REJOICE IN YOUR YOUTH

Chapter 5 : No turning back One of my favourite scriptures is where Paul writes and says: 2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course; I have kept the faith. When the devil brings temptations, sicknesses, discouragements etc his main aim is to take away your faith in God. Once your faith is lost, your soul is also lost and you lose out on eternal life. The good thing is that we are not ignorant of his devices. He is a thief. Jesus said: John 10:10 The thief (devil) does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly. The most successful Christians are the ones who have already made up their mind that they will keep their faith no matter what they face. There was a time when many of Jesus’ disciples (not the twelve) went back and walked with Him no more (John 6:66). John 6:67 Then Jesus said to the twelve ‘Do you also want to go away?’ John 6:68 But Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life’. Walking with Jesus is a life-long commitment. In the Bible many people got into trouble for their faith in God or for preaching the gospel, but those are the people with the best testimonies of how God delivers in the day of trouble. A guy named Peter had been locked up for his faith and for preaching the gospel, but managed to walk out of the inner prison in the company of an angel (Acts 12:7-10). I like the declaration of Shadrack, Meshack and Abednigo when facing the death penalty for praying to Jehovah the only true God. They said: Daniel 3: 17-18 …….our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand O king. But if not, let it be known to you O king that we will not serve your gods …. Their attitude was clear: if it so happened that God would not deliver them from the king as they expected, they would still continue to serve Him as the only true God. That attitude is a guarantee for success, and is the attitude lacking in many believers today. I have observed that many Christians who turn back are not actually facing persecution for their faith. Some dump their faith because of some misunderstanding with a pastor or some other fellow-Christian in the church. Others turn back because they feel God has not given them something they desired and asked for within the time they expected it. It may be a career, a spouse, a healing or a financial breakthrough they were praying for. Years ago I saw some dear Christian friends turn back because they failed a course at college or were asked to repeat some subjects before proceeding to the next stage. In fact, it was only a temporary setback, but inwardly they would have been asking, ‘God why did you allow this to happen to me? I was trusting you.’ There were also some that turned back because the boy or girl they admired had fallen in love with somebody else. I think God marvels at the low value we place on our salvation. The whole essence of salvation is to have a relationship with God that lasts forever. We need to realise that we are saved from the devil’s claws and eternal damnation. The cost of making this salvation available free of charge to mankind was extremely high for God. We are adopted as children of God through the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. It is not a relationship of convenience which one can just dump at any time. We are in it for the long haul. It is a lifetime commitment. Once your mind is made-up from the start that there will be no turning back, you are halfway towards your victories. There will be no mid-term assessments to evaluate whether you have received all that you were expecting in order to go on in the faith. God is not impressed by people who are just there to test Him, sitting inside but looking outside. Such a position will only lead to frustration, because: James 1:7-8 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. The reality is that there is simply no better option than to continue. Otherwise you lose your salvation and may never get it back again: Jesus said: Mark 8:36-37 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Losing your faith will leave you completely exposed to the vengeance of the demons that you once used to bind and cast out in the name of Jesus. Hebrews 10: 39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. We admire the great achievements of Apostle Paul, but often we do not take note of the things he went through: 2 Corinthians 11: 25-27 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I was in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and in toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. It is clear that being a Christian does not automatically make us exempt from the challenges, trials and tribulations of life; but it gives us the strength and wisdom of Christ to pass through them victoriously. The point is emphasised again in his an epistle to the Romans: Romans 8: 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness or peril, or sword? Romans 8: 37-39 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. The lists cover almost everything that causes people to stumble and abandon their faith, but the love of Christ is so important that it should not be snatched from us by any circumstances. Paul was not prepared to lose his faith for any reason. Many times we can feel or see that other people cannot understand what we are going through during difficult times. This is normal because no other person is able to put themselves in your position and feel exactly how you feel as you face your challenges. The good news is that Jesus has endured harder things than all of us, and He fully understands, because: Hebrews 2:18 For in that He himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. God has deliberately made us in such a way that we cannot overcome without His help. It is great to know that you are getting your help from someone who has gone through tough times and come out victorious. The Psalmist said: Psalms 46:1 The Lord is my refuge and my fortress; a very present help in trouble. When we face troubles we often ask where God is. God is right there in the middle of the storm with us, and is very present to help us out. Turning back is not an option.