The Challenges of Your Faith in God's Written Word

The more your faith in God's Word is challenged, the more your Kingdom confidence grows. Remember, God's commands should always be your standard for living an effective lifestyle. Heaven and earth will pass away, but the King's Word will remain forever. (meaning, whatever the King states is sovereign). Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
Allow me to share this with you. In the city of Philippi, Paul and Silas were beaten, thrown into prison and locked in stocks for preaching the Gospel of Christ. What was the Gospel of Christ? It was the Gospel of the Kingdom. From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Instead of whining and bemoaning their circumstances, they worshiped and sang hymns to the Lord God right there in prison. The Lord God sent an earthquake that released all the prisoners. Now, listen to this: As a result, the jailer was converted (reborn) to Christ along with his entire family!
Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days.
But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour. But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities. And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.” Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”
Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.
Remember, if your faith is in God's Word, it doesn't matter what happens around you because God's Word is sovereign and stable. He never shifts or moves. He is always the same. God's Constitution makes it perfectly clear: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Jesus made this statement: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.” In other words, don't just be filled with the things I can give you. Don't just desire the blessings of life. Desire to be filled with Me, My Word.
When our faith is in Him, we can endure anything because we trust in His power, not our own, and because He will not allow us to be challenged beyond our ability to endure. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Question: How strong are you? Just as your muscles develop strength the more they are used, so too your faith grows stronger the more you exercise it. So, the greatest challenge of your faith--the greatest potential for growth--comes during the times of hardship. If you trust in the Lord God, get ready for the challenges. The examination day is coming.
Matthew 24:35 Matthew 4:17, 23 Acts 16:16-34
Hebrews 13:8 John 6:53-58 I Corinthians 10:13
~~W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
Allow me to share this with you. In the city of Philippi, Paul and Silas were beaten, thrown into prison and locked in stocks for preaching the Gospel of Christ. What was the Gospel of Christ? It was the Gospel of the Kingdom. From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Instead of whining and bemoaning their circumstances, they worshiped and sang hymns to the Lord God right there in prison. The Lord God sent an earthquake that released all the prisoners. Now, listen to this: As a result, the jailer was converted (reborn) to Christ along with his entire family!
Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days.
But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour. But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities. And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.” Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”
Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.
Remember, if your faith is in God's Word, it doesn't matter what happens around you because God's Word is sovereign and stable. He never shifts or moves. He is always the same. God's Constitution makes it perfectly clear: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Jesus made this statement: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.” In other words, don't just be filled with the things I can give you. Don't just desire the blessings of life. Desire to be filled with Me, My Word.
When our faith is in Him, we can endure anything because we trust in His power, not our own, and because He will not allow us to be challenged beyond our ability to endure. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Question: How strong are you? Just as your muscles develop strength the more they are used, so too your faith grows stronger the more you exercise it. So, the greatest challenge of your faith--the greatest potential for growth--comes during the times of hardship. If you trust in the Lord God, get ready for the challenges. The examination day is coming.
Matthew 24:35 Matthew 4:17, 23 Acts 16:16-34
Hebrews 13:8 John 6:53-58 I Corinthians 10:13
~~W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you