I have two pastors. They used to be at the same church. Two brothers; and I remember clearly when I was a visitor at their church for the third or fourth time and I heard in my spirit, "Behold your captains."
When I hear the LORD like that, I don't hear an audible voice or even a voice in my head. It's more like a satellite delay or something. When the LORD speaks I am not consciously aware of hearing Him. It's only after I respond to what my spirit has obviously heard that suddenly I have a memory in my mind like I heard a voice speak.
It's a pretty good system really. I know when I'm talking to myself or when the enemy is trying to drop his thoughts and words into my mind and I'd certainly recognize any "voices" talking to me as not originating with the Holy Spirit, because those are all hearing first. With God, it's respond first.
Once when it was to approach a stranger about coming to church I was at a gas pump and was about to start my car when I whipped my head around to look at this young woman behind me at the next pump saying, LORD I don't even know her! As soon as the words were out of my mouth I had a memory as though I had heard a voice say, Go tell her to come to Tribulation Saturday night.
That morning in church my response was making a face and whispering, "Captains?" while thinking, Are you for real? What does that even mean, my captains?
Over the years as I came to understand the nature of spiritual warfare, and my place within it, I grew into an understanding that these were the two men under whose spiritual authority or command the LORD had placed me. On different occasions and with each of them individually and together He has confirmed that status in my life. And it did not change when one of the brothers left our main church and moved over to a next town to plant a daughter church.
This past Sunday I went over to that other church for service to visit as I sometimes do. As always he confirmed some things that the LORD had been teaching me in my private Bible studies and with his teaching for the service he also spoke into my life on the issues and challenges I was facing in my personal life.
That is how I came to this topic today. He spoke about not giving up and the attitude to have in the trials. The message was out of Genesis 37-40; looking at some of the elements within the story of Joseph.
His points were to stay deligent, remaining consistent in your faith and believing God and what He has purposed for you. Staying positive, understanding your spirit would need this as you moved through the trials and attacks as the enemy tried to stop it. Staying hopeful, accepting delays are part of the process of coming into what God plans for you. Staying focused, knowing God is going to make good on the dream and desires He has put into your heart and He uses the trials, the attacks, and the time to train you and teach you and strengthen you.
From Joseph we learn don't give up, trust the process, look at all Joseph went through, don't hold a record against those that do you wrong, and God has a purpose that will not be thwarted. Trusting God, knowing whatever is going on in the RIGHT NOW, He never takes His eyes off of you. He does not for one moment forget you.
The Scripture says God turns all things to His purpose for good for those who love Him and who are the called according to His purpose. If you trust the LORD, if you call out as a liar any thing that suggests He cannot or will not make lemons out of your lemonade, that you will not be made stronger, smarter, and wiser by whatever you are having to endure, and that you will not emerge victorious and better off than where you started, you really will find peace within yourself that surpasses all understanding and a joy unquenchable that operates independently of any superficial feelings of happiness.
For me, this message was confirmed on Wednesday evening, when my Pastor at my regular church, the mother church so to speak, taught out of Hebrews 12. He gave the same message, but he said from Jesus we learn not to give up, to trust the process however painful and how much we have to endure because we love and trust the Lord.
Instead of Joseph he advised looking at all Jesus went through leading to and on the cross. He never held a record against those that hurt Him, abandoned them or did them wrong. And even deep in the pain, hanging on the cross, He was still forgiving and loving and thinking about the care of His family as a priority. He trusted the process even as He experienced the loneliness of being forsaken. He knew what the prize was and that Father was faithful to do as He promised.
Studying the Word, trusting God and knowing He has told you He will never leave you, that His Word will teach you, that His Spirit will comfort you, that His presence will lift you up, that His peace will strengthen you; having faith and staying in that faith no matter what you see, hear, feel, or otherwise think, THAT is how you go on and do not give up and that is how you do not grow weary in well-doing; how you go on in joy.
Tempted to give up? Walking in despair? Take a look at Joseph. Take a look at Jesus. God has this. Believe it. The enemy is liar and a slanderer. But God is faithful and true.
If God be for me, whom shall I fear? If God be for me, who can stand against me?
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