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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