. This made his ministry a bit difficult. Paul thought that by earnest prayer the difficulty might be removed. But the Lord had his own purpose for not allowing this difficulty to be removed.

   Paul relates to us why he believed that God had a purpose:

“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

   Here Paul was doing good, preaching the Gospel, fulfilling God’s mission for His life. Many were probably thinking, why doesn’t God just bless His humble servant with good eyesight? Paul was tempted to think the same way as well.

   Many may look at our walk with the Lord and ask, “If God is truly with you, then why are you constantly being taunted at, ridiculed and tempted of Satan?” or the famous question: “If God is love, why does He allow bad things to happen to good people?” We may have been asking these questions to ourselves as well.

   But from Paul’s experience and his confession of faith in God, our eyes are opened to the fact that God doesn’t simply take away a trial, instead, He wants to help us walk through the fire (the trial). The reason for this is so that God can show us how weak we are and how strong He is.

Why would he want to do this?

   God wants us to learn to lean on Him more and less upon ourselves. Paul prayed three times for God to take the problem away, yet it was this same problem that caused him to approach God’s throne even more. And that is what God is getting at here.

   The more we feel our weakness, the more we will desire help – and, as Christians, our strength is found in God and His Word. The more that temptation comes, the more you are driven to your knees and into a deeper study of His Word to seek comfort… And this is how God strengthens us. This is how He strengthens our faith in Him.

   God chooses the discipline of the trial to drive us to have a closer walk with Him.
 
   I know that someone is going through something really trying today. You have followed in the Lord’s precepts, you have listened to His calling in your life, you are striving towards righteousness, and yet it feels as though those trials, temptations, and difficulties, simply won’t go away. My encouragement to you would be to have faith in God – there is a lesson He would like for you to learn, there is a purpose for your struggle. And in order to know that purpose, you have got to stick with Him through the storm. You have got to trust Him with your life more than ever before. And you have got to keep persevering in prayer.

   His promise for us is that “My grace is sufficient for you: for my power is made perfect in your weakness.”

   When we then have victory over that temptation, we then testify to the universe that God is able to keep us from falling and His Word is true and His love is constant and His grace is surely sufficient for all who choose Him. Thus, we glorify God.

   Will you allow God to use your difficulties to glorify Him today?