SPIRITUAL MATURITY INSTILLS IN BELIEVERS COURAGE TO STAY THE COURSE
At the end of World War II, millions took to the streets to celebrate victory. Simultaneously, a multitude of others quietly gathered in churches to give thanks to God for peace. Nearly all of us had been affected by the war.
With God's help, we dealt with devastating effects of war on families, then the scars that remained - physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual.
Yes, as President Roosevelt had said, ''War is hell”, and as President Truman said, when declaring the war over, "We have been to hell and back". Those who depended on the Lord for strength and comfort rejoiced - but also reflected on what Jesus said:
"Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ', and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for, all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom." (Matthew 25:4-7)
All wars - whether wars of words, aggressive acts or bullets - are satanic in origin. Pride goes before a fall!
There always have been, are now, and will be until Jesus comes again, evil doers who think of themselves more highly than they ought to, and who believe they are the "rulers" or the "saviors" of this or that ... and that, therefore, the rest of the world should bow to their self-appointed rulership.
We could name the names of many anti-God, anti-Semitic, anti-Christian foes of the Lord our God, but won't because there is no need to do so. What we do need today as Israel needed back then is a revival of the Spirit of God in the minds and hearts of all who name the name of the Lord.
It's one thing to call on or to name the name of the Lord, but quite another to listen to and do what He says.
In most crisis situations, it is this very point that we need to emphasize and embrace.
If we intend with all our hearts to defend our faith and to depend on God for a victorious outcome - regardless of the severity of problems we face, nationally and individually, the negative certainty is: Without God's help, we fail. On the plus side:
With God's help, it can be said as well as sung with confidence: "Ye who are mature now serve Him, against unnumbered foes. Let courage rise with danger, and strength to strength oppose" (from the hymn "Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus"). Now hear this: Spiritual maturity instills in believers courage to stay the course to the finish!
Asa, with God's help, had been awarded a great victory over a giant enemy. Of course the people celebrated - but cautiously - because they had to be reminded of a real danger following any defeat of a satanic power: It is easy to forget whose victory it was and to fall prey to spiritual decay by the sway of those who leave God out and go their own way.
As is always the case - when the Lord God seeks the attention of those who are called by His Name, the Spirit of God moved into the situation and manifested Himself to God's chosen communicator of His Message - 2 Chronicles 15:1-9 . . .
"Spirit" literally means "Breath" . . . God Himself is as present in every human situation just as surely as we breathe air - manifested as the Third Person of the Trinity.
Prior to His coming to indwell all believers, the Holy Sprit's function was to communicate to - instruct and inspire - certain individuals the Word of the Lord.
Thus, "the Spirit of God came on (moved in the mind and heart of) Azariah".
How exciting that Asa heard via the prophet what the Lord had to say right after a great victory! From God's message to Asa we discern 5 spiritual truths that speak to us today:
(1) God reveals Himself to those who earnestly seek to know Him . . .
(2) God's presence is obvious to those who faithfully seek to do His will . . .
{3) Be aware: 'The Lord is with you when you are with Him!" Plainly put to Asa - and to all believers: If you forsake God by neglecting that relationship He has granted you the privilege of entering into, His presence will no longer be obvious - and you will be left to deal with life's problems as if God had forsaken you.
(4) There's no getting around the fact that we must bear consequences of our own making when we forsake God and His standards of righteousness. To do so is to make life so hard that we feel as if God has abandoned us. On the other hand:
(5) When we look to God and His Word for spiritual sustenance, and attune our hearts to the swaying of the Holy Spirit, we put ourselves in a position to face our enemies with courage - as did David vs Goliath and Paul vs his "thorn" in the flesh.
David's closeness to the Lord empowered him to fight the good fight .. .
Paul's unshakable faith in Christ the Lord gave him courage to see the good in his bad situation. "In my weakness is my strength" he declared. Paul's "thorn in the flesh" left him with no choice except to ask God to help him stay the course to the finish.
Linda Dao's father was arrested in Vietnam for preaching the gospel. While in prison, he was smuggled a pen which he used to jot down scriptures and write sermons which were circulated to spread the Gospel. This Vietnamese pastor's unshakable faith gave him courage to turn a negative into a positive.
In distressful situations (when at times God seems distant) individuals, cities and nations are admonished to "turn to the Lord" - the biblical meaning of repentance . . .
In Ireland, the distressful situation of Catholics and Protestants fighting each other is described in history books as "The Troubles". In America, troubles plague many parts of our country but are too often exploited politically rather than examined spiritually.
Does it ever occur to Christians that God allows troubles to occur in order to get the attention of civil and ecclesiastical authorities as well as all the people in the hope that a spiritual leader - with nothing to gain politically, financially, or socially - will muster the courage to step up and call for repentance?
To get the attention of all people is so important because when the unsaved turn from ungodly ways to embrace Jesus as Savior and Lord, God forgives their sin of unbelief and grants salvation. When the saved confess their (our) sins and ask God to help us walk the walk as well as talk the talk, God forgives and grants peace.
What a revival can be had in cities, nations, the world if God's people, called by His Name, humble themselves and pray to God, seek the Lord's will, and turn from ungodliness! Yet, in all honesty, be aware that such is not likely to happen on a large scale --¬ not until Jesus comes again.
Which means that, in the places where we live and go about our daily lives, if we do what we can, when we can, for as long as we can, our doing will add a measure of common sense to our situations and muster the courage to be like Asa - who "did what was good and right in the sight of the Lord his God".
Better still! Be like Christ who not only pleased God the Father by example - in word and in deed - but sought to bring others into the kingdom of God to be a part of the Family of God.
Asa proved his courage by removing abhorrent idols from the whole land, by renovating the altar of the Lord, by restoring true worship of the one and only God of his fathers. Then what happened?
People from other tribes that were not a part of the reformation saw that “the Lord was with Asa" . . . so, they “defected" to him and his cause of allegiance to the Lord God Almighty!
When Christian churches - pastors and parishioners - demonstrate courage to remove hindrances to true worship of the true God, to renovate worldly thinking that has wormed its way into the Body of Christ, to restore the sanity of Christianity by going back to the doctrinal basics as embodied by Christ and as taught by the Apostles, then people who need the Lord will see that the Lord God is, after all, still the Head of His Church and many, who have been looking on, will 'Join this holy band and on to glory"! Amen.
