                    [Times Square Church Pulpit Series]

                        How Are We Going To Make It?

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By David Wilkerson
November 16, 1998
__________

          Multitudes of Christians get up each morning only to
          face indescribable problems - physical pain, emotional
          suffering, financial struggles. Many are so barraged by
          trouble after trouble, they worry, This is all too
          much for me to handle. My problems are about to defeat
          me! I dont have the strength to fight these things
          anymore. How will I ever make it?

          Our ministry has received many letters from saints who
          endure extremely difficult circumstances daily.
          Recently, my wife and I spent a day reading through
          some of these letters:

             * One godly woman wrote: Ive been married for over
               thirty-five years and Im a grandmother. But now
               my family is being destroyed by my adulterous
               husband. He has been Spirit-filled and used often
               by the Lord. But now he is an embittered
               womanizer, full of lust late in life. Please pray
               for me. He has driven all love out of me, and Im
               so unhappy.

               A cloud of suffering has gathered over this
               womans life. She still loves her husband and
               wants him to come home - but he has drained her of
               all emotions. She often wonders, Oh, God, this is
               about to destroy me. I dont think I can endure
               any more. How can I keep going?

             * Another dear woman wrote: Ive lived with a
               debilitating intestinal problem for over seven
               years. My husband is also in bad health. Our
               finances are in awful shape, although we never
               spend money on frivolous things. And now my
               eighty-nine-year-old father is dying of cancer. We
               ask you to pray for us.

               Every day this woman has to face a dying father, a
               sick husband, overwhelming physical pain and
               financial nightmares. I wonder how often shes
               cried out, Lord, these enemies are too strong for
               me. How can a weak, helpless person like me go on?
               How are we going to make it?

             * A pastor from Tennessee wrote: Last July I
               underwent radical surgery on my prostate, which
               was full of cancer. The doctors also removed the
               muscles that control my continence. They believe
               they got all the cancer, but they cant be
               certain. Now I also have diabetes and a stomach
               ulcer. Would you please pray for me?

               What giant enemies this man faces each day! He
               lives in terror that some of his cancer may
               remain. And he has to endure the pain of diabetes
               and an ulcerated stomach. I wonder how often he
               asks, How can I continue facing this? How will I
               ever make it?

             * An elderly sister in the Lord wrote: Ill be
               eighty-one in March, and I have arthritis and
               sugar diabetes. My back and legs are weak, and I
               can hardly walk. Because I live by myself, I have
               to do my own housework. I don t have much money
               or any living relatives. Please pray for me.

               I picture this pain-ridden woman laboring each
               morning just to get up, struggling to cook meals,
               straining to keep up her house - all with no one
               to help. She must wonder at times, How am I going
               to make it through another day? What will happen
               to me on the mornings when I cant get out of
               bed?

             * Another dear sister wrote: I just received word
               my husband has terminal cancer in his esophagus.
               He has been a godly husband and a wonderful father
               to my fourteen-year-old son. Pray that Ill remain
               strong, and that my faith will increase through
               this.

               Like so many others who have written us, this poor
               woman is crying out for the strength to face a
               giant difficulty each day.

             * We received a letter from a woman in Texas, who
               told us of a tragedy wed already learned about in
               the national news. This dear sister wrote:

               Please pray for us. We endured a tragic event on
               October 4th that devastated our lives. Our
               seventeen-year-old son, Sean, had a compound
               fracture in his leg while playing in a high-school
               football game. The bone protruded the skin and
               went into the ground. This caused immediate shock
               to his body, and grass and dirt entered his leg.

               The paramedics put the bone back in, but after
               Sean got to the hospital, it was all downhill. The
               doctor only came in for brief, two-minute visits,
               even though he saw our son vomiting and coughing
               up blood and his body jerking. Sean had a bad
               infection and excruciating headaches, and blood
               was seeping through his cast.

               The doctor did absolutely nothing. He said the
               blood Sean was coughing up was from irritated
               capillaries caused by the tube down his throat.
               And he said the headache was only a sinus problem.

               The next day, our son died. It devastated us. We
               later were told that if Sean had only been given
               blood thinner, he would have survived.

               My husband is a licensed minister with the
               Assemblies of God, and hes had to resign from the
               church. He needs time to heal, as I do. Thank you
               for praying for us.

               Here is a dedicated servant of God and his wife
               who wake up each morning with the terrible pain
               that their beloved son is no longer with them.
               Each day is filled with suffeirng, and they cant
               seem to pull out of their despair. They must think
               at times, Lord, this is too much for us to face.
               How will we ever survive?

          Never in my lifetime have I heard of such troubles,
          suffering and pain among Christians - marriage
          struggles, financial problems, physical trials,
          unending grief. People are asking, How am I going to
          make it? All these enemies are too powerful for me. Im
          weak, helpless, unable to do anything about them. Lord,
          how can I ever get through this?

          The truth is, none of these terrible things has
          surprised God. He has foreseen every awful thing that
          would ever happen to humankind, including every crisis
          and problem we face today. And the Bible tells us God
          wants to show us how to face them all.

          The Lord spoke to Moses two words of hope that are also
          intended for us today. If well simply do as he
          instructs, we will not only make it through our trials,
          but well find the Lord faithful in fulfilling his
          promises to us:

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                       1. God Commands Us Not To Fear
                            Any of Our Enemies.

                      -------------------------------

          Thou shalt not be afraid of them... (Deuteronomy
          7:18). For Israel, them represented the massive,
          well-armed heathen nations they faced in the promised
          land. For us today, them represents every problem,
          trouble and overwhelming difficulty we face in life.

          Why are we not to fear, you ask? God says so! No other
          explanation is needed. God is all powerful, all
          sufficient - and hes aware of the satanic strongholds
          we face. He knows every snare, trial and temptation
          that will ever be thrown at us. And he commands us,
          You shall not fear any of them!

          God gave this command to Abraham. Here was a man living
          in a strange country, surrounded by powerful kings, not
          knowing where he would end up.

          Yet Gods first word to him was, Fear not! ...the
          word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying,
          Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding
          great reward (Genesis 15:1).

          The meaning of this last phrase is, I will be a wall
          around you, your protector, your defense. In essence,
          God was telling Abraham, Youre going to face
          difficulties. But I will protect you through them all.
          Abraham responded by believing Gods word to him: He
          believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for
          righteousness (verse 6).

          This same word came to Abrahams son, Isaac. He also
          lived in a hostile environment, surrounded by
          Philistines who hated him, harassed him and wanted him
          off their land. Scripture says every time Isaac dug a
          well for a supply of water, the Philistines filled them
          back up: ...the Philistines had stopped them, and
          filled them with earth (26:15).

          Everywhere Isaac went, he had the same problem. He even
          called one well Esek, which means contention.
          Apparently, Isaac felt nothing but contention in his
          life. He must have thought, How will I ever feed my
          family and water my flocks? And how can I raise my
          children without fear, when the Philistines could
          plunder us at any time, with no problem? God, why have
          you planted me here? How can I ever make it?

          As this cloud of doubt formed over Isaac, God gave him
          the same word he gave Abraham: ...I am the God of
          Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and
          will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant
          Abrahams sake (verse 24).

          Today, like Isaac, we are children of Abraham. And God
          makes the same promise to us he did to Abraham and his
          offspring: If ye be Christs, then are ye Abrahams
          seed, and heirs according to the promise (Galatians
          3:29).

          We serve the same God who was a shield to Abraham. And
          he is with us just as mightily!

          Our heavenly father sees every step of our lives. And
          in spite of all our crises and difficulties, he
          commands us again and again in scripture: Fear not!
          We are not to believe that our problems will cast us
          down and destroy us - because were to know that he is
          our shield.

          Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O
          people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and
          who is the sword of thy excellency! And thine enemies
          shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread
          upon their high places (Deuteronomy 33:29). God is
          telling us, Its a lie that I have forsaken you! Its
          a lie that Im mad at you and have left you to fend for
          yourself against your enemies. Those are all lies of
          Satan!

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                           I Want to Address All
                          Christians Who Struggle
                           With a Besetting Sin.

                      -------------------------------

          Do you wake up every day in anguish over a besetting
          lust or habit? Do you live in torment, thinking, This
          awful thing is still alive in me?

          God knows all about the sin remaining in your heart.
          And he knows how you hate it and have wept over it. Now
          he wants you to hear this word: Fear not! I am your
          shield, your protector, your defense, your sword of
          holiness against all enemies. I know the way out of
          temptation for you. And I will teach you to do battle!

          David knew this. Thats why he could say, I will fear
          no evil... (Psalm 23:4). He realized Satan would get
          the victory if he could just convince the king to be
          afraid.

          Beloved, thats just the way the enemy works against
          you. He wants you to be afraid of your sin - afraid
          youll never be delivered, never be set free.

          But God says to all grieving, hurting saints: Fear
          not! I see and know all your suffering. And I will not
          permit Satan to destroy you!

          You may ask, But what am I to do? How can I have the
          Lords peace and rest in all this?

          The answer is found in Gods word to Moses and Israel.
          With a sea before them, an enemy behind them and no
          place for them to turn, God commanded them: ...Fear ye
          not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord,
          which he will shew to you today...The Lord shall fight
          for you, and ye shall hold your peace (Exodus
          14:13-14).

          What does this last phrase mean - hold your peace? It
          means no more worrying, no more trying to figure
          everything out - and instead trusting God to make a way
          for you. Thats when he gives you his word of
          direction, as he gave Israel: ...go forward (verse
          15).

          Joshua also faced impossible enemies. He and his army
          had to march all night to Gibeon, where they faced a
          massive military machine of five confederated kings. As
          Joshua looked down at the battlefield, he saw the
          valley filled with mighty chariots and well-trained
          infantrymen. Yet all he had was a weary band of
          unskilled troops.

          In that moment, a cloud of despair must have gathered
          over Joshua. He probably thought, Lord, we only barely
          made it here - and now we have to fight this strong
          enemy. Please, tell me - what are we going to do?

          Scripture says: The Lord said unto Joshua, Fear them
          not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there
          shall not a man of them stand before thee (Joshua
          10:8).

          God pronounced victory even before Joshua went into
          battle. He said, The victory is already won! Not one
          of these enemy soldiers will be left standing after the
          battle. Now, go and fight, knowing I have promised you
          the victory!

          That is the message of the cross! The victory has
          already been won for us.

          No matter what crisis we face, what powerful
          difficulties lay ahead of us, our victory has been
          assured: In all these things we are more than
          conquerors through him that loved us (Romans 8:37).

          Does this mean were to do nothing - that were
          supposed to stand by and expect God to send an angel to
          slay all our enemies? No - never! Even though God has
          proclaimed our victory, he will not do our part for us.

          We still have to pick up a sword to fight the enemy.
          The difference is, were to do it believing God has
          promised to empower us: Thanks be to God, which giveth
          us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1
          Corinthians 15:57).

          The Holy Spirit responds to our faith. When we call on
          him, he comes upon us with supernatural power to
          mortify the deeds of the flesh. Our part is faith - and
          then walking in the belief that Gods Spirit will
          resist the power of evil coming against us.

                      -------------------------------

                           2. God Commands Us to
                          Remember How He Defeated
                       All Our Enemies In the Past.

                      -------------------------------

          Moses instructed Israel, Thou shalt not be afraid of
          them: but shalt well remember what the Lord thy God did
          unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt...the signs, the
          wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out
          arm, whereby the Lord thy God brought thee out: so
          shall the Lord thy God do unto all the people of whom
          thou art afraid (Deuteronomy 7:18-19).

          What a powerful message! Moses was reminding the
          Israelites, No matter what enemies you face, God has
          promised you victory over them all. He delivered your
          fathers from Pharaoh, and he will do the same for you
          today!

          ...remember the day when thou camest forth out of the
          land of Egypt all the days of thy life (16:3). Thou
          shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt...
          (verse 12).

          Moses cry to the people was, Remember the past! If
          you think youre having a difficult time here in the
          wilderness, think about all the terrors you faced in
          Egypt. Dont forget what life was like when you were
          all slaves. And remember everything God did to deliver
          you - to save you and sanctify you from it all!

          The prophet Isaiah also spoke Gods word to a people
          who were full of fear. This was at a time when Israel
          was convinced God had forsaken them. They shook in fear
          of what their enemies might do to them. But Isaiah
          assured them:

          ...who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a
          man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall
          be made as grass; and forgettest the Lord thy maker,
          that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the
          foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually
          every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if
          he were ready to destroy? And where is the fury of the
          oppressor? (Isaiah 51:12-13).

          God said through the prophet, The reason youre afraid
          is because youve forgotten who I am. Youre looking
          only at your troubles, rather than on my might and
          ability to deliver you. Youve forgotten that my hand
          is still on your life!

          You may have trouble remembering Gods miracles in your
          life. You may think, My life has been one long, hard
          nightmare. I simply havent had much to rejoice in. How
          can I remember Gods miracles when I havent
          experienced them?

          You must understand - our experiences can inspire
          faith, but they arent meant to be the foundation of
          our faith. Thats why Gods word always points us
          toward what Jesus has done. Were to remember his
          victory on the cross for us, and to cling to it by
          faith. He alone empowers us to victory, by his Spirit.

                      -------------------------------

                 Jesus Said, Im Going Back to My Father -
                    But I Wont Leave You as Orphans.

                      -------------------------------

          Christ told his disciples, Now I go my way to him that
          sent me...I will not leave you comfortless... (John
          16:5, 14:1). The Greek word for comfortless here is
          orphans - meaning, bereaved, fatherless.

          At times you may feel as the disciples later did - that
          youre all alone, and that God isnt at work for you.
          You see no evidence of his care. And Satan lies to you
          that Gods Spirit has left you for a season.

          But there is one incredible miracle you cannot forget.
          It is Jesus promise to all of his followers: I will
          not leave you as an orphan. I paid a price for you -
          and youre mine!

          No matter what youre going through, your heavenly
          father has never once abandoned any thought of you -
          and he never will. Listen to his eternal, unbreakable
          promise:

          Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath
          forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child,
          that she should not have compassion on the son of her
          womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
          Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands;
          thy walls are continually before me (Isaiah 49:14-16).

          This passage tells us, Your need for protection is
          always before my eyes. Theres never a moment when Im
          unconcerned about keeping my supernatural walls secure
          around you. My protective hedge is always there!

          Ive known some mothers - including pastors wives -
          who have abandoned their children. Just a few weeks ago
          a pastor wrote to us: Ive been married for
          twenty-five years, but my wife recently left me for
          some man she met through the Internet. She just walked
          out on our children and me. I still love her, and I
          want her to come home, but she wont. I hurt so badly
          right now, I cant sleep. I dont know how Im going to
          make it.

          God answers this man, Even your beloved wife may
          abandon you - but I never will. My walls around you
          will always be secure!

          Our ministry receives many letters from women who have
          lived with alcoholic husbands for decades. As I read of
          their despair, I ask, Lord, why do these faithful
          women have to suffer for so long, with no sign of
          hope?

          I will never understand why my wife has had to go
          through so much physical suffering. Shes had
          twenty-eight operations, six of them for cancer - over
          forty years of awful pain. No minister or theologian
          has ever been able to explain to me why she continues
          to suffer this way.

          Yet, it doesnt matter what any of us has to go
          through, or how long we have to endure it. One thing is
          true above all:

                      -------------------------------

                         Gods Grace Is Sufficient
                         To Keep Us in All Things!

                      -------------------------------

          The apostle Paul cried out to God, Lord, please
          deliver me from this thorn in my flesh! But the Lord
          answered him, ...My grace is sufficient for thee...
          (2 Corinthians 12:9). God told his servant, Paul,
          youre going to have to live with this thorn. But in
          the midst of your pain, Ill give you all the grace you
          need. I have an endless supply for you!

          The Lord wants us to know that his grace is stronger
          than any deliverance he might bring to our
          circumstances. Why? His grace contains the full
          revelation of who he is! Simply put, Gods grace is
          Jesus Christ fully revealed - in all holiness, yet with
          a tender, compassionate heart.

          Our heavenly father sees every bit of our suffering.
          And he makes these wonderful promises to us:

             * The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he
               is their strength in the time of trouble (Psalm
               37:39).

             * ...he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor
               forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord
               is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall
               do unto me (Hebrews 13:5-6).

             * Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not
               dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen
               thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold
               thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

             * Behold, all they that were incensed against thee
               shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as
               nothing; and they that strive with thee shall
               perish. Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find
               them, even them that contendeth with thee: they
               that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as
               a thing of nought.

             * For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand,
               saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee....
               When the poor and needy seek water, and there is
               none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the
               Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not
               forsake them (Isaiah 41:10-13, 17).

          You can make it through any situation, crisis or
          disaster - all by the grace of Jesus Christ. No matter
          what comes your way, he has more than sufficient grace
          and Holy Ghost comfort for you!

          ---
          Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O.
          Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771, USA.

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