Acts 4:33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
According to church history, the apostle Thomas, died in Calamina, a city in the East Indies. While there, Thomas had put a stop to the idolatry that was running rampant in the land. The idolatrous priest was not happy about this at all and accused him before their king. The king sentenced Thomas to death — first to be tormented by red hot plates and then cast into a glowing furnace and burned. When the priest saw that the fire was not hurting him, he pierced Thomas’ side with spears and javelins, and finally Thomas died.
What turned the disciple who had fled Messiah during his trial and crucifixion, into a powerful saint of God? What turned turned his fears and doubt into powerful faith that was able to persevere through torture and fire? He had seen the Lord resurrected from the dead! He had witnessed His resurrection power!
Would you die for a lie? Of course not! Neither did the Apostles. Eleven of the twelve apostles suffered similar fates as Thomas.
The same power which rose Jesus from the dead also gave Thomas and the other disciples the faith to endure — and that same power is available to us!
However your faith is being tried today, know that God has given you the power to overcome every doubt, every fear, and every attack of the enemy!
2 Corinthians 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
When Corrie Ten Boom (author of “The Hiding Place”) was a little girl in Holland, her first realization of death came after a visit to the home of a neighbor who had died. It suddenly impressed her that some day her parents could also die. When Corrie went to her father about her concern, he comforted her with these words of wisdom. “Corrie, when you and I go to Amsterdam, when do I give you your ticket?” “Why, just before we get on the train,” she replied. “Exactly,” her father said, “and our wise Father in heaven knows when we’re going to need things too. Don’t run out ahead of Him, Corrie. When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you will look into your heart and find the strength you need–just in time.”
Many of us don’t think about it but we, as humans have such a problem with fear — fear that God won’t come through when we’re in need. We want insurance — insurance for our cars, insurance for our houses, for our health and for our lives. We want to be insured that we’ll be okay if something happens. It has become our way of life in the western world.
Now, we’re not saying go and cancel all your insurance plans — but at the same time, God wants us to trust in His provision in our time of need! In our time here in Israel, we have truly learned the meaning of “never early, never late”. Every single day since we have been here our faith has been tested and time and time again, God has provided for us in ways we could never conceive — physically, spiritually, emotionally, financially and in every other way — never early, never late — always just when we need it.
We need not fear anything that is before us. God will give us the strength to endure anything that comes our way. He has our ticket!
Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
The captain of a submarine was once asked, “How did the terrible storm last night affect you?” The officer looked at him in surprise and exclaimed, “Storm? We didn’t even know there was one!”
There is an area beneath the surface of the ocean known to sailors as the “cushion of the sea”. In this place, although the ocean may be raging terribly above, the waters here are never stirred.
I think you know where I’m going with this. There is a place, a wonderful place, we can go to find refuge during the frightening storms raging above us — a place where we don’t feel a thing — no fear, no worry for tomorrow.
Let’s get down there today. Let’s find that perfect peace the Lord intends for every one who trusts in Him. There’s so much work to be done!
Psalms 138:8 The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.
Many of you know that we’ve been in Israel a little over four years now. I am still trying to adjust to the spiritual atmosphere, culture and language. Those few things, in and of themselves, are enough to become overwhelmed. But if that’s not enough, we are pioneering a new ministry here, trusting totally in God for His provision, trying to raise two young children in a way that is pleasing to Him and all the while, going through our own personal trials.
When we face difficult trials, often we get to feeling sorry for ourselves — we wallow in our self pity, thinking things like “I’m not worthy enough, not strong enough, not able enough, not adequate enough to get through these things — I just can’t do it!”
But hear the truth of God’s word today! HE will perfect that which concerns us! It is not us — it is HE who perfects us! It is HIS great strength and mercy that works through us, that allows us to be worthy, strong, able and adequate!
Let’s start giving to the Lord all those things which concern us. God will have the victory! There’s so much work to be done!!
Deut. 3:22 Ye shall not fear them: for the LORD your God he shall fight for you.
Today is a big day for the Negev. There will be a huge celebration marking the 90th anniversary of a great victory in Beersheva. On October 31st, 1917, six hundred soldiers of the Australian 4th and 12th Light Horse Brigade, under the command of Brigadier General William Grant led a daring attack against the Ottoman army in Beersheva.
Armed with only horses and bayonets — they charged the deeply entrenched Ottoman army. As machine guns fired, and men and horses were dying, the Lighthorsemen dug in their spurs and continued to press forward for victory. The bewildered enemy failed to adjust their sights and soon their gunfire was passing harmlessly overhead. Quickly, the lighthorsemen overran the Ottoman army and the battle was won in less than an hour. This is often described by historians as the last successful calvary charge in history.
Sometimes the battle around us seems overwhelming. We feel inadequately armed and too weak to attack. But with the Lord, we have the weapons we need and there will be victory!!! Not only that, the battle can be won quicker that we think! We need only press forward and put our trust in Him! A man with God at his side is an army undefeatable!
Let’s be courageous as we press forward for the Kingdom today! There’s so much work to be done!
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