The God of Israel is mighty in battle. That means victory and defeat depend on God.
When the Israelites made the ark of covenant go ahead of them, treating it like an idol, they were totally defeated in battle. But when they feared God who granted the ark of covenant and went to war by faith, believing that God was with them, they won the battle.
Likewise, the key to victory in this world as a Christian is faith. This is the faith that believes in God who has given me the name of Jesus and forgiven my sins and cured my diseases, while giving thanks for the grace received from God
We have the hope of heaven and eternal life. We can have heaven and eternal life in the faith given by God when we pray and are full of the Holy Spirit
When we pray, first of all, we must give thanks to God in the fear of the Lord. Some people complain first saying, “Oh God, “How could you do it?” They do this because they misunderstand God, thinking him only a guard who protects them.
We have to know the purpose why God, the creator, protects us. God protects us because we have the life of Jesus, the Son of God. It’s not that we are worthy to be protected. If God guards us, it is proof that we have life in us. So we must thank God because He protects us and we have life in us.
We must fear, love and thank the living God. We also give thanks to God for He has given us life through His Son, Jesus, who is worthy to be protected by God. This is why you make the most of every opportunity. To make the most of every opportunity and resist the sinful nature, we must be always full of the Holy Spirit.
Pastor Seok-Jeon Yoon
Extracted from Yonsei Newspaper #581 (June 23, 2018)
