Our recent show guest, John Shorey, and I touched on a subject that is probably one of the most pertinent to the Times in which we are living – the trial of your faith. This is a subject worth exploring and I am going to do a series of blogs on it.
For me, the trial of my faith has taken on many different forms and spanned many decades. One would think that things would get easier as you go along in your Christian walk, but I’ve found that is not the case when you are on the front lines.
My central Bible scripture in this series is 1 Peter 1:7 “…that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
In the Revelation 3:18, God said “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich…” This will also be a central theme in this series.
As we embark upon the Days of Revelation, we need to be Rock solid in our faith, for there will be many trials ahead.
The Bible says to encourage one another and to build one another up. Let me just start out by saying that if I can make it through the trials of my faith – you can too! Share with one another and build each other up as we go along in this series.
Love,
Jim
Sending encouragement to Jim with archive video testimony of his being directly used of God to bring former Supremes singer Cindy Birdsong to the Lord. Thank you, Jim and Lori for all you are doing to minister to us believers in these last days. Continuing prayers for Lori and your ministry. God bless you both. Here’s the video.
http://youtu.be/in-JErngJmw
TO SAY SO MUCH,IT’S WHAT WE DO THAT GOD REWARDS….IT’S OUR WORDS THAT GOD JUDGES US BY…AMEN.
The Trial of Your Faith (Pt. 1)
Dear Sir,
Loving your neighbour as yourself and helping each other in our ‘trial of faith’ go hand in hand I believe.
Like 1 Peter Chapter 1 verse 7 tells us:- That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire,might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ; (KJV).
As believers in Jesus, we know that Jesus will return in the last days, and also to the believer Jesus is already in our hearts through faith in the Holy Spirit which came down for all to receive on the day of Pentecost.
Continue in the Faith everyone!
Thank you Sir,
Amen.
Stephen
Staffordshire, UK.
Pastor Jim,
As the old Pentecostal saying goes; that the greater the ANOINTING, the greater the PERSECUTIONS.
Pastor Jim, be aware that the MORE you stand up for Christ – even in the Church – the MORE you will be PERSECUTED!! Pastor Jim, as you go through your personal walk with the Lord, you will find out that those persons in the Church who you thought were true believers, i.e., those persons who you trusted in Christ – these same individuals could turn out to be the very ones who are currently living their lives in secret hypocrisy, and could be the very ones most offended by your uncompromising stand; and thus, they may be the very ones who can later on hurt you the most. Yes, Pastor Jim!!
GET READY!! Expect persecution to come very soon, even from so-called believers!! Unfortunately, American Christians do not PREPARE themselves for real SUFFERING for the name of Christ in a “free” country such as ours. Pastor Jim, many Christians –– especially of the so-called “middle-class” – are now so spoiled with their material gains and financial successes, to the point whereby they easily forget that following Jesus not only benefits them in receiving God’s material blessings; but also, following Jesus is supposed to bring on persecutions as well. In the Gospel of Mark, chapter 10, verses 29 to 30, Jesus says to his disciples “Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life”.
And because very few American Christians are willing to be persecuted; that consequently, many of them in our wicked hedonistic/materialistic country would RATHER try to “get along” with the World and be “accepted” by the World; rather than face the PAIN of rejection by the World and/or experience a possible financial loss – if they were to SPEAK OUT boldly against the sins lying all around them. But as the Church desperately make attempts at being “friends” with the World; that accordingly, there are many pastors today – across the United States – who are unknowingly SUBJECTING themselves and their flock to CONDEMNATION by God; with the ultimate and eternal consequence of them being judged by God – with the grave possibility of most of them having to end up being cast into the everlasting scorching fires of HELL !!!
Rarely, do I ever hear a minister point out the Biblical necessity of “suffering” for the life of a believer. Today’s churches place little emphasis on this aspect of the Gospel; that being, God’s “requirement” for the saints to suffer for His righteousness’ sake. Instead, the churches spend too much time focusing on the physical, material, and financial promises of the Gospel. While churches pride themselves on having a “full-Gospel” doctrine, what they really need, however, is true BALANCE in the way they present both the blessings and persecutions that accompany someone who becomes a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
And by having the constitutionally guaranteed right for “freedom of worship”, Christians in America have life so comfortable and so “easy” whereby, oftentimes, we even selfishly forget the command in the New Testament – in Hebrew 13:3 – to pray for “other” less-fortunate believers around the world – i.e., those brothers and sisters who are suffering imprisonment for the Faith and who do not live in a so-called “free” society, as we American Christians do – where there is opportunity to worship the One and Only True God, Yahweh – The God of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
And for those American Christians who are well aware of the worldwide religious persecutions, some of these same believers are still not even willing to suffer for any lesser kind of persecution that they could hypothetically experience, even in a “free” and “democratic” nation like the United States. Their unwillingness to suffer – at all – would explain why the American Church today is so morally bankrupt. The reason why we find so many Christians in America who really don’t want to live according to God’s Word, but instead follow after this World – i.e., Satan’s World – is simply because, by going all out for Jesus Christ, these religious hypocrites would have to pay the unwanted price for giving total commitment to Him. The cost of complete submission to Christ would result in financial loss or entail undesirable suffering through constant persecution. However, Pastor Jim, as you and I both know, we are informed by the New Testament that believers are to be undeterred by divinely appointed hardships. As Apostle Paul says in 1Thessalonians 3:3-4, “that no man should be moved by these afflictions. For yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know”.
More so, we are commanded by Christ himself to endure all divinely appointed hardships – yes, even unto the “End” – whether that “end” be of our own natural physical lives or be the “end” of this present world system that is run by Satan. As Jesus had already spoken 2,000 years ago to his disciples in Matthew 24:13, “he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved”.
The Church in America is gravely and spiritually ill; and it has urgent need of complete godly revival !! The Body of Christ is ripe for Divine Judgment; and I don’t think that many of us are currently getting ready to pass the more severe tests that the Lord has prepared to eventually come upon us. Both ministers and laypersons need to get ready NOW!!! …..Before God’s judgments sweep us all away!! As Jesus reveals to his disciples, the mystery of godly suffering, he says in John 15:1-2, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit”.
There are many Christians in America who are so DELUSIONAL as to think that they can continue taking “chances” on their lives, by not repenting for their ongoing sins, and continue to gamble on their lives that they will never have to be “JUDGED” by a holy and vengeful “GOD”. That is, there are many believers, in prosperous America, who love so much their comfortable, pleasurable, and materialistic lifestyle, that they will do almost anything – even sin if necessary – to keep or maintain those material things that they have already “worked so hard for” – for so many years. These believers do not want to LOSE for the name of Christ – if necessary, ALL – that they have GAINED through their precious hard labor. Having deep-seated LUST in their wicked hearts, many believers actually COMPROMISE the Word of God – or commit sin – in order to HOLD on to those “things” that they LOVE so dearly – i.e., those “creature comforts” that are so precious to them – or those “things for which they have WORKED so hard throughout their lives. Whether those things be physical objects or personal relationships, God’s people oftentimes AVOID the “cost” of Christian discipleship, by REFUSING to continually “stand up” for the Word of God; and RATHER, do whatever they possibly can – by sinning or compromising – in order to NOT lose their “precious” REPUTATIONS, or to not lose those same MATERIAL THINGS or “cherished” RELATIONSHIPS in which they have INVESTED so much time and so much effort to acquire or build up.
Today’s charismatic churches are so filled up with false prophets who are falsely proclaiming messages of “peace and safety” for America and for the Church; all the way to the point whereby; that when indeed a TRUE prophet of the Most High comes along – being sent by God Himself – in order to warn backslidden Christians of God’s judgments upon the Body of Christ herself, and upon this wicked nation, as a whole; THAT consequently, with the false prophets having ALREADY lullabyed to “spiritual slumber” naive charismatic Christians with the false hope for them having to supposedly “escape” the awesome judgments of an angry vengeful God; that these same deluded carnal-minded Christians will not be MENTALLY or SPIRITUALLY “ready” to receive – or, at least, to seriously consider – the TRUE prophetic messages of “doom and gloom” for America and for her Laodicean-minded backslidden “prosperity-gospel” churches, at the very coming of God’s truly “anointed” prophetic messengers of warning. That is, tragically TODAY, most of your charismatic [and even non-charismatic] church members in the United States have been so inundated with all of these materialistic messages on pursuing “financial prosperity” from God; and so inundated with all of these false satanically-driven prophetic messages of “peace and safety” for America and for the Church – during your typical Sunday-morning sermons or weekly services; THAT, by the time the Lord actually gets around to sending out, to the churches, His own TRUE prophetic servants – to warn the Body of Christ of His inevitable judgments upon backslidden believers and upon the sinful nation itself; THAT consequently, at the very time that the Lord is already sending His prophets RIGHT NOW; that tragically, Christians today, who have ALREADY, for years, got “used to” — OR got too comfortable with – having heard plenty of self-serving, self-flattering false messages of “peace and safety”; THAT, by the time the REAL prophets come along and give the Lord’s true messages of warnings of DESTRUCTION upon backslidden Christians and the rest of the nation; THAT the carnal-minded money-loving Laodicean Christians will have already been “set up” for delusion by the false prophets who came BEFOREHAND; and thus, these same fleshy-minded reprobate believers will NOT be in a mental or spiritual “position” to recognize and receive a “true” prophet of the Lord; AND with these same true prophets NOT giving messages that would cater to the “lusts of the flesh”; BUT yet, would give divinely-inspired messages of “warnings”, dealing with God having to avenge Himself of His Body having “forsaken” Him; thus, requiring His due “chastisements” upon His backslidden children in Christ, of whom He loves so dearly.
So yes, Pastor Jim; even as you admonish the reader; that we saints should indeed encourage one another and to build one another up. Indeed, it is NOT easy preaching “prophetically” to the a grossly “backslidden” Church and a wicked “God-forsaken” nation – be we called into the actual “office” of the Prophet; or called into the other ecclesiastical positions of leadership; or even just for laypersons who simply bear the spiritual gift of “prophecy” by itself.
Pastor Jim, I will indeed continue to pray to the Lord; that he would strengthen you and your family; as you go about preaching prophetically to wicked and perverse generation in today’s Christ-rejecting America.
Sincerely yours in Christ forever,
Charles Reece
7/25/12
What an awsome word,praise God for the few willing to speak the truth.