YOUR SPIRIT WILL SUSTAIN YOU

“The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?” PROVERBS 18:14

“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” 2 CORINTHIANS 4:16

 

It is very sad that most of the times we pay attention to the secondary issues of life at the expense of the primary and the most important ones. These misplaced priorities if not duly addressed could cost us dearly. Most of us will have to address our poorly spiritual lives this season. We would have to pay more attention to its development and stability. We would have to pay more attention to the nourishment, the adorning and growth of our inner man. It will go a long way to benefit us. It will provide stability and the endurance we need in the face of opposing storm. Our spirit is going to be the anchor which fastens us to that Rock of Ages who is Christ Jesus. Your spirit will sustain you in the times of your infirmity. I had an interesting conversation with this man on the train yesterday as I journeyed to preach at an appointment yesterday. I later found out that he was an Assemblies of God Pastor who had also traveled far for a pastors conference in my area. He asked me a question, is Christianity hard or easy? Both was my answer! What do you mean by both, he asked? He had just talked lovingly to her wife on the phone prior to our conversation. I said well ,it is like love, sometimes it’s bitter, sometimes sweet. I realized first of all he wanted to test my knowledge of scripture when he realized I was on my way to preach. Secondly he had this philosophy he wanted to defend and in a way influence me with such. I say he wanted to test my knowledge of scripture because he asked, what does MATTHEW 11:28 say, I quoted and then he added the verse 29 and 30, ” Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light”. I reckoned he comes from the school of thought who believes that Christians do not suffer affliction. I could see he was one of those who believe that if a believer suffers, it may be all be down to something he may not be doing right. He said, you see, Jesus said His yoke is light so how can you say Christianity is both hard and easy?. I said well sir, He still called it a yoke and a burden. It only becomes easier when side by side He helps us carry them.

Having spoken lovingly to his wife, he asked again, how can love be both sweet and bitter? I was like well, certain people lose their minds for love when their hearts gets broken. Why am I given all these illustrations? Our existence on earth till death is swallowed up in victory, till corruption puts on in-corruption is going to be both bitter and sweet. Sometimes it will be easy, and other times hard. Wisdom and prudence demands that we make preparations for the future. Feeding and building one’s spirit will stand him in good stead when troubled times come. Spending quality time on nourishing and building your spirit which is the inner man will sustain you in days of adversity. You will still be thriving when the outward man is well beaten down and ready to give up. It was a revelation Mary caught which Martha couldn’t comprehend. She spent her time sitting at Jesus’ feet, hearing and feeding on spiritual food. For this Jesus said no man could take away from her, “And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her” LUKE 10:41-42. Strive for that most important thing which is, building your spirit through God’s Word. Storms may come, so may floods; but in all, you will still be standing. You will be well equipped with spiritual armour, and having done all, to stand, ” Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” EPHESIANS 6:13. May God give us the grace to pay more attention to our spiritual progress and development. We will never be the same again. In The Name that is above all names, Jesus Christ, Son of The Living God. Amen and Amen!

SHARING GOD’S BURDEN

“Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, He will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build” NEHEMIAH 2:20

“I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry,ye are God’s building” 1 CORINTHIANS 3:6-9

It is forever a privilege to be part of God’s own grand plan, to be a fellow worker with Him. God has always been working as witnessed by this statement from Jesus, “But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work” JOHN 5:17. He is the Husbandman, The Lord of the harvest, the Great Architect and Visionary. To be in a working partnership with God is an opportunity too good to turn down. Every investor always looks for a potentially profitable venture to invest in, and there is none other worth investing than that of God. The Works of God on earth is committed to men. He looks out for willing men, anyone ready to yield to His cause. His eyes moves to and fro the earth, to see those who have committed hearts, that He might show Himself strong on their behalf (2 CHRONICLES 16:9). He works in men both to will and to do His good pleasure (PHILIPPIANS 2:13). When all is said and done, He is not the type to forget your works and labour of love (HEBREWS 6:10). He prospers His works and finishes successfully every good work He begins. It is always a win win situation with God. All a man has to do is see what God The Father does and do the same, ” Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth The Father do: for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth The Son likewise” JOHN 5:19.

With regards to God’s work on earth, He looks for and appoint willing vessels to do what Himself would do were He on earth physically. We in administering our God given services, doing what He would do if He were present on earth is just like the work of an Ambassador. The High commissioner of one country in another represents and carries out the same duty the leader of his country would do if present in person. Jesus demonstrated this in delegating His disciples to go before Him to certain places, to do what Himself would do if present in person, “After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before His face into every city and place, whither He Himself would come” LUKE 10:1. Seeing God’s work this way always makes the yoke lighter because you do not carry any different burden, but rather share God’s burden together with other labourers of His. Nehemiah for example had a burden to build the broken walls of Jerusalem, but was it just his own burden? No, it was God’s burden, he only shared it with God. Nehemiah in yielding himself felt what God felt, and God worked in him both to will and do His good pleasure. Jerusalem was the City of God in ruins. The city had to be build, the walls had to be build, but who would go, who would share the burden? The battle is always God’s but we are His battle axe, “You are my battle-axe and weapons of war: for with you will I break in pieces the nations, and with you will I destroy kingdoms” JEREMIAH 51:20.

We find out that any time we as a people and co-labourers decide to rise and build, any time we decide to share His burden, the favour to succeed or prosper in that particular work abounds. Everlasting doors lift up their heads, doors which normally wouldn’t open swing wide. Nehemiah was only a cup bearer who decided to do God’s project and had great favour before Artaxerxes the king, ” Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah; And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me” NEHEMIAH 2:7-8. Paul the Apostle and Apollo were co-labourers with God. Paul planted and Apollo watered, God gave the increase. Fact of the matter is, God’s burden shared, and His work done His way will always prosper. He plants a garden and put man whom he has created in to tend and keep it (GENESIS 2:15). He makes bright clouds at the time of the latter rain, and send showers of rain to every green grass in the field (ZECHARIAH 10:1). May God send the dew of heaven to refresh every soul and every God given burden. May He make straight path for our feet, and give strength to every weary worker in His field. Our lives will never be the same again. In The Name that is above every name, Jesus Christ, Son of The Living God. Amen and Amen!