Bible In One Year-Day 76 (Monday, March 17, 2014)

Commentary: Mk13-16. Many times we ponder over what we hear on the news; we get so disturbed because the world is in troubles. Only a good bible student will understand what is going on now through bible studies. There is a great deal of strength and confidence one could get from prophecies, revelations and visions, because all these come from the all knowing God. If we are able to listen to what God is saying, we shall have peace in a troubled world. There is nothing we could do to stop the troubles of the world, but there is a way we could have peace within it. Even Jesus prayed for us to be kept in the world and not to be taken out of it.

John 17:14-17 “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

This, invariably, means that you cannot relocate out of this world but could only find peace in a troubled world through the unfailing Word of God. How rich is the word of God in you? It is not a matter of how much you memorize but to what extent has the word worked in you. Has the word delivered you from that unholy anger, cheating, malice, bitterness, pride, lying, etc. these are anchors for the troubles of this world.

In Mk13, we could see that there is a battle between two kingdoms in the spirit realm. The result is manifested as “no peace anywhere”; in the house, outside the house, on the field or at work, even in the church or synagogue. And these are happening now. Hitherto, the church used to be a place of refuge, but it is the most dangerous place now as it could be bombed at anytime. Anything could happen at any time. All that Jesus advised is that you get prepared. How do we get prepared? Mk13:18 is so simple to read but loaded; you must be proactive in prayers, i.e. your prayer should be before it happened and not after.

Mark 13:18 “And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.”

The escape that would be possible will be to flee, but it shouldn’t be at winter, harsh weather. This invariably signifies an uncovered life that is exposed to bad environment. A prayerless life is a life exposed to harsh spiritual weather. Many Christians find it difficult to pray before going out in the morning and even before bed at night. The failure of an average Christian in the place of prayer is because they don’t really know how to pray, i.e. short of words and faith. Before anything could happen, God always make it known. What is going on now in the world had been predicted by Jesus as we read in Mk13;

Mark 13:23 “But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.”

The economic downturn and nations rising against each other that are in the news now were predicted by Jesus in this chapter. They are not marking the end but the beginnings of sorrows. We may blame one president or the other, the truth remains that the prophecy of our Lord Jesus is coming to pass. Talking about praying, let us read John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Jesus hereby tells us that there are two sides from which you could make your choice; the world and His side. From His statement, we could see that He had already won the battle “I have overcome the world”. i.e. victory had been won. As a child of God, you need to fight from this victory and not to victory. Fighting to victory is trusting in self, in other words, you are still on the world’s side. However, fighting from victory means you take the word of Jesus, i.e. assurance in what Christ said, to confront the battles of life; again, here comes faith in the spoken word. Victory is only available and given to a genuine child of FAITH.

Luke 18:1 “And he spoke a parable to them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;”

Beloved, the victory won by Jesus is always in revelation, prophecies and visions. When you go through some difficult times, prayer should be your walking stick and the strength to your feeble knees. A proactive prayer life receives tremendous revelations, which is power.  The prayers you pray will bring out some revelations, either through the simplest means which is your dream. These revelations form the package of the victory Jesus had won for you. You now use the revealed victory to do the fighting; this is what we mean by fighting from victory. But whoever faints, surely is fighting to victory in his or her limited strength;

1 Samuel 2:9 “He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.”

Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, praying in the name of Jesus on the platform of faith (confidence in the revealed truth) enforces the victory of Jesus (as revealed to you) in every situation and also provides the needed safety;

Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”

I lift up my rod of faith towards you and declare that you shall witness the sinking of your Pharaoh in the name of Jesus. There is a song for you to sing at the other side of your Red Sea and you shall sing it for as long as the Lord lives and His Spirit is alive. Here we conclude the book of Mark and we could see grace at work to heal, to deliver and to safe. We are going back to the books of the law. Today’s reading is Deuteronomy 1-3. Keep the fire burning and alive. Spread the Word of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.