Man is not promised an endless supply of strength for him to store up. Rather, God promises to provide the necessary grace and strength for the present trials.
The eyes of the LORD are in every place. His eyes are upon all men’s ways: they are not hid from His face, neither is their iniquity hid from His eyes.
Why would the Lord invite those weary from labour to wear a yoke? And then, why would the Lord promise rest by inviting people to labour?
Every believer will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ to give an account for his stewardship while living upon this earth. Perhaps no one understood this quite like the apostle Paul. He was the apostle of the Gentiles (Romans 11:13) and had a special calling as a steward “of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4:1). He spoke often about the fact that the gospel had been put in his trust (1 Thessalonians 2:4; 1 Timothy 1:11; Titus 1:3). The apostle Paul feared what would happen if he failed to fulfil his stewardship (1 Corinthians 9:16-17) because he knew a time of accounting faced all believers including himself. Though Paul’s calling was special, the fact that he would give an account was not unique to him only.
Many of those in the world perceive prayer as a crutch or a tool that shows weakness. Yet, the saint of God knows prayer to be one of the most powerful weapons during times of war. As the Lord Jesus prepared to face the mob that would soon arrest Him, He spent His remaining time in earnest prayer (Matthew 26:36-46). It was during this time that He taught the disciples saying, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). Prayer does not distract the believer from the battle at hand; rather, it strengthens him and aids him during even the fiercest parts of the battle. Prayer reminds the believer of who he is, who his enemy is, and it reminds him of the power of his God.
Rebellion is a willing conscious decision to refuse the instruction of another. The Lord describes this in Zechariah 7:11 when He said, “they refused to hearken and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.” This is a powerful illustration and picture! It almost seems like the Lord has a hand on the shoulder of the rebel but when faced with the Lord’s instruction, a rebel pulls away from the Lord’s gentle grasp. As he pulls away, the rebel turns his back and closes his ears to the Lord’s instruction. The Lord affirms this in Jeremiah 32:33 when He said, “they have turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction.”
God has called the saved to be His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20), and as such, Christians are to take God’s truth to a lost and dying world. This message must be communicated. Due mostly to man’s ever increasing dependence upon technology, Christians have lost their effectiveness in communicating with others. This may seem insignificant, until one considers how it has weakened our ability to communicate our faith. Fewer people today will knock on a door and tell a stranger that he must be born again. Even fewer will stand upon a street corner and communicate the words of God to those who pass by. The saved must once again become willing to go forth and tell family and stranger alike that Jesus saves.
Men who think they need a simplified version of the Bible to assist in understanding misunderstand God's grace found throughout scripture. For instance, the Lord graciously provides associated words to help understand less familiar words. Even if we did not know what the word counsel meant, the Bible provides hints like the one found in Judges 20:7. Judges connects the word counsel with the word advice. Psalms tells us that counsel is gained when people consult together (Psalm 83:3). A counseller is one who can give an answer when asked a question (Isaiah 41:28). Additionally, Proverbs 20:5 points to counsel as a well of deep water that the wise seek to draw out of a man. Anytime we go to someone to seek his advice or input in a matter, we are seeking his counsel. It is important to note that counsel can be wise and righteous, or it can be ungodly. For this reason, the word of God must be the spiritual gauge.
Fear and discouragement are effective weapons in Satan’s arsenal which he uses to discourage the people of God from fulfilling the will of God for their lives. Fear is not all bad. The fear of God is good and holy, but the fear of the world withstands faith and brings the believer into bondage (Proverbs 29:25). Fear and faith are foes as are fear and courage. In 2 Timothy 1:6-8, the Bible points out that the Lord is not the instigator of fear in the life of the believer. In the place of fear, God gives men power, love, and a sound mind. God wants men to be courageous and full of faith. Yet, the fear of man exhibits a lack of courage. It frequently hinders believers from doing the Lord’s work and gives the impression that believers are ashamed of the Lord and His people.
