Never Give Up
- Michael Smith
- Jul 8, 2007
You ever feel stuck, desperate and alone in your circumstances?
We cry out God why? Where are you?
These are real questions of the heart, but can be misplaced to center on ourselves.
God loves and cares for us and wants the best for us. However He will use the circumstances of our life to form the image of Christ in us if we will allow Him.
Jesus said in the world you would have tribulation, but I have overcome the world.
The temptation is to give up. To resign to our lot in life and cope.
John 6:63-68
"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
"But there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him.
And He was saying, "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father."
As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.
So Jesus said to the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you?"
Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.
Where are we to go? Peter said to Jesus to whom can we go You have words of life. But there were others who walked away at that time.
2
This is a fallen world though it belongs to God. Sometimes we need to stand against the devil. Other times we need to stand in our authority given us as believers.
Its in these life circumstances that God will use to bring about our surrender and death. That Christ might be fully realized in our lives in a lost and dying world.
The character of Christ will be formed in us, as we walk with endurance. Having done all stand. We need to come to a place of trust in God even unto death like Job.
Luke 21:19 "By your endurance you will gain your lives.
Heb. 10:36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.
James 1:3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
James 1:4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
James 5:11 We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.
Shall we allow ourselves to shrink back or to spiral down to such a place that we are no longer asking, where is God? But rather saying, there is no God. Will we begin to agree with the lies rather then believe God?
It's one thing to believe God as creator and that there is a heaven and hell. But quite another to believe that God cares and is involved in our lives, especially when we are going through difficult times.
3
But where else can we turn? We as believers are either going to enter into His rest in the midst of our trials or continue to be discourage, downtrodden and defeated till we do.
We need to declare we will walk through or we will stand firm trusting God is working all things together for our good.
It is our choice of life or death spiritually speaking. Casting ourselves into His care trusting He will not fail us though we see not an answer or a victory.
That's what real faith is, believing God when there is no evidence to do so.
Heb. 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
We need to stay the course, and not give up. Do not surrender to that which would have you doubt God and give up.
When we can do this regardless of our circumstances, trusting our cares to God, we will see Him move in a mighty way in our lives.
We will see Him in all things and be assured we can rest in Him. Because He loves us and we can rest in that love.
This is something which must be walked out and cannot be learned by teachings. Only by walking through a trial with God will we become assured He can work all things together for our good.
Until then it is only the understanding of God working on our behalf. But after having walked through the fires of life with God, an assurance of (I know that I know) develops in us that our God will move on our behalf.
And this is our victory, Romans 8:35-39
Never Give Up
michaelsmith2007
