These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (KJV) Looking at the events taking place around us, it is to despair, but the words above must bring us comfort today. It might appear as if worldliness is prevailing against good today but be of good cheer, Jesus overcame the world. There is no one who is above the law for there is a higher law in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Lord of justice and we can derive comfort in the fact that he is the one who defends the helpless. All the answers we ever need are stored up in his Word.
We can never get peace from the things that are around us but only from his Word. If you have been searching for peace from your surroundings, this is the time to give up the search and look for peace from the Word. He is the one who gives peace that surpasses all understanding. It is a given that there will be tribulation in the world. These words were spoken to the disciples and to us. Praise God for Christ has subdued the world and he has put the world under His feet. Many of the great leaders in the New Testament had to taste prison life in their pursuit of the heavenly vision. Look at John the Baptist, Paul, Peter to name but a few.
In Psalm 11David investigates how the righteous should react in the midst of crumbling foundations. He gives the answers; the Lord is in His Holy temple and he sees everything that is happening in our lives. The situations in our lives, at the moment are in the Lord’s full view. He is a just God and he will see to it that justice is carried out? Just remember the words of our Lord Jesus, “In the world you shall have tribulation but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” The requirement is not just being cheerful but demonstrating cheerfulness that goes beyond the known measure. Hold on, for thy deliverance is nigh for our Lord Jesus spoke and said, “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. (Rev 3:11-KJV).”
So I told them, ‘Bring me your gold earrings.’ When they brought them to me, I threw them into the fire – and out came this calf!” Exo 32:24 God heard the cry of the children of Israel as they were oppressed in Egypt. In His compassion, he sent Moses his servant to rescue them and set them free from the yoke of slavery. As Moses was coming down from the mountain where he was meeting with the Lord, he found the whole nation in crisis. The people had turned away from God and were worshiping a golden calf. Aaron understood and knew the command that God had given to Israel. Remember he was Moses’ spokesperson in Egypt.
When Aaron is questioned about what had happened in Moses’ absence, he refuses to take responsibility. God wants to take you to new dimensions but as long as you are still full of excuses, you will not experience it. Failure to take responsibility results in stagnancy. When Aaron was confronted by Moses concerning his sin, he answered Moses, “…I threw them into the fire and out came this calf,” (Verse 24). He tries to run away from responsibility. Many times you hear people blaming their fathers for the things that have happened in their lives.
God has provided a way out of your situation, and that way is for you to arise and take responsibility for your situation. Aaron was supposed to fall down and repent for his sin. His was a sin that caused a loss of many lives in the nation that day but all he does is attribute the misfortune to some miracle that happened in the fire and produced a golden calf. This is the season for us to focus on God like never before. If there are any golden calves in your life, this is the time to destroy them and move your eyes to focus on the Lord Jesus. An excuse is a justification of fault or a release from an obligation or duty. The Lord is saying to you today enough of those excuses. Arise and change things around you; the power is in your hands.
So he said: “From the one who eats came something to eat; out of the strong came something sweet.” Three days later they were still trying to figure it out. (Judges 14:14 NLT) When the Word comes, it is an encouragement to His children. It brings strength where naturally there is no strength. Samson was appointed by the Lord as a judge in Israel; they were under the oppression of the Philistines. In their distress, the people started crying to the Lord. God was moved and Samson was raised.
As Samson was on his way to Timnah, a young lion attacked him The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon Samson and he ripped the lion apart like a little kid. Don’t you remember that the Bible says that when the devil comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will raise up a standard against him? Rise up and make use of the strength that the Lord has made available to you.
Later on, Samson revisited the carcass of the lion and he found there was honey inside it A situation that could have ended Samson’s life became a source of victory and nourishment for him. Some bees had made honey in the carcass of the young lion. Samson’s danger became the source of beautiful honey which did not only feed him but even others. Is this not what the Lord wants to do in us, when we pass through difficult times, it not his desire that we will find good in bad and be a blessing to other people. Samson then coined a riddle: “From the one who eats came something to eat; out of the strong came something sweet.” God’s desire is to bring the best out of your difficult situation. God can turn around the situation for your own good. The carcass of the lion was rotting but amazingly Samson found honey in it. Is there a situation in your life which you which is rotting? God through his Holy Spirit wants to bring the best out of it. You must be rest assured that the hand of the Lord is there to turn things around for your own good.
” As they discussed who should be appointed for the job, Pharaoh said, “Who could do it better than Joseph? For he is a man who is obviously filled with the spirit of God.” Gen 41:38 Joseph was a brilliant young man, intelligent and with a big portfolio of dreams. Success was definitely supposed to be a given for him. Here is a young man who had the doors to his future wide open for him and nothing was going to stop him. His father loved him very much but in that love, he had to deal with hatred from his brothers. He had amazing dreams and in those dreams, he had to deal with the opposition that was coming to him from all directions. The summary of this young man was that of a person in conflict. He had a dream and a vision but he had to go through a tough road to the realization of those goals and dreams. There is a journey to be taken on the road to the realization of your dream. Joseph waited for several years to hear the words in Gen 41:38 said to him, “Who could do it better than Joseph?” Obstacles are never a signal for the end of your dreams. Today I want to assure you that God is keeping your dream alive. Joseph found himself in the hands of his brothers and they had plans to kill him. His brothers threw him into a pit.
In that pit Joseph should have been calling unto to the father like some of us. We usually confront God with the question “Why me?” I am sure God’s answer has always remained the same, “Because you are special!” In those situations, the Lord is busy preparing you for that big dream that you have. You are so special to Him. When he left the pit, he was sold into slavery. It was time for him to come out of the familiar territory and go to Egypt ahead of his family. The methods that God used to bring Joseph closer to his throne were unconventional. As a slave in Potiphar’s house he did well and was promoted but at that moment, a false accusation came and he landed in prison. All these things were allowed to prepare Joseph. From prison, Joseph saw the fulfillment of his dream.
I want to encourage you today that the dream you have is not dead God is keeping your dream alive in every situation that you face. Romans 5:3-5, Paul says tribulations are good and the reason is that when you go through tribulation, it brings about perseverance. Perseverance brings about proven character, and proven character hope. And hope does not disappoint because of the love of God. Hope in the Lord and you will not be disappointed. The tribulations that we face are not a misnomer; it is the highway of God for the realization of your maximum potential. In everything, keep your focus on Him.
And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? Mark 4 v 37- 39 [KJV]
The story of the Titanic is probably one of modern day stories that relate to the rage that the sea can unleash. One of the most challenging times for any sailor is not when the sea is calm but when there is a storm and high winds or when there is a threat of sinking from whatever reason. A storm at sea can destroy even a state of the art ship and bring it down to the peril of those in it. Jesus and the disciples came face to face with one such storm at sea. My spirit is drawn towards the words that Christ had said in verse thirty-five just before they started off on that trip. “And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.” LUKE 8:35. ‘Let us pass over unto the other side.’
The next thing we hear after those words is the arising of a great storm. There is a relationship between the words Christ spoke and the arising of the storm. That is evidenced by the experiences that we go through in life. Many times when the Lord gives you a Word, the devil tries his best to oppose it. Many have gone through moments when they knew that the Lord was calling them to expand their horizons but they faced great opposition after receiving the word. You need to constantly focus on that word until it is fulfilled in your life. That opposition does not mean the Lord has forsaken you.
He said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ Christ was in the ship, at peace and resting when there was chaos all around the boat. Why would He be so much at peace in the midst of the storm? He had released a Word and despite the opposition, that Word was going to be fulfilled, they were going over to the other side. Jesus rested in that Word. The disciples were panicking and they woke Jesus up, they lacked faith. They blamed Jesus for being at peace in the midst of the storm. When Jesus woke up, He spoke to the sea and there was immediately a calm that amazed everyone. Jesus did not say,
‘That was close!’ He asked, ‘Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?’ The disciples feared for their lives despite the fact that the author of life was with them! They feared the storm and the sea yet the Master of it all was with them. You might think that indeed the disciples had no faith since Christ was right there with them but this is the same thing with you today, Christ is right there with you in your heart but you demonstrate the same fear the disciples showed that day.
When you pass through the storms of life, put your faith in Christ. The word has been released concerning your destiny, come hail or thunder, nothing will stop its fulfillment. Life threatening situations will come but have faith in Him. I hear His voice in your situation saying, ‘HUSH…Peace be still!’ He is watching over that word to perform it.
And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute. In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the changeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, [HEB 6 v 15-19 NAS]
In the midst of chaos and confusion, the children of God should rely on the Lord despite their location. Don’t panic, there is a Word for every situation you may go through. Do not fear for your investments even for your own life, we have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear. God has confirmed our salvation, liberty and success in this life through two things; His promise and His oath. These according to the book of Hebrews are absolutes! God’s promise on its own is good enough but for Him to give us full assurance; He also gave us an oath. The above scripture highlights that it is impossible for God to lie.
He does not retract on His Word and like man He does not change His mind. Beloved, God Has made up His mind concerning the things that relate to you. You might seem to be going under but remember today that there are promises that He has deposited into your life. To solidify those promises, He made an oath with just you in mind. What a mighty God we serve! In verse 18 of the above reference, we are told, “so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.”
There indeed is hope that is set before us; it is because of this that you can rise up from your mess. In that test of life that you are in, you can be strengthened by the knowledge that He Has not abandoned you. He is surely a God that turns your mess into your message and your test into your testimony.
