Fountain of Living Waters Ministries (FOLWAMS)

BUILDING STRENGTH FOR ADVERSITY

Proverbs 24:10

Many people only prepare for comfort they never prepare for days of discomfort.

As you lay your bed for comfort you must also polish your sword for battle. You may or may not need it but have it ready and handy, who knows?

It is not lack of faith it is called equipping.

This message is for the matured mind not comfort seekers. You are what you eat and the kind of diet you have been eating will determine the kind of tasks you can undertake.

Some time ago, I read the book of a man of God in China and he was describing the attitude of christians in China towards suffering for Christ; that they considered it a priviledge and therefore rejoice when they suffer for that name, Phillipians 1:29, Acts 5:41.

And I asked questions within myself that here in this part of the world if we had to go through a little suffering at all we despair and give up easily. We say this doesn't look like what God promised us, Acts 14:22

The reason why we have a lot of compromise in the body of Christ is because of the kinds of diet we are being fed, Ecclesistes 10:17.

Many messages dwell so much on the goodness of God His blessings and all that but only very few messages prepare people and equip them for days of adversity.

If a man of God begins to talk about suffering people switch off completely and he has no listeners, because he is not preaching what they want to hear, 2Timothy 4:3-4.

Because of this, many servants of God has also compromised in our messages, we give to the people what they want to hear in order to keep them.

They may not be growing but let them just remain. We are more mumber conscious than growth/transformation conscious.

Messages that will make them rise and increase but many don't know how to handle adversity, sufferings, persecutions and rejection when they come. So at the first sign of these things they compromise easily.

Blessed but full of all kinds of compromise, they chicken out too easily. Truly they have gold but not one that has been tested by fire. They dont know what they really stand for.

There are messages that brings physical blessings to people but there are messages that produces real raw power in people.

There is a way matured faith talks as seen in the response of the three hebrew boys to king Nebuchadnezzar, . They said EVEN IF our God did not save us, Daniel 3:17&18. That looks like doubt but it is not.

The devil is afraid of people that speaks that way. He knows the power of death has lost its grip over such, Hebrews 2:14&15

Unfortunately not many christian talk that way. They can't just consider things happening otherwise and they call it faith. It is not faith, it is fear in disguise under the cloak of bold face.

If you ask a single christian sister and say what if you enter into marriage and it doesn't work, she will nearly curse you and label you a prophet of doom.

The next thing you know, she will not come to you for counselling again.

It is not lack of faith it is called equipping. It is not something you like but it will make you strong, prepared for any and all kinds of situation.

There are times I ask myself what if ministry doesn't work. Then I tell myself I return to the one that sent me.

Asking myself such questions help me set my priorities right and know what to fight to protect.

My relationship with God superceed ministry and every other thing else. It is what I must fight to protect at all cost. It is my number one priority not ministry.

Many people avoid asking themselves such questions because they think it is contrary to faith.

But not asking yourself such questions once in a while makes you vulnerable and ill prepared for the challenges of life, career, business, academics, ministry, marriage and the likes.

The bible calls it counting the cost, Luke 14:28.

If your highest vision is marriage if anything happens to that marriage you will lose your relevance mmediately and that may mean that is where life stops happening for you.

However if you have taken the courage to ask yourself "what if", you may be able to answer "even if" and begin to see there can still be life without marriage,

You may begin to see that actually purpose superceed marriage and is of eternal relevance than marriage which is limited only to this earth, Matthew 22:30.

This doesn't mean you will be careless with your marriage but you are no longer afraid again. Instead of your faith becoming weaker it gets stronger.

Every "what if" you answer correctly should lead you to an "even if" and every "even if" makes your faith stronger not weaker. It strengthens you against all kinds of odds.

The devil will always fight your faith from becoming matured by preventing you from asking "what if" so that you don't get to answer "even if".

He knows if you never answer "even if", you are still vulnerable and can compromise at the first sign of adversity, opposition or rejection, Proverbs 24:10

It is only when you can answer "even if" that you are ready for anything he may want to bring to stop you along the way. That makes your faith a matured faith.

Are you in ministry, a student, a career person or in businesss? Have you settled the question of "what if" and "even if". If not, begin to do so now, your answer us what determines how far you will go in your faith adventure.

In my next post I will share with us in details what happens when we run away from asking ourselves what if.

PRAYER: ASK THE LORD TO MAKE YOUR FOREHEAD HARD LIKE A SINEW SO THST YOU WILL NOT COMPROMISE NO MATTER WHAT. ASK THE LORD TO STRENGTHEN YOU SUPERNATURALLY IN ANY ADVERSITY.

PEACE

SALVATION PRAYER

Anything short of you being born again and living a life of holiness and purity hurt Jesus so much. But you can make things right here and now by saying this simple prayer and mean it genuinely from your heart:

Lord Jesus I come to you today. I acknowledge that I am a sinner and I cannot help myself. I repent of all my sins and I forsake them. Jesus, I invite you into my life, be my Lord, be my Saviour.

Wash me by your precious blood, forgive my sins and write my name in the book of life. From this day, I promise to follow you all the rest of my life. Help me Lord, in Jesus name, Amen. Congratulations you are now born again!

PEACE

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