1 Corinthians 15:58 ‘Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.’
DAILY READING• Matthew 10:1-25; Leviticus 7-8; Proverbs 22
Dao Sanh was a poor rice farmer whom God transformed greatly and used mightily in the spread of the Gospel in Vietnam.
In August 1996, Dao Sanh’s wife was suddenly paralyzed down the right side of her body. Buddhist Monks from their village chanted prayers over her for two days, but she was not healed.
Days later, some Christians arrived from another village on an evangelistic mission. They came to Dao Sanh’s house and prayed over his wife and soon she recovered.
Overwhelmed by the miracle, Dao Sanh and his wife sought out the Christians, and eventually surrendered their lives to Christ.
Soon after, Dao Sanh began to preach the Gospel in his village and other neighboring villages, who were mostly Buddhists. At first he was ignored, or ridiculed as being crazy.
But as he persevered, he began to attract an audience.
As more people began to listen to him, the Buddhists in his village called the police, who came and warned him to stop preaching immediately because of the many complaints.
But Dao Sanh would not be intimidated. The next day, he stood at his usual spot and was preaching to the crowd when the police arrived to arrest him. As they dragged him off, he was still preaching. After nine days in a cold prison cell, they released him with a stern warning not to preach Christianity.
But Dao Sanh immediately went back to preaching. Over the next thirteen years Dao Sanh was regularly imprisoned for preaching. His persistence brought many in the villages to The Lord. And during the times of his imprisonments, he also won many of the prisoners to Christ. As Dao Sanh endured these persecutions, God began working in the hearts of government officials in Vietnam as their attitude towards Christianity began to soften.
During a time when Dao Sanh had been in prison for a year, one day he was called to the Prison warden’s office.
The warden asked him “If you are released, will you go back to your Christian preaching?”
Dao Sanh was becoming old. He felt tempted to say he would not preach again, so that he could be allowed to go home, and be with his family. But his deep devotion to Christ would not let him compromise.
So he told the Warden, he would continue to preach Jesus.
To his greatest surprise, the warden handed Dao a paper and told him, it was a license that enabled him to henceforth practice Christianity without hindrance in Vietnam. It was the government’s new policy.
Dao Sanh could not believe his ears that suddenly, after fourteen years of persecutions he was finally free to preach the Gospel.
After his release, God helped Dao Sanh to connect to the international ministry, Big Life, which empowers believers worldwide to reach and disciple their own People for Jesus Christ. Over the next year alone, God used Dao Sanh, to raise up sixty new Churches in the region.
As we go through the scriptures, we find also that most of those greatly used by God, were those who also passed through fiery trials.
The truth is that for every David, there’s a goliath, for every Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, there is a fiery furnace and for every Daniel, there is a lion’s den.
But in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us. Though you may be challenged, through Christ you are destined to always overcome.
Though you may sometimes pass through the water and the fire, eventually God will bring you out into your wealthy place.
It doesn’t matter how great the oppositions, when God is on your side you are on the winning side.
As you persist in well doing in due season you will surely reap, if you don’t faint.[Galatians 6:9]
As you stay faithful, you will indeed be fruitful. Your persistence will soon wear down every resistance.
This is why we must never compromise our convictions no matter the cost. Sometimes we may get thrown into the fire for standing up for our faith. At those times, God promises in Isaiah 43:2 “When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. The flames will not harm you’
Though you may go through the fire, you will come forth as gold. [Job 23:10]
No matter the heat of the trial, God will cause you to emerge victorious and you will come out stronger and better.
Truly, the believer’s life is an overcomer’s life. It is a life of continually triumphing over challenges and moving from victory to victory. And our victory comes through the faith imparted to our heart by God’s Word.
Therefore, in times of trials, we must refuse to focus on what is happening, but rather focus on what is written. Through God’s Word, we will acquire faith which is the victory that overcomes the world.
As you persist in fighting the good fight of faith, your due season of rewards will surely come.
Certainly, God is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. He has not called the sons of Jacob to seek Him in vain. As long as we love God, we can be sure He will cause the trials and tribulations to work together for our good. The light and momentary afflictions are achieving for us a far more eternal weight of glory.
Having come to the end of the month of October today, let us bless God for granting us the grace to maintain our commitment to walk in the fear of the Lord. As we refuse to grow weary in well doing, surely, our reaping season is coming. Suddenly God will surprise us with His surpassing goodness and overflow our lives with abundant miracles, signs and wonders.
PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for bringing me to the end of this month. Please grant me the grace to never grow weary in well doing. Today, I receive strength to keep deepening my relationship with You in Jesus Name.
QUOTE;
As a child of God you have to recognize that you are in the middle of an ongoing battle, and your victory is assured’. WORDBITE 222