Word of Life

Enough is Enough!

 ³ Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die? 4 If we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’-the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.” 2 Kings 7:3-4

It reaches a point in life when you are so succumbed by issues of life you tend to want to give up. When you have prayed and prayed and prayed and nothing seems to happen; you need to understand that this is not the time to give up or start complaining and murmuring to God and telling him that He is not answering you; instead, it is the time to press on!! Someone said, “You can only do more prayer when you have prayed”. This means that you have no time to waste but you need to continue praying. In Daniel 10:1-13, Daniel goes into prayer and fasting in order to hear God’s mind but the prince of Persia held the angel who was sent to give Daniel his answer. Yet Daniel hadn’t stopped praying, he continued and pressed on till he got his answer. I pray that this day you too hold on.

                In life, you need also to press on. There are situations, habbits, diseases or eve circumstances that you always find yourself in and they keep re-occurring each and every time. It is the high time that you stood your ground and prayed them out of your life or way. You need to get mad with the devil and let him know that he has no portion in your life – not even an inch. You are a child of the most high and thus you need to walk with your head high and do not allow anyone or anything to torment you in any way. You have an inheritance with your father in heaven and you are destined for greatness, so why should small situations and circumstances bring you down and break you as though you have no power or no one to defend you; your father in heaven is a mighty warrior, a man of war and He has never lost any battle.

                The four lepers were isolated from the rest of the larger community of the Israelites because they had leprosy and thus they were considered unclean. This was a common practice amongst the Israelites but there is something unique that I see in these four lepers. It’s true they knew they were lepers and they could not be allowed to mingle with the rest of the people and thus they lived out of the camp. At this point in time, Israel was besieged by the Arameans and thus they were in great famine till they started to eat their own children. These four lepers were not spared as well but here they challenge themselves and asked “Why stay here until we die? In other words, they got tired of being secluded and isolated and thus even though they knew they would eventually die, they chose not to die of hunger. Why should you also remain where you are for eternity?

                You need to reach a point and you get restless and uncomfortable of being where you are. Some of the situations and things that have been happening in our lives have made us become contented and comfortable where we are. We have settled for less of what God has in store for us. The devil has made us become relaxed and contented till we cannot see beyond the circumstances that surround us. The lepers said… “Let us arise and go, if they kill us we die, if they spare us, we live”. You need to know that when you put yourself in a cage of contentment in your comfort zone, you are only curtailing yourself from what God can do through you. God used the steps of the lepers to resound like a vast army to the ears of the Arameans and thus they fled leaving their possessions which included the food that they had plundered from the Israelites and thus, the Israelites were able to get food to end the famine.

                You need to tell the devil that enough is enough. You have been held captive in a habbit, sickness, joblessness, unfaithfulness; lying name it – whatever that you have struggled with. It is time you declared that ENOUGH is ENOUGH and started to walk towards your freedom and deliverance. The bible says in Hebrews 11:24-26 that “… Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.”  Moses realized who he was and the calling that God had given him. This could not have allowed him to continue basking in the glory of being called a son of the daughter of pharaoh but it meant that he had to denounce that identity and embrace another one.

                When blind Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was passing by Jericho in Mark 10:46-52; he started shouting at the top of his voice calling unto Jesus to have mercy on him. We are told in verse 48 that “Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” You need to know that when you become restless of where you are and you are ready to move on, there are obstacles that will come your way. It is up to you to determine whether you will accept to be derailed or you will push on. Bartimaeus did push on and he got his miracle. He was able to see again. In Luke 8:43-48, we read about the lady who had continuous flow of blood for twelve years. The bible tells us that she had spent all that she had in search for cure but she couldn’t since no one could heal her. I believe in those twelve years, she had cried herself out until she got tired. I believe that when she heard that Jesus heals people, she thought to herself that her troubles were over.

The bible tells us that she only touched the hem of the garment of Jesus. I believe in her heart she was determined just to touch the garment and she had faith that she would get whole. It takes a step of faith to declare that ENOUGH is ENOUGH and get tired of the circumstances and situations that you are in and get into a whole new realm of freedom. If Moses continued to enjoy the glory and privilege of being part of the Pharaoh’s royal family, the children of Israel would have remained in slavery. If Bartimaeus chose to listen to the people who were telling him to keep quiet, he would have remained a blind man. If the 4 lepers remained isolated where they were outside the camp, they would have died of hunger and if the woman remained in her house wailing that she was an outcast and no cure for her, she couldn’t have received her healing.

Are you ready to take that step of faith today and declare to what has held you captive that ENOUGH is ENOUGH and walk in faith towards your freedom? Get mad with the enemy and wage war with him. Jesus said in Matthew 11:12, that “from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force.” It is the high time that you reclaimed what is rightfully yours. Rise up and walk into your possession by force. If you are not violent and aggressive in claiming what is rightfully yours; be sure, the devil will always take you for granted. Caleb told Joshua, “Give me that mountain. I will fight the giants and inherit the mountain for I am well able and strong as I was 45 years ago” Joshua 14:6-12. We need to be aggressive and fearless as Caleb was and reclaim our inheritance and what is our portion in the land of living. Do not be comfortable where you are or settle for less… Go for what you are convinced is rightfully yours in the kingdom of God and even on earth!

Amen!!

February 24th, 2010 Posted by Mutuma, Dennis | Daily Inspirations | 11 Comments

Lay down your burdens!

²⁸“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

It reaches a point in our lives that we feel overwhelmed and there are things that you need to shed off and lay off others. Especially if you consider the corporate world, it reaches a point where you feel that the tasks and responsibilities that you have in your place of work are too much for you and hence you need to lay off others or delegate the same to other people so that you can free yourself and be able to concentrate on others. This is the same principle that applies in the spiritual world as well. There are issues and burdens that we carry and thus we are so overwhelmed by life and many a times, what many of us result to is they get to feel like the walk of faith isn’t meaningful at all and it is at this point that we contemplate backsliding. The reason for us opting this is because; we tend to see that there are options that we can switch to in the other world but we cannot apply to our Christian faith and thus the feeling that Christianity is curtailing us at one point or another.

Jesus speaks to the disciples in Mark 8:34-35 and tells them “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” It is so bad for us that we are so selfish and all that we want is for us to have what is entitled to us and we forget that when we have all, we are at a risk of losing it all at some point. Jesus continues and says in verse 36 “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” This is where as human beings we stand – we want all. The options that we see out there that can help us solve our problems are there so as they can they can entice us and you will come to realize in the long run, they only end up adding to our problems rather than helping us sort our problems. Take an example of someone who thinks that going to a witch will help him/her solve their issues. When they get there, they are asked to carry out some rituals that are not even making sense, they are asked for things or do some things that they cannot either afford to give or do – has the person been helped or he has added more issues to their lives?

May God forgive us for acting in ignorance to his word. Jesus says clearly that “I am the way the truth and the life. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.” John 14:6. Jesus is the only way to the solutions of our problems. Jesus knew the problems that the Israelites had. They were overburdened by their sins as well as the oppression that they had from the Roman government. They were oppressed to a point that they really longed for the day that the Messiah would come and deliver them. Too bad that they didn’t realize that Jesus was the messiah that they anticipated for. One thing you need to realize is that Physical freedom is as a manifestation of the Spiritual freedom. If you are not spiritually free, do not then expect to have freedom even in the physical. The children of Israel did not require physical freedom; they needed spiritual freedom which would in turn advance them to physical freedom.

Any type of bondage may it be physical or Spiritual is equated to a yoke. That’s why Jesus said… “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:29-30. Jesus knowing the spiritual principles, He tells them to break off from the ‘yokes –the burdens’ that had bound them and take up his ‘yoke’ which is easy and the burden which is light. If you look at cows or donkeys that are used to plough, they have a yoke tied on their necks and that’s what makes them work efficiently. The person using them uses the yoke to control the animals to plough or pull a cart.  This is the same principle that the devil uses when he inputs upon you a yoke. You will always be tethered to his plans and you will always be under his control.

What are some of the burdens that we carry along with us? Some of us have anger, others are professional liars, to some of us, the burden that we are carrying is unfaithfulness. It might not be in our marriages or relationships but even with whatever is entrusted unto our custody; fornication and immorality; backbiting name them. These are all burdens that we carry along with us. Others have family issues and sicknesses that are chronic. One thing that I am happy about is that Jesus didn’t specify which burdens that we should bring to him and which ones that we shouldn’t bring to him or who should bring burden and who shouldn’t. He said, “Come unto me ALL you who are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest”

You also need to realize that is your responsibility to realize that you need rest from the burdens that you carry. Jesus says ‘come’ note that He didn’t say that I will come looking for you – No! It is up to you to realize that you need rest and thus you go to him. In John 5:43-48, we see the story of a woman who had a continuous blood flow for twelve years. She had become the laughing stalk of her village and actually she was an outcast. She had used all she had to get cure but she wasn’t successful. But the minute she realized that it takes just a step of faith to go and touch the hem of the garment of Jesus, she got whole when she did that. She refused to continue being under the bondage of the flow of blood that she had.

Blind Bartimaeus did the same. In Mark 10:46-52, we see that he became tired of being a beggar in the streets and decided to call on the name of Jesus and he got healed. It takes your initiative to realize that you need your freedom. It is at that point that you call out to Jesus and you lay down your burdens at his feet and He gives you rest. It is only at one instance that we see Jesus asking someone if he wants to get whole. In John 5:6-9, Jesus asks the man at the pool whether he wanted to get well. I believe Jesus knew that the man had been there under the bondage of sickness for 38 years. The challenge today is, Jesus is calling unto you and me to go and lay all our cares and burdens unto him and go free but it will take my initiative and yours to realize that we need freedom and then go to him and lay down our burdens unto him.

Amen!!

February 18th, 2010 Posted by Mutuma, Dennis | Daily Inspirations | 5 Comments

Sow a Godly seed today!

24Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while everyone was sleeping; his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.” Matthew 13:24-26

Jesus takes his time to speak to his disciples and explain to them the meaning of the parable of the sower that He had spoken to the crowds earlier on. He goes ahead and speaks to them about the kingdom equated to a seed planted by the sower in a shamba. He goes ahead and tells his disciples that in the middle of the night, the enemy came and planted weeds amongst the good seed that the sower had planted. This could not be noted immediately till both the weeds and the good crops germinated and grew up. It is then that he noticed that there was something growing up that he had not planted. It is then that he decides that He won’t uproot any of them till they are completely grown, thus, he can be able to sort and separate them well without uprooting either.

Your life is a seed that God has planted. You need to realize that you are precious in the eyes of the Lord and He values you so much. By the virtue that you are here on earth, God had planted (placed) you here so that you can grow and reproduce. No farmer plants a seed without expecting growth and reproduction of the same. The whole essence of a seed is multiplication of what you have. God expects you to multiply here on earth and have more godly people like you who reverence and fear him. He told Adam when he created him “to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” Genesis 1:28. It is so sad that at some point, people have taken this multiplication aspect only in one dimension – Biological multiplication and at some point neglected the Spiritual bit of it. The bible says in Malachi 2:15^c “The Lord brings a man and a woman together as one and a reason for this is so that they can bring forth godly offspring.” This withstanding, Jesus came and gave us the great commission in Matthew 28:19 and said “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations …” thus, God expects us to multiply in both aspects.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:13-16 that “we are the salt and the light of the world” This meant that He expects us to saturate the world with a flavor that is worth and as well fill the world with light so that darkness cannot prevail at any one given point. Are we the salt and the light today? If you evaluate your life, have you been any of them? Jesus giving the parable of the sower says that the seeds that the sower broadcasted fell in different places. There are seeds that fell on the road, on the rocks, in thorns and others in good soil. Of the ones that fell in thorns, he says “he one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.” Matthew 13:22. As we live in this world, there are many things, circumstances, issues and worries of this life choke us until we are not able to become what we are supposed to be. We forget the most essential and core business that we have been called for here on earth is living for the one who called us and fulfill the great commission that Jesus gave us.

You need to realize that the word of God dwells in you as a seed and the seed in incorruptible. The seed in you will not multiply or be fruitful if at all it remains within you. Go out there and share/plant the seed in someone’s life and leave the rest to God. In the New Life and Discipleship class, I was taught that “successful witnessing is taking the initiative to share the gospel of Christ (that’s planting the seed) and leaving the results to God.” That’s our sole business here on this earth. It will take your initiative to share the gospel with someone even if they do not give their lives to Christ, you have planted a seed in their lives and that word will keep on growing in them and stirring them up and one day, they will have no excuse but to yield. When the seed germinates and it’s ready to shot up, the ground has to give way for the shoot to come up.

There is no word that comes out of the mouth of God and comes back void; it has to accomplish its purpose (Isaiah 55:11). You need to realize that you do not do this in your own power; the Holy Spirit helps you and me to do it. Jesus said “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever; … But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you.” John 14:16; 26 The Holy Spirit is our teacher, our strength and comfort. When you go to share the word out there and you are harassed or not well received, the Holy Spirit is there to cheer you up to go on sharing.

1 Peter 1:23 reminds us that “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God” No matter what you may pass through and make you feel as if you are choked and no life is left in you to go on, remember that you are born of an imperishable seed. You have all what it takes and you get it through the word of God. Today I challenge you to rise up from where you have been. From your comfort zone and stand out. Share out your faith and plant a godly seed in someone’s life today and you never know what impact you will make to their lives just by sharing the good news of the Gospel of Christ.

Amen!!

February 17th, 2010 Posted by Mutuma, Dennis | Daily Inspirations | 2 Comments

God’s Discipline!

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” Hebrews 12:5-6

I remember the days I was young and my parents used to scold me with passion and they made sure that before they did so, we had a talk and I knew the reason why I am being scolded. At such times, I would feel so bad and if you could ask me at such a time whether my parents loved me, I would automatically say NO! The reason being that, I expected them to pardon me as their child/son instead of scolding me, but mum usually told me, that is because of love that they are doing so, so that the day that I will find myself in such a point again, I will remember the scolding I received and not do the same sin/wrong that I had done. I honestly appreciate my parents for the discipline they put me through because if it were not for them, I wouldn’t be who I am today.

The same way, we think about God. We like to think of God as a God of love. We do not like to think much about God as a father who punishes – especially as it would apply to us. Sometimes we do not want to face the consequences of our actions and thus we twist the truth of Scripture to a one-sided view so that it can fit our situations. 1 John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  Many use this verse as a credit card for sin.  It is an antidote for failure, not a sin license. God is a God of love. God does forgive our sin in response to our confessing and forsaking sin. However, God does punish sin in the lives of Christians.

Sin brings complications – things we cannot know beforehand, one of which is the discipline of God. Paul reminds the Hebrews and says “…  have you forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: ‘My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son” Hebrews 12:5-6. The Greek word translated discipline means “to train a child,” and includes both correction and punishment. God brings punishment through many forms. He may allow us to reap the natural consequences of our sin. He may allow loss of finances, loss of health, or loss of respect—to name a few. This is not to say that every time a brother or sister suffers such a fate it is God’s discipline. We live in a fallen world. Bad things happen to good people but yet, we are not the ones to judge, God is the judge and at such moments, we need to stand with them not criticize them as we often do.

Discipline, for the most part, is a private matter. It is between God and the son not for another to judge. God will make one aware of the offense and the fact that the discipline is from him. If this were not the case, what good would the discipline do? God does not take sin lightly. He does not want us to take it lightly either. Verse 6 makes it clear that every child of God receives his discipline. The degree and severity of the discipline depends upon several factors. One factor is our response to the discipline. Conviction is a first step in the discipline process. If one responds to conviction, there is no need to escalate the process. If one ignores conviction, God will get one’s attention at another level. The fact that God loves us does not mean he is willing to overlook our sin.  In fact, the opposite is true. His care for our well-being means that instead of overlooking our sin, he disciplines us to change our behavior. Christ has borne the ultimate penalty for our sin. However, that does not mean God will not inflict a lesser penalty with the purpose of correcting our faults. Discipline comes our way when we have ignored biblical instruction and conviction of the Holy Spirit.

The second point made is that if you are not subject to God’s discipline, you are not a child of God. Verse 7 asks the rhetorical question: “For what son is not disciplined by his father?” Verse 8 makes the counterpoint. If one is without discipline that one is not a true child of God. Put simply, if a person goes to church, professes to know Christ while continually sinning with no divine discipline, he or she is not a true child of God. Quoting J.I. Packer, he says: “The Church is not a museum for saints, it is a hospital for sinners, where we all suffer from the same disease and all are subject to relapse at any time.” The church should be a place where we come and the Holy Spirit speaks to us and convicts us of our sins and we see the essence of repenting. We should provide a conducive environment for this to happen. The evidence of true faith is not in singular acts.  The evidence is in the discipline. God will not let his child get away with repeated sin. The discipline proves that person truly is God’s child.

Hebrews 12:7 encourages us as Christians to “endure hardship as discipline.” The word “endure” means “to abide; undergo; or bear patiently.” When we find ourselves undergoing the Lord’s discipline, we are not to fight against it. We are to submit and learn the lesson. The third aspect of discipline is God’s discipline yields changed behavior. God’s purpose in disciplining us is that we will share in his holiness. We frequently hear a couple words as Christians. They are justification and sanctification. These words are used without consideration for their true meanings. “Justification is the judicial act of God whereby he declares the Christian righteous,” Justification takes place at salvation. At the instant the sinner repents of his or her sin and places faith in Christ, God declares that person righteous. This doesn’t mean that once we are forgiven and declared righteous that we are been delivered totally, NO! We still have many issues and flaws that need to be worked out. At that point, we are not righteous, we still sin, yet God has declared us righteous. That is justification.

Sanctification, on the other hand, is the process by which we actually become righteous. If you have been a Christian for some time, there ought to be some things you will not do today that you may have done a year ago. Sanctification is a progressive process. It starts the day you give your life to Christ. Sanctification is the process of becoming in actuality what God has already declared us to be. God’s discipline is an aid in the sanctification process. God brings discipline to prompt us onward in the sanctification process. Most of us know what it is to be disciplined by earthly parents. Why shouldn’t we expect discipline from our heavenly Father? He disciplines us that we might live. He brings chastisement so we will see the error of our ways and correct ungodly behavior. He wants us to be holy in all our conduct. As verse 11 makes clear, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful…,” it is not enjoyable to feel the sting of God’s whip. However, we are encouraged to endure God’s discipline. Why endure? The result is that “it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

We find three types of discipline described in the Scriptures.

1.  Corrective discipline. – God uses discipline to correct us when we wander away into sin. David is a classic example of one who received corrective discipline. When he sinned with Bathsheba and killed her husband, God sent Prophet Nathan to warn and tell him of God’s discipline. C. S. Lewis writes, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, and speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts to us in our pains.” Look at Jacob. He cheated his brother, But God dealt with Jacob, causing Laban to cheat him and many other things that happened to him. He was given the wrong wife, his beloved wife died at childbirth; he lost his beloved son through treachery from his sons and others. What pain and agony Jacob experienced! But God was dealing with him. And finally, at the end of his life, he came forth as gold as he confessed (Genesis 49). This is corrective discipline. When we wander away from God’s straight and narrow way, he brings us back.  David says “Your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).

2.  Preventive discipline. This type of discipline prevents us from doing something sinful.  In 2 Corinthians 12:7 Paul writes, “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh.”  Notice the importance of the flesh. Paul was given a thorn – it might have been a disease, trouble, pain in his body that was so intense that he did not like it and prayed three times for it to be removed. What was the purpose of this thorn? To prevent Paul from becoming arrogant, hard, and defiant of God and his word.  So in verse 9 Paul writes, “But [the Lord] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Preventive discipline is a wonderful thing.  We should praise God for all the times he has prevented us from committing a terrible sin.  

3.  Educational discipline. - God uses this form of discipline to increase our knowledge of him. The classic example of educational discipline is Job.  We are told in the opening verses that Job was blameless and upright, a man who feared God and shunned evil. But then all Job’s children died and he lost all his property. His own wife turned against him and he was afflicted with painful boils all over his body.  He was left sitting naked on an ash heap, wanting to die. Job had no idea that God was permitting Satan to deal with him; thus, Job did not always respond to this discipline wisely.  Then God spoke to him, and Job answered, “I am unworthy, how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer, twice, but I will say no more” (Job 40:3).  Through his trials, Job grew in his understanding of this great, glorious, wise, almighty God. At the end, he says “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?” Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.  Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:2-6). You see, Job did not know all he needed to know, but through God’s educational discipline he had increased his knowledge. 

How, then, should we endure discipline?

1. Endure hardship inquiringly. When we experience discipline, we must inquire of the Lord. Remember, instruction in the word plus rod equals discipline. Discipline accomplishes two things in us. First, it drives out folly, which is foolishness, sin, and godlessness. Even as Christians, we all have sin within us. That is why we need discipline. In heaven there will not be any need for discipline, for we will all be perfect, without sin. Second, discipline instills wisdom in us, which is the fear of the Lord and an embracing of God’s will, so that we can live our lives for the glory of God. So when we experience hardship, it is good to ask, “Lord, what is going on?”
2.  Endure hardship prayerfully. Psalm 36:9 says, “In your light we see light.” When we are going through hardship we should pray, “O God, give me light. I am going through a tunnel. Give me light.” David was a godly man who examined his life. In Psalm 139:23-24 he says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” As we go through problems and discipline, we must pray for God’s leading. 
3. Endure hardship humbly. Humility should come to us automatically when problems come. 1 Peter 5:6 tells us, “Humble yourselves therefore, under God’s mighty hand.” The idea is that the mighty hand of God is resting on us so that we feel it. Yes, we experience pressure, problems, and pain, but these are God’s gracious dealings in our lives so that we can humble ourselves before God. And when we do, God will lift us up. Psalm 119:75 says, “I know, O Lord that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me.” That is humility. It is saying, “I agree, O God. You are right. I was arrogant, but you touched me and humbled me with your mighty hand.” Sometimes God’s touch is very comforting and gentle; at other times, it is heavy. But it always has a redemptive purpose, which is to humble us. God afflicts us to bring us back to him. 
4. Endure hardship patiently. When we are going through discipline, we want instant relief. We do not want to inquire about the reason for it; we simply want the discipline to end.  But we must be patient and let the discipline do its work. James tells us, “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:4). We must go through the discipline. Don’t despise it, don’t faint, and don’t ask for quick relief. Know that there is a purpose for the trial and let it do its work. Be exercised by it. Benefit through the discipline, knowing that it will bring maturity. Galatians 6:9 tells us, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” 
5. Endure hardship believingly. I don’t think any of us have experienced anything like what Job did. In Job 13 he was still in the midst of his troubles, with no end in sight. There was darkness, pressure, and pain. His own wife turned against him and counseled him to curse God and die. Yet here he makes a profound statement of trust in God: “Though he slays me, yet will I hope in him” (Job 13:15). In Psalm 91:15 God makes a promise to those who trust in him: “He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.” As you are going through hardship, believe in God and his promises. 
6. Endure hardship hopefully. In Job 23:10 Job says, “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” In other words, Job had hope in the midst of his great suffering. God was putting Job through the furnace like metal, increasing the heat until all the dross was removed. So Job says, “When he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” Jacob is another example of enduring hardship hopefully. He was a crook, but God took him and purified him in the furnace of affliction. And at the end of his life Jacob was pure gold, expressing his complete faith in the Messiah and prophesying about his coming. Paul also expressed such hopefulness in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18: “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”
7. Endure hardship thankfully. James tells us, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds” (James 1:2). It is not easy to identify with this verse; it is difficult to do such a thing when in pain, but God helps us. Jesus said in Matthew 5:11-12, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Our response to God’s discipline is all-important. We must endure and willingly change our wayward behavior. We are in holiness training. Discipline is the exercise that equips us to share in his holiness. God’s purpose in bringing discipline to our lives is to make us righteous, to fit us to share in his holiness. C. S. Lewis said it well: “God whispers to us in our pleasure, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains…” This day, I pray that God will shout in your pains and you will hear his voice and instead of complaining, rejoice and see the purpose He has for your pains.

Amen!!

February 3rd, 2010 Posted by Mutuma, Dennis | Daily Inspirations | 4 Comments