Living by Faith – It’s a Life Style

II Timothy 2:3 – Endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ!

On a night similar to this many years ago it was raining and thundering; many people were broken hearted, filled with despair and there were others that were merry and gambling while you hung on that cross bleeding and in great pain wondering how long you must suffer and wait for the peace of death to come in and give you rest. God was in great pain too to know that he had to sacrifice his only son to save the lives of all the sinners then and those to come.
Satan thought he had finally beaten God by taking the life of his son but what he did not realize was Jesus gave it knowing how many souls he would take back from Satan. Jesus waited for the time when he could walk among the demons in hell so that he could take the keys of death and the grave from him once and for all. We no longer have to fear death or the grave because if we are a child of the king we will not know death or the grave. If we die before Jesus returns we will just step from this body into the new body we have been promised to receive when we leave this world.
This joyous occasion doesn’t end there but not only did Jesus take the keys of death in those three days he also returned upon the earth to show the people that believed and loved him so much that he did what he said he would do. He appeared to the disciples and other apostles several times. He also told them to gather in an upper room and wait for him; but they were not to sit around and gossip while they waited; he told them to tarry. Tarry means to linger in expectation or to abide at a place; so they were told expect something.
Jesus came as he promised and when the Holy Ghost showed up; God showed out. We now have the comforter to dwell inside our hearts to lead and guide us from sun up to sun up; meaning never ending. He watching over us while we go to school, work to provide for our families, washing dishes, cleaning the house, mowing the lawn, and while we sleep. Some of the best time I receive peaceful sleep is between 2:00 and 6:00 in the morning. A lot of times this is also when Jesus wakes me up to talk to me or I have a vision.
But these things I’ve mentioned are the best part of the story; the best part is that when Jesus ascended up into heaven he told them to watch and pray because he will be coming back some day to take to be with him forever more. No more pain, no more bills, no more broken hearts, no more struggling, and no more fear or worries of any kind.
We’ve been redeemed from the curse, and there’s nothing that Satan can do to reverse that, but he is going to challenge you on it. Times will come when you will have to stand strictly by faith, you will have to speak and act what God says is true even when you can’t feel it or see it happening around you. Living by faith isn’t something you try but it’s a life-style. You do it when it’s hard and you do it when it’s easy. You do it all the time because you’re not just doing it to get in on the benefits. You’re doing it because you know that faith pleases God.
Things may get a little rough at times, but let me assure you; you will come out on top if you endure hardness as a good soldier. If you refuse to faint and fall away, you will have the victory. The only defeated Christian is the one who quits!


Written by: Karen ReNee, April 2012
Other Scripture Reading: Hebrews 11:6 & Number 14:1-24