ICS Daily Devotions
Overcoming Tribulation
1 Peter 5:8-9 (NKJV) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
James 1:16-17 (NKJV) Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
These verses differentiated for us between the work of the devil and the goodness of God. The devil is on the prowl to devour us by stealing, killing and destroying. Jesus, on the other hand, went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil. Jesus was setting people free from the oppression of the devil. He was helping those who were going through tribulation to be free from the works of the evil one. Every good and perfect gift is from above. Nothing bad or evil is from God. We are able to clearly differentiate the work of God. This will help us to keep the peace, joy and love in our relationship with God without stumbling! Jesus revealed to us that we need to allow the word to take root in order to survive tribulations and persecution.
Psalms (NKJV) 34:17,19 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles…..Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.
The character of God does not change and His eyes are on the righteous. We have the righteousness of Christ imputed on us and we are hidden in Christ. We are in a better position as compared to the Old Testament saints. God will deliver us out of all our troubles and afflictions though sometimes it might take a slightly longer time than we hope it will take. God did not forsake us in the midst of tribulations and persecution. In fact, He is more involved than we think He is! In fact, Jesus is praying for us in the midst of our trial, tribulation and persecution.
Hebrews 7:25 (NKJV) Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
Jesus is currently making intercession for each of us after He has offered up the ultimate sacrifice of His blood in the heavenly tabernacle.
We are at the weakest moment of our lives when we are facing trial, tribulation and persecution. That is the time when we will have the tendency to stumble or be offended. However, we have been told that when we are in the weakest moment of our lives, that’s when the Holy Spirit will make intercession for us. The wonderful thing is that He prays for the will of God in heaven to be done for us!
Hebrews 11:6-7 (NKJV) But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
We have come to know about the Kingdom of God because we are born again. We live and operate in God’s Kingdom by faith in God. We are convinced that we are saved by grace and there is an eternity that waits for us. It may sound silly to the people around us, people might persecute or ridicule us as of Noah’s day but we are convinced that the judgment day will come. The Kingdom of this earth will fully be the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ when the devil is judged and thrown into the lake of fire. Our deep-rooted faith in God will help us to stand strong in the midst of tribulation and persecution!
Sermon series: There is power in the seed
