1 Corinthians 16:13 - Insights on Standing Strong.
1 Corinthians 16:13 (NIV) Be on your guard;
stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be
strong.
1 Corinthians 16:13 (NLT) Be on guard. Stand
firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.
INTRODUCTION
We Can Overcome! Those who put their trust
in Christ are not to be enslaved by any
hereditary or cultivated habit or tendency. Instead of
being held in bondage to the lower nature, they
are to rule every appetite and passion. God has
not left us to battle with evil in our own
finite strength. Whatever may be our inherited or
cultivated tendencies to wrong, we can overcome through
the power that He is ready to impart. {MH 175}
[Remnant SOP SB]
It is true that God loves us, that He is
working for our happiness, and that, if His law had
always been obeyed, we should never have known
suffering; and it is no less true that, in this world,
as the result of sin, suffering, trouble,
burdens, come to every life This world is not a
parade ground, but a battlefield. All are called to
endure hardness, as good soldiers The true test
of character is found in the willingness to
bear burdens, to take the hard place, to do the
work that needs to be done, though it bring no
earthly recognition or reward. The true way of
dealing with trial is not by seeking to escape it,
but by transforming it. ED295,6
COMMENTARY
Standing Strong
There will come times in all of our lives
when we will be tested in our faith. There will
be times when what we believe will be
challenged. There will be temptations to do the wrong
thing.
We might ask ourselves, Will I be able to
stand strong spiritually when this happens? That
is entirely up to you. It isn't up to God. It
is up to you. God wants you to stand, but He
will not force you to stand. He will give you all
the resources you need. He will give you the
power to resist. He will even give you a way out.
But you have to cooperate. There are some things
only God can do. And there are some things only
you can do.
Only God can forgive sin. But only you
can fall into sin. Only God can give you the
power to change your life. But you need to be
willing to have your life changed. You need to
cooperate with Him. He is not going to force you to
resist what is evil. You have to be willing to
resist it on your own, then take hold of the
resources that He gives you. You decide today whether
or not you will fall tomorrow. The stand you
make today will determine what kind of stand you
make tomorrow.
When you are building a house, the most
important time is not when you lay carpet or paint;
it's when you lay the foundation. If you don't do
that well, then all of your decorative additions
will be for nothing. You have to get the
foundation right.
Therefore, you determine today what kind
of situation you will be in tomorrow. [Every
Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie]
Stormproof
A few years ago, Hawaiians were preparing
for a huge storm that supposedly would devastate
their state. It was coming directly toward them.
But then it took a hard turn. In the end, there
still was some bad weather, but they were fine.
Ironically, another storm unexpectedly
came along a short time later, and it probably
did more damage than the first storm.
Thats a lot like life, isnt it? We
brace ourselves for a storm that we expect will
come, but it never arrives. Then another storm
that we never expected suddenly hits us. This
year is a prime example.
Storms will come into our lives, but the
good news is that storms have a beginning, a
middle, and an end.
Maybe youre just pulling into a storm
in your personal life, a hardship. Youre
wondering whether it will be a long one. Or maybe
youre in the middle of a storm, and you want to
know when it will stop. Then again, maybe
youve just made it through a storm. Youre glad
its in your rearview mirror. But youre also a
little concerned about whats on the horizon.
God will get you through your storms if
youve built your life on Jesus Christ. And when
youre going through those storms, youll learn a
little bit, because character is not made in
crisis; it is revealed.
The storm reveals who you are and what
kind of faith you have.
Sometimes people who went through a
hardship or a tragedy in their childhood say that it
shook their faith, and its the reason they
turned against God. But maybe they lost their faith
because they never had faith in God.
It comes down to this: a faith that
cant be shaken is a faith that has been shaken.
Hardships will come in life, but God will be there to
sustain you. So, put your faith in Him. [Greg Laurie
from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
Don't Quit
Years ago, I listened as Anna Sklar, the
author of a book titled Runaway Wives, shared some
shocking statistics:
Early in the twentieth century, for every
wife or mother who walked away from her home and
responsibilities, six hundred husbands and fathers did so.
Just ten years later, after the women's
liberation movement, for each man who did that, two
women did the same.
Pause and let that sink in. Do the math.
I'm not advocating either side, but I'm
just amazed at the unbelievably rapid rise in
modern-day women who choose escape as their favorite
method of coping. There is not an achievement worth
remembering that isn't stained with the blood of
diligence and checkered with the scars of
disappointment. To quit may feel good now, but it's a bummer
when life's bills come due.
Churchill put it well:
Wars are not won by evacuations.
Battles are won in the trenches, in the
grit and grime of courageous determination
not by a violent jerk now and then but a
prolonged pull, day in and day out. The same is true
of our salvation.
The man who bore on his body "the scars
that show [he belongs] to Jesus" (Galatians 6:17)
was a living example of his own counsel:
My dear brothers and sisters, be strong
and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for
the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for
the Lord is ever useless. Be on guard. Stand
firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And
do everything with love. 1 Corinthians 15:58; 1
Corinthians 16:13-14
Giving thought to giving up? Considering
the possibility of quitting? Looking for an easy
way out? Entertaining the idea of running away
stopping before it's finished escaping
from reality? Admittedly, the holiday season only
encourages such feelings of despair.
Don't! Instead, I urge you to draw near
to God and to His people. Don't retreat, but
rather surround yourself with loving, supportive
friends. And let God be gracious to you. It's always
harder to quit when a few friends stand with you.
[Chuck Swindoll www.insight.org.]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC
1 Corinthians 16:13,14 - Waiting Orders!
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2002/20020826-1611.html
Deuteronomy 30:19 - Our Choice: Blessings or
Curses!
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210414-0844.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
https://www.revelationnow.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
