fbpx

January 21, 2013

You Can Be an Overcomer


We have not been left powerless. The posture of the Christian is that of submission. We are not weak, cowering, fearful individuals falling into the hands of the vandal Satan, the destroyer, the one who has set himself and his demonic spirits in battle against us. But our submission is to the Lord himself. We recognize that He is ultimately in control and the final score with regard to all that touches us is not totaled on this side of heaven.


God has given us clear teaching and directions in His Word that shows us how to live. When we make morally right decisions and act responsibly, we are manifesting that God is in control of our will. On the other hand, God has also given us a free will. He does not force himself and His will on us. Even though we call ourselves Christians, there are moments when our free will chooses to reject something that comes into our lives. Then we are disobedient, wayward children, and we may eventually have to suffer the consequences for our wrong choices. Whatever we do, we must always contend with the matter of cause and effect.


This can be illustrated in many different ways. If you drive recklessly, you risk an accident. Eat foolishly and disregard the known facts about nutrition and the common sense laws of living and you will pay the penalty of sickness. Drink too much and you will send yourself to an early grave. By not taking care of your body or keeping your mind alert, you are playing into the hands of the adversary.


What about those situations over which we have no control? What about accidents that confine individuals to wheelchairs for life or to a lifetime of pain? What about imprisonment at the hands of Communists with their concentration camps, barbed wire, meager fare, and all the misery that would accompany such an existence? What about early widowhood and being left with small children to care for? Or divorce? Rexella interviewed one woman whose husband left her for another woman. In the process he also left behind his 11 children! That’s pain, too.


The list could go on and on. There is child abuse, wife abuse, elder abuse, and nursing home abandonment. There is loneliness caused by the separation of war, work, death, or for one reason or another. There are the problems that often accompany old age: loss of hearing, eyesight, and similar infirmities. There are health problems that can strike at any age: cancer, arthritis, and other painful disabilities. There are depressions and nervous breakdowns. There are ruptured work relationships and interpersonal family problems. In fact, there are a variety of sufferings that come from time to time throughout one’s lifetime. What are we to say about all these things?


Chastening: A Form of Love


One of the most difficult things for us to comprehend is the truth to be found in Hebrews 12:


My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?


For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby (vv. 5-11).


Chastening – however it may come – is always meant for our own good. God chastens us just as a loving parent administers the necessary discipline and punishment to enforce a point and drive home the lesson he wants his child to fully grasp. God, as our loving Heavenly Father, wants to turn our feet from the path that would lead us from His perfect will. When suffering comes I think we need to search our lives and ask the Lord to reveal to us what it is He wants us to learn.


The Old Testament prophets understood the meaning of chastening:


I . . . will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and 1 will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God (Zechariah 13:9).


When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee (Isaiah 43:2).


Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things 1 delight, saith the Lord (Jeremiah 9:23,24).


To read Jeremiah is to understand what it really means to endure the most difficult of circumstances. His were heartbreaking and crushing. This prophet was called by God to proclaim truth to a very wicked, idolatrous people. It was a heavy message, and Jeremiah’s crying out to God is often an echo of our own pain, although few of us really know the suffering he endured. His enemies tried to do away with both the man and his message.


What sustained Jeremiah? At one point he said:


O Lord, thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke. Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, 0 Lord God of hosts (Jeremiah 15:15, 16).


Another time he said, O Lord, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction . . . (Jeremiah 16:19).


It was the Lord who said these memorable words to Jeremiah, Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? (Jeremiah 23:23).


Jeremiah unflinchingly delivered the Lord’s message to the people. He told them of the crushing judgment that was to fall upon them for their disobedience and wickedness. Because he did, the prophet was imprisoned. The Book of Lamentations records the despair and depression Jeremiah experienced. He talked about being the laughing stock of the people and about the torture he had endured. He bewailed the many calamities that had come upon him. Yet, even in the midst of ALL that, Jeremiah issued these powerful words:


I am the man that hath seen affliction . . ..


It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul: therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.


For the Lord will not cast off forever: But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men (Lamentations 3:1,22-26,31-33).


His words have come down to us through history, providing hope and comfort for countless millions in their darkest hours.


I can’t begin to imagine what it must have been like for Jeremiah as he was imprisoned in a dark, dark dungeon. But I am impressed with his prayer and I know we can be sustained by it when we come to our own private world of suffering and pain:


They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me. Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off. I called upon thy name, O Lord, out of the low dungeon. Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not. O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life (Lamentations 3:5358).


Was Jeremiah rescued? Or did this prophet die in the dungeon? Jeremiah 38:7-13 provides the answer. It was Jeremiah who wrote these memorable words recited through the ages by millions of people:


Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and THERE IS NOTHING TOO HARD FOR THEE (Jeremiah 32:17, emphasis mine).


You Can Be an Overcomer


In their crisis moments, the heroes and heroines of the faith demonstrated that they knew how to overcome. And to think, they didn’t have the Bible like we have it today to instruct them and to provide help and hope! For instance, they didn’t have the promise of Isaiah 41:10 to cling to:


Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.


We today are the beneficiaries of those who suffered and who overcame as they trusted in and relied upon the Lord. We have the Psalms, the writings of they prophets, the Gospels, Paul’s letters, Peter’s letters, and ALL the rest. Anywhere you turn in the Psalm; there is something of help and hope, something to inspire and lift you up. There are words such as these


The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble (Psalm 20:1).


The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (v. 1).


For in the time of trouble he shall hide me . . . (v. 5).


And now shall mine head be lifted up . . . (v. 6).


I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord (vv. 13, 14; all verses from Psalm 27).


When Paul wrote to young Timothy, his son in the faith, he included us for he speaks of “all.” It is a warning we should take seriously:


Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution [that is, will know suffering of some sort because of their religious stand]. [Because] evil men and seducers [imposters] shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect [complete], thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:12-17).


Someone has said that afflictions cannot injure when blended with submission. James, the brother of our Lord, wrote very practical words. He tried to show the people how to conduct themselves. He wanted them not merely to intellectually perceive the truth, but to apply it to their daily walk in order to show that theirs was a living faith. He reminded his hearers that God giveth more grace (James 4:6) as we submit ourselves to Him and resist the devil (v. 7). Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you (v. 8).


It was James who asked, Is any among you afflicted [suffering]? (See James 5:13.) If so, he suggested that the believer sing Psalms (v. 13). He also suggested that the elders be called and that they pray over the sick one and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord (v. 14). He also called for the believers to confess their faults and then urged that prayer be made: [For] the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (v. 16). The apostle Paul also called for prayer. In addition, he urged his readers to rejoice in hope and to be patient in their afflictions and tribulations (see Romans 12:12). He called for Christians to bear the infirmities of the weak, to build them up, and to offer comfort (see Romans 15:1-5).


It was Peter who spelled out the royal resources that are available to those who would be overcomers:


According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.


And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.


For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:3-8).


I have been reminded that steel is iron plus fire. And so, as many of the old-time writers have rightly pointed out, human character must also have a plus attached to it. I could give many examples, but one of the best is Fanny Crosby, writer of so many of our best-loved hymns. Would she ever have written her beautiful hymn “I shall see Him face to face;” if she had not beer blind her entire life? Her tribulation brought true insight.


Which brings me to Hebrews 2, which once again reminds us to look at Jesus:


. . . who was made a little lower than the angels for THE SUFFERING OF DEATH, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain [author] of their salvation PERFECT THROUGH SUFFERINGS (vv. 9,10, emphasis mine).



FROM THE HEART OF DR. REXELLA VAN IMPE

Count It All Joy


There is no easy road to satisfaction. One reason for this is that no one has ever lived a life free from difficulties. Everyone faces trials, and all of us know suffering in one way or another. I’ve noticed that wherever I am, in every culture and every geographical region, when I mention the subject of suffering, there is an instant rapport, a bond of mutual understanding.


Suffering: A Door to Finding Satisfaction


We can take comfort in the knowledge that Scripture teaches that God’s perfect plan for each of us includes suffering, trials, and pain. The wonderful truth is that our most frustrating trials can be a source of great joy. James wrote:


My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing (James 1:2-4). Trials will make us either bitter or better.


I know what it is like to be broken — literally. Jack and I experienced a terrible automobile accident in Brussels in 1979. We were in Europe for our wedding anniversary and planned to celebrate the joyous occasion with members of Jack’s family.


That particular afternoon, we had traveled to Brussels to shop for anniversary gifts. We leisurely walked and talked, truly enjoying our visit to this fascinating city. We even stopped for afternoon tea and shared a sandwich. (A cousin was preparing a feast for our anniversary dinner that night and we didn’t want to ruin our appetites!)


The afternoon ended all too quickly, and we soon found ourselves driving back to the home of the cousin with whom we were staying. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, a bus traveling 50 miles an hour struck our vehicle with such impact that my side of the car was ripped away and the rest of the automobile completely demolished. I remember saying, “Jack, there’s a bus!” He attempted to swerve, but it was too late. My last thoughts as I fell out onto the busy street was, This is what it’s like to die.


Everything went black. I felt no pain until my husband’s warm tears falling on my face revived me. His voice was choked with emotion as he wept and prayed over me. “Lord, must it end this way? Don’t let it happen. Please work a miracle!”


I felt that I was slipping away from him, and I wanted him to know how much I loved him. “Honey, I think I am dying,” I whispered. “I don’t want to leave you.”


“Oh no,” Jack cried. “Oh, God, please help us, Somehow spare her life.”


I wish that in some way I could convey the peace that I experienced from God during this time. Even Christians sometimes wonder about and perhaps are somewhat afraid of the unknown — that valley of the shadow of death through which we must one day pass. I would love to stand on a mountaintop and call to every believer everywhere, “Don’t be afraid!” At the moment of departure, He is there to give us peace and sustain our hearts. What a comfort to know that we are the Lord’s most prized possessions and that He will never allow us to go through the transition from this world to the next in fear. I rejoice over this experience today because I can say with David, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me (Psalm 23:4).


Suspended in God’s sweet peace, I was almost in the presence of the Lord. Then suddenly, I was pulled back from going over. A hand grasped my wrist and a man stood beside me. He tenderly placed a blanket over my body and in perfect English said, “Don’t move her. She will be all right.” Immediately, my mind began to clear and I knew that I would live.


As quickly as he had appeared, he was gone. The Lord had sent a man or an angel (only He knows) to provide perfect comfort and to minister to us in a special way Hebrews 1:14 says: Are they [angels] not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?


An ambulance rushed us to the hospital. I looked at Jack and was reassured to know that he was all right. I knew that somehow God was doing something special in our lives — something that would ultimately glorify Him if we would not faint (see II Corinthians 4:16).


I had sustained a severe head injury. X rays revealed that I had a broken collarbone and two broken ribs. I had also sustained numerous cuts and bruises, and fragments of glass were embedded in parts of my body. In fact, the doctor spent four hours removing glass from my legs, head, and ears. God had divinely and miraculously spared my face and eyes, for which I shall forever be grateful.


Because of my head injury, I was unable to receive any pain medication for 18 hours. In addition, I was told that if the bleeding from my head wound did not stop during the night, doctors would be forced to shave my head in order to suture the extreme abrasion. Jack remained by my side every minute of that entire night, praying with me, comforting me, and talking with me. We asked God for a miracle, and He gave us one. By morning, the bleeding had stopped.


Neither of us slept during that long, unforgettable night. As we talked about why it happened, I felt a kinship with Job. God had allowed Satan to test us but not destroy us or our ministry together. He allowed the test to go so far, and no further. I knew that my Father was in control and that my Saviour was not leaving me alone. Indeed, I knew that He was feeling my infirmity with even greater intensity than I.


Jack spent the next 48 hours trying to get the doctors to release me for our return to America.


British Airways agreed to fly us and graciously provided wheelchair and ambulance service all the way to Detroit. Still, the hours in flight were painfully long, Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me (II Timothy 4:17).


During the next three months, I received extensive medical treatment and stringent therapy. Adhesions formed as the damaged muscles and tendons in my crushed shoulder healed. Doctors said that without corrective surgery I would never use my arm again. Instead, I underwent months of excruciating rehabilitative exercises to correct the situation. Still, I would not want to look back upon this experience with anything but rejoicing and praise — rejoicing in the Lord’s protection and love in bringing me through this trial and praise that He counted me worthy to be put to the test.


Resistance to Suffering is Counterproductive


It would have been easy, I suppose, to resist in my heart and be bitter against the Lord for allowing such a thing to happen. Yet it never occurred to me to question what God was doing. Years earlier Jack and I had committed ourselves to pursuing the Lord’s will whatever the cost — and when we made that commitment, we knew it could involve suffering. It has, but the rewards have been rich. God has filled our lives with blessings that exceed anything we could ask or think.


Unfortunately, instead of counting problems and trials as joy and allowing them to work patience and maturity, many people tend to follow their natural inclination, and the difficulties produce bitterness and resentment. That, in turn, only amplifies dissatisfaction, until finally they are caught in a never-ending cycle of devastatingly negative feelings.


The only effect resistance has on our trials is to make them more difficult to bear. When we rebel against God and turn from Him, we shut out the One who can enable us to carry whatever burden He gives us. How tragic it is to see someone who has gone through grief and pain who then turns sorrow into bitterness against God! That is not what God wants. He wants to make the burden light and the yoke easy to bear (see Matthew 11:30).


I know that it is normal to want to resist problems, and, of course, it is right and even necessary to resist some things. For example, we should not give in to immoral acts, so we must resist temptation. Scripture tells us to resist Satan (see James 4:7; I Peter 5:9). Nevertheless, when we are confronted with trials that are beyond our control, we need to see ourselves as Paul did — like clay in the hands of the Potter, submissive to His will for our lives. We must realize that through these trials He is molding us. shaping us. and perfecting us — until we become vessels that He can use.


Have you ever watched a potter work on a pottery wheel? He squeezes and pinches and applies pressure, and from what was an ugly lump of clay comes forth a beautiful, useful piece of pottery. The potter knows just where to poke and just where to rub — it is a fascinating process to watch. Occasionally, the potter will decide a radical change is in order, and he will smash a nearly molded pot and begin again from the beginning.


Jeremiah described the process:


I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it (Jeremiah 18:3-4).


Perhaps you feel like the Potter has smashed you that way. I have good news for you. God is one Potter who always rebuilds the vessels He allows to be broken so that they are better than before. It may not always be in the way we desire or think is best, but in the process, it is nonproductive for us to resist and become bitter. Instead we should try to see what is happening from God’s perspective, even though we may not understand what He is doing, and yield to His will for us. Paul wrote, Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay? (Romans 9:20, 21).


Acceptance: A New Name for Satisfaction


How much better it is to accept our trials as from the Lord who permits them! Job accepted his trials, as hard as they were for him. This incredible man lost all his earthly possessions and all his children in a series of disasters that happened in just one day. Soon after that, he lost his health as well. He was reduced to a mass of sores, sitting in a pile of ashes, scraping himself with a piece of broken pottery (how appropriate!). He did not understand what God was doing. but his response was, The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord… Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? (Job 1:21; 2:10).


Yes, Job bore all the pain — in his case both physical pain and mental anguish — and did not sin with his lips. He never accused God or spoke bitterly against Him. Quite the contrary, Job accepted the negative things as graciously as he had accepted the good things. Though the task was not easy, out of Job’s afflictions came some wonderful fruit. The first is the book of Job — a good source of comfort in times of despair and doubt. In addition, Job grew wiser and closer to the Lord through his ordeal. Even his so-called comforters learned from his sufferings.


What became of Job. The answer is recorded for us in verses 12 and 13 and chapter 42: So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning. After this lived Job an hundred and forty years


The “secret” of Job’s success and blessing is rooted in the fact that he endured his suffering. He never turned from God. Instead, he repented! Why would a man who was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil (1:1) do such a thing? Because Job, through his suffering, was privileged to get a glimpse of God in His holiness. As a result, he saw himself as completely unworthy so that he said, I abhor myself(2:6). And in doing that, he discovered yet a third way of responding to trials.


Rejoicing: A Perspective You May Have Overlooked


This third type of response is what James referred to in the opening passage of this chapter — rejoicing, or glorying, in our trials. Admittedly, rejoicing in the midst of tribulation is not an easy thing to do. A woman wrote to us a short time ago:


I am having a very hard time adjusting my life. My husband died not too long ago at age 53, and I just can’t seem to get my life together. I never worked in all the years we were married. I was a family person and never made many friends outside our home, I am lonely and frightened. Please pray for me.


My heart goes out to this dear woman and many others like her. In fact, one might well ask how she could possibly rejoice in the midst of such a difficult trial. She cannot rejoice that her husband has died. How then can she find joy in the midst of her deep loneliness, fear, and doubts?


The answer is found in the perspective we choose to take. No one rejoices in the death of a loved one. Job didn’t, and even Jesus wept at the grave of His friend Lazarus. Scripture acknowledges that sorrow and grief are appropriate and normal responses to death.


Bitterness comes when we focus on our sorrows or trials themselves rather than on the Lord and what He is attempting to accomplish through them. From this perspective, we can easily become discouraged. Unfortunately, this is exactly the place in which many dissatisfied people find themselves. However, if we look beyond the trials and understand that God is working in the midst of them, if we focus our hearts on Him, a miracle begins to occur. He brings peace in the midst of pain, and joy in the midst of sorrow. Truly, His grace is sufficient.


My Grandmother Shelton taught me firsthand the meaning of glorying in tribulation. She knew trials all her life. She was the mother of eight children and, as a diabetic, had to take insulin shots every day of her life. She was a tall, vibrant, robust lady who would pick me up (literally) and shake me like a rag doll and say, “I love you, Rexella.” What a shock when she lost first one leg, then the other, to amputation because of complications from her disease. She would never walk again; yet, I never heard her mention her trials or complain. Her focus went far beyond them. And as she looked to the Lord and leaned on Him, she was actually able to glory in her infirmities! She was always rejoicing. I remember her often taking out a little harmonica and playing it. Just being around her brought me great joy, and I seldom thought of her as being in pain, although I’m certain she suffered greatly.


There is something to be said for pain. Trials are not pleasant, but they are valuable. A flower must be crushed before it yields perfume. A grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die before it can bear fruit (see John 12:24). And we must suffer for the Lord if we are to be glorified with Him (see Romans 8:17).


If you are going through a trial, don’t resist it. And don’t just accept it or endure it. Learn to glory in it! God is doing something through your trials. You may not understand it fully, and He does not always give us explanations. But He does give us promises — and He always keeps them.


Trials are medicines which our gracious and wise physician prescribes, because we need them; and he proportions the frequency and weight of them to what the case requires. Let us trust his skill and thank him for his prescription.


— Isaac Newton


I came across something that helped me to further understand these precious truths. In Job 41:25 are to be found these few obscure words: By reason of breakings they purify themselves. What can that possibly mean?


Elsewhere the Bible teaches that the sacrifices God accepts are broken and contrite hearts (see Psalm 51:17). This is illustrated throughout the Bible as one observes God using for His glory those people and things which are most perfectly broken. Here are some examples:


  • Jacob at Peniel, where his natural strength was broken.

  • Moses and the rock at Horeb; when he struck it, out gushed cool water for the thirsty people.

  • Gideon and his band of 300 elect soldiers. When they broke their pitchers — a type of breaking of themselves — their hidden lights shone forth to the consternation of their adversaries.

  • The poor widow who broke the seal on the little pot of oil, and it poured forth, whereby God multiplied it to pay her debts and her sons didn’t have to be taken as bondmen.

  • Queen Esther risking her life, breaking through the rigid etiquette of a heathen court, thus obtaining favor to rescue her people from death.

  • Jesus taking the five loaves of bread, breaking them, and in the act of breaking, there was sufficient to feed 5,000.

  • Mary breaking her alabaster box, rendering it useless, but this allowed the perfume to fill the house.

  • Jesus allowing His body to be broken by thorns, nails, and the spear, so that His life was poured out for us to live.

God must have broken things — throughout all plant life, all history, all the great biographical accounts, and in all spiritual life, this fact is preeminent.


Why should we then shrink from those things, which may break us at some point? If we will but allow Him, the brokenness we experience can be used for our purer good and for God’s glory. Such brokenness may come in the form of being broken in wealth, half-will, ambitions, ideals, reputation. affections, and even brokenness in health. Remember the final tally of life is not seen in the here and now. Can you, like James wrote, “Count it all joy?”



CHANGED LIVES-one at a time

We just want to thank you for being awake!!!!! It seems that much too large of a percentage of the church is SLUMBERING OR COMPLETELY ASLEEP. There are very few who are aware and courageous enough to inform others of what is really happening. Disappointingly, Most of the Church is caught up with being entertained. Rather than being True Servants of the LIVING GOD. Thank You for being one with our LORD and acting in great Courage!!!


We appreciate you,

Rabbi Joey & Barbara A.


 


I just want to say once again how much I appreciate all you do especially for your continued stance on speaking the truth according to Gods word no matter what. May God continue to Bless you and Mrs. Van Impe and your staff as well. I know I have been greatly blessed by your programs and materials.


It has helped me to spread God’s word to others.

In God’s love always

D. M. H.



HIGHLIGHTED PRODUCT OFFERS

The Betrayal of Christianity: Ravenous Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing


Unprecedented blasphemy; apostasy; heresy; so-called Christian leaders utterly turning their backs on the Word of God.


What does it mean? What does the Bible say about this colossal falling-away from the faith? What does it signal about YOUR FUTURE?


Drs. Jack and Rexella Van Impe offer the astonishing answers to these and other riveting questions:


  • What does the word apostasy actually mean? Where are we seeing it today?

  • What is the “blasphemy law”? How have our U.S. leaders responded to it?

  • How does the persecution of Christians around the world relate to the final signs pointing to the return of the Lord?

  • How is it possible to determine whether someone is truly a Christian when they claim to be?

  • And much more!

 


Chrislam: One World Religion Emerging


You and your family need the facts about an abomination taking place right now – one of the vital signs of Bible prophecy that signals the soon return of Christ.


It’s the advent of Chrislam an ungodly blending of Islam and Christianity that’s being promoted by some Christian leaders today! They’re even reading the Koran alongside the Bible in Christian churches!


Drs. Jack and Rexella Van Impe have prepared this powerful video expose to show you how this dangerous trend fulfills Bible prophecy – and threatens to destroy Christianity.


Discover these critical answers:


  • What two global leaders are promoting Chrislam?

  • Which notable Christian ministers are open to it?

  • What does the Bible say about Chrislam?

  • How does Chrislam fulfill two key final prophecies before Christ’s return?

  • And much more!