"I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord."
Psalm 118:17 is a passage of scripture that should be the motivation that drives all those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, to keep the good fight of faith. Regardless of the problems that we encounter along our Christian journeys, our determination should be to live and be a breathing, victorious testament of God's goodness and almighty power
As sure as we are human, we will face tribulations. And many times, those hardships will test us to the limits. We want to wave the white flag of surrender, hang up our boxing gloves, and conduct our own standing eight count to determine if continuing the fight is worth the ensuing pain. There is no sin in wanting to give up. Distresses get beyond rough sometimes, and wanting to throw in the towel is perfectly normal. As long as we override that desire to cave under the pressure and realize that we have a charge to keep and a God to glorify, we will always be victorious. We must choose to live!
God never leaves us alone, though at times we may feel as if He does. We can take a lesson from Job, a biblical icon who walked perfect and upright before the Lord, but still had to endure a series of catastrophes that caused him to lose everything he had, including his health. Satan had gone to God and petitioned for permission to wreak havoc on Job's life. (Lesson #1: The devil can't touch us without God's permission). Satan assured God that if He would allow him to afflict Job with various calamities, Job would curse God to His face. With permission granted, the devil began destroying Job's flock, annihilating his servants, and killing his children. The agony of it all caused Job to tear his clothes, shave his head, and fall to the ground. No doubt, Satan thought that he had Job right where he wanted him at that point, but while this servant of God had his face to the ground, Job 1:20 tells us that he worshipped! (Lesson #2: Worship God in spite of). When all of Satan's attempts failed to make Job reject God, he then brought on a horrific skin disease that resulted in boils (painful pus-filled sores) that covered Job's body from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. In the midst of Job's agony, his friends turned against him and even his wife suggested that he curse God and die. But even after all of that, Job's response was, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him..." (Job 13:15). (Lesson #3: Never lose your faith in God or your determination to live).
Music used with the expressed permission of musician/composer, Antonio Allen
