“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness…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” (2 Peter 1:3-4).
I want to stir up your mind to remind you that you have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness. But it is up to you to guard what God has given you.
I see many in the Body of Christ today who are moving on with God and staying with what God has told them to do. But I also see those who are moving in another direction. They’re leaning to the arm of flesh and following after man’s programs. Some have become so involved with promoting the newest evangelism program or the latest doctrine that they’ve lost sight of what God has given them to do. They’ve even begun to compromise the basics of faith that have brought them up to this point.
A similar problem must have existed in Jeremiah’s day because he said, “… Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord” (Jer. 17:5).
The Bible says that in the last days people will have “itching ears,” heaping unto themselves teachers who will teach them what they want to hear (2 Tim. 4:3). So be on your guard. Don’t get caught up in new doctrines and programs that rob you of the truth of God’s Word.
You can’t afford to become entangled with something that sounds and looks good but denies the power of God. You have to stand firm upon your convictions of faith and what you believe concerning the Word of God, no matter who comes down the road teaching something to the contrary.
Friend, we can’t allow the enemy to turn us aside from the things that God has so freely given us. We’ve come too far to be robbed of the blessings that still lie within reach. We’ve come this far by faith; now is no time to quit!
The enemy is doing everything he can to try to stop the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is coming forth in full battle array because he knows that his time is short. But the devil hasn’t been able to stop the move of the power of God since it was poured out upon the Church on the Day of Pentecost!
And now in this hour, faith and the anointing of the Spirit of God are in our hearts. But it’s up to us to guard those treasures!
I believe that the Church is on the brink of a major revival. People are being saved by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, healed, filled with the Holy Spirit, and set free from the chains of the enemy as never before. And you and I have a part to play in this mighty move of God.
I want to encourage you not to let anything or anyone stop you from doing what God has called you to do. Stay with the Word and the anointing of the Spirit of God. It’s the truth of God’s Word and the power of His Spirit that will give you a “backbone of steel”; they’ll give you the strength to face any danger and to minister to a lost, hurting world.
Make every effort in the days to come to guard your heart as tenaciously as a bulldog guards his favorite bone. Take your stand in the power of the Spirit and in the word of faith, and don’t back down from the truth that God has given you!
Excerpt permission granted by Faith Library Publications
Kenneth W. Hagin, President of Kenneth Hagin Ministries and pastor of RHEMA Bible Church, ministers around the world. Known for calling the Body of Christ to steadfast faith, he seizes every ministry opportunity to impart an attitude of “I cannot be defeated, and I will not quit.”
Rev. Hagin began preparing for his call to ministry—a ministry that now spans 50 years—at Southwestern Assemblies of God University. He graduated from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and holds an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Faith Theological Seminary in Tampa, Florida.
In his early years of ministry, Rev. Hagin was an associate pastor and traveling evangelist. Later, he went on to organize and develop RHEMA Bible Training Centers in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and in other countries around the world.
Kenneth W. Hagin’s array of responsibilities also includes International Director of RHEMA Ministerial Association International. He hosts the annual A Call to Arms® Men’s Conference, and with his wife, Lynette, cohosts RHEMA Praise, a weekly television program, and Rhema for Today, a weekday radio program broadcast throughout the United States. They also conduct Living Faith Crusades, spreading the message of faith and healing around the world.
Recognizing the lateness of the hour before the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, Rev. Hagin has expanded his speaking schedule beyond his regular pastoral duties. To fulfill the urgent call of God to prepare the Church for a deeper experience of His Presence, Rev. Hagin delivers messages that reveal key spiritual truths about faith, healing, and other vital subjects. He ministers with a strong healing anointing, and his ministry leads the Body of Christ into a greater experience of the glory of God!
Kenneth W. Hagin and his wife live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is the son of the late Kenneth E. Hagin.