Finishing the Race!
December 26, 2023 4:58 PM
McKana
December 26, 2023
2 Timothy 4:7-8(KJV) 7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27(KJV) 24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
The most difficult part of any race is the finish line, the last step, the exhausting end.
Waiting is difficult. Two years earlier, the Lord saw my waiting and said “You have been waiting for the last three years.” Two more years are added and now and it has became five years. Remember 2015, every one was saying“Jesus is here!” In 2018, we all have been saying “Rapture now!” We pushed so many years, not with comfort but with hardship. Every one of us had very challenging and trying times for long, long years without any one realizing what we are going through but the Lord sees, hears knows everything, from the beginning to the end..
At this last moment, we have came to a good understanding that the darkness is about to fall for all to go through, be it for short or for a long time, a challenge of a life time, as no one has ever seen and experienced in the history of mankind. We counted months and years but God has His time. it is good to realize what is right in front us, the time of hardship-The Tribulation, with all the trails and a tests it will bring. No one though it was easy and it is not going to be easy.
The inevitable race, the end, the last step is here. It is good to have a good understanding and better concept of what we need to know and what we have to do? Forgetting the cares of this temporal life, it is good to share some points which will help us navigate through it all..
The first requirement is to recognize and accept that we are here for the inevitable challenges. To have an understanding of what it is all about, that we have run out of time, that we are living on borrowed time. Appreciates and being grateful for the patience of the Lord or else countless many would have been lost.
Once we recognize the fast approaching inevitable, we have to be ready for the challenge. A good soldier has to be a good strategist. If one doesn’t know what one is dealing with, the war is lost. With this firm understanding, know the enemy very well, with this, half of the war is won.
The question comes, what is it all about? With out going any further, the answer which we all know is it is about our faith, A TETS OF FAITH!!! As gold is tested with fire, as the race need taking the last step, as the birth pang is of immense pain, the faith of all will be tested with fire. No one can please the Lord without faith “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”Hebrews 11:6(KJV)
With faith, we can do which looks impossible, as written ”And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” Matthew 17:20(KJV)
Once we know what is required of us is faith, what do we need to do to have faith.
Faith s the sole ingredient. How do we get faith, what kind of faith and for what end. The scripture is clear on this. Yes, one of the nine gifts of the holy spirt is faith but what do we have to do?
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17(KJV). With the holy spirit, with our faith, the word of God-the sward is one of the three armors of the Gospel. Without reading the scriptural words, it is not possible to build our faith. Faith leads to what? Being good and good works, not for self but for all, “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” James 2:17-26(KJV)
In every aspect of our life, we have to aske, always, does this go with my faith? “For we walk by faith, not by sight” 2 Corinthians 5:7(KJV) We walk by faith and we live according to the demands of our faith “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17(KJV) Altimetry, life not here on earth but an everlasting life in the Kingdom of our Father in heaven, so the just, in faith shall live forever. That is what we hope for,“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1(KJV)
We hope, at this end times, we will do greater things, with faith we will do what looks impossible,“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” John 14:12(KJV)
How do we keep the faith, by Endure to the end. When the challenging comes, the faithful scale the mountains. What it take is, determination, hope, strength to finish the race. Our Lord is our strength,
“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”Isaiah 40:31(KJV)
What is the end goal? What is the reward?
The reward is the already won victory which comes by finishing the race. The race requires to pass through the fire and the end, the victory is “The crown of life.” Remember, Meshach Shadrach and Abednego. Even though we thing we are alone but the Lord is always with us, even in the fire. Hallelujah!
The lessons from life:-
Here is what is given to me. I was going through the ceaseless torment and pain from the enemy, many sleepless nights. I was wondering why I am suffering alone. In the middle of the torment, the Lord said “I AM through it.” I have no idea why the Lord is allowing all this while He is watching. Now I understand that the reward of all, good or bad is in the hand of the Lord. Nothing passes without the Lord watching. Rest assured, your pain is being registered and kept in record, always.
At the end -The victory-The crown of life-Our Lord, Our Father, our family and relatives, the everlasting-the beautiful Heaven-THE RREST. Remembering the testimony I gave here in this website, In that testemony, the Lord gave me a word saying “270 days” That is all, no explanation. This took me many moths to understand what it means. After 270 days, which is nine months, which is delivery time, I waited on the Lord on the exact day. The Lord came on that day, on time and gave me what? In short, out of the many blessings, I am forgiven, given many gifts, gifts of life and the Lord says “Enter unto your rest.” Do I know what rest mean? No idea. For sometime, out of my ignorance, I kept silent. Later I understood what I am given. This beautiful verse explains it “Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee. 8 For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. 9 I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.” Psalm 116:7-8(KJV)
For a long time, I have treaded a long road, amidst of the obstacles and the snares, in the light and through the darkness, with a lot of scares and extreme exhaustion and at the last step, at the end, the word of the Lord was “It is difficult” This was one of the vision posted here in this website.
After crying a lot, I remember what the Lord gave me “Those saved, the redeemed have lost their life” that is, we do not have life on earth, our life is taken, taken for good for the everlasting.
After all these long years of training, we are not new what we are going face and what is coming?
We are heading for a lose, be it property, treasures whatever we think of value and what we have accumulated in life, in part or fully, is going to evaporate overnight. Some might lose all, some part but these are material loses.
We will be going through unimaginable persecution, exodus to the wilderness, earthquakes, tsunami, volcanoes, war, famine, new killer pandemic, sickness, pain, sufferings with no comfort and even death. We will be either Ukraine, Gaza, Syria but with different enemy and different outcomes. It will be really, really difficult.
It is the birth pang, it is the last step it is the exhausting end, it is the final leap, the test of faith by fire, refinement. Without taking the last step, there is no victory.
Now comes the inevitable, the time of trail and tribulation for the end!!!!
Lord have mercy!Give us what we can shoulder, bless us with your protection, give us the strength and endurance, above all- give us Faith, an enduring faith to carry us through, to the end, to finish the race, for you are our hope. who can do all we need and you are what we have, our all in all-Amen.
AT THE END, LET US:-
Have Faith,
Pray Ceaselessly
Repent and Forgive,
Endure to the end,
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