Greetings in the Name of Jesus and welcome to the PLN Sunday Night Bible Fellowship!

 

It seems like a good time about now to start a new series and as I meditated on what the Lord would have us study next, I was impressed with the observation that so many people these days, many Christians included are worried and anxious about the HARD TIMES they're having to deal with. It's certainly true that a major recession came upon the World almost seven years ago in the last quarter of 2007 and pretty much nothing has been the same since then. To be more specific about it, personal incomes have gone down since then, fewer people are working, we're in the midst of the slowest recovering post-recession economy ever, American GDP was negative in the first quarter of this year, the medical industry is upside down, real estate values are sluggish and well behind the levels of 2007, millions of baby boomers are retiring every day with insufficient retirement savings, the national debt now exceeds 17 trillion dollars and is ever increasing, inflation is also increasing and our government is pretty much paralyzed with ineptitude, scandals, indecision and secular partisanship. And oh by the way, most of the rest of the World is experiencing all the same stuff plus their wars and terrorism.  

 

It's easy to stay informed on all these things IF you want to because the media is in a continuous process of giving us ALL the details. According to them life is full of a lot of SCARY stuff and there's little hope that things will ever get much better. In fact, the general feeling is that mere people are victims of all these things and have somehow lost the ability to overcome them on their own. Their only hope is for the government to come to the RESCUE.

 

Friend, the World is indeed going through some HARD TIMES but there's really good news the media hasn't reported yet: if you've received Jesus as your Lord you don't have to depend on the government or anybody else. The TRUTH is Believers have ALREADY been rescued (REDEEMED) and we DON'T have to be a participant in the HARD TIMES unless we choose to. Apparently though, a lot of Christians either haven't heard or haven't understood this good news because they're as full of FEAR and DECREASE and DEFEAT and RETREAT as their non-believing friends and relatives. Consequently, a lot of us need to be reminded that we have at our disposal sufficient authority and empowerment to overcome HARD TIMES and live in total victory and peace even in the midst of the World's collapse.  

 

Christians Have a Choice

 

The Bible says that Jesus came to establish the Kingdom of God ON THE EARTH which fulfilled the prophecy of Daniel 2:44 that the God of Heaven would set up a kingdom that would never be destroyed. Jesus announced the arrival of this Kingdom by telling His audiences that the "Kingdom of God (or Heaven) was at hand," that is, it was nearby, drawing nigh, arriving, etc. (Matthew 3:2, 4:17, 10:7, Luke 21:31 and others). That arrival process was completed and the new Kingdom thus established when Jesus RESURRECTED from the grave.  

 

Before Jesus came though, there was on the earth only the Kingdom of the World. When the New Testament talks about "the World," it's referring to a system of living life that works counter to or in disagreement with the Word of God. The World system was established when Adam relinquished his authority over the earth to Satan in the Garden of Eden and Satan then became the "the god (also prince or ruler) of this world" (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11, 2 Corinthians 4:4, Ephesians 2:2 and 1 John 5:19). Yes friend, your Bible actually DOES say that Satan is the god of this World!

 

Therefore, since the Resurrection of Christ Believers have a choice to make: we can either live in the Kingdom of God or in the Kingdom of the World. Non-believers can only live in the World. And, many Believers try to live in both Kingdoms simultaneously which doesn't work very well because the World is evil (Galatians 1:4) and corrupted by lust (2 Peter 1:4); it lies in wickedness (1 John 5:19), is DECEIVED by Satan (Revelation 12:9) and its wisdom is foolish (1 Corinthians 1:20). On top of all that the Bible says the World HATES Believers (John 15:19, 1 John 3:13). But many Believers try anyway to live part time in the World thereby subjecting themselves to all the World's negativity including FEAR, DECREASE, DEFEAT and RETREAT. It definitely isn't a good fit!

 

Friend, you need to know that there are NO HARD TIMES in the Kingdom of God. The HARD TIMES are in the World. Therefore, what we have to do is purposefully CHOOSE to live life INSIDE the Kingdom of God where there are no HARD TIMES. Didn't Jesus say that His Kingdom is not of this World (John 18:36)? If we accept the Word as Truth, why then are so many Believers living their lives in DEPENDENCE on the World system instead of the Kingdom of God?

 

Scriptural Warnings

 

The Bible clearly instructs us to not love the World or the things of the World (1 John 2:15). Once we're born again the Lord expects us to come out of the control of the World and begin to re-establish ourselves in the household (Kingdom) of God (Ephesians 2:19). But if we continue to walk in the Flesh, if we continue to allow our carnal nature to control us, we'll wallow in the frustrations and defeat of the World when we SHOULD be enjoying the blessings and victory of the Kingdom of God. So we're WARNED in scripture to avoid the World:

 

Romans 12:2 = "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

 

Colossians 3:1-2 = "Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God (Ephesians 1;20). Set your MIND on the things above, not on the things that are on earth."

 

Titus 2:11-12 = "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age..."

 

James 4:4 = "...do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."

 

1 John 2:15-17 = "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever."

 

The Word of God is clear and direct in warning Believers about the World. But despite all the warnings, the World continues to seduce many of us into its activities and values and systems; in fact, most Christians don't even think about it. We live in the World and we do things day after day the way the World does them. We say the things they say even though those words produce death; and we manifest the same worries and concerns and fears. In short, the World robs us of our peace and victory and most of us are not even aware that we're walking around in the wrong place.

 

The Truth is though we should be looking at the World through the understanding that we're engaged in a literal WAR against an enemy who's eager to kill us. Our enemy is Satan, the god of this World, who comes ONLY to kill and steal and destroy (John 10:10). The devil uses the World to destroy our faith and our testimony before God. Many of us are totally dependent on the World's financial and employment systems instead of looking to the Father as our Source. Others look to the World's medical system for their healing before they consider the Healer who has already redeemed us from the Curse of sickness and disease (1 Peter 2:24, Isaiah 53:4, Galatians 3:13). And still others are praying for a secular government to take care of them during HARD TIMES instead of looking to the King of kings. Friend, if the World is Satan's domain, why do so many Christians look there for solutions to our problems?

 

How to Successfully Resist the World

 

The bottom line is this: if you truly want to experience the victory that Christ died for you to have, IF YOU REALLY WANT TO OVERCOME HARD TIMES, you must actively and aggressively RESIST the World. The victorious, overcoming Believer can't be passive about this or ignore it. So we've listed for your consideration tonight some of the main PRACTICAL/USEFUL/ALWAYS SUCCESSFUL requirements for RESISTING and OVERCOMING the World: 

• Seriously and honestly acknowledge that the World poses a threat to your victory as a Believer.
• Accept that you have a RESPONSIBILITY to actively resist being Worldly (too close to the World).
• Ask the Lord to help you OVERCOME the World in every area of your life.
• STUDY and meditate on the Word of God DAILY to increase and strengthen your faith (Romans 10:17).
• Focus on living life by FAITH and not by sight (the carnal senses).
• Implement for yourself and your family ALL the principles of life you find revealed in the Word of God.
• Actively resist the World by SPEAKING the authority you have received by faith in Christ.
• Look within the Kingdom of God to DISCOVER HIS ALTERNATIVES for the World's ways of doing things.

Friend, complacency about the World WILL cost you the victorious life Jesus died for you to have. There's not anything the World has that the Kingdom of God doesn't have a much, much better version of. So, RESIST the World, seek first the Kingdom of God and your victory in Christ is assured not only for the age to come but also for this one NOW, even during the HARD TIMES you are facing, NOW.

 

The TRUTH is, living in the Kingdom of God or the World is a DECISION to be made by each Believer. If you want to live in the Kingdom of God you make the decision to and THEN LIVE THERE BY FAITH. The World requires that you live by the Flesh limited to your physical senses. But the VICTORY that overcomes the World is our faith (1 John 5:4-5) because Jesus has already overcome it for us (John 16:33). He's already rescued us "from this present evil world" (Galatians 1:4 KJV) and we're able to OVERWHELMINGLY CONQUER any "hard times" through Christ by faith (Romans 8:35-37). Believe it, say it and you can have it (Mark 11:23-24).

 

Some Final Thoughts

 

It's hard to believe but MOST Christians think that resisting the World is not all that important. Consequently they live in FEAR, DECREASE, DEFEAT and RETREAT. So, if you're serious about living in victory instead of HARD TIMES, then many of us will need to go through an attitude adjustment and acknowledge that the World really is a dangerous place. Avoid the danger! The Word of God would not warn us to RESIST the World if it weren't important or if we wouldn't be able to figure out how to do it. Friend, RESISTING the World is the prerequisite requirement for OVERCOMING HARD TIMES.

 

Thanks for stopping by tonight. We'll be looking for you again NEXT Sunday night on July 27. In the meantime may the Lord bless you with every spiritual blessing, compelling you to PROSPER in every area of life!

 

Sinners' Prayer

 

If you've never invited Jesus to be the Lord of your life, you need to and you can do it today just by saying out loud the following simple prayer:

 

Jesus I declare today with all my heart that I believe in you and that God raised you from the dead. I acknowledge that my sins have been forgiven and I ask you to come into my life today and be my Lord and Savior. Thank you for salvation and eternal life.

 

If you were sincere as you prayed this prayer, God has already come into your life and you are a new creation, a totally new species recreated in His image. Now ask the Lord to lead you to a good faith-based, bible-teaching church where you can be equipped to fulfill your potential in the Kingdom of God.

 

And, when you get a chance have someone help you look up the following scriptures because they confirm what you've done by saying this prayer today and believing what you said:

 

Romans 10:9

2 Corinthians 5:17

Ephesians 2:8

 

Prayer Requests

 

If you have a Prayer Request, please connect to the Link below and follow the promptings. The PLN staff members pray over Prayer Requests every Tuesday morning at 10:00 AM eastern time. Agree with us for God to answer your petition.

 

http://www.creditcounseling.net/prayer-request.aspx 

 

Donations

 

If you've been edified by Prosperous Life Newsletter, you may want to consider making a SEED FAITH offering to support the Ministry (Galatians 6:6-7). God has instructed us to simply provide folks with an opportunity to sow seed into good ground so in due season you'll be eligible to reap a harvest and the rest is up to you as the Spirit leads. For your information PLN is a nonprofit gift to the Body of Christ so your financial offerings will usually be tax deductible (consult your tax advisor). Just go to the secure Shopping Cart on the Cornerstone web site by connecting through the following link. We appreciate your support and generosity.

 

http://www.creditcounseling.net/shop/item.aspx?itemid=1 

 

About Prosperous Life Newsletter

 

PLN is an outreach ministry of Make A Way Ministries domiciled in Miami, Florida. It is in its 17th year of distribution and has been published continuously since January 1998. It's an e-publication primarily about finances in the Kingdom of God and is sent ONLY to our email list of MINISTRY MEMBERS. If you're reading this and aren't yet on our growing email list, please let us know and we'll be so very happy to add you to the list.

 

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© Make A Way Ministries, Inc.

PO Box 1164 

Granbury, Texas 76048