Faith Filled Family Magazine September 2016 | Page 92

these previously frightened
Jews, gave their lives to share
His love and good news with any
who would listen, changing the
world for ever. They all died for
their faith, some as young men,
but others like Paul, Peter and
John lived to be elderly Fathers
of the new Church.
Their
inspired teaching and sacrificial
examples being the template of
how to live and be like Jesus.
Hebrews 12:1 NSB ‘A great
cloud of witnesses surround us.
Therefore let us lay aside every
weight, and the sin that easily
entangles us. Let us run with
endurance the race that is set
before us.’
If anyone doubts that they have
anything of value to offer God
and the Church, then these few
examples make it clear that
what-ever age we are, God can
and will bless us and enable us
if we are willing to bless others.
Self-doubt or discouragement
are deceptions the enemy uses
to stop us from trusting God.
The great deciever knows our
pride, hurts and fears are a barrier to a deep and loving relationship with God; so he will do
his best to whisper lies into our
ears. We are exhorted by Paul
to wearand live in the armour of
God described in Ephesians 6
which prepares all believers of
any age to do the will of God.

Our calling from God is an integral part of our discipleship walk.
He shapes our new ‘Spirit-filled’
self as we listen to Him and obey
His instructions. However unless
we trust His plans (whatever they
are) for our life, we can drift in
our Christian journey into unsatisfying indifference or just working in the mind-set of ‘Christian
duty’. Which performed in our
own strength will not gain the
rewards we are promised and
more importantly will separate
us from a loving relationship with
Jesus. When we walk away from
God for any reason, it is of our
own free will, He has not walked
away from, nor deserted us; God
promises He is with us always.
Sometimes we blame Christian
brothers and sisters, our circumstances, and even God for our
decision; yet He says ‘I am still
here waiting for you, I love you
unconditionally and I am more
interested in you and our relationship than any calling, or presumed failure.’

‘Take this cup from me, yet not
my will but yours’. They all prevailed didn’t they? We need to
trust Him, and not in our own
strength.
Isa 42:3 NSB ‘He will not break
off a bent reed nor extinguish a
flickering lamp. He will bring lasting justice to all.’
The key to understanding this
dilemma, is that all of us will face
the temptation to walk away at
different times in our Christian
lives. We all make mistakes,
we all have weaknesses in our
human character. God is more
aware of this as than we are.
That is why we have His Word,
His Spirit, the body of Christ and
the faith within us to overcome
anything that the enemy can
throw at us. God does not judge
us for giving up, He fully understands how weak and fickle we
are without Him.

So how can we overcome this
tendency to give up? First of
Matt 28:20 NSB ‘Teach them all do an honest appraisal of all
to observe all the things I have that has happened. If you have
commanded you. Behold, I am experienced ministers and team
with you always, even to the end members or trusted friends to
of the age.’
help you in this process, share
your concerns and with the Holy
Sometimes exhaustion, a loss Spirit’s discernment and loving
of direction, illness or personal wisdom, you will see the causes
tragedy can make us feel, ‘we and then the remedies to rebuild
just can’t do it anymore’. It your brokenness. We are encourseems that giving up, stepping aged to confess our sins to one
aside, or reacting to circum- another, which may be a difficult
So it would appear the simple stances is the escape clause we process, but enables us to look
answer from the Word of God to need to walk away. Many of our humbly at how our behaviour
the question,
‘Does any age Biblical heroes like Abraham, and reactions may have added
disqualify you from fulfilling what Jacob, Moses, David, Elijah to the issues that have caused
God wants you to do with your and Jesus’ disciples collapsed us to ‘walk away’. Is forgiveness
under pressures they could not of others needed, or is being
life?’, is a resounding No!
cope with. Yet Paul urges us to forgiven required? Perfection‘Why is not walking away from ‘run the race’, ‘to keep the faith’. ism is a form of pride, and thereEven Jesus cried out to Abba, fore a snare which can trap us
it so important?’