A Call to Hear God for a Blessed Life Free of Cost

I believe in the Trinity

15 Important Stages from Pilgrim's Progress

The Christian in Pilgrim's Progress goes through various experiences until he finally stands before Christ.  How true it is in our Christian life....those of you who have never read John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, you should do.

1. Evangelist tells Christian to leave his home in the City of Destruction.

2. Christian sinks in the Slough of Despond because his burden is too heavy.

3. He arrives at Wicket Gate, and Goodwill saves him from Beelzebub's arrow.

4. Goodwill tells Christian that his burden will come off on its own.

5. Interpreter shows Christian his home and all that is in it.

6. The sight of the cross eased his burden.

7. Christian encounters Apollyon.

8. He enters the Valley of the Shadow of Death, but his faith in Christ keeps him strong.

9. Christian and Faithful enter Vanity where Faithful is burned at the stake for defending his faith.

10. He and Hopeful make the mistake of taking a shortcut to the Celestial City.

11. A Shining One rescues Christian and Hopeful from Flatterer's trap.

12. Christian begins to sink in the river in front of the city gate.

13. Hopeful reminds him that Jesus Christ is waiting for him in the Celestial City, and Christian perseveres.

14. The king commands that the gate be opened for the two.

15. Christian and Hopeful enter the city and are clothed in garments of gold.

The choice is yours to make

The choice is yours to make

When God spoke to the Israelites through Moses and urged them to choose life and prosperity over death and destruction (Deut. 30:11-30), he was fully aware of his sovereignty.  But this sovereign God honored his people so much that he made them partners in creating the best possible life.  This partnership began in the Garden of Eden.  The sovereign God punished man for their disobedience instead of overruling man's actions because of his sovereignty; how can humans be held accountable for their actions in the world of a sovereign God?  Yet at the same time out of his sovereignty, he made the clothes of skins and cast them out of the Garden so that man could have a second chance in creating the best possible life.

This same sovereign God who punished Adam and Eve for their disobedience is also the sovereign God who rewards those who seek him diligently (Heb. 11:6) even though he grants grace for life to go on even if we do not seek him diligently.

Therefore, as believers who claim to be the children of this sovereign God, let us seek him diligently.  In seeking him diligently, let us not forget that our faith matters.  The writer of Hebrews in 11:6 says "it is impossible to please God without faith" and according to Jesus "everything is possible for him who believes" (Mark 9:23).  Paul takes this a step further by claiming "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13).  We could go on and on to see how Bible values the attitude of faith in matters of life in this world and also for the world to come.

I am fully aware that many of us struggle in life from one way or the other.  Some of these struggles have been there for a long period of time and now it appears as if you will never be able to overcome them.  But I want to encourage you by saying that there is absolutely nothing beyond God's ability to change or transform.  When you read statements like this, it makes you throw out, right? But I tell you, when I used to hear or read a statement like this, that is how I used to feel when I was going through my struggles in life.  But early in life I made Mark 9:23 the verse of my life and even when I saw the impossibilities surrounding my life, I kept on repeating and believing that promise along with others that spoke to my struggles.  After years of standing on these verses, I can testify to you that Jesus means what he said.  The tree did dry from the bottom at Jesus' words (Mark 11)!

So, if you are struggling in your health, keep believing and speaking the promises of healing.  If you are struggling in your finances, keep believing and speaking the promises of God's provision.  If you are struggling in your marriage and family, keep believing and speaking God's promises of a happy and blessed home.  If you are struggling with certain sins that beset your walk with God, keep believing and speaking the promises of God's forgiveness and complete victory in Christ.  If you are struggling with some kinds of addictions, keep believing and speaking the promises of God's ability to set you free from all bondage.  If you are struggling with broken relationships and hurt, keep believing and speaking the promises of God's healing and restoration in which even your enemies will come to live in peace with you.  If you are struggling with the loss of hopes and dreams, keep believing and speaking in God's ability to restore the years locusts have eaten from your life; keep believing and speaking God's ability to make all things new.  Whatever may be the struggle…never lower your faith in God's ability to do the impossible in the face of seeming impossibility!

The choice is yours to believe and dream even when there is no evidence and if you are a constant believer and speaker of God's promises, you will look back and praise the Lord like never before when you begin to see him act on your behalf.  You will finally say "I never thought this was possible…but God"!   

Or, you can choose not to believe in God's promises and allow your struggles to dictate the course of your life until it ends in losses and misery of all kinds only to realize how much you missed while on earth.  You hoped and wished for a better day but that day never came, and now you stand before the Lord trying to tell him what went wrong with you while on earth!  As you stand before the Lord in the portals of glory; your mind rushes back to earth and…

Church attendance could have been much more joyful.  Worship could have been a delight.  Prayer could have been a pleasure.  Charity could have been a treasure.  Marriage could have been a paradise.  Friendships could have been richer and deeper.  Health could have been robust.  Material life could have been a blessing.  The journey through earth could have been an amazing adventure and discovery.  But all those amazing possibilities were squandered because you chose to allow the struggles to dictate our stay on earth instead of God's promises.

That is why, Moses the man of God commanded Israelites to make up their minds to choose life and prosperity by "loving God" by "walking in his ways" and "keeping his commands and decrees" (Deut. 30:15).  Saint John sums up Moses' instructions in two commandments; 1) believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and 2) love each other (1John 3:23).  Faith and love will see us through the struggles of this life.  Therefore, let us choose faith and love and in doing so, we will inherit life and prosperity!  

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