Fight the good fight of faith lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
DAILY READING Hebrews 9:23-10:18; Exodus 9:1-10:29; Proverbs 3
Kenneth E. Hagin was born with a deformed heart and an incurable blood disease. Sickly as a child, he made his commitment to Christ and was baptized with water. He was born and raised a Southern Baptist, and believed that Jesus and all his disciples were Southern Baptists too. Later on in life, it came as a real shock to him when he found out that they weren’t. Doctors said, due to his illness, he was not expected to live long. At age nine, he thought he had done all that was necessary to get him a place in heaven. At age 15, he became bedridden. A couple of years later, in April 1933 he had a dramatic conversion experience, dying 3 times in 10 minutes, each time seeing the horrors of hell and then returning to life. He was finally raised from his deathbed by the power of God on August 8, 1934 based on the revelation of faith in God’s Word. Two years later, he preached his first sermon as the pastor of a small community Church in Roland, Texas, going on from there to eventually head an international ministry that spanned the globe.
With all these challenges lined up against Kenneth Hagin, even from birth, no one would have ever thought he could have risen to the great height he did. But he succeeded by God’s help despite the odds against him. There is no opposition that can hinder a man who is being helped by God.
The story of man is battle from the womb to the tomb, from the cradle to the grave. This is why we need the help of God every step of the way. Many people, called to achieve great things, failed simply due to failure to acknowledge divine help, thinking they could achieve success on their own; they underestimated the greatness of the opposition against man. The fight and resistance against your destiny actually begins even from the womb. Do you know how many million sperm cells struggled with you to get here? You began fighting even from the womb! But while you were still a vapor, God made you a survivor. All the other sperm cells died off, but you survived. God chose you from millions of sperm cells and gave you the opportunity to exist. If God could help you at that stage, how much more in this age and time?
No man can truly succeed without God’s help. No man can make it on their own, because the spiritual oppositions against man are greater than what he can handle. We are told in Ephesians 6 :12, ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.’ That’s a thick spiritual gang-up! How then do you think you can make it on your own? This is why you must invest in building a very strong relationship with God. His presence is your only ark of safety. Proverbs 18 tells us that ‘The name of the Lord is a strong tower, which he righteous run into and is safe.’
Perhaps you now understand why things may have been going the way they have. There is a fierce battle against your progress. There are forces resisting your forward movement. This is why you need to be totally dependent on God. The same God that helped you early in life is also ready to help you overcome. If only you will engage His help and guidance. This is therefore the time to draw closer to God more than ever before so that by His help you can arrive at your glorious destiny.
When we fight by God’s help we are sure of victory.
PRAYER: Lord, help me to be totally dependent upon You, so that I can engage Your help to overcome the oppositions against me, so as to arrive at my glorious destiny. .
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When God places His hand upon a man in life, nothing can come against him, this is because the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
[ADAPTED FROM THE BOOK FAITH CLASSICS]