The Evidence Of Things Not Seen
Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!" So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, "Where is the LORD God of Elijah?" And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over. Now when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, they said, "The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha." And they came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him. 2 Kings 2:11-15
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. Hebrews 11:1-3
The bible tells us that Elisha took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan and struck the water, and said, "Where is the LORD God of Elijah?" And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over. Yes, God specializes in things thought impossible He does the things others cannot do! He, who framed the worlds by the word of God so the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible, is not dependent on the any human element to do His miracles!
Oscar C. Eliason wrote in 1929 the chorus of Got any rivers. He was dying of TB in a Minneapolis hospital and an elderly minister came by one evening and prayer was offered. The next day be began to improve and he continued to improve to such an extent that the Doctors admitted that something out of the ordinary had happened. As he was getting better he saw an adv. in the Minneapolis Star Tribune by a construction company that used the slogan. He changed the words to:
Got any rivers you think are uncrossable
Got any mountains you can't tunnel through
God specializes in things thought impossible
He does the things others cannot do.
This little chorus has touched and encouraged so many lives and later became a song with some very encouraging words.
Got Any Rivers
Be of good courage God spoke unto Joshua
When o'er the river God pointed the way
Jordan uncrossable, things seemed impossible
Waters divide as they march and obey
Chorus
Got any rivers you think are uncrossable?
Got any mountains you can’t tunnel through?
God specialises in things thought impossible
And does the things that others cannot do.
Battles to win they would meet with their obstacles
Jericho's walls too must, fall to the ground
God never failed He stood back of his promises
Walls had to crumble as they marched around
Chorus
God is the same and His Word is dependable
He'll make a way through the water's for you
Life's situations by Him are amendable
Mountains and Hills He will part for you too
God never promised to keep us in a negative circumstance but to bring us safely through. As a result in life we are either in a storm, going into a storm, or coming out of a storm. But for those who are in a storm we can know that the storm is almost over, and there is something we can do while we wait for the sun to peep through the clouds. We can remember that storms in our lives are necessary to prepare us for greater works. No one enjoys going through a storm, but it is preparing us for our breakthrough.
When God wanted to purge the earth of sin, what did He do? He sent a flood. When He wants to purge us of some unpleasant thing in our lives, what does He do? He sends the rain as a cleansing agent to rid us of pride, arrogance, selfishness, jealousy, idolatry and any other sin that may be blocking our blessings.
Storms come and storms go. But what do you do while you are in a storm? Here's help from the sanctuary . . . Don't let go of your HOPE. HOPE is the only thing that will keep you from drowning. Hold on to your HOPE. So go on and put the H back in Hope. Hope will restore your health, healing, and your happiness. Go on and put the O back in hOpe. Keep going On! It is the only thing that will help you get over those difficult days and out of your storm. Go on and put the P back in hoPe. Continue to pray, praise and have patience. And remember God's promises. Go on and put the E back in hopE. Everything will be all right in the morning. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5)
It is so easy to be hopeless when we are going through storms. The one who drowns is the one who gives up all hope. The one who survives and goes on to do exploits for the Lord is the one who continues to have hope when there seems to be no way out. Believe with each passing moment that the storm is almost over. Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord in spite of your storms. God’s word is true:
The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, And will not at all acquit the wicked. The LORD has His way In the whirlwind and in the storm, And the clouds are the dust of His feet. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, And dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel wither, And the flower of Lebanon wilts. The mountains quake before Him, The hills melt, And the earth heaves at His presence, Yes, the world and all who dwell in it. Who can stand before His indignation? And who can endure the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, And the rocks are thrown down by Him. The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him. But with an overflowing flood He will make an utter end of its place, And darkness will pursue His enemies. Nahum 1:3-8
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18
There was no necessity for the disciples of Jesus to encounter a storm on the Sea of Galilee just because they obeyed Jesus words "Let's go to the others side"? The storm's origin was demonic and hence Jesus rebuked the demons and the sea became calm. Just because demons cause storms doesn't mean that God is in them or they are for our advantage as is implied by the unscriptural phrase "Storms in our lives are necessary to prepare us for greater works" or "storms in our lives are heaven sent?"
You don't correct people by throwing stones at them? So the idea that God throws at us or allows negative things to come into the lives of His people like sickness to correct us or teach us some important lesson is hogwash? Most normal parents teach their children by speaking to them with kind words and only resort to any use of force as a last resort if they are rebellious, stubborn or unteachable? So is God any different? No! He teaches His people by His Spirit through His voice and spoken words and His written word or by His true prophets and not by negative circumstance. His word is unchanging:
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:27
But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.1 John 2:27
The bible tells us what when God spoke as a result of His word heaven and earth came into existence? In other words, when God speaks a miracle happens? But not all of God's miracles are positive ones as Pharaoh and his mighty army can testify when God parted the Red Sea and closed it on His enemies! When Jesus spoke miracles also happened because He is God. So what happened when Jesus spoke to the false ones of His day and our day and said "Woe to you?" They died in the judgments that followed in 70 A.D. at the hands of God's other ministers, the Romans, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil (Romans 13:4).
Jesus Christ is the Way-Maker and the World Changer. Life may not be fair but it is sure He is the only answer in it. God true ones are to hold to Him and walk in Him and hear His voice in the midst of the battles and storms of life. When the wind is howling around them and the storm is about to swallow them that is when He is in the boat with them and helping them to walk on water. It is important to walk there or they will be defeated by the sheer force of life. It is not always what they want or desire. It is what has been ordained and allowed for their betterment. To make them strong in Him. To make them sure of Him. To help them walk in the assurance of His provision and protection and position.
The ways of men are not God’s ways. They are the ways of men who walk in their own understandings and based on their own half-baked truths. He is not at all like them nor will He ever be like them. God’s true ones are not to fear them and stay close to Him and hold on to Him. They are not to let them intimidate them or harass them or change them in their current course of action. They are foolish and shifting sands but God in Jesus Christ is their Rock and High Tower and their hiding place in the midst of the storm. He is their Wing under which they can take refuge and their Savior in the storm. He is the Fourth Man in the fires of their lives. He is their victor in the battles of life. He is always with them. They are not to look to the right or to the left, but look only to Him. He is going to do all He has promised them and He above others keeps his word.
God has given His true ones all authority over the enemy. They have all strength and courage in the face of the enemy. They are not to let a demon ever frighten them. No circumstance--ice, snow, or pestilence or disease ever frighten them because He Himself is with them. He will let no one and nothing ever overwhelm or harm them in any way. He is their safety and high tower in the midst of the storms of life. He will not let them go for any reason. He is able to make the worlds and galaxies to come into being, so He is able to do all them need or require. But He does it in His timing as He has important lessons of spiritual life for them to learn.
Then, He will release them to do the work to which He has called them. They too are being established and made ready for the battle to which He has called them. He has called them will keep and establish them. He has promised it and He is able to do what they have committed to Him against that day. He has promised it and it is so. Cause it was spoken forth from His very mouth. It can never be taken back or changed. He has spoken it. They can consider it already done. Whatever, is of faith is to be considered already done because He, their Lord, considers it already performed and done. Principles of law and truth in the spiritual realm are not at all like those in the physical or fleshly realm and they transcend the physical, overriding the events and circumstances of the physical world. If they live in the spiritual realm, they cross all the barriers of the physical world and live on a new plane of understanding, gifts and the very person of God. This new way of living is nothing anyone can teach them except by the Word of God and the Presence of the Holy Spirit.
Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!" So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, "Where is the LORD God of Elijah?" And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over. Now when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, they said, "The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha." And they came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him. 2 Kings 2:11-15
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. Hebrews 11:1-3
The bible tells us that Elisha took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan and struck the water, and said, "Where is the LORD God of Elijah?" And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over. Yes, God specializes in things thought impossible He does the things others cannot do! He, who framed the worlds by the word of God so the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible, is not dependent on the any human element to do His miracles!
Oscar C. Eliason wrote in 1929 the chorus of Got any rivers. He was dying of TB in a Minneapolis hospital and an elderly minister came by one evening and prayer was offered. The next day be began to improve and he continued to improve to such an extent that the Doctors admitted that something out of the ordinary had happened. As he was getting better he saw an adv. in the Minneapolis Star Tribune by a construction company that used the slogan. He changed the words to:
Got any rivers you think are uncrossable
Got any mountains you can't tunnel through
God specializes in things thought impossible
He does the things others cannot do.
This little chorus has touched and encouraged so many lives and later became a song with some very encouraging words.
Got Any Rivers
Be of good courage God spoke unto Joshua
When o'er the river God pointed the way
Jordan uncrossable, things seemed impossible
Waters divide as they march and obey
Chorus
Got any rivers you think are uncrossable?
Got any mountains you can’t tunnel through?
God specialises in things thought impossible
And does the things that others cannot do.
Battles to win they would meet with their obstacles
Jericho's walls too must, fall to the ground
God never failed He stood back of his promises
Walls had to crumble as they marched around
Chorus
God is the same and His Word is dependable
He'll make a way through the water's for you
Life's situations by Him are amendable
Mountains and Hills He will part for you too
God never promised to keep us in a negative circumstance but to bring us safely through. As a result in life we are either in a storm, going into a storm, or coming out of a storm. But for those who are in a storm we can know that the storm is almost over, and there is something we can do while we wait for the sun to peep through the clouds. We can remember that storms in our lives are necessary to prepare us for greater works. No one enjoys going through a storm, but it is preparing us for our breakthrough.
When God wanted to purge the earth of sin, what did He do? He sent a flood. When He wants to purge us of some unpleasant thing in our lives, what does He do? He sends the rain as a cleansing agent to rid us of pride, arrogance, selfishness, jealousy, idolatry and any other sin that may be blocking our blessings.
Storms come and storms go. But what do you do while you are in a storm? Here's help from the sanctuary . . . Don't let go of your HOPE. HOPE is the only thing that will keep you from drowning. Hold on to your HOPE. So go on and put the H back in Hope. Hope will restore your health, healing, and your happiness. Go on and put the O back in hOpe. Keep going On! It is the only thing that will help you get over those difficult days and out of your storm. Go on and put the P back in hoPe. Continue to pray, praise and have patience. And remember God's promises. Go on and put the E back in hopE. Everything will be all right in the morning. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5)
It is so easy to be hopeless when we are going through storms. The one who drowns is the one who gives up all hope. The one who survives and goes on to do exploits for the Lord is the one who continues to have hope when there seems to be no way out. Believe with each passing moment that the storm is almost over. Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord in spite of your storms. God’s word is true:
The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, And will not at all acquit the wicked. The LORD has His way In the whirlwind and in the storm, And the clouds are the dust of His feet. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, And dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel wither, And the flower of Lebanon wilts. The mountains quake before Him, The hills melt, And the earth heaves at His presence, Yes, the world and all who dwell in it. Who can stand before His indignation? And who can endure the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, And the rocks are thrown down by Him. The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him. But with an overflowing flood He will make an utter end of its place, And darkness will pursue His enemies. Nahum 1:3-8
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18
There was no necessity for the disciples of Jesus to encounter a storm on the Sea of Galilee just because they obeyed Jesus words "Let's go to the others side"? The storm's origin was demonic and hence Jesus rebuked the demons and the sea became calm. Just because demons cause storms doesn't mean that God is in them or they are for our advantage as is implied by the unscriptural phrase "Storms in our lives are necessary to prepare us for greater works" or "storms in our lives are heaven sent?"
You don't correct people by throwing stones at them? So the idea that God throws at us or allows negative things to come into the lives of His people like sickness to correct us or teach us some important lesson is hogwash? Most normal parents teach their children by speaking to them with kind words and only resort to any use of force as a last resort if they are rebellious, stubborn or unteachable? So is God any different? No! He teaches His people by His Spirit through His voice and spoken words and His written word or by His true prophets and not by negative circumstance. His word is unchanging:
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:27
But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.1 John 2:27
The bible tells us what when God spoke as a result of His word heaven and earth came into existence? In other words, when God speaks a miracle happens? But not all of God's miracles are positive ones as Pharaoh and his mighty army can testify when God parted the Red Sea and closed it on His enemies! When Jesus spoke miracles also happened because He is God. So what happened when Jesus spoke to the false ones of His day and our day and said "Woe to you?" They died in the judgments that followed in 70 A.D. at the hands of God's other ministers, the Romans, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil (Romans 13:4).
Jesus Christ is the Way-Maker and the World Changer. Life may not be fair but it is sure He is the only answer in it. God true ones are to hold to Him and walk in Him and hear His voice in the midst of the battles and storms of life. When the wind is howling around them and the storm is about to swallow them that is when He is in the boat with them and helping them to walk on water. It is important to walk there or they will be defeated by the sheer force of life. It is not always what they want or desire. It is what has been ordained and allowed for their betterment. To make them strong in Him. To make them sure of Him. To help them walk in the assurance of His provision and protection and position.
The ways of men are not God’s ways. They are the ways of men who walk in their own understandings and based on their own half-baked truths. He is not at all like them nor will He ever be like them. God’s true ones are not to fear them and stay close to Him and hold on to Him. They are not to let them intimidate them or harass them or change them in their current course of action. They are foolish and shifting sands but God in Jesus Christ is their Rock and High Tower and their hiding place in the midst of the storm. He is their Wing under which they can take refuge and their Savior in the storm. He is the Fourth Man in the fires of their lives. He is their victor in the battles of life. He is always with them. They are not to look to the right or to the left, but look only to Him. He is going to do all He has promised them and He above others keeps his word.
God has given His true ones all authority over the enemy. They have all strength and courage in the face of the enemy. They are not to let a demon ever frighten them. No circumstance--ice, snow, or pestilence or disease ever frighten them because He Himself is with them. He will let no one and nothing ever overwhelm or harm them in any way. He is their safety and high tower in the midst of the storms of life. He will not let them go for any reason. He is able to make the worlds and galaxies to come into being, so He is able to do all them need or require. But He does it in His timing as He has important lessons of spiritual life for them to learn.
Then, He will release them to do the work to which He has called them. They too are being established and made ready for the battle to which He has called them. He has called them will keep and establish them. He has promised it and He is able to do what they have committed to Him against that day. He has promised it and it is so. Cause it was spoken forth from His very mouth. It can never be taken back or changed. He has spoken it. They can consider it already done. Whatever, is of faith is to be considered already done because He, their Lord, considers it already performed and done. Principles of law and truth in the spiritual realm are not at all like those in the physical or fleshly realm and they transcend the physical, overriding the events and circumstances of the physical world. If they live in the spiritual realm, they cross all the barriers of the physical world and live on a new plane of understanding, gifts and the very person of God. This new way of living is nothing anyone can teach them except by the Word of God and the Presence of the Holy Spirit.
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