Facing the Challenges of Our Times
Dearly beloved of God, our times are fraught with challenges. Many are afraid of what lies ahead.
It doesn’t matter if the challenge concerns inflation and the cost of living, or heath concerns, or being able to pay our bills, or an eclipse as a sign of our times, or concerns about troubles in our country, many live in fear of what lies ahead.
If people would only allow the Word of God to speak for itself and then they believed it they could live with peace in their hearts and have confidence in the One True and Living God as their sufficiency regardless of what lies ahead.
God’s Word is our point of contact with Him. His Word is truth.
We do not need a sign to give us direction, we need to know God’s Word so that we can know Him. He is able and willing to perform His Word for us today as He was at any other time in history.
II Timothy 3:16
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
The Word of God is God’s Word, not a man’s word. God revealed His Word to holy men of God, and they recorded it at His direction. They received God's Word by revelation from Him.
Ephesians 3: 2, 3 NIV
2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you,
3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.
God revealed what had previously been a mystery to the apostle Paul. Once He revealed this information to Paul it was no longer hidden; it was known.
Ephesians 3: 4-6 NIV
4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,
5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.
6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
Since God made this information known to the apostle Paul and He instructed him to record it in writing, anyone can read it and know the certainty of the will of God on the subject.
Ephesians 3:9 NIV
9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
Had God not revealed this information to Paul it would still be hidden in God, but that is no longer the case. Let’s consider another example.
Ephesians 1:18 and 19
18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.
If God wants us to know these things then He must first reveal them to us, which He has done in His Word. If we remain ignorant after He has given us His Word, it is not His fault, it is ours.
I Corinthians 12:1, 3
Now concerning spiritual gifts , brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
If God does not want us to be ignorant, then He must instruct us. Verse 3 says, “Wherefore I give you to understand….” God revealed His Word so that we have the information we need so that we can believe Him.
Once God instructs us as to what He would have us believe we no longer have to be ignorant.
We have a choice; we can either believe the revelation knowledge He gives us and have the eyes of our understanding enlightened, or we can choose to remain ignorant. Which do you think is more profitable?
The Word of God reveals the Will of God to us. We can take God at His Word. He is trustworthy, and His Word is reliable; it is truth.
We do not have to live in fear and be burdened with concerns because of our times. We can rely on the One True and Living God and live with peace in our hearts as we take God at His Word.
God will never leave us, nor forsake us. He has given us His Word on it.