All or Nothing

An excerpt from last night's email:
 
Morning by morning he awakens;
    he awakens my ear
    to hear as those who are taught.
⁵ The Lord God has opened my ear,
    and I was not rebellious;
    I turned not backward.
⁶ I gave my back to those who strike,
    and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard;
I hid not my face
    from disgrace and spitting.
⁷  But the Lord God helps me;
    therefore I have not been disgraced;
therefore I have set my face like a flint,
    and I know that I shall not be put to shame.
⁸     He who vindicates me is near.
(Isaiah 50:4b-8a)

Persecutions and heartaches are guaranteed to you if you have chosen Christ. His way is the narrow way and few are those who find it. Wide is the gate that leads to destruction and many are those who enter by it. The world is at enmity with God and abhors his justice, righteousness, mercy, and every perfect and holy attribute. Nonetheless, though you endure griefs and burdens, God helps you. He says, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light," because, as one of my favorite speakers says, "Jesus gets into the yoke beside you and pulls right along with you," making the load easier to bear. You will not be put to shame, but earn an incorruptible crown of glory. Set your faces like flint in the face of persecution, and lift your eyes to Jesus. He opens your ear to wisdom, your eye to truth, and strengthens your resolve for the road ahead. You must give all or nothing. Christianity is 100% in or 100% out. We must love him more than comfort, more than earthly peace of mind, more than our own skins, more than our fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters and all the people and possessions we hold dear. This is hard to do. Ask him to help you surrender everything to him. You must be completely consistent--if God hates it, so must we. If God loves it, so must we. If God commands it, we must obey. If God is grieved, we must weep. If you would be sent to the Evin prison in Iran, or hanged in an American jail, or shot or burned or drowned in the sea for professing faith in Jesus Christ, would you follow him to your death? Search your souls, for the Scripture says: "examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith." And the Spirit of comfort will strengthen you and give you what you need for your hour of tribulations. Chances are, you won't be held at gunpoint and given the option to deny Jesus and live or confess him and die. But you must prepare as if this dramatic crisis is coming soon to test your faith. How much better to be found steadfast and armed when the storm hits.

Remember, "“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ²³ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’" (Matthew 7:21-23)

Also, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23) "You will recognize them by their fruits." (Matthew 7:16) "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." (Matthew 10:37)

Pray. Read. Beseech God daily, hourly, moment-by-moment. When you discover sin in your life and your heart, hate it with a white-hot hatred and delay not a second before repenting to God with a smitten heart. If the devil can jade you, callous you, desensitize you to the heinousness of sin, he will---because he knows how to deceive and disarm.

But, your mighty Defender is always at hand. Be strong in the LORD, and be of good courage, your mighty Commander will vanquish the foe. Fear not the battle, for the victory is always his, he will be with you wherever you go!