We encounter challenges. Our Christian faith is distasteful to anti-Christian forces-- so much so that we may find ourselves initially afraid to do what the Lord has called us to do for His kingdom, for fear of reprisal. However, challenges are a component of the Christian faith-walk that we must expect to experience. Pastor Dimas referenced Jeremiah 1, in which God instructed Jeremiah to move forward into ministry without regard to the opposition he would face.
We employ strategies. We were encouraged to be bold in our prayer life, and to engage (or re-engage) spiritual disciplines as a means of drawing near to God. When we do so, we are creating an environment in which His Spirit is welcomed. It is through spiritual disciplines that we are empowered to stand strong in our faith. Our guest pastor spoke with particular emphasis on memorizing the word of God, prayer and fasting, and tarrying (waiting on the Lord).
We experience victories. As we demonstrate faithfulness in spiritual disciplines, our God brings spiritual victories for the sake of His name. An important caveat here is that the victory may not look the way we expected it to. Victory may not exempt us from personal injury, mistreatment, or ridicule. Faith can cost us much, up to and including our lives, and the Christian battle over the millennia has seen many casualties on the road to victory. However, the Lord will use our experiences to glorify Himself. Over the revival series Pastor Dimas shared stories of threats and persecutions he experienced in ministry projects. Some of the examples were intense, but at the end of each story was a testimony of victory.
God, through Pastor Dimas, has shared with us the call given to Jeremiah in days of old. It is time for us to speak, boldly, His interests and His agenda. Let us be obedient in stepping onto life's battlefield, confident that God will use us to bring His life and love to people all over the world.
"Therefore prepare yourself and arise, and speak to them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed before their faces, lest I dismay you before them. For behold, I have made you this day a fortified city and an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land-- against the kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land. They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you," says the LORD, "to deliver you." (Jeremiah 1:17-19, NKJV)
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