Enduring Faith 1-18-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Though the mountains may tremble and the seas may roar, though the earth may split open in gaping wounds groaning for the healing and redemption of all creation to come, my hope and security is in You alone. You are my rock and my refuge, my strong tower and strength, my Lord and my God in whom I trust. … “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12). The grace of enduring faith is not something you can receive in a prayer line. It must be established in the dark nights of the soul, forged in the fires of affliction, rooted and grounded in the seasons of hungering and thirsting for more of Your presence and peace in the desert days of the wilderness. Enduring faith, persevering faith, tenacious, fearless, unyielding faith must be developed and strengthened one day at a time—even moment by moment and morning by morning. That’s the kind of faith that sees beyond the circumstances of the moment to the promises of God to come, that sees to the heart of a matter and not just the surface, that never doubts for a moment that though it’s often darkest before the dawn, the sun will always rise in glory for the coming of another day. Enduring faith allows hard times to bring out the best in us. It builds our character and shows us the true nature of our current character and how much further we have to go by Your grace to become all You have created us to be. Enduring faith allows us to stand and keep on standing when everything around us may tremble and shake and fall because we stand in the strength of the Lord alone by the mercy of Your grace, the authority of Your name, and the power of Your Spirit: “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Romans 5:1-5). So I praise You for the miracles of Your power and for the oceans of Your love. I praise You for the waves of Your Spirit and thickness of the glory of Your presence. But I also praise You that You are with me through the seasons of suffering and the trials of tribulation. Those are the times of deepest intimacy with You, even in the moments when we may feel You seem so far away. As the old poem about the footprints in sand reminds us, those are the moment when it may seem like You’re no longer walking with us, because those are the moments You carry us. And in the days of great tribulation to come in the midst of the great final harvest just before Your return, we will be thankful then for the deep intimacy and enduring faith You’ve established in us now (Matthew 24:29). “By your endurance you will gain your souls…. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:19-36). “But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:13). One day Your Kingdom will come in final victory upon the earth, but every moment of every day now, let Your Kingdom come in my heart and establish Your faith in my life. By the power of Your grace, I want to be one of those who endure to the end in faith to see the coming of my King in glory (Matthew 24:27). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Messiah Ministries will be leading again the 3rd Annual Greater Lexington Strategic Prayer Summit the weekend of January 22-23, 2010, hosted at Church of the Savior on Brannon Road (www.cosonline.org). Together we will seek the Lord for His vision for our city and region this year, joining in prayer, praise, and proclamation, while hearing from the leaders, intercessors, and watchmen on the wall of our city and Central Kentucky, Bluegrass region (Margaret Therkelsen, Bob Hale, Tom Monroe, Linda Whitaker, and others). Rob Poindexter and many worship teams from across our region will lead us in prophetic worship and praise throughout the weekend. Come join us if you can and join with us in prayer if you can't. I pray for unity and awakening of the Body of Christ and the City-wide Church in your region as well, as the army of the arises to advance the Kingdom of God in our generation. For details, contact Marilyn at: DirofMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591 Please spread the word! All are Welcome! January 27-30, 2010 -The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry- Level I Come Join us for focused time of teaching, mentoring, discipleship, personal ministry, equipping, worship and prayer led by Tommy Hays and our teaching team of experienced prayer ministers. We will study and experience a Biblical perspective of the ministry of healing and wholeness of spirit, soul and body, and apply the foundational principles of the Kingdom of God for prayer ministry. The course combines dynamic classroom teaching in a small group setting with personal hands-on experience as students receive personal ministry and are guided in ministry for others. For more information or to Register On-Line for The Fountain School of Spiritual Ministry, Click Here: Information/RegisterSchoolOfMinistryLevelOne or contact Marilyn Walker at DirOfMinistries@aol.com or 859-317-1591 Scholarships are available as much as possible to that all may attend. Please spread the word! Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502