Fresh Mannaby Pastor Tim Burt
Life has
its hardships. As a Christian, you are in an earth that has been defiled
by Satan. He has turned the earth into a spiritual battlefield. To not
believe in God & His Son Jesus Christ is to unknowingly believe in
Satan. Why is that? Because Satan's entire effort is to turn people away
from faith in God - something he accomplishes through any method
possible. Hell was created not for mankind but for Satan as a fallen
angel. He knows he will one day be judged and locked up there and so
it's his plan to to take by deception, as many people as he can with
him. He does this by leading people away from truth and God's plan of
salvation through Jesus Christ. His deception was from the beginning
beginning with Adam and Eve. It continues today and that is why he is
called the god of this world. 2 Cor 4:4 reveals this truth saying, "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which
believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."
We live
in this earth but it is a defiled earth that has been touched by Satan
and sin. That's why there is so much pain and suffering and death and
destruction here. This should be one more motivating reason why we don't
want to sin. Sin is what defiled this earth and sin is what supports
and strengthens Satan's rebellion and cause against God. We want to be
force against sin, not aiding it's destruction.
Heaven is
not a fantasy. It is a Christian's future home and a place that will be
undefiled by sin and Satan's touch. Concerning those that have lived
before us by faith in God, Heb 11:13-16 says, "...they were
strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things
declare plainly that they seek a homeland.... But now they desire a
better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be
called their God, for He has prepared a city for them." This will be your future homeland - the homeland of all those who have received Jesus as their Lord and Savior!
If we
live in this defiled earth, does that mean we are doomed to a gloomy
life surrounded by Satan's touch and destruction? Absolutely not! The
enemy of your soul does work to infect your life. He tries to make you
sick, steal your livelihood and finances, break up relationships with
those you love, and disrupt your life in a hundred ways. Because of
this, we need God's direction and wisdom for every step. God is more
than willing to help us. His Word sets up boundaries that are not meant
to deprive us of good things, but instead to help us avoid minefields
where we might step on a mine.
In 1 Sam 30:3-3 we
read about David and all his men coming back from a victorious series
of battles with their enemies. As they were returning home after being
gone for a long time, they saw smoke coming from the camp where their
families lived. They soon found out that their enemies had burnt their
camp to the ground, and took their belongings, wives and children! 
It says, "David
and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by
fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and
his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep." David's
men were so discouraged that they wanted to lash out and blame someone.
They wanted to stone him as their leader. David's family was also taken
and he was just as discouraged as they were, But instead of letting the
discouragement overcome him so that he also was useless, we are told in
verse 6, "David encouraged himself in the LORD his God."This
wasn't David learning some principle to execute in His life. This was
David’s character. He had learned to praise and worship and sing to the
Lord in all the trials of life. He wrote songs speaking of God’s
promises of deliverance. He knew what God had promised him and had seen
God work in his life over and over. He refused to think this was one of
those times God had abandoned Him!
It says, "David
and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by
fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and
his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep." David's
men were so discouraged that they wanted to lash out and blame someone.
They wanted to stone him as their leader. David's family was also taken
and he was just as discouraged as they were, But instead of letting the
discouragement overcome him so that he also was useless, we are told in
verse 6, "David encouraged himself in the LORD his God."This
wasn't David learning some principle to execute in His life. This was
David’s character. He had learned to praise and worship and sing to the
Lord in all the trials of life. He wrote songs speaking of God’s
promises of deliverance. He knew what God had promised him and had seen
God work in his life over and over. He refused to think this was one of
those times God had abandoned Him!
The devil
would like you to think that God has abandoned you. He hasn't and never
will! It’s not about Him abandoning you. It's about you abandoning your
faith and trust in Him. David looked Goliath in the face. Moses looked
at the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army coming at him. Daniel looked at the
lions. Shadrack, Meshach, and Abednego, looked at a fiery furnace. Paul a
raging sea. They all trusted God and saw His deliverance and help. God
alone is worthy of your full and complete trust!
Psalm 28:7 says, “The Lord is my strength, my shield from every danger. I trust in him with all my heart”
Let
the Word of God speak PROMISE to you EVERY day. Read those promises.
Proclaim them over your family and circumstances. Rebuke the devil and
move forward. If you’re a husband, your wife and children want a dad
that is a leader, not a quitter. If you remain upbeat because you trust
God in the face of
adversity, and your heart, your face, your countenance, your words, and
your actions showed it, they'll be happy with you. They'll follow your
lead no matter what the circumstance. Take authority over the thief in
your life. Rebuke him in Jesus name! Put your hand to the plow and work
hard asking Him for guidance every step of the way. Do your part and
trust God to do His! Praise God together and believe He will turn things
around. Honor Him with sincere heart felt faith!
Let
the Word of God speak PROMISE to you EVERY day. Read those promises.
Proclaim them over your family and circumstances. Rebuke the devil and
move forward. If you’re a husband, your wife and children want a dad
that is a leader, not a quitter. If you remain upbeat because you trust
God in the face of
adversity, and your heart, your face, your countenance, your words, and
your actions showed it, they'll be happy with you. They'll follow your
lead no matter what the circumstance. Take authority over the thief in
your life. Rebuke him in Jesus name! Put your hand to the plow and work
hard asking Him for guidance every step of the way. Do your part and
trust God to do His! Praise God together and believe He will turn things
around. Honor Him with sincere heart felt faith!
Put YOUR
name in His promises and write them out. Then say them, declare them,
sing them, and get your family to pray them in faith together.
Psalm 28:7 (NLT)
The Lord is Tim Burt’s strength, my shield from every danger.
I trust in him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
I can
honestly say to all of you, I’ve been in many hard and seemingly
impossible circumstances. But, by the grace of God, I've kept my wife
upbeat because I've stayed upbeat. We always expected God to be around
the corner with our answers. He always took care of us and restored us
to that right place.
If you've
been overcome by despair, remember who you are in Christ. Spend time
with God and then take the joy and promise of His Word to your family.
Stir all their faith and believe God together. God restored all of David
and his men's wives, families, possessions and much more. He'll do the
same for you if you'll act like David did and let God arise in your
heart!
In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt
With kind permission of Pastor Tim
Fresh Manna;http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.ie/
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