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TWELVE REQUIREMENTS FOR OVERCOMING HARD TIMES   
Part Eleven - Draw Near with Confidence     

 

Thanks be to God who gives us the VICTORY through Christ - 1 Corinthians 15:57 

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 By: Dr. Bill Miller                            Volume XVII Number 40                                 October 5, 2014

 

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

 

Does it seem to you that Christians are just about as worried as non-believers these days concerning all the difficulties we're having to live through? We often talk to Believers who're anxious about their finances. Maybe they've just lost a job, or if they haven't lost it yet they're afraid they might lose it, or they're worried they might be downsized, or they're concerned about whether or not they're going to make ends meet tomorrow, next week, next month, or even next year. And of course in addition to financial things to worry about, there are the pandemics and a lot of health issues to be concerned about because the TV drones on constantly about these things and keeps us informed 24/7 with up to the minute details. And I almost forgot the natural disasters, wars, terrorism and man made calamities to worry about.

 

Yes HARD TIMES are a fact of contemporary life, a part of the world's reality with a lot to worry about. Christians though are supposed to live by FAITH (Romans 1:17). When we don't live by FAITH we wind up living by FEAR: worried, anxious, stressed out, burned out, depressed, and defeated. HARD TIMES challenge our FAITH but according to Scripture we're supposed to stand up to all the related trials and tribulations, to resist them with the weapons that FAITH in Christ has provided and not allow FEAR to dominate our lives. If you think that overcoming worry and anxiety is not possible then why would the Word of God instruct us with the following scriptures?

 

Matthew 6:25 = "Do not be worried about your life."

Matthew 6:27 = "Who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?"

Matthew 6:28, 30 = "Why are you worried - you of little faith?"

Matthew 6:31 = "Do not worry."

Matthew 6:34 = "Do not worry about tomorrow."

Luke 12:32 = "Do not be afraid - for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom."

John 14:1 = "Do not your heart be troubled."

John 14:27 = "Don't let your heart be troubled or fearful."    

John 16:33 = "Take courage because Jesus has overcome the World."

Philippians 4:6 = "Be anxious for nothing."

1 Peter 5:7 = "Cast all your cares on (Jesus) because He cares for you."

 

There are a lot of other scriptures I could have listed here too and my view of the Word has always been that God would not tell us to do something that we're not capable of doing. I'm not saying it's always easy and I'm not saying we won't need some help; in fact, we WILL need help. I'm just saying that according to the Word of God it's possible to successfully RESIST worry and anxiety and fear and live in PEACE and CONFIDENCE no matter what's going on around us in the World. Why is this so important? Because there's a biblical principle involved that we need to pay attention to during HARD TIMES expressed most notably in the verses of Job 3:25-26:

 

"For what I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me, I am not at ease, nor am I quiet, and I am not at rest, but turmoil comes."

 

The biblical principal is that FEAR actually ATTRACTS the negative consequences we're so concerned about. Therefore, those who're currently having to live through some negative situations need to examine whether or not at some point their own worry and anxiety over something that hadn't happened yet actually caused those negative things to come to pass. Many of us are searching for explanations these days and even blaming God for the HARD TIMES we're having to deal with; but God didn't cause our problems and the Truth could very well be that we have ourselves caused at least some of our problems to manifest because we didn't RESIST the initial stages of worry and anxiety. Job was a righteous man, a Believer who worried about his children and according to him (and to the Word) what he feared eventually happened. His fear is what opened the door for the enemy to come into his life and cause the destruction.

 

The Bible says God has plans for your success and prosperity (Jeremiah 29:11) but those wonderful plans won't be able to manifest in your life if you're walking in FEAR. The fact is Jesus was chastened so you could have peace instead of turmoil (Isaiah 53:5); but peace is something that has to be actively pursued (Psalm 34:14) by FAITH. Either you'll live by FEAR or by FAITH. There are only two choices and they're opposites. FEAR always attracts the things we're worried about: decrease, defeat and insufficiency; FAITH in Christ always attracts the things of God: increase, victory and abundance.

 

Instructed to Resist Anxiety

 

That's why we're instructed in Scripture to NOT FEAR anything, to be anxious for NOTHING, by casting our cares on God. But instead of doing that, a lot of Believers have come to the point of "accepting" that worry and anxiety are just a natural part of life, something we all have to learn to deal with. So, like the World does, they just allow anxiety to happen and then struggle on their own to deal with it. The result is an epidemic of folks including a lot of Believers who're chronically stressed out and many of them have had to resort to tranquilizers and counseling for getting through life and dealing with the statistically increased illness that comes with stress.

 

Friend, God does NOT want His people to live like this. He has a much better way. The Bible says that a person who trusts in the LORD, who RESISTS the pressure when it comes and REFUSES to be anxious in a time of drought (a time of trouble) WILL BE BLESSED (Jeremiah 17:7-8). But the converse of this is also true: a person who does NOT trust in the Lord, who GIVES IN to the pressure when it comes and succumbs to anxiety and worry in a time of trouble will NOT be blessed. To NOT be blessed means to be CURSED, to live under the CURSE instead of the BLESSING of Abraham that Jesus already paid for Believers to have (Galatians 3:14). Stress and the diseases that come from stress are a product of the CURSE (Deuteronomy 28:58-68). And here also there are only two alternatives to choose from: to live under the BLESSING or under the CURSE.

 

The bottom line is that God wants Believers to live a life of blessing and victory even in HARD TIMES. That's what Jesus went to the Cross to purchase for you to enjoy. Jesus said "I came that they (Believers) may have life, and have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). But worry and anxiety bring to non-effect almost ALL the things Jesus won for us because those things ONLY come by FAITH. Worry and anxiety are FEAR-based. They come from NOT trusting God, from LACK of faith, from unbelief and from being double minded. You can either have by FAITH what Jesus won for you at the Cross of Calvary or by FEAR the things that Satan has for your defeat.

 

Some folks think everything in life has to be wonderful and perfect to be able to overcome worry. But there will always be trouble to deal with and we're supposed to overcome FEAR in the very face of HARD TIMES so that we can glorify God instead of focusing on ourselves. So within every born-again Believer, put there by the LORD Himself, is the empowerment to defeat any trial, to overcome every tribulation and to emerge victorious from any challenge of the enemy. If you want God's best for your life, if you want to overcome HARD TIMES, you have to come to the place where you absolutely refuse to worry because you're CONFIDENT that God loves you and will rescue you from any problem. The remaining question then is this: How can we overcome worry?

 

How to Overcome Worry

 

When we're facing HARD TIMES, what we most desperately need in order to overcome concern for our immediate circumstances is a special ability, a divine empowerment, something supernatural that only the LORD can provide. Another way to say this is that we need the FAVOR of God in order to be victorious over worry. There's nothing we can do or say to deserve His FAVOR but the good news is we don't have to deserve it because Jesus already took care of that part on our behalf. Jesus paid for all our sins and the sins of the entire world once and for all (Romans 6:10, Hebrews 10:10-12) and the result is that it only takes belief in the lordship of Christ to qualify to receive God's FAVOR.

 

Now in the New Testament the word that's most often used to mean God's favor is GRACE and the most popular definition of GRACE is that it's "the undeserved or unmerited FAVOR of God." We don't deserve to receive GRACE but because of God's love for us we can receive and possess it by just believing (Romans 5:15). You need God's GRACE to receive salvation and you need it on an ongoing basis to overcome life's circumstances. In other words, GRACE is a supernatural empowerment for the Believer to be victorious in life even in the face of HARD TIMES. And fortunately God is able (and willing) to make ALL GRACE ABOUND to you (2 Corinthians 9:8), which means there's more GRACE than you'll need to overcome whatever you're facing.

 

The next thing we need to know is HOW to obtain God's GRACE in a particular time of need and fortunately the Word tells us clearly what we have to do. Hebrews 4:16 says the following:

 

"Draw near with confidence to the throne of GRACE, so that we may receive mercy and find GRACE to help in time of need."

 

So to obtain the GRACE of God for a particular need, we have to go to Him in CONFIDENCE and receive it. Most people withdraw to their own devices or to the World's ways of doing things when they have a problem instead of approaching the Throne of GRACE. In essence, because of our fallen nature the Flesh thinks it can do a better job of taking care of a particular problem than waiting and believing for God to do it so we tend to try to solve our problems ourselves in our own strength instead of giving them to the LORD. Of course, that's the wrong strategy because we need to go to the Throne of GRACE to find the solution we're hoping for. The real solution, the BEST solution is ALWAYS at the Throne of Grace and we need to go there CONFIDENTLY which means we go in FAITH, knowing what the Word says so we have the knowledge to SPEAK in agreement with it, knowing who we are in Christ, TRUSTING that God will provide the best solution for our trial or problem.

 

But there's something else that needs to be done when we approach the Throne of GRACE and this is why it's so important that Believers become students of the Word. In 1 Peter 5:5-9 it's clear that we have to also HUMBLE ourselves so that God won't RESIST us connecting to the GRACE we're seeking. What does it mean to be HUMBLE? It does NOT mean what tradition has tried to convince us it is and what most people think it is. According to what the Word of God actually says, HUMILITY is simply a person's willingness to give their trial and the related anxiety to God trusting Him to bring about the solution instead of trying to overcome the trial in one's own strength. Humility is admitting that we don't have the ability to bring about solutions to these things on our own but that we NEED God's help and we're willing to ask Him for it and trust Him for a good outcome. The result is that we have an opportunity to EXCHANGE our trials for God's GRACE.

 

But once we've humbled ourselves and made the EXCHANGE, the Scripture goes on to say that we have to RESIST the devil because he'll come around trying to convince us to take back the trial so we can worry about it again. Worrying though only demonstrates our pride and a lack of FAITH that God is willing and able to solve our problem; therefore, we have to insist on casting our worry on Him so we can keep the GRACE. In the beginning it's not easy to let God keep our trials but we're promised by Truth itself that if we're persistent and stubbornly RESIST the enemy, and if we approach the Throne of Grace in CONFIDENCE, in due season the GRACE of God will exalt us out of our trials. Go for the GRACE in the CONFIDENCE that God wants you to have it because Jesus has ALREADY paid for it. And you WILL be victorious even in HARD TIMES!  

 

Some Final Thoughts

 

It's really, really important that we consistently RESIST FEAR when it tries to attack because if we're passive and allow it to prevail, FEAR will ALWAYS impede the purposes of God in our lives. Friend, God is offering to EXCHANGE your trial for His GRACE so you won't have to be anxious about anything. The opportunity is there for you to enter into His REST with Him (Hebrews 4:1, 11) inside the Kingdom of God and out of the world. It's yours to TAKE if you make the effort. Jesus died for you to have it, So receive it, possess it, resist the forces that try to take it away from you and live in VICTORY!

 

Thanks for stopping by tonight. We'll be looking for you again NEXT Sunday night on October 12. In the meantime may the Lord bless you with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3), 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

 

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