Devotions

Paul kept his faith through good times and bad.

In his final days Paul could boast, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7). Think about Paul's testimony at that point. He could say, "Satan sent messengers to fight me in Jerusalem, Damascus, Asia, Ephesus, Antioch, and Corinth. But I kept the faith.

"He tried to sink me in the storm-tossed Mediterranean. Three times I was shipwrecked, bobbing in the deep, night and day. But I kept the faith.

"Five times the Jews beat me with thirty-nine stripes. I have been cast into prison, three times beaten with rods, stoned and left for dead. But I kept the faith.

"I've faced peril in the country and the city, in the wilderness and the sea. I've been robbed by my own countrymen. I've been placed in peril by false brethren. But I kept the faith.

"I've been extremely weary at times, full of bodily pains, enduring sleepless nights. I've been hungry and thirsty, cold and naked, heavily laden with cares of all kinds. Yet I kept the faith.

"I've been troubled, perplexed on every side, distressed and persecuted, but never cast down. I've never been shaken in my faith. Through it all, my trust in the Lord has never been destroyed" (see 2 Corinthians 11:23-28).

Beloved don’t fall for the devil's lies when you are endure trials, chastening or troubles. Do not allow a root of bitterness to enter your heart and begin nurturing anger toward God: "Why did the Lord allow this? I tried so hard to please him, trusting him so much. Why is he letting me down?" God has warned us about such times: "Don't let this happen. Instead, be diligent, be careful, holding onto your confidence. It has great recompense of reward." (Hebrews 10:35-36, my paraphrase)

Rather remember that he says for us to "Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me" (Psalms 50:15). May you remain faithful to call on him in your trial. Cast your cares on him always!

Your ongoing trial may involve physical suffering, unemployment, children who rebel, faithless friends, mental distress, turmoil or pain. As you endure day after day, Satan will whisper to you as he did to Job: "The righteous don't suffer. If God heard you — if he saved you and his promises are true — you should have been rescued immediately. Where is your God? Is this what faith gets you?"

Beloved, do not cast your faith aside! Satan is a liar. You are enduring hardship because God loves you, because he cares. Think about it: You asked the Lord to make you more like him. Only he knows what that will require. He knows your suffering, and he won't let you be destroyed by it. In fact, he knows just when to make a way of escape for you. He won't act until that appointed time, and "will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Be assured, God has everything under control. The pain, the lingering sickness, the prayers that seem to go unanswered — he knows all about them. And he knows why he hasn't lifted your trial before now. As happened with Paul, he is using the "thorn in your flesh” to work toward your blessing. Indeed, the very thing you want so much — the answer you believe is so necessary — might be something God knows is not best for you. If he ultimately says, "No," you know he is preserving your soul and answering you in a much better way.

Through it all, the great cloud of witnesses urges you, "Continue fighting the battle with faith. Stay in the race!"

Consider this powerful word from the author of Hebrews: "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry (Hebrews 10:35-37).

Some of you reading this message are in the storm of your life.

Jesus' disciples endured pounding waves in a storm-tossed boat while their Master lay fast asleep. Finally, as the storm threatened to overwhelm the boat, they cried out to Jesus, accusing him of not caring about their fate. "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" (Mark 4:38). Jesus calmed the storm but was incredulous at his disciples' lack of faith. He asked, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" (4:40).

Right now you may be facing a terrible storm in life: money problems, marriage problems, job troubles, enemies coming at you like pounding waves. A sea of trouble rages inside you, but the Lord seems to be sleeping through it all. Tell me, has your faith been sapped? Is it slowly ebbing away with each new disappointment? Perhaps you are crying out in your heart, "God, don't you care? Will you let me go down in this storm?"

It is for just such a time that Jesus spoke these awesome words: "Shall God not avenge (protect) His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:7-8).

Note Jesus' question here: Will he find faith in his people as they endure days of darkness and oppression? In recent years I have wondered whether Jesus would ask such a question today. For decades multitudes flocked to churches. But what Jesus is really asking is, "Will the faith of these hold out when the shaking storms come?" Our troubles can be heaped so high, and the shaking of nations can come so swiftly, that some will lose hope and give up. I ask you: Will Jesus find you faithful in your hour of storm?

“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward" (Hebrews 10:35). If you are a Christian, you are in a fierce war. In fact, you're in a life-and-death battle for your faith. Satan is determined to shipwreck and destroy the faith of all of God's elect. And the stronger your faith, the greater will be his attack against it.

You see, unshakable faith in the Lord causes hell to rage. Nothing poses a greater threat to Satan's kingdom than a Christian who is immovable in faith. Why? Because it is by faith and its released power that Satan's kingdom is subdued. By faith, righteousness is born and demonic fires are quenched. God's promises are obtained and the mouths of lions are shut.

The apostle Peter came under a ferocious attack against his faith. His trust in Jesus so enraged hell that Satan asked permission to sift him to see if he would stand. "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren" (Luke 22:31-32).

God has given us a powerful weapon to use against Satan's attacks on our faith. We are not to try to figure everything out. Rather, we are to set our eyes on "the great cloud of witnesses" already in glory who have made it through with their faith intact. (Hebrews 12:1).

What a picture. This verse depicts an army of victorious saints from every era, beholding us watchfully like a crowd in the bleachers. They're wearing crowns of righteousness and waving palms as they cheer us on in our race: "Run with patience! We fought to the death and didn't fall. God kept us, and our faith prevailed. The truth works: We won! We are overcomers. So you keep on. You can overcome in hard times."

^“It was kind of you to share my trouble. And you Philippians yourselves know that . . . when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. . . . And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever” (Philippians 4:14-20).

As Christians, we often think about generosity; we plan generously and give generously to our family, to our spouses, to our friends, to our neighbors, and to our church and other charities. But Paul was talking about this in the context of a secret — a secret that some people don’t know about the power of generosity.

Paul was saying, “I never sought for the gift you have given to me. I have always sought the thing that I see is at work in you when you do give to me.”

Do you see the difference there? He could have said, “That $50 you gave me is going to buy me meals for three weeks. Praise God!”

I’m sure he might have been thankful for that fact, but do you know what was going through his mind? He thought, “Praise God! The gospel is working in you because you’re not self-centered anymore. You’re not living in anxiety, holding on to things for yourself. You’re not even living in division with one another. You are giving to people! You are living your life with an outward focus and doing things that you would never do if the gospel had not become rooted in your heart.”