THE BEAUTY OF OUR CHRISTIAN JOURNEY
Resurrection and Life (John 11:25)
Welcome to the very working place of the Holy Spirit and the Hosts of Heaven, the Spirit Life Centre for All Nations. The condition of the heart is very important as we stand in the presence of the Holy God, whom we have come to praise and worship. Openness and hunger for Him are the key to attracting Him to come and work in you today. So open your heart and get rid of all bitterness, anger, hatred, unforgiveness, pride, and so on; to get Jehovah God’s attention and the Son of man Jesus Christ to stop in front of you today and ask you, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ All of us want to hear this from the Savior of our souls, so free your heart as you stand in the presence of the God who gives freedom from bondage.
Some people see trials, tribulations, or challenges as poison that kills one’s happiness, desire, and zeal to move forward in life, but to people of Jehovah God, trials, tribulations, or challenges are a tonic to their spiritual growth; they are a driving force to a higher aspiration in life. Therefore; as a Christian, if you are seeking to have Heaven here on earth – a situation whereby there is no thorn in your flesh, no problems poking you, no disappointment coming into your life and no challenges coming your way, you are definitely thinking, acting and working against the counsel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in John 16:33, which says: These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world”. Working against this counsel is working against the beauty of our Christian journey. The beauty of our Christian journey is the trials, temptations, difficulties, and challenges we encounter on our way to redemption. They are tests to mature us for the glory of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit because Jesus Christ promised to see us through them. Remember, the thorn Christ wore for us and with which He was crowned, sanctifies, and makes easy all the thorns in our flesh that we might be afflicted with. In other words, Jesus Christ took our place in affliction.
2 Timothy 2:1-4 says, “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier”.
Apostle Paul, from his own personal experiences in life, is not only advising Brother Timothy, but also believers of all nations that they should endure their trials and tribulations because they are designed to advance or enhance their cause in life. In other words, our present situation, no matter how tough it is, is meant for our spiritual benefit. Who knows, it could be to humble us so that we could be fit to be dignified at last. Such was the case of Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. Sometimes, if we are going too far as a result of pride and arrogance, the Lord may permit poverty, sickness, setback, or any foolish thing to humble us and keep us from losing our salvation. As it was with Job in Job 1, Joseph in Genesis 39 and Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12, with God’s permission, satan can attack and tempt you but he cannot destroy you because God in His infinite mercy and favor will prepare you for it (1 Corinthians 10:13). If you rely on the strength of our Lord Jesus Christ, He will not allow the enemy of your soul to give you more than you can take. Those whom God calls for any service, He makes them fit for it. As Christians, our situations prepare us for extraordinary service. In other words, the more the situation, the more we pray, fast, and move closer to Jehovah God.
In Hebrews 5:8, the holy Bible tells us that although Jesus Christ was the Son of God, He learnt obedience by the things He suffered. What are the things that Jesus Christ suffered? Persecution, insults, embarrassment, humiliation, name-calling, slanderous remarks, blackmail, and the like. In the midst of all this, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did not grumble, murmur, complain, or hold offense against anyone.
Today, we Christians do otherwise. Instead of learning obedience by the things we suffer, we grumble, murmur, and take offence. We often run away from the very things that bring strength to our lives. It could be trouble, an insult, or any foolish thing. These are the things that make our Christian journey very beautiful because they are meant to mature us for the glory of Jehovah God. They are meant to strengthen our desire and determination for God. When you run away from trouble, you run away from solution, success, and breakthrough. When you are tempted to pull out of a place or a relationship because of trouble, difficulties, or challenges, as a Christian, stay put and get used to that situation, to acquire spiritual growth and maturity.
Remember, child of Father up in Heaven, oftentimes, Jehovah God’s plan for our lives causes us to go through what we do not want to go through, for us to learn obedience and gain the necessary experience and maturity we need, to move on in life. You cannot learn from what you like; there is no lesson to learn in comfort. It is not anybody’s wish to go through challenges or difficulties, but it may be God’s Will for you to get your destiny through them. On the way, our character grows by facing difficulties and dealing with problems. The situations or challenges you are going through right now do not matter to Jesus Christ; what matters to Him is how you handle them, because how you handle them determines your future.
Jesus Christ desires to heal our wounds, but we often do not let Him heal them because it is not the easiest way to take. It is the path of humility and self-denial. Pride and arrogance cannot follow this path because pride and arrogance feed on offence. When you are in a place where Jehovah God wants you to be, satan would want to offend you to pull out. In Psalm 55:12, the holy Bible explains that some of our offences emanate from our close and dearest ones. We set ourselves up for offence when we require or expect certain behaviour from those with whom we have a relationship. Often, those close to you hurt you because you expect much from them. The greater the expectation, the greater the fall. Holding an offence against someone hinders and handicaps you from fulfilling your potential. When you are offended and retain that offence in your heart, you will be taken captive by the enemy for his purpose and will. When you are free from offence, you stay in God’s Will.
As a child of Jehovah God, remain in God’s Will when offended, challenged, or tempted. Refuse to be offended in order not to offend God. The greatest thing satan aims at in tempting children of God is to overthrow their position as children of God, by:
Cutting off their dependence on Jehovah God.
Cutting off their duty to Jehovah God.
Cutting off their communion with Jehovah God.
Therefore, free your heart from offence and let go of the pain of the past. See each challenge and difficult situation as a test that, when passed, will lead to spiritual growth and a stronger relationship with your Creator. This is the beauty of our journey to eternity. This is what we must do if we truly want to spend eternity with the Eternal and Immortal God.
Thank you very much for coming. We believe that your time here today will be blessed and rewarded by the Lord who sees your heart and hears your prayers. So we advise you to please remain in Him and allow His eternal word to remain in you. May the Lord our God show you grace and mercy. We love you.
For any inquiries or to interact with us, please call or send us a message on this church number 063 219 3326. Jehovah God bless you and give you testimony for the glory of His Name and the salvation of your soul. Jesus Christ is the Resurrection and the Life.
REMEMBER: ‘LOVE’ IS THE GREATEST, NOT MONEY.