Test of faithfulness
Richard Wurmbrand was asked to deny his faith and tortured for it by the communist regime of his time in Romania. He was imprisoned for a total of 14 years and tortured for three years by being kept in solitary confinement without being left out. Even the guards wore shoes with felt so that the prisoners could not hear a single noise. This quietness affects the mind. Richard kept his sanity by preparing messages. He prepared over 380 messages in that time. During this time in prison, he kept the faith and never gave in to his tormentors. Perhaps, it was a test of his faithfulness to God or perhaps it was a test of his love of God. To me, it means the same thing.
Any form of faithfulness to anyone or to a task requires a dedicated heart that is sold out on the idea of faithfulness. Men are expected to be faithful to their wives and vice versa but often that is not the case in this world. As a result, many marriages and relationships are broken. Likewise, our relationship with Christ is as of a Bride prepared for a Bridegroom, betrothed by the Father to the Son and so expected to be faithful to the future husband. However, we find that in today’s faith many are playing the harlot with many lovers who have nothing to do with Christ. They purport to be Christians but are not.
Alternatively, when we are given a task in God, we must be faithful to that task. In the parable of the talents, we see that faithfulness produced great rewards for the ones who were faithful whilst unfaithfulness through fear produced rejection and eternal torment. Faithfulness is an important part of loving God. If one calls God Lord, Lord, and does not do the things his Lord asks him to do, then he is just a liar and a no-good person. There is no reward for such a person.
I often wonder about the value of what we are given to do by Christ. I for one, as a Pastor must ask myself if I have been faithful to the vision God gave me. Act 26:19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: This obedience we purport to have toward Christ will be tested even as Apostle Paul was tested. Along my journey in life and ministry, I have been constantly tested for my faithfulness to the vision. God gave me a word before He brought me here to the SW Corridor of WA. I remember once, I wanted to quit in the most difficult time of my journey here. It was at this time I heard the voice of God speaking to me clearly saying, “You cannot quit”. I was bound to the heavenly vision whether I liked it or not. So, I did not quit but had to find a way in God to remain faithful in the most trying of circumstances.
Job was tested in a worst-case scenario, loss of the lives of his children and all his belongings. When the things or people you love are removed permanently, the test is greater because you know it is lost forever. However, if you are dead to the world and live to Christ, no natural loss even of lives can take away the relationship you have with God. Even if you have questions about why things are going bad for you suddenly like Job, you will not deny God. Yet, satan who is a liar, knows that men have an affinity to the things that they love upon the earth and so he comes to steal, kill, and destroy. His attempts through this is to break what is a spiritual connection between you and God. If we consider our blessings on earth greater than God, we have lost our relationship. If we are dead to this world and what we possess, then, we can live toward God and still be blessed on earth. Job was asked to curse God and die by his wife who had little understanding. Yet, he remained faithful to God even through his questions.
My friends, remain faithful in these dark times to the Lord who gave His life for you. No matter how difficult the task is, you must remain faithful to the heavenly vision. Many have made a shipwreck of their faith because they have chosen the pleasures of this word or they have been offended and have lost their way. The greatest weapon of the devil is rejection. He crucified Jesus to have Him rejected by His Father. What the devil did not realise was, Jesus was accepted of the Father just as we are and can never be rejected. The Father does not reject you, so, do not reject the Father by your unfaithfulness through disobedience to the things He asks of you and the vision you have put your hand to fulfill.
I am awaiting the day of my fulfillment in the faith. Faith is the first part of the word “faithfulness”, and so, it requires I go through life with faith. The trials and the concerns of this life along with its raw attacks on a person are real and deadly. Even through loss of life and the deepest of sorrows God is looking upon us to see if we will remain faithful. What does this kind of testing mean and why do we have to go through them?
I believe, God is seeking those who are faithful to join Him in eternity. Adam and Eve were unfaithful through disobedience and found out that their unfaithfulness to God was rewarded with death. Eternal life was lost right then. God in His abundant mercy saved them and all mankind by intervening on their behalf. Jesus is the manifestation of that intervention that transpired before the world began. Therefore, our lives now mean it is our choice to follow God through Jesus and remain faithful to the end because of that intervention by God.
All unfaithfulness in any form brings an open door for the devil to attack. Temptation is designed by the devil to get you to be unfaithful to God. Unfaithfulness has to do with a person breaking their word. A word spoken properly has its value, but a word spoken and then left unfulfilled is a curse. Pro 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. How many broken promises have left people in despair? Broken promises are words of liars who say they will do but never do and then do not do it properly. Faithfulness are measured by words. Remain faithful to the words you speak and ensure that you do what you say and say what you mean. Faithfulness is deciding you will never break a promise. Even if you cannot perform that promise to the maximum, at least you will try your level best to fulfill it to show your faithfulness by your efforts. I am mostly concerned for people who do not wait on God to let Him fulfill His promise to them. They try to achieve it in their own strength and fall to the ground. When God calls and promises He ratifies it by His word. He confirms that word again and then brings it to pass according to His purpose and in His time. Herein is the secret of waiting on God, knowing the appointed times.
Soon, Jesus will return to the earth. Will He find faith and faithfulness on the earth? What if He does not return before our time on earth is ended
and instead, we are faced with many problems? Will we remain faithful? I see many leave the church and head out on their own. Likewise, many are not waiting upon God for their turn and are trying to make something happen for themselves. Yet others are just fed up with Christianity and faith and have given up all together. Some believe if they acknowledge Christ for just a little while it releases them to go back to the world. I am afraid for them because they do not understand that our love of God is eternal and goes far beyond this earthly life. It is in this lifetime that Jesus is testing faithfulness before He promotes us to eternity and reward us.
Mat 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Lots of love
Pst Noble –
7th June 2020