KEY SCRIPTURE: Luke 21:36 KJV “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of MAN”.

The Lord Jesus in the above scripture instructs all children of God to pray always and not to give up, that they may be counted worthy to escape the trouble that would come on the world, and also to stand before Jesus Christ. This statement is quite amazing. Many have taught that, once a person is born again heaven and access to escape the trouble in the world becomes automatic. We learn from our key scripture that, we must pray without ceasing, that we would be counted worthy to escape the trouble that would be coming on the world. I have realized that, this prayer point is not one that most Christians do pray about. Well, the Lord Himself instructs us to pray this way and not to stop.

Why should we be praying to be counted worthy? The Bible said the following about Jesus. Heb 5:7 KJV” Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; ” The Lord knew He would die and be resurrected on the third day. Inspite of what He knew, was an established fact, He had to pray, ceaselessly and passionately so he would be saved from death. The point is God is legally, not permitted to do anything on this earth until men call on Him. (He gave the dominion of the earth to man Gen 1:26-28) Satan would want to hinder every established predicted event. Prayer must ascend to heaven to stop him. In the life of the Christian nothing happens automatically. Everything must be requested or contested for through prayer. It is no wonder the Lord Jesus said, “men ought always to pray and not to faint” (Luke 18:1).

Dear child of God, please take heed to the Lord’s advice. Pray with passion about the need to be counted worthy to escape the tribulation. I can conclusively say, every Christian in addition to living rightly must pray passionately that he or she would be counted worthy to be raptured, when the Lord appears in the clouds. Don’t be discouraged in praying to be counted worthy to escape the tribulations coming on men.

PRAYER

Thank you, heavenly Father, for your great mercies towards all mankind. I pray that you continually show mercy on me and as many who call on you in truth. I pray we would be counted worthy to escape the trouble that would be falling on humanity and also to stand before our Lord Jesus. In Jesus name I have prayed.

FURTHER STUDIES

Luke 18:1 KJV” And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;”

Romans 12:12 KJV Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

KEY SCRIPTURE: Hebrews 10:23 KJV ” Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)”

 The word of God is the highest authority in the universe. For all things are upheld by the word of His power (Heb 1:3) Declaring the word of God in actual fact is exercising dominion on the earth. The reason the Spirit of God calls on us to hold fast to our confession is because it is the devil’s greatest desire to stop the Christian from making confessions in faith. Satan is absolutely helpless in the face of the man who believes the word and boldly confesses it. The truth is that the man who believes the word and boldly confesses it, is just like God Himself declaring His words. In confession, you act like the sound of an echo. An echo is just a resounding of the original words. It is never a new word, but the original which is resounded. Your believe receives the power and your mouth triggers it.

Satan would do everything to keep you from maintaining that confession. Satan cannot operate in the God realm, or in the realm of reality. He functions in the flesh realm. Where the Bible calls it, lying vanities. Jonah 2:8 KJV” They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy”. Just decide never to function from the natural plane, but to believe the word and to say what the word says. No matter what happens or what you see, do not be discouraged in maintaining your confession. Your confession must be bolder and stronger in the face of contrary evidences

Remember that the Lord Jesus is the high priest of our confession. Heb 3:1 KJV “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus”; As the high priest, he has a special duty to appeal to the Father on the bases of our confession of the word. When we fail to affirm the word, but rather say what the enemy tells us he is doing, we limit Jesus from playing His role as the high priest of our confession. He cannot appeal to the Father when our words do not resonate or go in line with what the word says. Purpose in your heart to believe the word and continually say what the word says

CONFESSION

God has spoken and I affirm it as a truth. I am born of Him, and His Spirit in me dominates this world with His power. I do not live by what I see or by what I feel. I live totally by His word, by declaring boldly what He has said.

FURTHER STUDIES

Hebrews 13:5 KJV Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me”.

2 Corinth 4:13 KJV We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

KEY SCRIPTURE: Hebrews 10:23 KJV” Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)”

The above key scripture is a direct instruction telling us to hold fast our confession of our faith. We should never be discouraged or give up on declaring what we believe. Please note that the word profess is the same as to confess.

It means to speak in consent or to say the same thing. It is a translation of the Greek word ‘homologia’, which comes from two Greek words, ‘homo’, which means ‘same’ and ‘logos’, which also means ‘word’ Homologia, means ‘same words. To confess means to speak in line with the word of God.

 Confession is a seal on our faith. Rom 10:10 KJV” For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”. Our hearts believe the word, and that makes us justified or righteous before the father. When we confess what we have believed, it is like appending your signature to an agreement. Without the signature the agreement is not executed. This is the reason the Bible says when we make our confession to that which we have already believed, we are saved. Whenever we make a confession in line with the word of God, we fully establish whatever the word has said in that light.

Our key scripture says we must hold fast our confession, that is, we must never stop saying the things the word has said in relation to our faith. He added that God is faithful who promised. God cannot deny himself. Hebrews 6:18, put it this way: it is impossible for God to lie. This implies whatever God has promised is certain to come to pass, if we do not get discouraged in signing forth what we have believed in our heart. To sign what we have believed is to confess or speak out what we have believed, and we cannot be denied our answer.

CONFESSION

I continually hold fast my confession without wavering. My confession completes my faith and delivers into my hands what God has said.

FURTHER STUDIES

Heb 4:14 KJV “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession”.

Hebrews 3:1 KJV ” Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Judge 6:12 KJV “And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

The children of Israel came under severe, oppression from the Midianites, due to their disobedience to the word of God. Each time they raised their crops, ready for harvesting the Midianites came and made away with everything. Gideon was so fearful and discouraged to the point that he hid himself by the wine press. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and saluted him as follows.” The Lord is with thee thou mighty man of valour”. Gideon answered him as follows.

Judge 6:13 KJV “And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites”.

HIS answer showed how discouraged he was. Dear child of God. You may be going through a season of defeat, and filled with total despair. The Lord says he has not left you. He calls you a mighty man of valour. In another event Peter went fishing with some of his friends. They caught nothing. They sat washing their nets. I could imagine how defeated and discouraged they felt. (Luke 5:1-6) On this occasion, the Lord used their canoe to preach, afterwards he led them to go back into their failed and disappointed business. Luke 5:4 KJV” Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught”. Peter said, “We have toiled all night but caught nothing yet at thy word we would let them the net”. They caught a record catch. In times of difficulty and failure it is the word of God that counts.

In Gideon’s story the angel said, God was with him. The Lord led him and figuratively as one man, he defeated the Midian army and totally delivered the Israelite from oppression. Dear brother or sister, your condition may be bad and deplorable, but don’t ‘ throw in the towel’ in despair. The Lord says you are a mighty man, because he is with you. Hebrews 13:5 KJV” Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee”. The Lord has not left you, and that makes you the majority. You must boldly declare the Lord is on my side, and I am more than a conqueror. Like Peter believe God’s word and act positively again. You would make a record win, or triumph that would forever amaze you. Don’t be discouraged.

CONFESSION

In the name of the Lord Jesus, I am a mighty man or woman of valour. God is with me and in me. I can’t be defeated. I have overcome through Christ Jesus. The angels of God continually bring me help and provisions. I am gloriously blessed in Jesus name. It is well with me.

FURTHER STUDIES

2Corinth 2:14 KJV” Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place”.

Hebrews 1:14 KJV” Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 24:30 KJV “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory”.

Among the many things that we have to be concerned about and expect to happen to us, is the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. No child of God must feel discouraged in expecting the coming of the Lord. The Lord says we must watch and pray so that we would not be overtaken by surfeiting, drunkenness and the cares of this world (Luke 21:34). Indeed, that which makes people lose awareness of the coming of the Lord is when their hearts are overtaken by the things of the world. Remember Lot’s wife. Her heart was so much in Sodom and its lust that, she could not go on with her husband, but had to look back and so, she became a pillar of salt. Refuse to let the world stay in your heart, and your heart in the world.

The following are some of the reasons why the Lord will come back, and so we must keep expecting His return. Expecting his return helps us to live right. 1Jn 3:3 KJV “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure”.

1.The coming of Christ is to bring man into God’s original program for creating him. To live in peace, without sin, sicknesses and in perfect relationship with the father. REV 21:4

2.The coming of Christ is a moment for God to reward all His Children who have lived faithfully for Him (James 1:12)

3.He is coming to judge all the ungodliness and unrighteous of men. (Rev 20:11) The wicked shall not go unpunished.

In the light of the above the Bible has given definite statements that tells us about the certainty of His coming.

Matthew chapter 24 speaks mainly on the second coming of our Lord Jesus. The Bible lists the following which almost all have come to pass, with just a few happening or yet to happen.

1 False Christ

2 Wars and Rumors of wars

3 Conflicts among nations

4. Betrayal of brethren

5.False prophets and teachers

6.Iniquity abounding

7Love of many waxing cold

8.The gospel spreading across the globe

9.Pestilences, famine and natural disasters in divers’ places

10. The introduction of the microchip on the forehead or the right arm also fulfills the scriptures prediction of the anti-christ who would rule a major portion of the world. Rev 13:16

All these must put us in a state of expectancy of his return.

CONFESSION

I have the hope of Christ eminent return. I keep myself pure and work hard to expand His reign in the hearts of men.

FURTHER STUDIES

Revelations 13:16 KJV” And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads”:

Revelations 21:4 KJV” And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

KEY SCRIPTURE:2 Peter 3:9 KJV” The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”.

The message about the soon return of our Lord Jesus is preached all over, yet a number of people somehow doubt its reality. The scriptures rightly predicted the kind of words men would be saying in the last days. ” And saying, where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. (2nd Pet 3:4). The Lord tells us never to follow the thinking of these scoffers. A day to the Lord is as a thousand years, whiles a thousand is as a day. What men call years gone by is nothing before the Lord, and we should never allow the supposed failed expectation to influence anyone from looking forward to his return.

Our key scripture teaches us that God is not slack, concerning His promises, but he is longsuffering to us-ward, so non should perish, but that all should come to repentance. The promise of the Lord’s coming is very clear and emphatic throughout the Bible. Acts 1:11 KJV Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven”. These are clear unambiguous statements that leaves no doubt in one’s mind.

There are a lot of Christians who know of these things yet, they do not fully expect him to come soon and doubt whether He would come at all. Their believe is seen in their actions and how much they labour for the Lord in anticipation of the His return. The Lord advices us to watch and pray so we would be counted worthy to escape all that would be coming on the world (Luke 21:36). If you get discouraged in the coming of the Lord, then you have lost faith in the validity of the bible and sadly lost faith in God. You have therefore lost your salvation; this means if you die today you would end up in hell. The implications of getting discouraged in the second coming of the Lord is very serious and terrible.

Do not allow the spirit of anti-Christ to take a hold of you.

CONFESSION

I believe in God, and totally ascribe to the validity of the Bible. Jesus is coming back again to rapture the church, and I believe that. I am expecting His return any day and so live in that light.

FURTHER STUDIES

2 Peter 3:3 KJV “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts.

Luke 21:33 KJV” Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares”.

KEY SCRIPTURE :1 Samuel 13:13 KJV” And Samuel said to Saul, thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now, would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever”.

King Saul and the armies of Israel were on a battle field against the armies of the Philistines. A sacrificial offering had to be made unto the Lord before they went into that battle. Prophet Samuel had told Saul to wait till he comes to make that sacrifice. Saul waited for a week and the men of Israel had started scattering because of the enemies. King Saul in the light of the pressure on him, decided to make the sacrifice himself, something he knew very well, he was not supposed to do. The Lord said to Saul, through Samuel that, because he had not been patient to wait for the will of God to be perfected, the throne had been taken from him and given to another man.

 When it comes to doing the will of God, never attempt to help God. King Saul wanted to help God by offering the sacrifice that Samuel should have done. Some people could not wait on God to bless them with a baby, but rather went for other women, to get babies for them. Abraham and Sarah agreed to help fulfill the will of God, by going for Hagar, Sarah’s maid. The result was Ishmael, of whom the Bible described as follows: “And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren”. (Gen 16:12).

We are all aware of the descendants of Ishmael and the absolute fulfillment of this prophecy even in our days. In the fulness of time Sarah, although very old yet she got pregnant and gave birth to Isaac.

 Dear brother or sister never get discouraged in waiting for God. The Bible said when we allow patience to have her perfect work, we would intend be perfect and would not lack anything. (James 1:4) The will of God is God’s perfect standard for a victorious life. When men fail to do the will of God they always end up with negative repercussions. The youth in courting must wait for the marriage to be blessed before sex. The cause of the poor foundation of most marriages is the inability for the man and woman to keep from premarital sex.

CONFESSION

The way of God is the path of life. I continually live to please the Lord and l am ready to wait on him, no matter how long it takes. Doing His will is life.

FURTHER STUDIES

Prov 3:5 KJV “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths”.

Prov. 14:12 KJV” There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: James 1:13 KJV “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man”:

In our previous study we said that, God allows temptations to come the way of a Christian for various reasons, that go to benefit the child of God, when he or she endures and overcomes them. Our key scripture now, says God cannot be tempted with evil, neither does He tempt any man. There seems to be a difference in the use of the word temptation in both studies. The book of James clearly teaches that, although trial and temptation are used interchangeably in a number of scriptures, there is a clear difference in the two. According to James trials are challenges that come against us to stir up our faith into action. (James 1:2-5)

He reveals, also that temptation is when one is overtaken with lust that entices the individual. When this condition fully dominates the person, it gives birth to sin. (James 1:14-15). Temptation in this concept, cannot come from God, neither does he use this kind of temptation in any way. This kind of temptation is purely a work of the flesh, mainly motivated by the devil.

Many people find themselves in this kind of temptation and have consistently fallen. If you find yourself in such a situation, don’t get discouraged and give up. There are some people who have tried to fast to overcome these temptations, yet to no avail. Don’t be discouraged and bow to such a state.

Your answer is not just efforts, but an understanding of your freedom from sin and the proper application of the scriptures to live in victory. The Lord Jesus death and resurrection has totally freed you from every power of sin (Rom 6:14, 8:2,1st Corinth 6:17) It is up to you to accept and boldly declare that you are absolutely free from sin and can’t live in sin any longer. Don’t stop saying and believing that sin in any form cannot rule you. You would be free from any such wrong habit, if you don’t give up your right believing and declarations.

CONFESSION

I am free from the power of every sin. I have resurrected with Jesus and have His life that overcomes all sin. My flesh does not lead and control me in anyway.

FURTHER STUDIES

James 1:14 KJV. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Rom 8:2 KJV “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Mark 13:13 KJV” And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved“.

Temptation or trials will happen to every child of God. The Bible calls it the evil day. God allows it our way so we would overcome and bring glory to His name. They also come to make us perfect and complete when we overcome them. We must see them as great opportunities to make great strides in the Spirit. We must actually count it all joy when trials come our way. (James 1:2–5) There is also a glorious crown for all those who will overcome (1st Peter 5:4) We must therefore not be discouraged under temptations. Our Lord Jesus was tempted in all points yet he never sinned (Heb 4:15)

What made the master overcome all the grievous satanic temptations that came His way. He doggedly relied on the strength of the Holy Spirit. This was expressed in His commitment to prayer. He said to the disciples, pray that they may not enter into temptations. Mat 26:41 KJV “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”.

 Temptation from the master’s statement is a state or condition that one’s strength cannot stand. His statement also means that, your commitment to prayer makes divine strength available, to help you to overcome. The Lord added that in such trying moments, the spirit of a man may be willing to overcome yet cannot help, because the flesh which must carry out the action is helpless. Prayer would keep you strengthened, so you are not overwhelmed with it. Watch and pray.

When the Lord had to go unto the cross, he had to pray so much that, His sweat became as great drops of blood.

(Luke 22:44). Out of such agonizing prayers the Bible said the following “And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him”(Luke 22:43)

  The Lord’s victory from this contest is deliverance for all humanity. Your victory is not your sole victory, but a solution to multitudes. You must not be discouraged in the moment of trial and difficulty. If the Lord overcame then you can likewise overcome.

CONFESSION

Temptations will come in various forms, but I always overcome them. I depend on the Lord through prayers and the word of God to overcome. I count it all joy as they come my way, for they make me more perfect.

FURTHER STUDIES

Jas 1:2-4 KJV “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers’ temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Luke 22:42 KJV Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

KEY SCRIPTURE:1Thess 5:14 KJV “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men”.

Many of us easily give up or get discouraged with others or and do not “suffer long” with their shortcomings. Our key scripture is a very profound one. It reveals four categories of people that we must relate with. They are as follows:

1 The unruly

2 The feebleminded

3 The Weak

4 All men.

The first group are those who have set themselves against divine systems and order. They act against the scripture as well as established authority. The instruction for them is that, they must be warned. If they repent, they are accepted and allowed to be part of the body. If they would not repent, they are treated in the light of their status. This means if they are acting out of deceit, they are helped to be free from deceit. If they are been treacherous or acting out of animosity, then they are treated as “publicans”. (Matt 18:15–18)

The second group are the feeble minded. These are those who are easily deceived, because they lack knowledge. They are often fearful and may act against the word of God, but are simply   just ignorant, and feeble minded. Such one’s must be comforted or strengthened. They are strengthened by teaching them the truth. Some of us give up or get discouraged with such people.

There is a third group which the Bible calls the weak. The weak may be the elderly or some who are physically challenged. They may express certain actions that reveal gross weakness in many ways. The bases of such weakness may be coming from age, an ailment or their inability to apply the scriptures. The Bible says, we must support such people. The word support means to hold to one firmly from falling or to hold up. This involves making sacrifices to perfect the shortcomings and lacks in that individual. To give up or get discouraged with such a one means leaving him or her to the mercy of their state.

(Eph 4:2)

The last group are all men. The Bible says we must be patient with all men. All men include, every kind of personalities we can think or imaging. Many people would not bear with the inconsistencies in people because they are not ready to lose some comfort they enjoy. Do not get discouraged in people. Show dislike for wrong actions but not dislike for the individual

CONFESSION

I understand that, all men are different from one another. I therefore attend to all men with love and wisdom. I do not get discouraged with any of them.

FURTHER STUDIES

Colossians 3:12 KJV” Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering”;

1Thessalonians 5:15 KJV” See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men”.