Going Down with the Word (3)

Welcome to part 3 of this article. It is important we remind ourselves that there is no defeat with God’s Word. There was a time in the history of mankind when the enemies of God’s Word persecuted the gospellers and the Word. They sought to eliminate the gospellers and God’s Word.

The period was a lengthy period – four centuries (400 years)! Throughout the 400 years, it appeared God was silent. Martyrdom upon martyrdom! Persecution of God’s Word the Bible! The likes of Tyndale and others laid down their lives for God’s Word.

It was as though the enemies were gaining the upper hand. It came to a situation where the surviving gospellers escaped and hid in the catacombs in Rome. To know the extent of the persecution then, Nero, one of the emperors of Roman empire set Rome ablaze and turned back to accuse the Christians as the culprits!

During this time, the Word of God went down to the level that only one copy of the Bible was left. And this copy was hid in the sit of King James of England. When you hear “King James Version,” remember that the “King James Version” referred to is the last copy of the Bible that was hid in the palace of King James of England.

But just when the enemies thought they had won, God turned the hit against them. The more they opposed the gospellers, the stronger the gospellers became and the faster they spread the gospel. Anywhere they fled to, they preached the Word. Many embraced the Word and got converted despite the opposition.

When it was time for God’s Word to rise to the occasion, the “almighty” Roman Empire went down in defeat and the Word of God rose up and prevailed! From that one copy of the Bible hidden in King James’s palace came all the copies and various versions of the Bible we have today. Today, the Bible is the number one bestseller in the whole world!

No Defeat with God’s Word

Dear reader, have you been clinging unto God’s Word and it appears His Word is going down the drain? Have you been praying and looking up to God and it appears God is silent? Is your hope waning? Are you finding it difficult holding unto God’s Word?

Then, here this: THERE IS NO DEFEAT WITH GOD’S WORD. If you have been holding unto God’s Word, I advise you NEVER to let go of God’s Word. THERE IS VICTORY FOR YOU AS LONG AS YOU ARE WILLING TO HOLD UNTO GOD’S WORD.

Whether we like it or not, there will come moments in our lives when the Word of God we are holding unto doesn’t appear to sustain us. The more we hold unto God’s Word during those moments, the faster we go down with His Word. During those moments, nothing seems to work. But in the end, because God’s Word can never be defeated, we will rise up with God’s Word again.

Learning from the Captivity of Israel in Babylon

Prior to the Babylonian invasion of Israel, the Israelites turned back from serving God and lived sinful lives. In order to punish and purge them of their sins, God planned to send them to captivity in Babylon. During this time, there were great prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah and there were also many Minor Prophets too. The wise and mighty Daniel was also there. There were also the uncompromising Shedrack, Meshach and Abednego.

All these prophets prayed and interceded for Israel. They prayed to God to avert the Babylonian invasion. But God insisted that Israel must be taken captive in Babylon. In fact, God did not exempt the faithful ones from going into captivity. All of them went into captivity.

However, God granted favour to the faithful ones and they were elevated to the status of princes right there in Babylon! The Babylonian captivity lasted 70 years! Throughout this period, God was silent. The tide turned against Israel. Nothing seemed to work. It was determined that they must serve the Babylonians for 70 years and there was nothing they could do.

To the neighbouring countries whom Israel had subdued previously, the Babylonian captivity was a national disgrace to Israel. God’s temple in Jerusalem was equally not spared! It was looted and destroyed!

When it appeared that all hope was lost, a small nation empowered by God invaded and overpowered the mighty Babylonian kingdom, signaling the end of captivity of Israel.

THERE IS A GREAT LESSON TO LEARN FROM ISRAEL’S CAPTIVITY IN BABYLON: WHEN IT IS DETERMINED THAT YOU MUST GO DOWN TO BABYLON, THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO CHANGE IT. WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT, THERE WILL COME A TIME WHEN YOU WILL BE FORCED TO TAKE THE DOWNWARD JOURNEY. THIS DOWNWARD JOURNEY MAY BE BECAUSE OF YOUR OWN SINS OR THE SINS OF OTHERS; IT DOESN’T MATTER. WHAT MATTERS IS WHAT YOU GO DOWN WITH.

The greatest mistake you will ever make is to go down without holding tight unto God’s Word. We need to learn from the quartet of Daniel, shedrack, Meshach and Abednego. They were taken captive to Babylon alongside other Israelites, but they did not go to Babylon empty. They went with God and His Word. In Babylon, they demonstrated their faithfulness to God and this inspired fear of God and true worship in the whole of Babylon and beyond.

Grab the Key to Promotion

 “For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another” (Psalm 75:6-7).

Promotion comes from God, but you have to discover the key you can use to unlock the door of promotion. The quartet of Daniel, shedrack, Meshach and Abednego were elevated to the status of princes right in Babylon! They were brought to Babylon for slavery, but they were made princess.

The secret of their promotion is not far-fetched. Their secret is FAITHFULNESS. They chose to please God all the time. They served God in word and in deed.  God was so pleased with them that He stood by them and ensured that they were promoted to enviable status in Babylon!

There is a great lesson here: FAITHFULNESS TO GOD ATTRACTS PROMOTION. WHEN YOU ARE IN CAPTIVITY, THE ONLY THING THAT WILL LIFT YOU UP TO THE STATUS OF A PRINCE IS FAITHFULNESS TO GOD! Time of captivity is not time for hypocrisy. Time of captivity calls for seriousness. When you are in captivity, the only thing that will distinguish you from the rest of the pack is your seriousness with God.

Sign of Seriousness

One sign that you are serious with God in the midst of adversity is that you don’t joke with your spiritual life. We read of Daniel that while in captivity, Daniel’s prayer life was intact. He prayed morning, afternoon and evening. His enemies were aware of this. They even confessed that they could not find anything they could use against him except his prayer habits.

They used Daniel’s prayer habit as a ploy to destroy him, but they failed woefully. When your enemies want to use your relationship with God as a ploy to destroy you, they will end up destroying themselves. God will himself deal with them.

Whether you going down or you are already down in captivity, ensure that you hold unto God and His Word. Ensure that you remain connected to God in prayer. WHAT IS DEFEATING US MOST TIMES IS THAT WE WORRY WHEN WE SHOULD PRAY. And worry has not and can never solve any problem.

Are you going down instead of coming up? Never panic. Don’t be afraid of going down. If it is determined that you must go down, there is nothing you can do to reverse it. You will certainly go down, but what matters is what you go down with. Never make the mistake of going down without holding unto God and His Word.

If you go down with God’s Word, you have not lost and can never lose; but if you go down without holding unto God and His Word, you have lost totally. The Word of God you are going down with is the lifebuoy that will keep you from drowning. As the lifebuoy, you have nothing to fear.

Anywhere you are going, hold unto God’s word. If you are going down and there is nothing you can do to avert the downward movement, hold unto God’s promises. He will never leave you nor forsake you. The Master Himself has promised: “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:20).

If you are already down and you are not holding tenaciously unto God and His Word, then, this is too bad. However, all is not lost. If you really want to rise from the bottom to the top, then, hold unto God and His Word. Nothing can keep God’s Word down. Hold unto God’s Word so that when it is coming up, you will come up with it.

And finally, be serious about your spiritual life. Like Daniel, your prayer life must be intact. You are to pray always. You are to pray without ceasing. This is the secret of victorious living. As you continue to hold unto God’s Word and pray, God will lift you up at His own time and you will be victorious now and always!  

     

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