Rodney Howard Browne teaches that God has a plan for us. Christians should make choices based mostly on this premise: God has a plan for our lives, and He is concerned and inquisitive about each call we make. , when we make choices, we come to our heavenly Father for guidance, knowing he usually has our best interest at heart. But often we reason, This is what I would like to do. If it is not God’s will, then He’ll stop me. God will not always hinder us from doing what’s not His will.

He will not always come to our rescue, particularly if we haven’t sought his assistance. Rodney Howard Browne teaches us to listen and learn from the God. We make choices each day of our lives, and to make smart ones, we need to learn the will of the Father. God has guaranteed, “I will teach you and teach you in the way which you need to go ; I will be able to endorse you” ( Psalm 32:8 ).

Rodney Howard Browne teaches us the Holy Spirit will be our guide. God provides guidance by giving each follower a Pilot – the Holy Spirit – on board their life. In John 14-16, Jesus comforted His followers as He prepared them for the time when he wouldn’t be with them physically. He guaranteed that His Spirit would be their aid, teacher, and guide.

In an analogous way, the Spirit of God will guide us thru the untrustworthy seas of decision making.

Godly folk need to do the will of their heavenly Father. If you’re a follower in the Lord Jesus Christ, you’ve got the Holy Spirit living in you to lead and help with your choices. Are you listening to His instructions? One thing more.

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But you know all about me. You know what I teach and the way I live. You know my goal in life. You know my faith, my patience, and my love. You know that I never stop trying. 11 You know about my persecutions and my sufferings. You know all the things that happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra –the persecution I suffered in those places. But the Lord saved me from all of it. 12 Everyone who wants to live showing true devotion to God in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.  2 Timothy 3:10-12 ERV

Everyone who wants to live showing true devotion to God in Christ Jesus will be persecuted and go through hard times, but never forget that God is on your side! If you are a lukewarm, compromising Christian, the devil isn’t worried about you, but if you are a Book of Acts Christian – hot, on-fire, living a godly life, submitted to the Word and the Holy Spirit, a doer of the Word, preaching the Gospel, and obeying the Great Commission – then he will be very afraid of you. The devil will always come to try to hinder and to stop the doers of the Word – those who are obeying God – with persecution. You might as well make up your mind now to not get upset or discouraged when it happens. In fact, you should rejoice for it is a sign that you are doing the will of God!

Persecution and hardship is intended to limit your influence. Persecution can come in the form of verbal disapproval or attacks, physical attacks from people or circumstances, and/or spiritual resistance from devils and demons. The devil will try to get you to be discouraged and quit. If you are a touchy person and you take everything personally, then you won’t be able to endure to the end. Paul was just such a one who was bold for the Gospel’s sake and went through tremendous persecutions and hardships as he boldly preached and demonstrated the Word of God. Ungodly people stirred up strife against him; fellow Jews attacked him; other “Christians” questioned his integrity and lied about him; he was arrested and thrown in jail and eventually martyred for his faith – and yet he never gave up; he never quit. Persecution will never succeed if you will just never quit!

Remember Jesus Christ. He is from the family of David. After Jesus died, he was raised from death. This is the Good News that I tell people. 9 And because I tell that message, I am suffering. I am even bound with chains like someone who has really done wrong. But God’s message is not bound. 10 So I patiently accept all these troubles. I do this to help the people God has chosen so that they can have the salvation that is in Christ Jesus. With this salvation comes glory that never ends. 11 Here is a true statement: If we died with him, we will also live with him. 12 If we remain faithful even in suffering, we will also rule with him. If we refuse to say we know him, he will refuse to say he knows us. 13 If we are not faithful, he will still be faithful, because he cannot be false to himself.  2 Timothy 2:8-13 ERV

Paul was persecuted for the Gospel’s sake, not because he had done wrong. He was bound by chains, but God’s Word was not bound – he continued to preach, write letters full of God’s Word and minister to everyone he met and the Lord continued to use him. How did Paul endure all this suffering? What Jesus did for him – and all men – was so real to him; eternity was so real to him; the promise of God was so real to him; that he was willing rather to suffer anything than deny the Lord Jesus Christ!

He was standing on the promise of God that:

1.  If we be dead with Him, we shall live with Him.

– Romans 6:8 KJV – Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.

– 2 Corinthians 5:15 KJV – And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

2.  If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him.

– Romans 8:17-18 KJV – And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

3.  If we deny Him, He also will deny us.

– Mark 8:38 KJV – Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

4.   If we won’t believe, He remains faithful: He cannot deny Himself.

–  Jesus is faithful. He will still be with us even when we have endured so much that it seems we have no faith left to stand. We may even give up and be faithless at times, but Jesus is still faithful to His promise to be with us “to the very end of the world/age” (Matthew 28:20). If we deny the Lord or walk away and break fellowship with Him, still He will never turn His back on us, but be ready to receive us back, should we come to our senses and turn back to Him.

And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. 42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.  Acts 5:40-42 KJV

Persecution did not stop the Early Church from serving God and preaching the Gospel. They counted it an honor to receive persecution for His Name sake!

Have you failed at something just because you didn’t plan it all of the way through? Unfortunately, this practice is all too common among most people, believers and non-believers alike. If we actually wish to achieve victory in our pursuits, we have to be ready to take the time to plan reasonably. It isn’t always enough to see the problem from start point to end point ; rather, we must prove the knowledge to see all of the steps leading in to the challenge, and then all of the wonderful results that can follow. When we do this, we have got a complete view ; that is, we start to see the problem from God’s viewpoint.

Pastor Rodney Howard Browne teaches us to have courage. When David faced Goliath, he knew that he was entering into far more than a wartime dispute. He was keenly conscious of the nature of the conflict ; that is, the name of God was at risk because all the other countries would watch to see what occurred. Failure at this critical juncture would have shown the world that Israel’s God wasn’t all that strong. More than understanding the character of the conflict, David walked into battle knowing the result. He knew that God would empower him to do what he’d been called to do : defeat Goliath and supply an unshakable testimony to the power of God. Rodney Howard Browne teaches us that if your pursuits keep falling short, ask the query : Am I having a look at the entire issue, or have I lost perspective? If your perspective is too limited, commit the problem to God and let him show you what he will do thru your work. Now the Philistines gathered together their militaries to fight, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim.

And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.

And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side : and there had been a valley between them. And there went out a champ out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was 6 cubits and a span. And he had an helmet of brass on his head, and he was supplied with a coat of mail ; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.

And he had greaves of brass on his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam ; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron : and one bearing a shield went before him. And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and declared unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array ? Am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? Select you a person for you, and let him come down to me. If he be in a position to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants : but if I overcome against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us. And the Philistine claimed, I defy the militaries of Israel this day ; give me a person, that we may fight together.

When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and seriously scared.

Now David was the child of that Ephrathite of Bethlehemjudah, whose name was Jesse ; and he had 8 boys : and the person went among men for an old man in the days of Saul. And the 3 eldest boys of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle : and the names of his 3 boys that went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the 3rd Shammah. And David was the youngest : and the 3 eldest followed Saul. But David went and returned from Saul to feed his pop’s sheep at Bethlehem. And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself 40 days.

And Jesse recounted unto David his child, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these 10 loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren ; And carry these 10 cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge. Now Saul, and they, and all of the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him ; and he came to the ditch, as the host was going forth to the fight, and roared for the battle. For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, armed forces against military.

We live in a world that is changing rapidly and uncontrollably. Feelings of instability, insecurity, and inadequacy surround us, but we have an enduring source of hope: God does not change. His power and love, expressed to us through His immutable Word, have remained constant.

When we have God living through us, we can have a sense of stability, regardless of storms blowing about us. God’s provision of hope—carried out by His Spirit—is part of our salvation. One of the responsibilities of the Holy Spirit is the renewing of our mind. He empowers us to think about our circumstances as God does. Unless we observe the difficulties and instabilities in our life as God looks at them, we will never be able to see the best plan for dealing with our trials and stresses.

In order for the Holy Spirit to do this work effectively, we must be studying the Word of God. Our reading will reveal how God works in the life of believers, what He expects from His children, and how He expresses His love and power. Then, when we are most in need of reassurance, the Holy Spirit can bring to mind the principles and promises we have read. Anchoring us to the Bible is an important work of the Spirit of God.

The Holy Spirit is absolutely essential to the Christian life because the Father has given Him to us as our constant companion in this life. He helps provide stability by giving us direction and showing us the wisest and most joyous way to live.

Testimony:

Last week we met a young guy on the street, who was very reserved in the beginning, when we approached him. We shared about the Fathers love and the soul-winning script with him and he started to open up more and more and we could see that he was deeply touched. After that, he invited Jesus into his heart. Before we said ‘bye’ to him, he received one of the salvation DVD’s and went away. While he went away his girlfriend showed up, from the other side of the street and surprise, surprise, she had one of the DVD’s too. She just met another group of our outreach team on that street and gave her life to Jesus at the same time like her boyfriend we talked to.

Sandra K

God has things to say. To the obedient and the disobedient.  To the strong and the weak.

To the self-assured and the insecure. To the lost and the saved.

There’s no circumstance in our lives in which God will not talk to us, and God’s words are always purposeful. We will be sure that God needs us to understand the truth of what he is announcing. We will be assured this may occur due to the Holy Spirit’s presence inside us and the guarantee of His guidance into all truth. ( John 16:13 ) It might take effort and time on our part, but God’s goal is for us to understand what he is communicating.

Another part of His goal is to have His words lead us into conformity to the picture of Christ. As we examined the Scriptures, He may mention Jesus’ compassion toward the Samaritan girl as our example for living, or He may warn us through Jesus’ rebuke of Peter not to depend on human understanding. Our part is to reply to His words by aligning our lives with the truth and not resisting. God also uncovers the truths about life in Christ so we may communicate them to other people, another aspect of His goal. Jesus spoke only what His Father had taught Him. ( John 8:28b ) We want to be listening conscientiously each time God speaks so we think we know what to claim. God wants us to understand the truth, comply with it, and communicate it to other people. Is this what you need too? One thing more.

God is with you constantly. He’s with you in the dark hours, when the circumstances look bleak, when the storms rise up against you. When the wind’s blowing and it looks like you’re going down, He’s there in the boat with you. “I’ll never leave you nor forsake you,” Jesus says. (See Hebrews 13:5.) Now, look at verse 15: He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and

honor him.

He’s waiting for you to call on Him. Some people don’t want to call on God because they’re afraid to bother Him. They think He’s too busy. But you’re not bothering Him. He wants you to bother Him! You have not because you ask not. (See James 4:2.) Call unto Him! Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

JEREMIAH 33:3

And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

ISAIAH 65:24

I pray this word goes right into your heart and burns like a Holy Ghost firebrand on the inside of you! Jesus is your shelter in the time of trouble. The Bible doesn’t say you won’t have any trouble, but God says, “I will be with you in trouble.” He wants to remind you that while you’re in trouble, He’s there. Call upon Him. You could get into trouble and die, not knowing or else forgetting that He’s right there with you. So call to Him. Cry out to Him.

If you find yourself in a problem and you call on the Lord and He doesn’t deliver you, you come and tell me, and I’ll quit the ministry and come and join you. That’s a strong statement, but I want you to know that when you call out to Him with all of your heart, He’s going to come. He didn’t bring you this far to leave you. I will deliver him and honor him (v. 15). He not only wants to deliver you, He wants to honor you!

Look at the last verse: With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation. They put preservatives in most of the food we eat. In fact, I heard that a favorite snack of ours has a shelf life of twenty seven years. If you want something to last long, you must preserve it. God says I will give you long life. That means He is going to preserve you.

With long life, will I satisfy him and show him My salvation (v. 16). There are people who have this passage of Scripture printed on a T-shirt, printed on a book mark, or printed on a wall hanging — yet they die young. They never experience the reality of this passage because they’ve never come to the place where they’ve said, “Yes, Jesus is my Savior, He’s my Healer, He’s my Deliverer, but He’s also my Protector. He is my shelter. He is my rock. He’s my tower. He’s my wall of fire.” They’ve never received it. They’ve never taken this word and made it personal and acted upon it and told it to their wife and told it to their children and told it to their loved ones. Have you?

God might be requiring you to do certain things that mean stepping out of your comfort zone, stepping out beyond the natural, carnal mind and into a place where you must confront your fear. That brings us to the life of Joshua, because if there was ever an individual who should have been afraid, it was Joshua. Joshua was second in command to Moses, leading the children of Israel to the Promised Land. Rodney Howard Browne points out that, then Moses died and God told Joshua, “I want you to take his place.” I don’t know about you, but if that were me, my knees would be having close fellowship one with the other!

“Moses is dead and I must take his place. God, are You sure?” Joshua was having the same argument with God that Moses had right at the beginning. When God called Moses, he was afraid the Israelites wouldn’t accept his authority, so he said, “Who must I say sent me?”

God said, “Tell them I AM sent you.”