It is imperative to stay alert!

Aug 21, 2022 News

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==My Testimony==

 

Kaieteur News – There are dark forces seeking to thwart our focus from doing good and living fulfilling lives, and those of us determined to be overcomers know for a fact that this is no joke.  But praise be to God, He is bigger than any dark force and will forever prevail. His name must be glorified even amidst the madness that we survive daily, and the madness, some of us already know, will not subside in the near future.

While there are some among us who are hoping for the day when things will become ‘bright and beautiful’, based on biblical teachings, this will not be the case in this fallen world. This is made absolutely clear in the 24^th chapter of the book of Matthew.  This is but one of the chapters in the bible that paints a daunting picture of what we are to expect. It states: “²¹ For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.  ²² And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”

This means that even the strongest of believers in Christ Jesus are at risk of falling away and this is owing to the fact, as stated in Matthew 24, that “¹¹…many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. ¹² And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”

I am compelled to highlight this state of affairs even as I battle to put together this mere article to testify of the goodness of God in my life. Had it not been for his grace, there would be no way for me to complete it with the ongoing onslaught on my mind.

Never before has the verse James 4:7: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” been more meaningful to me.

I find that I literally have to cry out to God sometimes to get through such oppressive episodes. These manifest through thoughts meant to weaken and, at times, these attacks come while I am asleep. We should however be grateful that help is always forthcoming as “…the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus,” – Philippians 4:7 reminds.

By simply being determined to hold on to the end, God will make a way even in the face of what may appear to be the worst obstacles in our lives, as nothing can separate us from his love.

Recently, I smiled when I found that something as simple as a notebook journal for sale on amazon.com has this welcoming biblical (Romans 8:38-39) reminder: “Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord – This is a reminder we can all do with, every day!”

It is amazing how God uses his people or situations to remind us of his unconditional love, especially when the going gets tough.

Although during the past week, I took advantage of multiple opportunities to tell people who I’d never met before about the goodness of God, it turned out to be an especially tough week for me. While it was clear as day that God helped me through it all, by the end of the week I was wallowing in self-pity, convinced that I’d made it through by the ‘skin of my teeth’. I was even overwhelmed with thoughts of how I could be discouraged in the future. However, I eventually recognised this thought-pattern as a setup to thwart my focus from the true and living God.

Since our heavenly father knows that we will be faced with situations that can literally tempt us to lose faith in him, he encourages us in many ways including at 1 Peter 5:7 to “cast all our cares and worries on him because he cares for us.”

Perhaps convinced that the forgoing needed to be emphasized for a blockhead like me, Jesus reminds also in the good book at Matthew 6, “²⁵Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” It continues, “²⁷Which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? ²⁸And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labour or spin.”

It’s truly amazing the lengths to which God would go to remind us that we are loved. The way I see it, His reminders throughout the bible are little love notes and when they grab my attention, I can’t help but smile knowing that the Creator of the universe has got me. I am comforted by the thought that I’m absolutely safe and secure regardless of what I am faced with on a daily basis.

But sometimes our desire to be independent of the ‘Supreme One’ could steer us along a path of believing that we could live our best lives by adhering to our own counsel. But I am daily learning that total reliance on the true and living God, is the best possible option for me. Proverbs 3:5-7 states, “⁵ Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. ⁶ In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

We only need to believe in him. However, as I reminded earlier, dark forces are simultaneously vying for our attention thus we must be determined to not fall prey. As such the bible reminds us to: “Be sober, be vigilant because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour,” – 1 Peter 5:8. And then at John 10:10 it is underscored that: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” but thankfully in the very verse we are reminded that our Saviour came to ensure that we “have life and have it more abundantly too.”

Stay alert by reading the word, praying fervently, and worshiping the heavenly father every chance you get.

 

 

 

 

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