Category Archives: Sufficiency

Bible, Persecution, Protection, Romans, Scripture, Suffering, Sufficiency, Witness

PERSECUTION

ROMANS 8:36

“Just as it is written: ‘FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE KILLED ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE REGARDED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.’”

I receive daily emails from Voice of the Martyrs. The stories they share humble me beyond words. Persecution is real today throughout the world. One report says that 32 Christians are killed every day in Nigeria. Only recently has the U.S. raised complaints to the Nigerian government about this. The government there, of course, denies such killings are taking place.

Paul wrote of such persecutions here in Romans and quoted Psalm 44:22 in today’s verse. The sons of Korah wrote this Psalm to encourage the followers of Jehovah to be brave in the midst of persecution. They tell them in the previous two verses, “20 If we had forgotten the name of our God or extended our hands to a strange god, 21 Would God not find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.” God knows when and how we are facing any type of persecution for our faith. Submit to it as a badge of honor.

APPLICATION

Take a minute and examine your walk with Christ. Does it expose you to persecution? Are you fearful of being killed for your faith? I read in a missionary friend’s prayer letter today this request. “As we worship today at the local fellowship. Pray for our brothers and sisters who face incredible persecution. Every day we get new reports of believers being attacked or threatened. Pray they will be strong in the Lord and not in fear. The enemy can’t stop God’s work.” That’s an eyewitness to persecution in an unnamed country.

In the ministry in which I serve (Every Man A Warrior), we hear of our leaders facing similar threats. We have had some of our leaders kidnapped and others interrogated by police. As I sit here in the comfort of my home in TN, I do not face such threats. The worst I would be subject to is perhaps some chiding or rude comments. I encourage you to stand firm in your faith for the cause of Christ.

Pray for your persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ. We are told in 1 Peter 5:9-10, “9 So resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brothers and sisters who are in the world. 10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

Father, I praise You for the persecution You allow in our lives which drives us to our knees in obedience to Your calling. 

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Helplessness, Jesus, Scripture, Strength, Sufficiency, Weakness

HELPLESS

ROMANS 5:6

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”

Nothing is more depressing than to be helpless to change a situation that you desire so deeply to see changed. Without going into any detail, my wife and I are in that situation. We have been dealing with something for quite a while now that we are powerless to change. It’s out of our control. Now, we could choose to wallow in our self-pity and get mad or depressed. We have chosen (even though it is very hard) to lay it down at the feet of Jesus and let Him handle it. After all, whatever is over our head is under His feet.

The word Paul uses here translated as “helpless” is asthenés which comes “from a ‘without’ and sthenos, ‘vigor, strength’ – properly, without vigor, living in a state of weakness (depletion).” (HELPS Word-studies). Paul, knowing the futility of the law or the futility of the Gentiles’ gods, says we were all helpless, devoid of the ability to save ourselves. We need a Savior.

APPLICATION

I love the fact that God takes us in our weakness, saves us and then uses us. Look at 1 Corinthians 1:27, “but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,” Isn’t that awesome? You see, it’s not about our strength or our ability. You’ve heard it said, “God doesn’t want our ability. He wants our availability.”

Not only does Christ take our weakness, our inability to save ourselves, but He also commands us to help others who are weak. Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:14, “We urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” As we know the strength of Christ in our own lives, we are to be quick to pass that along to others who are weak and helpless.

My wife and I are expecting our sixth grandchild in a few weeks. She will be born a helpless baby, totally dependent on her parents to feed, clean and protect. She won’t be able to walk for many months. She won’t feed herself for a long time. But as her parents and her grandparents care for her in her weakness, she will be getting stronger. Christ takes us in our spiritual infancy and strengthens us. He does not judge our immaturity. He builds on it. Today thank the Lord for your weakness which necessitates His strength.

Lord, I give You praise that in my weakness, You are my strength.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Contentment, Peace, Scripture, Sufficiency, Thankfulness

BEING CONTENT

PHILIPPIANS 4:11

“Not that I speak from need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.”

Contentment! Do you struggle with that? So many people cannot be satisfied or content in their situation. They want a newer car or a bigger house. They don’t like the way they look, so they seek out every treatment they can find to make them look “young again.” Contentment is often a fleeting thing for them. Not for Paul. Look what he says today.

He is still thanking the Philippians for their gift but reminds them that he is content in whatever position he is in. Remember, he is in prison (or at least house arrest) in Rome. That’s not a place in which many could find contentment. The word used here for “content” is autarkés only appears here in the New Testament. It comes from autos (himself) and arkeo (content) – self contented. HELPS Word studies says, “it refers to positive self-sufficiency (inward adequacy) – i.e. that comes through the indwelling power of Christ.”

APPLICATION

In 2 Corinthians 9:8 we see the noun form of this word where it is translated “sufficiency.” “And God is able to make all grace overflow to you, so that, always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;” Also that same noun is found in 1 Timothy 6:6. “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” (KJV).

Learning to live content can bring such peace. The writer of Hebrews uses the verb form of this word in Hebrews 13:5. “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER ABANDON YOU,’”

Are you content? Are you at peace with who you are and what you have? If you are struggling with contentment, let me urge you to do a deep dive on the topic of peace or rest. God does not want us to live uncontented lives. He gave us His Son to remove all discontentment, except for the discontentment regarding sin. We should never be content about that. But otherwise, we should live our lives being content with our God and our Savior. Amen?

O Lord, thank You for giving me the sense of contentment that is only found in Christ.

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