Thank you for joining today as we seek God’s wisdom together. Let us begin with prayer.
“Lord Jesus, I ask that you search our hearts and see if there be anything wicked in them. We ask that your Holy Spirit show us what you are saying to us today. I ask that the words on this page would jump out to us as you speak to our hearts and minds truth and life. In Jesus name, Amen.”
Romans 5: 1-5 (NASB).
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we celebrate in hope of the glory of God. 3And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
What the Word is Saying
Today’s society tells us that we can have anything we want and do anything we want to do. Sadly, the church is not exempt from this wrong teaching. Jesus lived through trials and temptations. He did not sugar coat it for us and say that we would avoid all of that if only we had faith. Rather, He said:
“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way, they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matt. 5:10-12).”
You are going to face trials and tribulations in this life. Whether you follow Jesus or not. The difference for the believer is the hope that we have while going through these times of testing. Paul reaffirms what Jesus said here in Romans 5. He mentions that our tribulations bring about perseverance in our character. Meaning we learn to trust God and hold on to the hope that He will give us victory in this life and in eternity. Either way we have the assurance that He will be right there with us. The Holy Spirit will be giving us encouragement and faith to endure the time of testing.
When I was in the Army stationed in Germany, I was a drug addicted, alcoholic, and had no hope remaining. I cannot say I was yet suicidal, but if I had continued on the path, I was on I would have ended up there I have no doubt. I came to the end of myself and fell to my knees in the woods and cried out to God saying that if He would help me, I would do whatever He asked. Immediately the peace and joy of the Lord washed over me. I cannot explain it only to say that I immediately went from desperation to a deep understanding that no matter what God would take care of me. It was that following weekend that I attended a church and gave my life to Jesus. I had no prior knowledge of Him or what He did for me. I only remember hearing a voice telling me to pray the words now and I would understand them later. By faith I did just that and as Paul would say it was credited to me as righteousness.
If you are in that spot where you are desperate for the truth and hope from God. I encourage you to pray with me right now. Right where you are; pray these words out loud: “Jesus I confess that you are Lord of all, I believe you came to this earth and lived a sinless life, I believe you suffered and died on a cross for my sins, I believe they put your lifeless body in a tomb and three days later you rose again from the dead. I confess to you I am a sinner and ask you to forgive me. I ask that you send me your Holy Spirit right now to give me Power to conquer sin in my life and hope for now and in eternity with you. In Jesus name, Amen.”
If you prayed that prayer, I ask you to contact us. We would love the opportunity to stand beside you and hold you up as you begin your Journey with Jesus. We have all been where you are, and it is our joy to support you.
Thank you for joining me today as we searched the scriptures for What the Word is Saying. I pray that God will send His Holy Spirit into our lives anew and fill us again with His love and His purpose for us. So that we can fulfill the mission He left us in bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world.
“Scripture quotations taken from the NASB (New American Standard Bible) Copyright 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” lockman.org.
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