How To Be Steadfast In The Lord-Part 2 Series

That fruit will last contrary to the charity work that comes from lives that are philanthropic in nature, they want to do something as good citizens for others but they don’t have the living union with Christ, therefore their works will eventually perish. But when you have the living faith, it says in Titus 3, and the good works flow from that and that is good and profitable to all men. God wants that. Finally, to avoid backsliding by degrees going back and not forward with God, we must live a life of praise and thanksgiving. There must be that habitual thanksgiving attitude, an attitude of thanksgiving, as someone said an attitude of gratitude in all things. Not for all things necessarily but in all things - that "Lord you know what I need and Lord you will work everything for my good regardless of how adverse it seems." The Lord got up from that boat during the storm and when He rebuked that storm and calmed it. His question to the disciples was “Where is your faith?” The reason He said that was in essence and in effect to say, “Don’t you know that I’m here everything will be alright. Don’t look at the adverse circumstances I am with you, you will be fine.” This faith prompts in us an attitude of thanksgiving. Even if the worst news comes to us, we have to say Lord I will bless Your name and I thank You that You are still in control. Lord, You will have me overcome it. That attitude keeps me steadfast and immovable in the Lord - very essential to continue with God in a victorious manner.

The first thing is to give attendance to reading, second thing is to give attendance to prayer, have this regularly and have it with faith, the third thing is maintaining holy fellowship with like-minded believers who are also wanting to become like Jesus and want to get that crown from the Lord, and the fourth thing is making sure that you obey all that the Lord has spoken to you.

There are some things that are general in the Bible that applies to everyone, then there is another category that’s very specific and individuals need to hear the Lord on what He wants them to do at any particular junction in their lives. He may say to one person, "Go to this city." To the other person, He’ll say, "I forbid you to go to that city; I want you to go to this city." So obedience is important both in the general commandments and the whole Word of God, moral and ethical, and all those things but also specific directions from the Divine Spirit of God telling you what to do at any particular point in your life. When I have that obedience as the fourth staple in my life, then I will remain steadfast, I can’t go wrong. Praise God! There is victory and consistent victory if only we have these things in our lives.

The last thing is to live a life of praise and thanksgiving as I said. A habitual training of myself to say, "Bad news has come, an evil forecast, but I still choose to praise the Living God." Because I have faith that He is with me in the storm. He will calm it. I know and I will believe Him and praise Him for it ahead of time. That will get me through all of the obstacles and keep me unmoved or immovable. I won’t be shaken. David said I will not be greatly shaken. I won’t be shaken because I will believe my God that He will get me through this. Ephesians 5:20 about praising says this, giving thanks always for all things unto God. Now when He says all things we clarify that we said not for all things in the sense that for the bad things. For example, if you have a crash with an automobile and you have lost so much in damages that is not a good thing, however, God can redeem that and use that for good. But I don’t thank God for the crash, I thank God in those circumstances, say “Lord I still praise you through this thing, because I know you will work it out for good.” So, that is the King James rendering, here it says, giving thanks always for all things, but we would say in all things unto God in the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. When someone dies, a child dies of a terminal illness, is that a good thing? No. Death is a bad thing, but death is swallowed up in victory! So God comes and His resurrection life will raise that innocent child up one day. So through their adversity victory will come because God is there. Another benefit might be that God can redeem that sorrowful event - such that others may be drawn; perhaps, very often the family members themselves are closer to the Lord leaving a lifestyle that would have landed them in hell. Now they can join that child in heaven. These are things that we can’t explain or necessarily understand at those points in life. But as we have a life of praising God in all things, God will work everything for our good.