Written by Michael J. Martinez
Guiding Light Praying Ministry.
www.glprayingministry.com

?Lord, I cry out to you; make haste to me! Give ear to my voice when I cry out to you, let my prayer be set before you as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice? ( Psalm 141:1, 2 ).

Many of us, including myself go through hard times before God finds us and chooses us. Psalm 65:4 tells us, ?Blessed is the man You choose, And cause to approach You, That he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Of Your holy temple.? Sometimes people go through rough times even after Jesus Christ saves them. One reason for the rough times afterward, I believe, is because they do not allow God to do what He needs to do, in order for brokenness to take place and the sanctification process to begin. Sanctification, the outward evidence of a Christian being justified in the Lord Jesus. His word says, ?And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth? (John 19:19 ). Jesus prayed this to the Father for His disciples and said, ?Sanctify them by your mouth. Your word is truth? (John 17:17 ). Jesus did not just pray for His disciples but all who believe the Father sent Jesus to us, it is written, ?I do not pray for these alone (His disciples), but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; ?that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that you sent Me? (John 17:20, 21 ). I believe that the hard times should draw you nearer to the Lord as a believer. Should help you to see your errors and sin as a non-believer, so you may obtain Salvation, be saved and sealed by the Holy Spirit for eternal life in heaven. Through your word, by you praying to Jesus, confessing your sin with your mouth, repenting, asking for forgiveness, and receiving the Lord as your savior and God, to help you endure the hard times that life will deal you. Especially when you walk with the Lord Jesus, the devil, whom believers once pleased can now bring glory to the Lord and be protected from the evil one.

It takes God some time to remove the bad habits, bad attitudes and set in ways because people simply fight stubbornly against His perfection. People do not let go and insist on fixing or working out their own situations or problems. It is written, in Matthew 11 verse 28 through 30 ?Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." God provides ways and ?yes?, we need to work hard at following what He provides for us to do in order for situations to change, but when He tests us its light, to follow Him can be made easy and He will only allow in our life, what He knows we can handle. I truly believe that ?yes? we need to suffer for Christ and endure because scripture says we must. Yet some trials, tests and tribulations can be a bit smoother if we just follow the instructions that He provides for us. If we follow instructions and obediently apply them to our life then I know we can eliminate wasted time. And lets not always say ?Well, easier said than done? because these kind of remarks are only copouts and many times excuses. You can achieve and do anything that God works through you, according to His perfect will for you, that He has, and that is where we want to be. Romans 12 verse 2 says, ?And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.? In hard times, you must pray and seek your savior and follow His lead, as it is written, ??serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever? (1 Chron.28:9 ).

Why do some fight against a perfect will that a God and creator has for them? Well, it is written in Romans 1 verse 25 ?who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.? The Lord Jesus says, ?I am the Lord, your Holy One, The Creator of Israel, your King? (Isaiah 43:15 ). ?Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable? (Isaiah 40:28 ). ?Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator? (1 Peter 4:19 ). All this fighting will lead a believer into hard times and into a joyless walk and will lead a non-believer farther away from Jesus into darkness.

Satan is putting up a fight for the soul of an unbeliever and will do anything he can to deceive them. Not only will he continually lie, but he also will add some truth to the lie so that it can be perceived as truth. And with the believer, there is nothing more pleasing to the devil than to see a Christian fail and walk away from God. So they may not be used by Jesus and be a good testimony to glorify God. As well as lie to the believer and steal from him/her what the Lord has written to follow in order to keep you safe from the evil one.

The devil (Satan) works through many to deceive, the Lord tells us, ?For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist? (2 John 1:7 ). Many do not think they are being used and claim to be morally good, the Lord says, ?If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us? (1 John 1:8 ). There is many scripture warning us about false teachers, false prophets, false proclaimers in Christ, false healers and miracle workers ?But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.? (2 Tim 3:13 ).

We need to be as Christians suffering for Christ, enduring with God?s help, being renewed every minute of the day we can, ?that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting?? (Eph.4:14 ).

So hard times need hard prayer, prayer that is never ceasing and never selfish. We pray for God?s will and not ours so we may have the perfection of Jesus in our life. And if we are Christians and not following God?s way then chastening (spiritual spankings) are necessary just as a father with his disobedient child. ?If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons? (Heb 12:7, 8 ). It is God?s love for us to bring a hard challenge to our life if need be in order for us to turn from our wicked ways and once again be set on the narrow path of righteousness. ?Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty? (Job 5:17 ). And it is usually in pain that one might turn, I ask, does it have to be this way? Can one see this and hear the wise counsel and decide before the trouble to want Salvation? The prophet Isaiah spoke and said, ?Lord, in trouble they have visited You, They poured out a prayer when Your chastening was upon them? (Isaiah 26:16 ).

So as we have read in minimal, times are hard and will get harder so we must be prepared. Whether you are a believer or a non-believer the times will get harder as you see on news and in the world. Scripture is being fulfilled everyday for the coming of the end times, all has been fulfilled up to this point, fulfilled exactly as the bible speaks, so consider your ways, see your need of a savior and cry out to Him.

May God Bless you and give you of His peace, Amen.

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Published on: 2005-08-13 (2671 reads)