Don't be surprised at trouble along the way

Many years ago a man blithely said to the famous preacher Charles Finney that he didn’t believe in the existence of a devil. The old preacher wisely commented “Well resist him and his works for a while and then you certainly will!” Scripture teaches that at the moment there is a massive spiritual battle going on for the heart and soul of every individual on this planet.  Is an individual going to follow the path of evil and selfishness, or are they going to follow the path of righteousness and Godliness? This is a question which confronts us all day by day and hour by hour.  Every time we have to choose what we are going to do or think or say we are involved in this spiritual conflict to some degree. Are we going to obey the Lord’s will concerning our conduct, or are we going to reject it?

In John Ch10v10 Jesus said “I have come so that people may have life, and that they may have it in full abundance.”  He further added in Ch14v6 “I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”  Following the Lord and the path of Godliness is the way to experience full life along with the promise of eternal life in the age to come. A person following this path receives complete pardon for all their sins and begins to develop a new and Godly character. They will begin to experience an inner peace and joy which they never had before and they will sense that they have the Lord’s Companionship with them moment by moment.

Finney’s wise reply is based on the Biblical warning that there is an entity which doesn’t want individuals to have this new life and who makes things difficult for them when they choose it. Scripture calls this entity, the devil, Satan or The Deceiver. In Revelation Ch12v12 we are told that Satan or the devil has come down to this earth “having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time left.” Satan’s rebellion against all that is good and pure and lovely is running out of time and this has made him even more frantic to turn people away from choosing the path of life.

In 1st Peter Ch5v7 it warns “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” When an individual chooses to accept life by starting to obey the Lord, at some point they will inevitably meet resistance from the powers of darkness to try and turn them away from this new life. Scripture urges individuals not to be surprised at this resistance but to take courage that it is actually a sign that they really are following the right path. As it says in 1st Peter Ch4v12 “Beloved do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing has happened to you, but rejoice to the extent that you are partakers of Christ’s sufferings.”

Scripture further adds that if they faithfully stay on the path of life in spite of these specific troubles, then after
a time these particular troubles will lessen and finally vanish away.  In James Ch4v7 it says “Resist the devil and then he will flee from you.”  Followers of Christ still have to endure the normal day to day problems which arise from living in a Fallen World but if they have remained faithful to the Lord through particular troubles aimed at turning them from Him, then Satan will eventually give up and flee from them. The result is that these particular problems will ultimately disappear as quickly and mysteriously as they arose in the first place. This pattern of events is something all true Christians will have experienced to some degree and the following story is a perfect example.

This moving account concerns the call of Karl Johanson to the mission field and the problems he faced immediately after he accepted that call. Karl was born in Sweden in February 1868 and as a young lad found work on a farm.  One day, during a time of religious revival in Sweden, this devout Christian lad was out in the fields ploughing with oxen. The oxen were moving steadily before him when he suddenly felt himself surrounded by a heavenly Presence. He wrote “I thought of stopping the oxen but I couldn’t utter a word.” An unseen Hand seemed to touch him and he then heard a clear Voice ask “Will you go as My messenger to Africa?” “My whole being trembled and I longed to run home to my employer who was a Christian. I knew however, that a personal reply was required of me. I then answered with fear and trembling; ‘Yes, if You Yourself will go with me.’ At once the Voice replied; ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’ With that the Heavenly Presence withdrew as suddenly as it had appeared.”

His account continues; “It is impossible to describe the situation I found myself in and the turmoil in my heart. My life’s plans crashed around me now that I had a call to go to Africa. Severe temptations from the evil one then beset me and I thought at times my mind would give way. Doubts about the existence of God and doubts about the truth of the Bible suddenly overwhelmed me like a flood. All that I had learned, heard and read was scattered like straw before the wind. Moreover, I knew of no organisation through which I could go.” Karl’s family didn’t really understand or support him either and because the call was so sacred he was unable to share it with more than a few chosen people.

Throughout all of these problems and temptations Karl remained faithful and steadfast to the Lord. After a period of time, all these difficulties mysteriously disappeared, he found an organisation to support him and eventually he went out as a missionary to South Africa with the Swedish Holiness Union in 1893.  Ultimately he became director of the entire Swedish Zulu Mission. In South Africa he met and married a Norwegian Christian and the two of them and their family served the Lord faithfully until his death in October 1945. He was loved and respected by all. The message of the Gospel he was sent to proclaim changed the lives and destinies of countless individuals and families, all because he remained faithful through those initial difficulties.

In Ephesians Ch6 v12 St Paul describes this sort of spiritual conflict in the following manner; “We do not wrestle against mere flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age and against spiritual hosts of wickedness in high places.”  In verses 13-17 he then goes on to explain how to handle such conflict. “Take up the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand in the evil day…and above all else take the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”  Karl maintained his obedience most especially by taking up what St Paul refers to as “the shield of faith”.  What this means in practise is very simple. When Karl was tempted to feel he wasn’t called, he accepted by faith that he was. When he was tempted to feel that God didn’t exist, he continued to accept by faith that He did and when he was tempted to feel that the Bible was untrue, he held fast by faith that it was true. Each time he overcame his feelings by relying upon “the shield of faith”, faith and feeling being two totally different things.

Depending on what form temptation comes in, sometimes it is described as being similar to experiencing a mirage in the desert. Over the centuries numerous travellers through desert regions have witnessed this phenomena and have written about what they felt. Depending on their physical state, the feelings the mirage generated could be overwhelming; they could almost taste the water, see the trees, and feel the coolness of the lake around their feet. Their feelings and senses cried out to them to go in that direction; but they knew by faith in their map and compass it was simply an illusion.

For the Christian, their map or compass is the Bible. No matter what they may be tempted to feel to the contrary, they have the sure Word of God to rely on and if they remain faithful as Karl did, then in time these false feelings will pass. Temptation may also come in the form of opposition from family, health problems, undue busyness, materialism, money worries or whatever, but provided they remain faithful to the Lord, the new life they have chosen in Him can never be stolen or taken from them by the powers of darkness. As we are promised in 1st Corinthians Ch10v13 “God is faithful, Who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able to bear…” and in Psalm 55v22 it adds “Cast your burden on the Lord and then He will sustain you because He will never permit the righteous to be moved.”

These were some of the precious promises that kept missionary Fay Goddard going after she contracted polio. Fay was a missionary in the Philippines but at the age of only 29 she came down with polio. One week she was hiking through mountains preaching the Gospel, the next she was unable to hold a full glass of water. Back in Seattle she was fitted for a wheelchair and told she would be handicapped for the rest of her life. How did she cope spiritually?

Looking back, she wrote that the first thing which really helped was by reaffirming the Saviour’s Lordship over her life and that she was willing to be used by Him no matter what happened to her. She said that the next thing which significantly helped her, were all the promises of God in Holy Scripture. She consciously acknowledged that His promises hadn’t changed and His grace and strength was still there for the taking.

Finally what helped was when she realised that God could still use her where she was. “During my nine months in rehabilitation I became aware that God had simply changed my mission field. Instead of barefoot Buhid, I was right in the middle of a group of people whose lives had been shattered by accidents or crippling disease…. I was with teenagers paralysed from the neck down in falls on ski slopes or car accidents.”

After being released from her extended stay in hospital she went to work for the missionary society at their head office. This work simply involved stuffing envelopes, licking stamps and trying to find enough to do to fill the day.  After a few weeks she felt Satan tempting her to feel useless and a burden to the organisation. As the temptation grew she began to feel really depressed and downcast in spirit, something that she hadn’t really experienced before. One day as she was praying about the situation she sensed the Lord say “If I need you to do this kind of work, what is that to you? Just follow Me.” Fay was determined to remain faithful so she consciously made up her mind to remain obedient even if the work seemed unchallenging and boring.

A few days later after having made this decision in the face of strong temptation her whole role dramatically changed. She was invited to become editor and producer of the mission’s magazine “East Asia Millions”.  Twenty years later she wrote “I am still putting the magazine together; editing material, doing the layout, and preparing it for printing. The joy is still there.” She had remained faithful through fierce temptation and by overcoming it, the Lord was then able to use her in a brand new way.

In Acts Ch14v22 it warns, “We must through many tribulations enter the Kingdom of God.” Those who follow the Lord Jesus are at war with evil. The powers of darkness from time to time, will try to take away their new life in Christ; they will try to take away their reward in Him and all that that reward means. They will try to take away their pardon for sin, their peace and their joy and their sense of Companionship with Him. However, provided a Christian holds fast no matter what, God will help and sustain them through it. As Jesus reassures us in John Ch10v28 “I have given them eternal life and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”

True repentance

Shortly before his death, Albert Einstein wrote a letter to a friend saying that he believed that the greatest need for the world was to listen to God. As we look at the state of the world today, this statement could not be truer. And what is it that God is saying to the human race? What remedy does He give for the state we are in? It is one simple but profound word “Repent”.

The key teaching of John the Baptist, the forerunner to Our Lord was “Repent”. After the Baptism and Temptation of Our Lord we are told that His key message was “Repent”, stating in Matthew Ch4v17, “From that time on Jesus began to preach to the people and say ‘Repent’”. When He sent the Disciples out to preach in the towns and villages their main theme was to be “Repent”. (Mark Ch6v12). And on the Day of Pentecost and from then on, the main message of the Apostles and the Early Church was once again “Repent”.

The word “Repent” is used more than 50 times in the New Testament, meaning that God’s main message to the human race is that people should repent of their sins. Indeed, it is so profoundly important, that being a Christian and being right with God is actually dependent upon a person having repented of their sins.

So what does repentance mean? Some time ago a Sunday School teacher asked her class this very question. One lad answered “It means being sorry for your sins.” However, after a few minutes of discussion a girl thoughtfully added, “It means being sorry enough to stop doing them.”  And this indeed is precisely what true repentance really means. A converted soldier put it like this. “The Lord said to me ‘Halt! Attention! Right-about-face! March!’” True repentance is being so sorry for one’s sins that one stops committing them and involves a complete change of attitude, conduct and behaviour. It means letting the Lord into one’s life, rather than keeping Him away at arm’s length.

Repentance isn’t merely a kind of general “sadness” or “regret” at the things one has done wrong, it is much deeper. A surgeon dressing a wound will probe it in all directions so as to cleanse it thoroughly. So likewise it is with true repentance. It involves a thorough exploration of the heart with a searching minute examination to discover what needs to be changed. Along with this will develop a new sense of the Holiness of God and an increasing awareness of the sinfulness of sin.

True repentance is the only key which will unlock the door to forgiveness and getting to know the Lord personally. While an individual remains unrepentant a barrier exists between them as a sinner and an infinitely Holy God. When however, genuine repentance occurs, this barrier is removed, forgiveness is obtained and the door is opened to experiencing a real and personal relationship with the Lord as our very Best Friend. Until an individual is willing to repent and obey the Lord, there will always be a barrier between them and the Almighty.

And the signs of this barrier in a person’s life are easily recognisable. A person will complain, “Oh I pray to God, but I don’t feel He is listening.” “Oh I don’t feel my prayers are getting through.” “Oh I don’t feel God is close to me”. “Oh, He doesn’t seem real to me.” “Oh I have been seeking the Lord but I can’t find Him.” “Oh I have many questions but I never seem to find satisfying answers.” “Oh I want a deeper experience of God but I just feel dry and empty inside.” All these different symptoms are but a manifestation of this self-imposed barrier and the solution to them is always the same; truly repent. Approach God on His terms of true repentance and the barrier will be instantly removed. As the Lord said in Isaiah Ch 59vs1-2 “Behold the Lord’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy that it cannot hear. But your iniquities separate you from God and your sin hides His face from you so that He will not hear.”

In 2nd Peter Ch3v9 it reminds us that “The Lord is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” Indeed His love and desire for individuals to repent and get to know Him personally is so strong that He sent His Son to die on the Cross for our sins. (John Ch3v16). However, unless an individual is willing to truly repent and submit to the Lord’s will, the barrier between them and God will remain. The following two stories illustrate this truth very clearly.

Sometime ago a man came to his Vicar with a long list of questions about the Bible and about how to live the Christian life. He talked to the man for a while to find out about his character and background. As the conversation unfolded the Minister sensed that the reason for the list of questions wasn’t due to the man being a heartfelt searcher wanting answers, but something very different. In 2nd Timothy Ch3v7 it describes individuals who are “forever learning but never able to come to an acceptance of the truth.” He felt that this was a fitting description of this man. Finally the Vicar said, “I’ll gladly go through all your questions and answer them one by one. I often do this with enquirers, but in your particular case before I do, I want you to do one thing first. I want you to repent of your sins and turn to following Christ, questions and all.” The man went off looking very thoughtful.

Several days later he returned looking quite radiant. “Where are your questions?” asked the Minister. “I don’t really have any major questions now” said the man. “After much soul searching I took your advice and decided that I should indeed first start to follow the Saviour and while following Him deal with my questions along the way. The strange thing is that the moment I committed myself to Him, I found answers to most of them and the others now appear so insignificant that no answer is really necessary.” The Minister had correctly perceived that in this case, the root cause of the man’s lack of faith and list of questions was due to his unwillingness to truly repent and obey the Lord. No amount of answering these questions would have solved this issue because the real problem lay, not in finding answers, but in finding repentance and obedience of heart.

This incident shows how a person may seek after God and may learn this or that about Him, but unless it is done with a genuine heart, approaching God on His terms, a barrier will remain. It is not primarily by having questions answered that will open the door to God; it is not primarily by praying or by reading the Bible; it is not primarily by attending church or by going on retreat. As important as all these things are, unless they are done in a spirit of repentance with a sincere willingness to submit to the will of God, they will be to no avail in removing the barrier.

If an individual wants to make “real contact” with God; if they want to have a close and personal relationship with Him and have Him as their Best Friend, then the first step beginning this relationship is true repentance. And as we shall see from this second story, it is also the vital ingredient which maintains and preserves this relationship.

Many years ago a backslidden member of Dr Philips Brooks’ church called at his house in order to get his name removed from the church membership roll. The man explained that he didn’t feel God close to him anymore and that he felt dry and empty inside. He felt disappointed that neither God nor the church satisfied him in the way that they once did. Dr Brooks pleaded with the man to reconsider but he was insistent. What happened next was remarkable and can only have been the result of God’s timing.

Just as Dr Brooks finished pleading with the man, a poorly dressed boy came to the door with a note. It was an urgent request for the Minister to visit a sick and needy woman in a poor part of town. Dr Brooks was just leaving to conduct a funeral and so he couldn’t respond to the request. Suddenly however, he had an idea. He knew that the man wanting his name removed from the membership roll had drifted from God by allowing sin back into his life and he also knew that the sick woman was a devout Christian. He wondered if her influence might make this man acknowledge the real truth as to why God was distant from him.

Dr Brooks explained to the man that he was leaving for a funeral and wondered if he would be so kind as to go on his behalf, to supply whatever the poor woman needed. The man readily agreed, assuming that he would have to provide her with some food or medicine. He followed the lad down narrow streets and then down a dark alley. Finally he came to a shack whose half-open door was held by one hinge. He was led into a darkened room. As he entered, the sick and partially sighted woman greeted him with great thanks, “Oh Dr Brooks, I knew you would come. You are God’s man. You always come to the call of trouble. I am sick and hungry, but first I want you to pray for me. Please pray!” Her plight was so desperate and her pleading so sincere, the man didn’t have it in his heart to say he wasn’t Dr Brooks. As he hesitated she pleaded with him again to pray.

He got down on his knees beside her bed. The whole situation seemed so surreal. In an instant, her devotion and love for God deeply struck his conscience. Confronted and challenged by her faithfulness he was forced to see that the real reason for God’s distance from him was his own fault by allowing sin back into his life. As he started to pray, he began by asking the Lord’s forgiveness and then went on to pray for the woman and her condition.

After he finished praying he explained that he had come on behalf of Dr Brooks and that he had been deeply challenged and convicted by her love for the Lord. They talked for some time and later he got her some much needed food, fuel and medicine. As they parted he thanked her for how her faithfulness to God had influenced and helped him. The man later contacted Dr Brooks and asked for his name to be kept on the church roll. He said to the Minister “I am all right now sir. I am all right.”

A repentant spirit begins our relationship with the Lord, but it also sustains and maintains it. Every time an individual feels that they are no longer in close fellowship with the Lord, the reason is always the same. They have allowed sin back into their hearts. Numerous times I have encountered people who were once close to the Lord but who then began to feel empty and dry inside. The inner joy that once was theirs had gone. “What has happened?” they ask and “What is the solution?” The reason is always the same; they have drifted away from the Lord by allowing sin back into their hearts and lives. Instead of growing in spiritual maturity by actively working at their faith, they have gone backwards. (Some will also have begun to neglect the three mainstays of the Christian life namely prayer, Bible reading and church attendance. It is impossible to have a growing and developing spiritual life if these three are no longer given a priority). The only solution is heartfelt, sincere and genuine repentance, fully submitting once again to the Lord’s will for their lives.

In Acts Ch17v31 it states God “has appointed a Day when He will judge this world in righteousness and He has given assurance of this by raising Christ from the dead.” A Day will come when individuals will be judged for their every thought, word and action. At great Personal Cost, due to God’s deep love, the penalty for our sins has been paid in full on the Cross, but this forgiveness is conditional upon true repentance. Today we live in a world which has lost its fear of God. We live in a world which has lost its awareness of God’s infinite Holiness. Many people see no reason or need to repent and live a God fearing life. How profoundly wrong they are! As it warns in Hebrews Ch2v3 “How shall we escape if we neglect so wonderful a salvation?”

At the moment wickedness abounds on the face of the earth exactly as Scripture predicted (Matthew Ch24v12, 2nd Peter Ch3vs 3-4), however, this situation will not last indefinitely. Just as Scripture warned about these troubled times so likewise it predicts that they will end in Judgment; “Behold I Am coming as a thief in the night. Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments lest he should be naked. My reward is with Me to give to everyone according to his work. Blessed are those who obey My commandments…” (Revelation Ch 16v15 and Ch22vs12-14). As the hymn says “Repent and obey for there is no other way.”

New Age, the Occult and the power of the true God

Scripture promises that when individuals are in a right relationship with God, then He will be active in their lives. Provided they take His commandments seriously and put Him first in their hearts they will experience the Lord working in and through them and be deeply conscious of His presence day by day. There are countless examples on record of what this means in practise but the following incident is particularly encouraging.

It concerns a church missionary called Upton Westcott who was called by God to work in Zaire over a hundred years ago. The people, he and his colleagues were ministering to, were cannibals and savages and they were steeped in superstition and witchcraft.

Upton and two friends pitched their tents near a cluster of huts not far from a huge lake. It was a beautiful stretch of water but it was infested with crocodiles. The people were generally friendly towards them and a pattern developed that every evening villagers would come and sit around the fire and listen to what the three men had to tell them about the Living God. Gradually, a few came to realise that this message of love and forgiveness was far more preferable than anything magic or their angel/spirit guides could offer. One by one they abandoned their worship of spirit entities, threw away their lucky charms and gave up reciting chants and spells. Instead they learned to live and behave as faithful Christians, worshiping and following a God Who really loved them.

As the number of converts grew, it wasn’t long before the message and ministry of the missionaries came to the attention of one particular witchdoctor. This man was greatly feared by the villagers, because it was acknowledged by all that spirit entities worked through him and they gave him power to curse those who dared cross him. This man became furious when he discovered that people were turning to follow Jesus Christ and he threatened revenge. Terror fell across the entire region as word spread and finally these threats came to the attention of Upton and his friends. One evening a member of the village warned them that the attack was to take place that very night after dark. The witchdoctor had gathered many men armed with spears, so there would be no chance of escape unless they fled immediately.

Upton Westcott and his two friends decided to pray about the situation and to seek God’s counsel. They had taught their new converts to trust in God and to rely on His protection - how could they just run away? What example would that set? On the other hand if they got killed, that wouldn’t help the mission either because it would give the impression that witchcraft was more powerful than the power of God. It seemed that the entire mission and all they had taught was in jeopardy. After earnestly praying for about half an hour, they sensed God say that they were not to run away but stay put.

That night they ate their supper as usual. Never had they been so conscious of the rustle of the leaves or the chatter of the monkeys. They sat around the fire praying, reading the Bible and waiting. The moon rose. The three had no desire to lie down. Better they thought, to meet death in the open seeing their enemies. As they waited it got colder and colder and an eerie mist arose from the lake. This must be the time, surely they will come now. But no one came. At long last the sun rose and the tired men who had never expected to see another dawn on earth heard the sound of the villagers getting up and going about their business. Never had life seemed so beautiful. They crawled into their tents and slept. The little group of Christians from the village were overjoyed – the Hand of the Heavenly Father had protected His messengers.

Months passed and because no harm came to either the missionaries or those who had given up witchcraft, others took heart and began to take Christian teaching seriously. Love and joy was far better than being subject to the spirit entities of paganism and witchcraft. Christianity really took off in the region and people became less afraid of the old witchdoctor because he seemed to have lost his power.

It was what happened next, however, that really sealed the success of Christianity. To Upton’s complete shock, one day he found the old witchdoctor kneeling before him in the door way of his tent. The witchdoctor said very simply “I want to learn about the True God”.

They talked for a long time. Upton spoke to him about the Creator of the Universe, how He had given the human race freewill and that one Day everyone would give an account of their actions before the Judgement Throne of God. He spoke of sin, the need for personal repentance, and how Jesus had paid the penalty of our sins by dying on the Cross. He explained that the spirit entities of paganism were described in the Bible as being evil spirits or fallen angels intent on deceiving the unwary and that their power was limited.

As the conversation continued, the witchdoctor became increasingly uneasy. There was so much sin in his life. But there was one sin which weighed heavier on his conscience than any other. Upton reassured him, that because the Price of sin had already been paid, he would be completely forgiven provided he truly repented. With these words of encouragement the witchdoctor told him an extraordinary thing. “Some months ago I sent my men by night with orders to kill the three of you. You were unarmed and it should have been easy. My men surrounded your tents but they would not attack because they were unnerved by a man dressed in bright clothing who sat with the three of you all night. I believe the God Whom you serve protected you and that is why I am here now. I know you serve the True God and I want to serve Him too.” The conversion of the notorious witchdoctor by this supernatural event sealed the success of Christianity in the whole region.

As Upton and his friends reflected on God’s intervention their thoughts were drawn to Psalm 34 which states “The defenceless cries out and the Lord hears them. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear God and delivers them.” That fearful night the three of them hadn’t been alone after all. The presence of an angel from God had saved their lives and saved the work of the mission.

In 2nd Chronicles ch16v9 it states “God shows Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to Him.” God will be active and powerful in our lives provided He is at the centre of our hearts. What would have happened if Upton and his friends hadn’t really loved God? What would have happened if they hadn’t been prayerful and obedient in their day to day lives? The reason many fail to experience God’s power in their lives is quite simply due to sin in their hearts. “Behold the Lord’s hand is not shortened that He cannot save nor His ear heavy that it cannot hear, but your sins have separated you from your God so that He will not hear.” (Isaiah ch 59 vs 1-2). Put God fully first and see His power in action!