DIG DEEP; FIGHT IT THROUGH IN FAITH

by thetbjoshuafanclub

On Sunday 25th January 2015, the atmosphere in The SCOAN reverberated with echoes of edifying anthems from the Emmanuel Singers who encouraged the congregation with soul-lifting songs. As indicated by the attentive yet participatory inclination of the entire congregation, the songs from the Emmanuel Singers served as forerunner to the moment of exhortation when the mind must be fed with spiritual food for thought.
Evangelist Catherine delivered a thought-provoking message titled DIG DEEP; FIGHT IT THROUGH. She captured the dynamics of the Christian race in uncertain and perilous times and put it in perspective from collective and individual angles. Citing the life of Apostle Paul as a typical example, she encouraged Christians to remain of good cheer in the face of all the trials and challenges that are part of life.
“In Romans 7:15, Apostle Paul said, ‘I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.’ But despite the predicament he found himself in, he did not stop, he did not give up, he did not allow his weakness to pull him down or tear him apart; he continued to run the race, to fight the good fight and he kept his faith. Our God – powerful and faithful to His faithful ones – raised him to such an extent that we still look to and learn from Paul as one of the greatest apostles that ever lived”.
Explaining the concept DIG DEEP, Evangelist Catherine uncovered hidden facts about appearance, packaging and deception. Just like the popular advertising lingo “appearance is not reality”, she urged Christians not to judge things based on their face value or appearance because appearance could be deceptive. Sometimes, blessings are disguised as troubles and vice-versa. There are generous biblical exemplifications of this fact. The fig tree that Jesus cursed in the Bible appeared fruitful from face value but was actually full of leaves and fruitless.
Hence, according to Evangelist Catherine, the true Christian must be meticulous in his or her judgement by being thorough in analysing scenarios. When times are hard, our tears and complaints are not the solution. Instead, our ability to dig deep and discern the lessons inherent in such experiences is most important. Using the experience of Moses and the Israelites in Egypt, she encouraged Christians to dig deep for the voice of God in all circumstances rather than allow themselves to be distracted by the extraneous voices of their circumstances.
“Moses dug deep within him and heard the One who had sent him instructing him what to do. It is not difficult to act when you know God is speaking to you. Because Moses’ heart was deeply engaged with God, he was familiar with His voice, so when God spoke, Moses listened and obeyed what God told him to do. That voice on the inside was greater than the noise on the outside and following God’s instruction, the sea was parted in two and the Israelites with Moses safely walked through”.
Bemoaning the panicky and defeatist attitudes of most Christians in the face of trouble, Evangelist Catherine counselled the congregation to seek direction from the throne of grace rather than cling to the promptings of the human thinking and flesh. “When trouble comes, many run to the strong arm of institutions, medicine or flesh but according to God’s Word, we are to run to the throne of grace as a chosen people, a royal priesthood, God’s special possession called out of darkness into God’s glorious light to praise His holy name”.
According to Evangelist Catherine, every human being is shaped by the predominant thoughts he or she continually harbours. In other words, we are what we think. It is on this basis that she counselled Christians to think like champions and conquerors which they really are and look up to God in times of trouble believing strongly that He is able to see them through whatever life throws at them.
“I want you to think differently, talk differently, look differently, behave differently – knowing that Someone stronger, smarter, more powerful than you is for you, not against you, is fighting just for you and is more powerful than the combined forces of earth and hell. He wants to see you through whatever life brings. Whether the goings are good or tough and unpredictable, He wants to see you through – if only you give God a chance to prove it”.