Don't Give Up!
"Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said, 'In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, grant me justice against my adversary. For some time he refused, but finally he said to himself, even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see hat she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming! And the Lord said, listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will see that they get justice and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?' (Luke 18:1-8)."
Jesus gave us this parable to encourage us to not lose heart and to keep praying until we receive the answer. It is natural to become discouraged when you continually pray to the Lord and it seems as though your prayers are falling on deaf ears. satan loves it when God's children become discouraged because it is then they become ineffective and their light becomes dim.
Your human tendency is to give up when you don't receive the answer in the time you thought it should occur. Wicked men prosper. They seem to be getting away with the evil they have done to you, your family or someone close to you. You cry out to God, 'How long O Lord?' Days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months and months turn into years. And still, no answer. Don't. Give. Up. My. Friend. When it looks as though all is hopeless; When your world comes crashing down; When you are just tired from the battle....keep fighting the good fight of faith. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58)." Your prayers, your work, your perseverance, everything you do for the Lord is never in vain!
In due time, God will come to your rescue. If the unjust judge Jesus spoke about in the parable could avenge a widow, whom he did not even care for, how much more will the righteous God avenge His elect~His chosen people? The cries His people send up to His throne day and night for deliverance are heard by Him, and because He is just, He will deliver them at just the right time and will punish their enemies. There is a law of reaping and sowing at work and not one person can escape it. "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life (Galatians 6:7)." Your deliverance is on its way. In the meantime, know and believe that God is working this very trial for your good. You and I know how it ends. God always has the final say. Whatever you have been praying for that has not yet come to pass no matter how long it takes, keep asking, keep seeking and keep knocking. "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7)." Remember it is all in God's perfect timing. Allow Him to show you things in the valley that you otherwise could have never known. He is growing you in Him. He is strengthening your faith and giving you the precious gift of perseverance. He is taking you to another level. There is always a battle, sometimes fierce, before the victory.
We, as followers of Christ, need to stop laying down and letting the enemy walk all over us. Get angry at sin. Let your faith move you into action. Don't be silent. Always be ready to take your stand for Christ. In Him, we have victory. Victory over the enemy. Victory over sin and death. Victory over our enemies. Victory over bondage. The Lord is on our side. "With Your help I can advance against a troop, with my God I can scale a wall. As for God His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless, He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me Your shield of victory; You stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do no turn. I pursued my enemies and crushed them. I did not turn back till they were destroyed. I crushed them completely, and they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet. You armed me with strength for battle; You made my adversaries bow at my feet (2 Samuel 22:30-40)."
Remember, the desire of our Father is that we seek Him above all else. Nothing that happens to you does not first pass through His loving hands. He does work everything out for the good of those who love Him, yes, but don't omit the next verse: to conform us into the likeness of His Son. This is often a painful process, however, it will be worth it. "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed (1 Peter 4:12-13)." When we stand before the Lord one day, nothing else will matter; to be in His presence and gaze upon His glory. "One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple (Psalm 27:4)." How I long for that day!
Jesus gave us this parable to encourage us to not lose heart and to keep praying until we receive the answer. It is natural to become discouraged when you continually pray to the Lord and it seems as though your prayers are falling on deaf ears. satan loves it when God's children become discouraged because it is then they become ineffective and their light becomes dim.
Your human tendency is to give up when you don't receive the answer in the time you thought it should occur. Wicked men prosper. They seem to be getting away with the evil they have done to you, your family or someone close to you. You cry out to God, 'How long O Lord?' Days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months and months turn into years. And still, no answer. Don't. Give. Up. My. Friend. When it looks as though all is hopeless; When your world comes crashing down; When you are just tired from the battle....keep fighting the good fight of faith. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58)." Your prayers, your work, your perseverance, everything you do for the Lord is never in vain!
In due time, God will come to your rescue. If the unjust judge Jesus spoke about in the parable could avenge a widow, whom he did not even care for, how much more will the righteous God avenge His elect~His chosen people? The cries His people send up to His throne day and night for deliverance are heard by Him, and because He is just, He will deliver them at just the right time and will punish their enemies. There is a law of reaping and sowing at work and not one person can escape it. "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life (Galatians 6:7)." Your deliverance is on its way. In the meantime, know and believe that God is working this very trial for your good. You and I know how it ends. God always has the final say. Whatever you have been praying for that has not yet come to pass no matter how long it takes, keep asking, keep seeking and keep knocking. "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7)." Remember it is all in God's perfect timing. Allow Him to show you things in the valley that you otherwise could have never known. He is growing you in Him. He is strengthening your faith and giving you the precious gift of perseverance. He is taking you to another level. There is always a battle, sometimes fierce, before the victory.
We, as followers of Christ, need to stop laying down and letting the enemy walk all over us. Get angry at sin. Let your faith move you into action. Don't be silent. Always be ready to take your stand for Christ. In Him, we have victory. Victory over the enemy. Victory over sin and death. Victory over our enemies. Victory over bondage. The Lord is on our side. "With Your help I can advance against a troop, with my God I can scale a wall. As for God His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless, He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me Your shield of victory; You stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do no turn. I pursued my enemies and crushed them. I did not turn back till they were destroyed. I crushed them completely, and they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet. You armed me with strength for battle; You made my adversaries bow at my feet (2 Samuel 22:30-40)."
Remember, the desire of our Father is that we seek Him above all else. Nothing that happens to you does not first pass through His loving hands. He does work everything out for the good of those who love Him, yes, but don't omit the next verse: to conform us into the likeness of His Son. This is often a painful process, however, it will be worth it. "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed (1 Peter 4:12-13)." When we stand before the Lord one day, nothing else will matter; to be in His presence and gaze upon His glory. "One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple (Psalm 27:4)." How I long for that day!
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