Every Christian claims to trust the Lord. But the truth is, many of God's children are not ready to face the black storm of sorrows that is fast approaching!
The vials of God's wrath are soon to be poured out upon the earth, ushering in a time of trouble like none seen before in man's history. And unless we lay hold of a special, unshakable trust in the Lord, few Christians are going to survive the very hard times ahead!
When the full fury of the storm breaks upon us — when destructive war breaks out, anarchy rules the streets, unemployment plagues the land and uncertainty falls like a cloud over mankind — multitudes of Christians will be lost, unable to handle it all! Overcome with fear, terror and hopelessness, they will lose their song of victory. They will be spiritually and physically bankrupt, without an ounce of trust in the Lord. They will suddenly give up hope and drown in sorrow and distress!
Who are these Christians who will not be prepared to endure the storm? They are those who have not cultivated a consistent, daily life of prayer with the Lord!
Repeatedly believers in our congregation and in others have heard their shepherds beg them to set aside a time each day to meet the Lord in secret prayer! Only those who learn to pour out their hearts to the Lord in the secret closet of prayer will be rewarded with a holy faith and trust!
You see, communion gives birth to trust. Only by pouring out to God all our fears and worries can we come away with His rest and assurance. "Trust in him at all times...pour out your heart before him" (Psalm 62:8). Trusting and pouring out are inseparable!
This couldn't be any clearer. If we are to trust God at all times — even the darkest of times — we must be pouring out our hearts to Him continually!
As the days become more frightful, there will arise a people of God who will become bolder and bolder. These will be believers who call daily on the name of the Lord, "So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I do not fear what man shall do unto me" (Hebrews 13:6).
David was a man of God who had learned to call on the name of the Lord in every crisis of his life. Time after time he ran to his secret place to empty all his fears before his Lord: "In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears....He delivered me" (2 Samuel 22:7,18).
When the biggest storm of his life came upon him, David was ready! He didn't have to lean on someone else! He already had a song he could sing through the darkness and uncertainty:
"The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; the God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. I will call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies" (2 Samuel 22:2-4).
David saw the storm coming — a storm of violence, floods of ungodly men, "the sorrows of hell compass(ing) ... the snares of death" (verses 5-6). Yet none of those things could bother him! His trust in the Lord had been set and anchored because of his daily communion with Him!
There are believers today who regularly shut themselves in with God and are getting to know Him — and that intimacy is giving birth to great trust! Sitting under strong preaching, listening to tapes, worshipping and praising in the house of the Lord — all these activities are commendable and profitable. But none provides the strength you need to stand firm in times of trouble! Nothing will build you up in trust and confidence as much as secret, daily prayer with your heavenly Father!
You must have a place where you can go to meet with God every day! You can't have a problem you won't give to Him, a burden you won't place upon Him. And you can't leave His presence until you come away assured, leaning on His everlasting arms!
Heed this warning: If you are not daily pouring out your heart to God in the secret closet of prayer, you will be stricken with a "double fear" and "double terror" when things become really bad! You will wake up too late to realize you are among the foolish virgins, who had lamps with trimmed wicks and a desire to be in the wedding — but no oil to fuel the flame!
These Times Call for More Than a General Trust in God — They Require a Special Trust for Special Times!
All Christians have a general trust in the Lord. We all stand on a few promises that apply to the whole body of Christ, such as:
Hebrews 13:5 — "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
Romans 8:28 — "All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
Psalm 84:11 — "For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly."
These well-known promises have brought great comfort and blessing to God's people worldwide for many centuries. Yet beyond these general promises, God gives us specific promises for special times — hard times. We must know them and bring them with us when we come boldly to His throne of grace!
The Puritans, who were mightily blessed of God, said every promise of the Lord is a holy argument. They believed a Christian shouldn't come before the Lord with just a general faith.
When God tells you to come boldly before the throne of grace, to receive mercy and grace in our time of need, you can't have just a general idea of why you're there, other than that the Bible says you should be. You can't just say, "Okay, Lord, You know my heart. Give me whatever You see fit."
That may sound good — but God has particular, specific promises for specific times in our lives. And He wants us to lay hold of them with our hearts so that we might stand strong and assured as we reason with Him! He wants us to stand before His throne having perfect consolation, absolute assurance and no doubts whatsoever!
Maybe the reason you are not hearing from God is that you've given Him a general faith without being specific with Him. God says, "Come, bring forth your strong reasons. Why should I do this for you? Why should I bless you?" He knows why, of course — but He wants you to know why!
I want to point out three very specific times when special or particular trust is needed, based on God's special promises. There are many more times when such trust is needed, but these three instances are especially noteworthy:
1. When an Act of Obedience Casts You Out Into the Unknown!
God demanded of Abraham an incredible act of obedience — He asked him to step out into an unknown future! Abraham was to take this step with nothing more tangible than the promise of God: "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee" (Genesis 12:1).
The writer of Hebrews said: "Abraham, when he was called to go out...obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went" (Hebrews 11:8). The Lord did not lay out before Abraham a neat, detailed travel plan! Instead, He simply said, "Gather your family, pack up your belongings, leave your kin and go to a place I'll tell you about."
At seventy-five years old Abraham was asked to cast himself fully upon God's faithfulness! He was told to pack up and go — with no explanations, no description of where he was going or of the possible dangers involved. Abraham went out not knowing anything! He was to rest only in a promise: "I will show you — I will bless you!"
Sarah probably was no different from any modern-day woman. She may have asked the questions any wife would ask: "Are we going south or north? What kind of clothes should I pack? Are we going to settle down or stay on the move?"
All Abraham could answer was, "God said to go, so we are going! He will show us the next step as soon as we get moving!" God couldn't show Abraham anything until he moved — and even after that it remained a day-to-day walk for him!
We sometimes have the idea that when God commands us to do something and we obey, everything will be smooth sailing from that point on. We think God should be so grateful for our obedience that He'll put us on a four-lane freeway to heaven!
There were times when God told me to step out by faith, and I did. But afterward I said, "God, don't ever ask that of me again. I did it, and You blessed me — but I don't want to live that way!"
Abraham obeyed God — but one act of obedience does not add up to a walk of obedience. Indeed, he had a promise from God — but along the way he had to go through the Negev desert, snow-covered mountains, another desert, the warring people of Canaan, and he ended up in the midst of a famine in Egypt. I'm so glad God didn't tell him about the path he would walk!
Yet that particular path was like no other Abraham had walked. Through it all he was never in any danger. Nobody could touch him. God was his shield, his protector every day. And because of his faith, Abraham was becoming a friend to God!
God asks all of His servants to continually step out into the unknown! It is not a one-time thing — it is a walk that is required our entire lifetime!
But our obedience wins us a great reward: not only the constant, invincible protection of our covenant Lord, but the Lord Himself! "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).
God is making a glorious statement to us! Those who obey Him — who step out not knowing what will happen to them yet blindly trusting in His Word — will never be in danger! "I will hover over them as a shield. I will be their reward! I will give Myself to them!"
The Lord may have commanded you to lay something or someone down on the altar. He may have told you to take a step of obedience — and you know if you do, it will cast you out into the unknown and cost you everything: your career, your business, your loved ones. You may be called crazy or foolish — but in your heart you know God has lovingly ordered you, "Obey Me — now!"
A member of our church, Diane Venora, is an acclaimed actress. But just a few weeks ago she gave up show business completely, as an act of obedience to the Lord. She knew in her heart the Lord had told her to leave it all behind!
So she put aside a best supporting actress award and stepped out into the great unknown. She had no job or guarantees of work of any kind. She went out not knowing where she was going!
The very next day her agent called to tell her she had been offered a starring role in a movie with three of the best-known actors in the business. After she hung up, she said, "No, Satan, I know what you're trying to do. I won't change my mind!"
Beloved, that's the way it's going to be! Whenever you step out in faithful obedience, the devil will bring some enticement to draw you back to the side of disobedience. Obedience will always cost you something!
Yet that same week Diane went to court and won a great victory in a child-custody battle. Her shield was working for her! She had won Christ! Her reward had been the Lord Himself!
Three years ago God called the pastors of this church and our families to take a great step of obedience when He asked us to leave our comfortable Texas environment and come to New York City. We had no congregation, no building and little money! God had said only, "Go, and I'll be with you! I'll bless you, I'll be your reward...."
"So Abraham departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him" (Genesis 12:4). And so did we! God became a shield to us, and He has given us Himself day after day. Today we have a growing, maturing congregation that stands as a testimony to His miracle!
The Word Abounds With Special, Specific Promises for Those Who Must Step Out in Obedience!
Here are just a few to carry with you to the throne of God! You can lay your life on the line by these promises!
"If ye will obey my voice indeed [with no halfway commitment], and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people" (Exodus 19:5).
"If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured [destroyed]" (Isaiah 1: 19-20).
"Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you" (Jeremiah 7:23).
You also have this ironclad promise that the Holy Ghost will be with you through all your steps of obedience and times of testing: "And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him" (Acts 5:32).
If God is telling you to lay something down, step out and do it! The Bible clearly says that if you obey God, He will give you the Holy Ghost to be your guide and your strength — to provide you with everything you need to complete the act of obedience!
2. We Need a Particular, Special Trust When Our Very Livelihood Is Threatened!
In my lifetime I have never talked to so many frightened people as I have in the past three months. America is downright scared!
Builders, real estate people, Wall Street professionals, retailers, executives, lawyers, restaurant owners, small-business owners — they're all saying the same thing: "It's worse than most people know. And it's going to get worse! Everything is coming to a stop — it's all sellers and no buyers!"
Beloved, we are racing toward very hard times! Many Christians are among the multitudes who have lost their jobs, and many more will face unemployment!
In one state, 21,000 homes have been repossessed. In New York City, more than 100,000 people have had to double up their families with others in single-family apartments. In Denver, many people have walked away from houses and mortgage commitments because they owe more than the house is worth. They strip the house, move out and leave no forwarding address.
None of us likes to hear these kinds of reports — they're so very depressing! But the Puritans had a saying: "Our affections bribe our discernments." We all love America and our way of life. But unless we face the truth that hard times in this nation are upon us, we will never have the trust and confidence we're going to need! We've got to be able to discern the times, so we can dig in to receive from God a very particular kind of trust to see us through what is ahead!
Rest assured, none of this is taking Jesus by surprise. He saw it all coming! He who has numbered every person's hair and counted every fallen sparrow knew beforehand what His followers would face in the last days.
He knew where every dollar in the federal budget would go — and that your rent and taxes would escalate. He knew about every job layoff His children would face, about all your bills, your needs, even the number of children you have! There isn't one thing our blessed Savior didn't know when He told us very specifically, in Matthew 6:25-33: "Don't give these things a second thought. Your heavenly Father knows all about your personal needs. He will take care of you!"
Jesus also told us of the perilous times coming — the famines, wars, pestilences, earthquakes, perplexities, calamities, the fear on all sides. Still He said, "Don't even give a thought to your needs. Don't worry about any of it!"
You say, how can a Christian in need give no thought to his physical condition? Beloved, we cannot shrink back from Jesus' promise to us. His very words are eternal: "I say unto you...." In fact you can take those very words to the throne-room of God and say to Jesus, "These are the red-letter words: 'I say unto you, give no thought to your needs!"'
No matter how many banks close or how long the unemployment lines grow, our Lord will be feeding the fowl of the air, dressing the lilies of the fields and supplying an ocean-full of fish with all their daily needs! "Your heavenly Father feedeth them" (Matthew 6:26). Not one creature will suffer without our Lord knowing it!
What kind of Father would He be if He fed the dogs and neglected His children? What kind of God would know the number of your hairs but not your coins? The very thought is blasphemy!
Our Father feeds the entire animal kingdom, and no amount of hard times will stop His provision: "Are ye not much better than they? ...shall he not much more clothe you?" (Matthew 6:26,30).
I believe God has provided us today with a very specific, particular promise for the hard times that are coming. It was given to Abraham and his seed as an oath. And God has to honor it with you, because it is His own Word:
"The oath which He sware to our father Abraham, that he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life" (Luke 1:73-75).
God has sworn to deliver us from every enemy, every fearful thing, so we can serve Him all the days of our lives without fear! Beloved, hunger is an enemy! Nakedness and poverty are enemies!
This oath from God must be the foundation of our trust in every crisis, calamity and fearful time! Memorize it! Let it be your holy argument at the throne of grace!
In Psalm 121 David has provided us with one of the most powerful Holy Ghost arguments ever given to man. The entire psalm tells us that all our help comes from the Lord alone! Psalm 124 is yet another holy argument — it is your specific promise to enable you to build special trust!
3. We Need Special Trust in Times of Calamity That Come as a Result of Divine Judgment!
Right now America is under a "signature judgment" of God. Signature judgments bear a special mark of God, in that the judgment mirrors the sin committed against Him. These judgments can be seen throughout the Bible.
Adonibezek was a king who severed the thumbs and great toes of some seventy kings he conquered. When the children of Judah captured Adonibezek in battle, they cut off his thumbs and big toes. He knew this was a signature judgment of God, because he said, "As I have done, so God hath requited me" (Judges 1:7).
Jezebel caused the death of Naboth, whose blood was licked up by dogs. Yet again, we see God's signature judgment: Jezebel was cast out a window and killed — and her body was entombed in the bellies of dogs! The judgment mirrored the crime!
In the book of Esther, Haman erected a gallows intended for Mordecai — but he was hanged on it himself instead! King Asa, who locked up the prophet of God in the stocks by his feet, died of diseased feet himself!
We call these things irony — but they are God's signature judgments! Obadiah 15 sums it up well: "As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee...thy reward shall return upon thine own head."
Beloved, all of God's judgments on America are mirrored in her sins! Our greatest sin has been a vaunted pride — a "can-do" mentality. We've been confident our nation could solve any problem, win any battle and find a cure for any disease. We have policed the whole world, confident of our armed might!
For a long period God was with us. We had presidents and legislators who were able to overcome the nation's problems. Our scientists discovered vaccines for all kinds of diseases: malaria, [diphtheria], smallpox, tuberculosis, measles. When polio was plaguing the nation, God gave Jonas Salk the vaccine to prevent it.
Now the cures are few and far between! There is no vaccine in sight for AIDS! And we are drowning in other "unsolvable" problems: the drug plague, the Savings-and-Loan collapse, the homeless, the rampant crime, the chaos in schools, jails and hospitals — just name it, and we can't solve it!
New Hampshire Senator Warren Rudman wondered aloud recently if we have reached a stage in history when the three branches of federal government do not really work anymore. He says they have become a "gridlock with no accountability."
There you have it — God's signature-judgment on us is a humiliating confusion and helplessness! By its own admission our government isn't functioning!
Where is our pride, our "can-do" assurance? Five years ago America was the number-one creditor in the world. In that short time we have become the number one debtor nation! For years we were the head and now we are the tail, just as prophesied in Deuteronomy 28!
God's Most Severe Signature Judgment on America Is Yet to Come!
What do you think this judgment will be?
Think of how this nation is trampling underfoot all that is moral, holy and godly with so-called "art" that depicts the crucified Jesus submerged in a vat of urine! Christ is being trampled in the theaters and movie houses, where the sacred is mocked and the profane is exalted.
What signature judgment will be cut from this same bolt of cloth? What punishment fits the crime?
Here is God's signature judgment on America, for years the number-one superpower, the mightiest nation in all the world: "I will bring down their strength to the earth" (Isaiah 63:6).
God will trample this nation underfoot — our armies, our theaters, our institutions, all our former strengths! He will make America His footstool because of the blood of the 30 million babies murdered by abortionists!
There is blood on our nation's hands! Do you think God is going to wink at that — that He's going to ignore it because He sees a remnant, a handful of holy people? No! He is a just God!
Right now our strength is ebbing fast! Already we have fallen to number three in economic power, behind Germany and Japan. All our wealth is simply going to melt away! The European Community — the ten kingdoms of the revived Roman Empire — will rise as the number-one world power.
God's foot is on our neck! He is exposing our nakedness to the world! He is making our external appearance match the state of our soul — and our spiritual bankruptcy will be turned into financial bankruptcy on city, state and federal levels. Philadelphia, New York City and Massachusetts all are on the brink of bankruptcy!
We're seeing God's signature judgments now. And He's going to make them so clear that no other nation in the world will miss them!
As these judgments take place before our very eyes, your only answer is to have Jesus as your shield. Run today to meet Him in the secret closet of prayer — let your roots go down deep into Him. Know that He who numbered the hairs of your head will keep you in all circumstances.
Take hold of these special promises, in readiness for any and all calamities we may face:
"Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness.... He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. His heart shall be established, he shall not be afraid" (Psalm 112:4,7-8).
"And he shall judge the world in righteousness.... The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee" (Psalm 9:8-10).
And here is your specific, all-powerful, holy argument for the throne-room of God:
"Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise up against me, in this will I be confident, One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock" (Psalm 27:3-5).