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.”

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!