By Rev. Rickey Stuckey,
pastor of the Dillon Parish
2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident
KEEP THE FAITH
My brothers and sisters in Christ, the Bible says that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
To have faith is to believe God’s word before it comes to pass.
Romans 12:3 say God has dealt to every man the measure of faith, and faith is absolutely essential for our journey, it is a gift of God.
Without faith, we cannot please God. Without faith, it is impossible to please God, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. For whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Jesus dwells in our hearts by faith…faith is what makes us overcomers. As we look into this text, David was constantly faced with many trials and tribulations, constantly pursued by powerful enemies, but in the face of danger, his faith was always in God, and as a child of God, the only thing that’s going to keep you in times of trouble is your faith in God. With faith, every time trouble rises up against you, God will show you that no weapon formed against you shall prosper. If you keep the faith, those traps that your enemies set for you, God will take you around them, that ditch that they dug for you before God let you fall in it, they will fall in it first. Every lie they told on you,
If you keep the faith, God will truly bring out the truth and they will give an account for everyone that they told, but you must keep doing what is right by God.
Don’t try to fight folks who try to keep you down, but let God fix it. You do what is right and let God take care of it. God got the power to fix it and he doesn’t need any help.
In David’s life, he suffered through many hardships, he lost a baby boy that was the offspring of an adulterous affair and was hunted by an evil King named Saul who dedicated his life to trying to kill him because of jealousy.
And by the way, even in the body of Christ, you have folks who say that they love the Lord, and they live so righteous, but are still trying to kill each other today over jealousy. Iif they don’t kill you with a weapon, they kill you with that tongue. After Saul died and David ruled the throne, David still had to deal with more family issues; the rape of his daughter (Tamar) by her own half-brother (Ammon) and then the murder of Ammon by his other son (Absalom) for what he did to their sister, Tamar. Then years later, after returning home having to live as a commoner instead of a prince (Absalom) got angry and planned to kill David. David gave orders to protect his son Absalom, but he still ended up being killed, and once again, David was heartbroken. I have to tell it like it is because in all of our lives, there are some folks who smile in your face but can’t stand the ground you walk on and are constantly plotting how to take you down behind your back as well. This reminds me of that song that says smiling faces sometimes tell lies. David was faced with many trials and spent much time in fear for his life, but he survived by the power of God. David stayed focused and kept his faith in God. You see, when we focus on God, fear leaves, and faith take its place. As Habakkuk said the just shall live by faith or as John said, who is he that overcometh the world but he that believeth that Jesus is the son of God. The word believeth in this text means to continue to believe that God can make a way out of no way, you see. If that old devil can make you lose focus on Jesus then he wins the battle. When trouble arises, your faith is your shield that will block every blow, and sometimes it goanna be a whirlwind of trouble coming all at one time, one battle after another, but it’s your faith that’s gonna take you through them all.
Somebody has been going through Hell and the devil is constantly fighting you on every side you turn.
The devil is trying to destroy your faith, but the word says you are more than a conquer through Jesus Christ who loves you. You are the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. You have the power to win this battle. You have the power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy. No weapon formed against you shall prosper. You are the head and not the tail…you are above and not beneath…you are what God says you are…but you got to be able to persist and keep moving forward in the will of God for your life even when everything seems to be falling apart and when it looks like nothing is turning out right. You got to have that unshakable faith, you see, unshakable faith does not focus on the present state, but unshakable faith focuses on the outcome…it gives assurance while you in your trial that everything is gonna be alright after while. This kind of faith provides the strength to endure by reminding you that God is gonna bring you out because the battle is not yours…it’s the Lord.
So, go forth today keeping your faith in God, He’s got this!
