TRIALS & TRIBULATIONS

An organization in Montana offered a bounty of five thousand dollars for every wolf captured alive. Two hunters decided to head for the hills and make some money capturing wolves. Day and night, they scoured the mountains and forests, searching for their valuable prey. Exhausted after three days of hunting without success, they both fell asleep.    During the night, one of the hunters suddenly woke up to find that the two were surrounded by a pack of fifty wolves, their eyes flaming and teeth bared. At once, he called to his friend, “Hey, wake up! We’re gonna be rich!”

Sometimes we feel in over our heads in difficulties. They surround us like that pack of wolves preparing to pounce. But perhaps these difficulties are actually opportunities??  But through these tribulations, we see that God is taking each situation, one by one, and turning it for His Glory — They just become more opportunities for us to testify of His goodness.  Today, we have the opportunity to learn and grow and experience the grace and power of God through these trials which surround us. The devil is not as smart or powerful as he appears — and we have a great and All-Mighty God who has a way of using our enemy’s silly tactics for the building up of His Great Kingdom!   Worthy Brief <worthybrief@worthynetwork.com&gt;

Ken’s Notes:     Often, people have shared with me about why did God allowed this and that.  Or why does not God do something about this and that.  As if God is somehow responsible for all of the bad stuff on earth.   Actually God did make Adam and made him with a freewill to rule on earth but Adam did not listen and decided to obey lucifer instead of God.  So in disobedience the world came under lucifer’s control but in obedience is could be won back.   So in the fulness of time Jesus came and won it back for those who want to learn to live in obedience to God.   So like the scripture teaches us, “In Adam all died, so in Christ Jesus all are made alive.  Rom. 5:18, 1 Cor.15:22

So our Creator God has given us the cure for all of the bad stuff on earth if we will decide to obey Jesus as Lord rather than lucifer as lord.  And the 66 writings in the Bible have been given to us by God through HIS prophets for us to learn how to become obedient to Jesus as LORD.  Rom. 10:9-10

And if you get into your Bible and learn about sin and righteousness you will find that God has allowed lucifer to still be in charge of the disobedient.  And that the bad stuff on earth only makes those who submit to Jesus as LORD even to be stronger in victory.  God will not allow us to be tested beyond what we are able to have the victory over.  But the victory is only ours if we go for it and depend upon the Lord for the help we need to secure the victory.  Rom. 8 is a wonderful chapter concerning God’s Power, through Jesus for our victory over trials and tribulations.  1 Cor.10:13

And God never gives anything and then takes it back.  He already knows what we are going to do with it before it is given.   GOD knew that lucifer would defect due to free will.  But he also knew that Gabriel and Michael needed free will to be complete.   So our Creator God  now has 2 mighty angels who do as they do because that is what they want to do.   Unfortunately lucifer will soon find that his pride and rebellion in his free will is going to be very costly for him.  So we are now growing up in a spiritual gymnasium with freewill which can make us strong spiritually or kill us.  We are really in deep spiritual warfare which come to us in physical forms as per Eph. 6:11-12:  “Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places. 13 Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious].”  So who puts on the armor?  Do you see it, we are responsible for putting on the armor of God.”  And then Paul goes on to tell us about the armor.  Eph. 6:14-18: “So stand firm and hold your ground, having [a] tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart), and having [b] strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]. Above all, lift up the [protective] [c] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.  With all prayer and petition pray [with specific requests] at all times [on every occasion and in every season] in the Spirit, and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition [interceding in prayer] for all [d] God’s people.”

So we have Belt of Truth, Breastplate of Righteousness, Firm Footing, Shield of Faith, Helmet of Salvation, Sword of Word of God and all in prayer.  We are heading into some really stiff battles so is your armor in good repair?   How polished up is your armor?  Does is shine like the Son?

If you learn to put on your full suit of armor you will be able to live a victorious life in Christ Jesus as your LORD, (Master).   If not, you will be like a kite in a strong wind without a string.    Rom.8:37-39:   “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors and gain an overwhelming victory through Him who loved us [so much that He died for us]. For I am convinced [and continue to be convinced—beyond any doubt] that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the [unlimited] love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”