"YOU therefore MUST ENDURE HARDSHIP AS A GOOD SOLDIER OF JESUS CHRIST."
2 Timothy 2:3 (NKJV)
• Leaders are raised for different purposes:
7 INSTEAD, they saw that God had given ME [Paul] THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PREACHING THE GOSPEL TO THE GENTILES, JUST as he had given PETER THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PREACHING TO THE JEWS. 8 FOR the same God who WORKED through PETER as the APOSTLE to the JEWS also WORKED through ME as the APOSTLE to the GENTILES" (Galatians 2:7,8 NLT).
- God will allow whoever to be used as a leader in His vineyard garner or acquire experiences through challenges that are brought on his or her way (1 Thessalonians 3:3,4).
- He would allow the person to be tried and tested, pass through hardships, to build the spiritual muscles of such AND grow the fruit of the spirit in him or her (James 1:2,3; Galatians 5:22,23).
- The hardships and persecutions are also allowed for the person to be broken. God would want pride and every fleshly attitude or character defects, to be dealt with, in the person (Romans 5:3,4).
- The tests and trials that would be allowed or permitted, to come on such a person's way, through the devil, would be determined by the assignment which God has for him or her (Acts 9:16; 20:23; 2 Corinthians 4:8-11).
• The hardship would largely be determined by the person's assignment: "FOR I [Jesus] WILL SHOW HIM [Paul] HOW MANY THINGS HE MUST SUFFER FOR MY NAME'S SAKE" (Acts 9:16 NKJV).
- God usually would train an individual based on the assignment, what He purposes to use the person for (Jeremiah 1:10,17-19).
- If you are to pioneer a new work of ministry, you will definitely pass through some things that would mature you, make you strong for the assignment given to you:
10 SEE, I [God] HAVE THIS DAY SET YOU [Jeremiah] OVER THE NATIONS AND OVER THE KINGDOMS, TO ROOT OUT AND TO PULL DOWN, TO DESTROY AND TO THROW DOWN, TO BUILD AND TO PLANT.” 17 “THEREFORE PREPARE YOURSELF AND ARISE, And speak to them ALL THAT I COMMAND YOU. DO not be DISMAYED before their FACES, Lest I dismay you before them. 18 FOR behold, I HAVE MADE YOU THIS DAY A FORTIFIED CITY AND AN IRON PILLAR, AND bronze walls against the whole land—Against the kings of Judah, AGAINST its princes, AGAINST its priests, AND AGAINST the people of the LAND. 19 THEY WILL FIGHT AGAINST YOU, BUT THEY SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST YOU. FOR I am with YOU,” says the LORD, “TO DELIVER YOU” (Jeremiah 1:17–19 NKJV). - Someone who does not want to face challenges cannot be strong spiritually, and such cannot be used of the Lord.
• The work of MINISTRY is not a bed of roses (2 Corinthians 11:27,28).
- There in the work is an aspect of battles and spiritual warfare.
- Whatever the assignment given to you, the devil would rear up his ugly head to challenge you.
- The devil would not just fold his hands and be watching you thriving and progressing in the work:
"THEREFORE WE WANTED TO COME TO YOU—EVEN I, PAUL, TIME AND AGAIN—BUT SATAN HINDERED US" (1 Thessalonians 2:18 NKJV). - Since the work you are assigned to do is about the expansion of God's Kingdom on earth, and the devil is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4); he surely would not want you to destroy his works—he would want to resist whatever you intend to do to liberate those who are in his net.
- Albeit, the mandate is given to those whom God has assigned:
24 SHALL THE PREY BE TAKEN FROM THE MIGHTY, OR THE CAPTIVES OF THE RIGHTEOUS BE DELIVERED?
25 BUT thus says the Lord: “EVEN THE CAPTIVES OF THE MIGHTY SHALL BE TAKEN AWAY, And the PREY OF THE TERRIBLE BE DELIVERED; FOR I [God] WILL CONTEND WITH HIM WHO CONTENDS WITH YOU, AND I WILL SAVE YOUR CHILDREN" (Isaiah 49:24,25 NKJV). - Ministry work is about liberating those who have been held captive (Isaiah 49:24;25), and you cannot go to a strong man's house without binding him first, and then plunder him:
"BUT no one can ENTER A STRONG MAN'S [the devil's] HOUSE and plunder his goods, UNLESS HE FIRST BINDS THE STRONG MAN [the devil]. THEN INDEED HE MAY PLUNDER HIS HOUSE" (Mark 3:27 ESV). - The devil would want to challenge every move that is meant for the betterment of mankind—the people he held bound.
- The devil's mission is to steal, kill, and destroy; while those assigned to work for God's Kingdom are to give life to mankind (John 10:10).
- They are to Cause the people to see the light and know what Christ has done for them through His death and resurrection (Acts 26:17,18).
- We, believers, are to reconcile men back to God, tell them that God is not angry with them, and that He has made provision through Christ Jesus to be reconciled with Him (2 Corinthians 5:18-21).
- Thus, you will be confronted and challenged by the devil and those who are loyal to him, and are working to expand his kingdom on earth:
6 NOW when they had gone through the island to Paphos, THEY FOUND A CERTAIN SORCERER, A FALSE PROPHET, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, 7 WHO was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. THIS man called for Barnabas and Saul and SOUGHT TO HEAR THE WORD OF GOD.
8 BUT ELYMAS THE SORCERER (for so his name is translated) WITHSTOOD THEM, SEEKING TO TURN THE PROCONSUL AWAY FROM THE FAITH" (Acts 13:7,8). - As God the Father has people, Believers and Ministers, who work to propagate the Gospel and expand His Kingdom on earth; the devil also does have those who are loyal to him, who work assiduously to establish his kingdom on earth.
- There are people who stand or poised as God's enemies (Psalm 68:1). Such people are in the camp of the devil, the enemy of God, working with him and for him.
- They are at odd with God, and are against those who are committed to God's Word and His work:
"AND the dragon [satan also known as the devil Revelation 12:9] was enraged with the woman, AND HE WENT TO MAKE WAR WITH THE REST OF HER OFFSPRING, WHO KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD AND HAVE THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST" (Revelation 12:17 NKJV)
• You will not fail in Jesus' name.
Peace!
TO BE CONTINUED