How Spiritually Tough Are You?

Brother in the Bible talks about the hardest times ever experienced by mankind are ahead of us. We know that. That's not a news flash. We are an astute group of Bible students. You know prophecy. You know the basics of prophecy. You know what the Great Tribulation is. Jesus Christ, in describing what we may be living through in maybe months or years to come, is the worst global suffering ever experienced by mankind on this planet. It's going to drag humankind to the very brink of extinction.

In the Gospels, we've got three chapters that deal with the three chapters in three different the Gospel accounts dealing with the Olivet prophecy. You've got Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. All three of those are the Olivet prophecy. And when we take a look at that, which we're going to do right now, just as a summary form, it should get our attention. Let's turn over to Luke chapter 21, Luke chapter 21, Luke chapter 21 verse 12.

But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You'll be brought before kings and rulers for my namesake. Notice what is being said there. They'll lay their hands on you. This is not going to be just some sort of a verbal attack. People will lay their hands on you and persecute you. And prison is made mention of. In the future, for true Christians, Matthew 24 verse 9.

Matthew 24 verse 9.

Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you. And you'll be hated by all nations for my namesake. You know, on the way over here today, Mary and I were listening to a podcast, a conservative radio show, and they were bringing out the story that in Wayne County, Michigan, which I'm from, I was born in Wayne County, Michigan. That's Detroit. The Wayne County Board of Canvassing would not certify the election, the presidential election results, because apparently, according to the commission, at least two people who were Republicans on the commission, they said they had more people voting than registered. So they felt, well, little hanky-panky is going on there in Wayne County. And so these two Republicans that were not going to certify the results. Well, they had to pay a price for that. One of the congressmen in the Michigan area published the location of one of these two Republican ladies where her children went to school. They were going to come after the kids. Now, I bring that up because there's a lot of anger in this country. There's going to be a lot of anger worldwide toward God's people. And you might have your name be published at some point, and they may be coming after you. Scripture shows it says they're going to lay their hands, they're going to persecute, they're going to kill you. Prison is being mentioned here. Mark chapter 13 verse 13. And you'll be hated by all for my namesake, but he who endures to the end shall be saved. That's Mark 13.13. He who endures to the end shall be saved. So the question I've got today is, how are you going to stand up to this? The question I have for myself is, how am I going to stand up to this? If we are alive, at this point in human history, how are we going to do?

How are we going to do? Let's turn over to Daniel chapter 7 and verse 25.

Daniel chapter 7 and verse 25. Here we see a tremendous leader in the world at the end time. And what this leader wants to do to the people of God. Daniel 7 and 25. We went through this when we went through the book of Daniel, but let's rehearse this again. Daniel 7 and 25. It says, He shall speak pompous words against the Most High. Shall persecute the saints of the Most High. Shall intend to change times and law. Then a saint shall be given into his hand. God is going to allow a persecution. God is going to allow a trial along these lines. Then the saint shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. In other words, the last three and a half years before the return of Jesus Christ. Now, some people really set their heart on going to a place of safety, and maybe there is a place of safety. And I'm sure if there is such a place that some of the saints will go there. But the point being, as you look at all the scriptures, not all the saints will be going there. Some will be given into the hand of this individual.

Let's take a look at Revelation 13.

Revelation 13.

And verse 7.

And it was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. So there's going to be a political power and a religious power, both working hand and glove, to persecute the saints. And God is going to allow that. Just like God has allowed what we see in other parts of the scripture, where God's true people have been persecuted. We see in Revelation 6, I'm not going to turn there, where the saints are saying, how long, O Lord, before you return? And Christ's response to that as well, there's going to be more persecution, just like you were persecuted. There's more persecution on the way.

So, brethren, how well prepared spiritually are you? How well prepared spiritually am I for what's coming down the road? If we, indeed, are living at the time of the end, at the time that all these scriptures I just read point to, how prepared are we? And the question I want to ask today, if you want to put across the top of your paper, your notes, is how spiritually tough are you? How spiritually tough are you? How spiritually tough am I? None of us in this room have a free pass. We all have to ask ourselves that same question. How spiritually tough are we? And, brethren, we're not talking about tough in terms of human physicality. I'm not asking you if you can just join in with the Navy SEALs and do all the things they do. I'm not asking if you can do what the Ironmen do in their contests, where you know you swim so far, you run so far, you ride your bike so far, you do all those things, and if you can do all those things really well and you cross the finish line first, you're the Ironman. We're not talking about that. We're not talking about what your personality is like. Some people might think, well, you're spiritually tough if you've got this charismatic personality and you use bold language all the time. Well, that can be just so much bravado. There are people in the world who've got tremendous personality. That's not a spiritual attribute necessarily.

What does it mean to be tough? Well, I took a look at a definition of the word tough, and if you put the word spiritually in front of some of these definitions, they make a great deal of sense. Examples. Toughness defined, and I'll add the word spiritually, spiritually demonstrating an uncompromising attitude or approach. The spiritually tough person doesn't compromise with the truth of God, doesn't compromise with this way of life.

Toughness is being spiritually strong enough to withstand adversity and rough situations. Being tough means being spiritually able to endure hardship and pain.

Being spiritually tough means to be spiritually durable.

Now, those are just definitions I pulled out of a dictionary and then adding the word spiritually in front of it, and I think that there's a lot of truth to those definitions when you add the word spiritually. But, brethren, today I've got three cardinal points, and I'm sure there can be many more than three, but three tremendous cardinal points as to what makes you spiritually tough.

I don't believe—again, you can have more points than these three—but I don't believe you can be spiritually tough without these three points. So today I'm going to give you those three points, and we're going to talk about, if you don't feel you're strong with that particular point, what you can do about it. Okay? So now it's not good enough to say, well, we need to be this and then walk away. Well, how do I do this? I think it's important that we have a discussion on that. Number one, spiritually tough Christians have an unquestioned love of the truth. Spiritually tough Christians have an unquestioned love of the truth.

And notice very carefully, brethren, what I'm saying here. An unquestioned love. We're not talking about people who just acknowledge that something's true, that they see academically, yeah, academically I understand the Sabbath, academically I understand about the Holy Days, academically I understand about the Holy Days, and I academically understand about clean and unclean or tithing or any of those things.

We're not talking about, well, you know, yes, we have better arguments about keeping the Sabbath in the Holy Days than they have arguments about keeping Sunday and Christmas and Easter. No, we're not talking that. We're saying an unquestioned love. We're talking love of the truth. Not just mental gymnastics, but a love of the truth. An unquestioned, deep, and abiding, and a profound love of the truth. And we've got to ask ourselves, is that describe you? Is that describe me? Do I have an unquestioned love of the truth?

Let's take a look, and why do I say this? Let's take a look at 2nd Thessalonians, because here we see a discussion about the man of sin and what makes him so successful. Obviously, he's successful because he's emboldened and empowered by the power of Satan, but there's something else we want to take note of. 2nd Thessalonians 2.

Let's just start here in verse 1. Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you... Now notice the time set here. Verse 1. The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. An end time discussion. End time context.

He says, we ask you, verse 2, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, neither by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us... So, various false letters were going out, purporting to be from Paul, and they were in from Paul. As though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means, for that day, talking about the end of the age, will not come unless the falling away comes first. Brethren, a falling away from what? A falling away from the truth. There's going to come a falling away from the truth. And the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.

So, when the antichrist is revealed, there's going to be... You know, we've already seen a falling away, but there's going to be another falling away when the man of sin is revealed. Verse 4, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God and is worshiped, so he sits as God in a temple, showing himself that he is God.

He is God. He's going to be able to pull this off because of a number of things we're going to see. We drop down now to verse 9. Same chapter, verse 9.

The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan. This is why people will believe that he's Jesus Christ with all power. And the word there is the same power we use for the power of God's Spirit. He will have dunamis, but not from God. He'll be empowered by Satan. He'll have signs. What is a sign? A sign is something that has significance. Whatever he's going to do, the people of the world will find that significant. And lying wonders. A wonder is something that evokes all. People ask, what's the difference between a sign and a wonder? A sign has deep significance to the people who are seeing it. A wonder evokes all. And that's what's going to happen with this man of sin. But the wonders are lying wonders.

Verse 10. And with all unrighteousness, deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved. Notice the power of that statement. Why are these people being deceived? They're being deceived because they did not receive the love of the truth. To love it! To really love it! Not just agree, or accept, or say, yeah, that's a good argument. They loved the truth. Verse 11. And for this reason, God will send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie. Well, of course, God was going to resurrect them later on. They're deceived like the whole world has been deceived up to this point. These people are no different, but God's going to allow them to be deceived. And then later on, He's going to resurrect them and give them understanding. Later on, God's going to resurrect them and help them to have the love of the truth. Of the truth.

Let's go back to Daniel 7 again.

Daniel 7. Of course, you know I'm taking the whole service today. The person that was supposed to be here, Patrick Kansa, his wife's not feeling well, so they decided to stay home. So you've got me the whole time here. Daniel 7. Verse 8.

Here we're looking at the great church, the Roman church, the leader of the Roman church. Again, we covered this when we went through the book of Daniel. Daniel 7. Verse 8. I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. The vandals, the Heria lie, the Ostrogoths. Those tribes were taken out by the Pope.

And there in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words. So this is an individual we're talking about here. This is the pontiff we're talking about here. Verse 20. Dropping down to verse 20. And the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up before which three fell, namely, that horn had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows. I was watching, and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them.

Until the age of the days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and a time came for the saints to possess the kingdom. So once again, we see that the Roman Church is going to really put a two Christians at the end of the age.

We're dropping down now to verse 24. The ten horns are ten kings, and shall rise from his kingdom, and another horn shall rise with them. He shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings. Again, talking about the pontiff. He shall speak pompous words against the Most High. So obviously, this is not Jesus Christ. This individual is talking against Jesus Christ. And shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. So brethren, beware of that. If you're counting on escaping all these things through a place of safety, well, maybe you will. Or maybe you won't. But the point of it is, you have to prepare like as though you're not going to be one of those ones that goes to a place of safety if there is such a place.

So what do you do? How do you know whether you have a love of the truth?

The time of the end, brethren, this is going to be a matter of life or death. This is going to be a matter of whether you hold fast to the faith, or you become offended and betray people sitting in this room.

For fear of losing your own life, so you might want to save your neck or me as well. I could be in that same boat. Any of us can. How do you and I make sure? How do we make sure we've got a love of the truth?

How do we build an unquestioned love of the truth? Well, the truth comes from being close to God, doesn't it? The truth is shown as you and I diligently study His Word. What is truth? John 1717. Your Word is truth. Right? So we have to have a love of the Word, a love of the Scriptures, a love of the Bible. So let me give you some pointers as to how we can make sure that we are developing this love even stronger than it may be right now. Maybe you've got a tremendous love, an unquestioned love of the truth, but let's make sure it is stronger than ever before. Let's turn to 1 Timothy 3. 1 Timothy 3.

And verse 15.

But if I am delayed, I rise so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God. And notice. The church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

The pillar and ground of the truth. So how can you and I build an unquestioned love of the truth? Well, we want to be where God's truth is fully appreciated. We want to be where God's truth is fully taught. We want to be in an environment where God's truth is loved. We want to be in services as much as we possibly can be.

We want to listen to the messages that are given. We want to be like the Bereans who take these messages and go home and think and analyze and revisit our notes and ask questions about how we can be closer to God. We want to be in this environment where God's truth is really loved.

Another aspect of building an unquestioned love is found over in John 14.

John 14.

John 14 in my Bible, most of this verse is in red lettering, John 14 and verse 6. John 14 verse 6. Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

So, yes, we want to be where God's truth is fully appreciated, taught in love. We want to be in God's church, in services. But we also want to study the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. To be very familiar with our Lord and Savior. To know what he taught, how he responded to questions, how he thought. We want to make his way of living our way of living. As it says, I am the way, I am the truth.

Have you made an in-depth study just going through the Gospels and looking at the life and teachings of Jesus Christ? You know, we used to have a class in a Master's College that was called the Life and Teachings. I enjoyed that class very, very much, where we went through the Harmony of the Gospels.

Yet another way we can build an unquestioned love of the truth is found over here in Ephesians 6.

Ephesians 6. Here in Ephesians 6, there's a discussion about the armor of God.

And if we want to build an unquestioned love of the truth, we have to have to be fully equipped with God's armor. Notice verse 14. Ephesians 6.14. Stand therefore, having girded your waste with truth.

John's... or, excuse me, Ephesians 6.14. Stand therefore, having girded your waste with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness.

You know, it was a very familiar scene back in a days that the apostle was writing to see Roman soldiers and to see how they were dressed. And one of the big things that they made sure they had as the Roman soldier was getting ready for his day to be on duty and so forth, is he had this waistband. That waistband was used for a number of things. It was able to pull together all of his armor. If you had it with his short sword, that was hung there. Maybe he had a dagger, he would hang that there. There are a number of things that had to do with that waist. And notice also, the waist was something that would guard... that waist belt would guard his inner section of the body. It was very important. So, brethren, as we put on the whole armor of God... and there's the whole message I can give here on each of those parts of the armor. But certainly, we want to make sure that we are wearing and living by God's truth. Next, we go to the 3rd John, verse 4.

Those little books of John at the end of the New Testament. John's epistles. We want to go to the last of those. The third one, 3rd John, verse 4.

3rd John, verse 4. I have no greater joy than to hear my children walk in truth.

Walk in truth. So, we build an unquestioned love of the truth by walking in it.

By walking in it. Not only do we want to be in an environment in church services, not only do we want to individually, on our own, study the life and teachings of Christ. We want to be fully equipped with the armor, but we want to walk in the truth. Now, this opens up another window. We're familiar with computers and windows. As we open up this idea of a walk in the truth, let's drill down in this idea about walking the truth. One of the things that God wants us as we want to learn an unquestioned love of the truth is to appreciate it. As we walk in it, let's appreciate it. Let's meditate on the fundamentals of the truth. Keep it ever going in our mind and thinking and analyzing.

When you think about your mate, the person you fell in love with, you can think about various issues, various things in their life. You would meditate when you're falling in love for the first time with your mate. You would meditate on things the way they would think, the way they would act, how they loved you. Your mind would just fill itself with that, and you wanted to be near that person. You didn't want to be away from that person. The same thing is true with God's truth. Let's take a look at Psalm 119. Psalm 119. You saw the value of the one you got married to. Psalm 119, verse 97.

Psalm 119, verse 97. Oh, how I love your law, it's my meditation all the day.

David had an appreciation for the truth, for the law of God. He meditated on it. He came to appreciate its beauty, its design, its function, its import, its deep meaning, its relevance. So, brethren, as we keep the weekly Sabbath day, as we keep the annual Holy Days and understand the plan of God, as we understand the gospel of the kingdom of God, let's meditate deeply on the beauty of these things—the design, the function, the import. As you and I go over and over, we meditate all the day, as David did, then we have a abiding love for the truth, and we can walk in the truth, and we've got an unquestioned love of the truth. So, as we walk, we appreciate the truth, but then there's also something else. There's the application of the truth in real life experience, the application of the truth. You know, again, using the analogy, when you fell in love with your husband or your wife, you fell in love with them because of what they did, how they applied themselves in their life to life. Let's, again, Psalm 119, let's look at verse 105. Psalm 119, verse 105.

Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path. Your word, God's word, the Bible, is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Brethren, an unquestioned love of the truth means having a deep and profound knowledge of the Scriptures coupled with the application in every facet of our lives. Real life experience that is unquestioned and you see the value of. So, we have to ask ourselves, are we a tough Christian? Do we have an unquestioned love of the truth?

Point number two.

Spiritually tough Christians have battle-tested and hardened faith.

Battle-tested and hardened faith. Now, why do I use that kind of terminology? Well, people, I've known people and you've known people who go through life and every time there's a trial of testing, a lot of screaming, a lot of hollering, trying to get out of things, never really quite learning the lesson, not really wanting to step out in faith.

Brethren, we need to be people who are willing to step out in faith in the hard times. In the times when we're really being tested to the nth degree in our lives.

Not just talking about the faith, living the faith, walking in faith, allowing ourselves to daily go through these fiery trials that come upon us, as they come upon us, and looking to the great God. Even though we may not understand, we may not see or understand where God is coming from. Isn't that the story of Abraham? Isn't that the story of Herbert Armstrong? When God revealed to him the Holy Days, Mr. Armstrong said in his autobiography that he kept the Holy Days for seven years before he understood what they were all about. He walked in faith. There are times we just don't see or understand, but we need to walk in faith. And yet Jesus Christ said in Matthew 18, verse 8, I'm not going to turn out, I'll just quote it for you, in Matthew, or excuse me, Luke, Luke 18, 8. Luke 18, 8. Christ says, when the Son of Man comes, will he really find faith on the earth? Or other translations have, will he really find the faith on the earth? Well, of course he will. I'm sure Christ would like to have seen more, but obviously the bride has made herself ready. There are those who are spiritually tough, and they will equip themselves well at the end of the age. But brethren, there's also the Laodiceans. There's also the foolish virgins. We don't want to be like the Laodiceans. We don't want to be like the foolish virgins. So we're asking this question, how can we have a battle-hardened, battle-tested faith? But what is faith?

A simple definition of faith is believing God will do what He says He's going to do.

It's not rocket science. We're going to go through a scripture here in a couple minutes that says basically that. Faith, in its simplest form, is believing God will do what He said He would do. Let's turn to Hebrews 11, verse 1.

I don't normally do this, but I'm going to read this particular verse out of New International, the NIV. Hebrews 1.1, we're talking about defining faith here. Hebrews 11.1, in New International, says this, Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we don't see. Faith is really a good way of putting that. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Last week, in the sermon, I went through a three-part series going through the Lord's Prayer. I don't know whether I'll do that here or not.

If I did it here, the way that we've got it set up, it would take me three months to go through three parts. I was there for three straight weeks, so I was able to do it over there. I forget how I... the context of this, but I made mention of a video. I don't know if any of you seen the God of Wonders video. Write it down. God of Wonders. You can go... maybe I'll remember to send you a link. It's an hour and a half documentary full of great cinematography, photography. You've got astrophysicists.

You've got biologists. You've got various authors talking about the God of Creation. And they're not talking about God creating through evolution, either. They're talking about God creating, as you and I know God be the creator. The name of the thing is called God of Wonders. And just to give you a little bit of a vignette, one of the things we're talking about the awesome power of God.

They were talking about the size of the earth compared to our sun. And they showed a graphic. And the earth, by analogy, was about the size of a marble, and the sun was about the size of a beach ball. Then they took our sun. They put it next to the next star that we know of.

And our sun was the size of a marble, and the other sun was the size of a beach ball. Then they took that sun, compared it to the next star, and that was a marble beach ball. And they went through three or four of those slides until they came up to this one star.

I forget the name of the thing. Just so massive! I forget how many thousands of our suns. If you put a portal hole in it, it pours our suns in there. How many thousands of our suns will be in that one star? And to think, our dad created that. They showed hummingbirds and the way that they're not supposed to fly, by the way. I don't know if you knew that, but hummingbirds are not supposed to fly. Engineers would say there's no way in those world those little guys could fly, but they do.

And they were showing about the hummingbirds, and they were showing about other things. And again, then they have a author or a biologist or astrophysicist say, now that couldn't have evolved. It's really a top-notch video. God of wonders. One disclaimer. The last five minutes or so, they go into a Protestant type of a thing, but you and I, their doctrinal stance, you and I would not believe.

So the last five minutes you don't watch. But the other part is just fascinating, talking about God and His power. We don't see Him. Hebrews 11.1, being sure and certain of what we don't see. We don't see God, but look what He created. Look how powerful He is. And if our God can create those various stars, and He can name each and every one of them, the billions upon them, you know, Mary might give me a honeydew list. Go to the go to Jewel and buy half a dozen things. Well, chances are, I'll forget four or five of the things.

I'll call her back. What else did you want? Sometimes I'll take a picture and say, is this the brand you want? We're going face-to-face. I show her the face. Oh yeah, that's what we want. And yet our God is great enough, our God who we can't see, who we can be sure of, created all those things. We have faith in that.

Now, let's take a look. I said, faith is believing God will do what He says He's going to do. Let's take a look at a scriptural definition that says about the same thing. Let's go to Romans chapter 4.

Romans chapter 4 verses 20 and 21.

Here we're talking in context about Abraham and Sarah. Romans chapter 4 verse 20. Now, we go back to chapter 1. In this book, you Fit the Braith of the 250 Men who Chris Rivera did not told you about today. You know, this was the first time he was able to weakness the faith completica our human belief but was strengthened in faith giving glory to God. Verse 21. Romans 1. Romans 1. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith. The just shall live by faith. Brethren, if we want to really have a battle-tested and hardened faith, we have to live daily by faith, stepping out in faith brick by brick. It doesn't happen all at once. Brick by brick, we have to have an attitude, a frame of mind, a walk by faith, not by sight, frame of mind. Thinking about that great God who's created the heavens, who's created all things, that God stands behind us. If He's made promises to us, we can be sure He's going to keep them. Our God is faithful. We need to be like our dad and be faithful. Let's turn our attention now to Hebrews 11 again. Hebrews 11 examples of our brothers and sisters who had a battle-tested and hardened faith. Let's remember God is no respecter of persons. What God has done for these people, God can do through you as well. Hebrews 11, verse 32.

And what more can I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, and Samson, and Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, who through faith, notice, through their faith, a battle-tested and hardened faith, through faith, subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouth of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness remained strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens, women's received their dead, raised to life again, others were tortured, not accepting deliverance. We talked about torture coming in down the road in our day. These people, because of the faith they had, accepted the fact they were going to be tortured, but they walked in faith.

That they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trials of mockings and scourgings, yes, of chains and imprisonment. Well, verse 36 is coming down the road, according to what we saw in those prophecies, for us. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were slain with a sword, they wandered about in sheepskins and go to skins, being destitute, afflicted, and tormented. Let's pause there for a second.

Sometimes it's easier for us to go through these things on our own, but will we be able to walk in faith when we see our children being destitute, our children being afflicted, our children being tormented, or others that we love going through this? Yes, it's easier sometimes to be brave on our own, but what about when these things happen to our families?

Well, what happened to these people? They had families, they had children, they had aging grandparents. No one wants to see their families going through these things, but they did, because they had a battle-tested, battle-hardened faith. Verse 38, Of whom the world was not worthy, they wandered in deserts and mountains and dens and caves of the earth. So again, as I gave you some nuts and bolts in terms of having an unquestioned love of the truth, how do you and I grow in this kind of faith? What do we do? How do we build brick by brick this kind of faith in the great God, can withstand the things we just may mention of? Brethren, true living faith emerges as a result of our maturing relationship with God. Our maturing relationship with God. If we don't have a mature relationship with God, we're not going to have this kind of faith, and we're not going to have the kind of love I spoke about earlier. We have to have a mature relationship with God. Specifically, again, drilling down to the faith aspect of things, how do we get that kind of faith? How do we develop that kind of faith? Well, I've got a number of pointers here for you. Letter A. Ask for it. Ask God for faith.

Let's go back over to Luke chapter 11.

Luke chapter 11.

In my Bible, everything I'm about to read you is in red letters. Jesus Christ. Here is Jesus Christ's counsel. Luke chapter 11 verse 9.

Now, this is predicated on our obeying God to the best of our ability. This is predicated on us having a walk with God.

Sinners can't just say, I want something, and God's going to hand it over. But as you, to the best of your ability, are trying to obey and walk with God, then we ask and will be given. We seek and we'll find. We knock and we open. Notice verse 10.

Again, with the predicated thought that we are worshiping God properly and obeying Him properly. So, God promises as we obey Him and follow Him that He will grant us these tremendous blessings. We ask that you give Him a stone, or if you ask for a fish, we'll give Him a fish. Or if you ask for an egg, we'll give Him a scorpion. If you, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give you the Holy Spirit to those who ask? We ask God to obey Him and follow Him and grant us these tremendous blessings. He wants us to have this tremendous faith.

So, how do we grow in this battle-tested and hardened faith? We ask God. A. Letter B.

Letter B, faith comes from maintaining a vibrant prayer life. A vibrant prayer life.

We should pray to God for faith. We should pray for it often. We should pray for it daily.

It's a regular and an integral part of our lives. We all have to be people who walk by faith. It's vital that we ask God for this. It's vital that we maintain this in our prayer vigil with God. Let's go to Psalm 55.

Psalm 55.

Here's an example of a vibrant prayer life. David was a man after God's own heart because he was a man of prayer, because he was a man of faith. Oh, there were lessons in his life. You know them, and I know them, more he didn't walk by faith, and he paid tremendous consequences for those things.

But on the other hand, when he walked in faith with God, and he had this vibrant prayer life, he had a tremendous relationship with God as a result. Psalm 55. Psalm 55. As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning, and at noon I will pray and cry aloud, and he shall hear my voice.

Plenty of prayer.

We can say, I don't have that kind of time. Well, really? David was king.

He's king. He made time.

Daniel was the prime minister. He made time. Even when they threatened to kill him for praying, he made time. And he didn't hide either.

You know, when that decree went out, Daniel went to his room, as his custom was, and as opposed to just hiding, he opened the windows. You want to see what I'm doing? You want to spy on me? I'll make it easy for you. I'll open the windows, and you can see that I'm praying to God.

Let's look at Deuteronomy chapter 4.

Because here's a promise from God.

And faith is believing that when God makes a promise, and we're walking in the paths we need to walk, he's going to fulfill that promise. Deuteronomy chapter 4 and verse 29. But from there, you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 4.29.

If you seek him, you will find him. If you have that vibrant prayer life. Okay, let her see. Moving on. How else can we build this tremendous faith? Battle-hardened, battle-tested faith. Let her see.

We receive it with a diligent study of God's Word. A diligent study of God's Word. Let's go to Romans chapter 10.

You know, brother, I'm not pulling these principles out of thin air. They're right here in the scriptures.

You know, in one sense, my job is easy. I don't have to come up with a lot of things. I just have to know where it is in the scriptures. Romans chapter 10, verse 17.

Romans 10, 17. So then, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Now, how exactly does that work?

Well, as you regularly read the Bible and pray, two things will happen. First, you're going to find God's promises in the pages of the Bible, right? You're going to find those promises. Second, you're going to see inspiring stories in the Bible that reassure you, that strengthen your faith as you see your brothers and sisters who've gone before us as they walked in the faith.

In your notes, you might want to jot down Romans chapter 15, verse 4. Let me read that for you. Romans 15, verse 4.

For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Patience and comfort of the Scriptures. We are comforted. We grow in faith as we study the Word of God. In letter D, how we help build this battle test in hardened faith, we obey God. We obey God.

Go to Galatians chapter 2.

Galatians chapter 2. There's a key here. Another step to growing in faith is to do what God says. We must heed His commands. Heart-felt obedience is a statement, an expression of our faith.

Perhaps you haven't thought of it that way. It's an expression of our faith.

Galatians chapter 2 and verse 20.

Paul writes, I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and a life which I now live in the flesh. I live by the faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. The very faith of Jesus Christ is in us. The Holy Spirit is called the Holy Spirit of God. It's also called the Holy Spirit of Christ. Christ lives in us by giving us the Holy Spirit, God the Father and Jesus Christ, enables us to miraculously share their perspective, their perspective, their perspective, their way of looking at things, how we should live. God's Spirit empowers us to live properly, and that increases our faith. As you and I do battle against Satan, and we see we can win, we can have victory, that increases our faith. We can't do it on our own. We have to have God's help, we have to have Christ's help, and it's freely available.

So, brother, in the faith we're talking about here, it doesn't come about with the snap of one's fingers. It takes a great deal of effort.

It takes time. That's why we gave the sermon a while back about redeeming the time.

Redeeming the time. We are to wisely take full advantage of every God-given opportunity with a sense of urgency because the days are evil. I gave you that sermon. At least I was on the Bible. I think I gave it to Chicago, and you heard it here.

So, point number two. Spiritually tough Christians have battle-tested and hardened faith. Lastly, number three. Number three. We talked, number one, about having an unquestioned love of the faith. Number two, about a battle-hardened and tested faith. And number three, spiritually tough Christians are inspired to action by God's vision of the kingdom.

Spiritually tough Christians are inspired to action by God's vision of the kingdom.

Brethren, as Christians, we need a vision that guides our life. And we don't have to come up with some makeshift or do-it-yourself vision. God gives us His vision. And as you and I incorporate that vision and make it our own, that keeps us going.

Now, there's a scripture I want to turn to. It's Luke chapter 12. And we typically read the scripture along a certain line of thinking, and maybe missing out on the power that is in this verse, Luke chapter 12 and verse 32. And from you know from memory we're going to look at, and you probably remember a certain portion of that scripture, Luke chapter 12 and verse 32.

Luke 12, 32, where it says, do not fear little flock. And so many times we stop right there. We talk about how God's church is not going to be a big powerful church, or big buildings and edifices and lots of money and millions upon millions of members. We kind of stop right there. But the verse doesn't stop there. Do not fear little flock. In other words, listen to my children. But look at the rest of the verse. For it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Now, there is a vision statement. It is the Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. That's some of the most comforting and powerful words ever voiced. If we understand what Christ is talking about there, brethren, the kingdom of God should be nothing short but the centerpiece of your thinking. The centerpiece of our lives, because it's the centerpiece of the scriptures.

You know, there are many threads that we see running from Genesis to Revelation. And certainly the idea of God's kingdom on earth is one of them. And there's power there. Power there. A couple of scriptures for us to think about. Let's go to 2 Corinthians 6.

In verse 18, 2 Corinthians 6, 18, 19, where it says, There is a vision statement here, a part of the vision as we're called to be a part of God's family. We're called to be of that level of existence. Right now, we're on the human level of existence. And we do what human beings do. We eat, we sleep, we work, we have babies, we die.

And, but there's a better level of existence for us, where we'll be spirit beings.

The apostles talked about it, the prophets talked about it, the apostles, you know, from beginning to end, this has been the desire for God's people all through the ages. Daniel 2, verse 44. I'm not going to turn there. Daniel talks about how this kingdom shall never be destroyed and shall stand forever. Daniel 2, 44. You're going to be in the ground, the very tip of the pinnacle, if you will. Now, we don't know what God is in mind for all of eternity. You know, some have speculated, and I think, I don't think it's wrong to speculate when we call it speculation. You know, there's a vast universe out there. God has Project Earth going on right now. And God is developing a family right now. Okay, well, all the holy days, they come, they go, we've got the family of God, we've got no more holy days to tell us where God's going to go. But our Father is not the kind of Father who says, well, let's just have bunko tournaments for the rest of eternity. You know, we're not going to play canasta. You know, what does God have in mind? God's got to have something in mind. I'm sure that, you know, we will come together, we'll have a family gathering, and God's going to say, okay, time to give you what's behind the big curtain here. Here's what we're going to do. And we've speculated. It's speculation. But you look at all those planets out there. Why would God stop creating beings of love? Why would God stop creating family through all time and space? And to think that you are the very beginning, you're the first of the first fruits. You're the first fruits. You are the first fruits. You're the very top of that pyramid. And as more and more planets add people and spirit beings, and we go through history, and we go through time, think about what you're going to be able to do as a spirit being, the enjoyment you're going to have. You know, have that as a vision. When Satan wants to come to you and tempt you with something temporal, you can ask yourself, well, do I want that? You know, Moses left the temporary pleasures of sin because you looked for the kingdom. And that's a conversation we need to have each of us in our own minds. Whenever Satan wants us to fall for something, that's nothing to realize, to have that vision in our mind of what God wants for us and for all time. Let's look at Isaiah chapter 35.

Isaiah chapter 35. What we're going to read here is both physical and spiritual.

Isaiah 35 verse 1.

The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. So yes, there's going to be on planet earth, the desert blossoming, tremendous changes on planet earth, barren lands no longer barren, deserts no longer a desert, but, you know, rich farm country. But I think there's also something spiritual happening here. Just as the earth is being replenished and renewed and being fruitful, so will the human beings living on planet earth. Verse 2.

Well, again, yes, that's happening physically, but I also believe it's going to be happening spiritually to those living on planet earth. Verse 5. Yes, physically, but also spiritually. The ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Yes, physically, but also spiritually. The lame shall leap like a deer. Yes, physically, but also people will walk in God's paths. The tongue of the dumb shall sing, for water shall burst forth from wilderness and streams in a desert. Yes, physically true, but also representing God's Holy Spirit of power. God's Spirit is typed by water. How is it going to birth forth? Birth burst forth. Verse 7. We keep that vision in mind.

Rather one less thought as we are thinking about what makes us spiritually tough. We talked about God's plan being our vision and making it our own. Have you ever thought about God's plan being a personal prophecy for you? Have you ever thought about God's plan being a personal prophecy for you? Of course, it's true for all humanity, but you look at it as an individual. You fill your name in the blank. You've got Passover, where you personally, your sins have been forgiven. They've been blotted out. You have been given access to the family of God. It's a prophecy for you. It's God's vision for you. That he wanted something very special for you, to forgive you, to be close to you, to be at one with you. Unleavened bread, where God gives you personal direction in how to live your life, what things not to do and what things to do. It's a personal prophecy for you, giving you God, giving you direction. Pentecost, where God gives you the gift of his power, his Holy Spirit, so you can live as a son or daughter properly with that tremendous gift that God has given to you individually. Trumpets, where you as an individual are resurrected to be with Christ, where you were given your opportunity to reign as a glorified son or daughter of God. Atonement, where your spiritual enemy is going to be dealt with. Justice will be served. And you're going to be a part of that. Tabernacles, picture your very special future for all eternity. In the last great day, the opportunity for all you've known and loved in your life, who never had that chance, who will get that chance of salvation. And you are going to be rejoicing in that.

So, brethren, today we've taken a look at a question. How spiritually tough are you? We've taken a look at some of the horrible prophecies in one sense. They're God's prophecies, but horrible times are coming, and we need to be prepared for those horrible times. We asked the question, how spiritually tough are you? I gave three things for us to be thinking about. Number one, have an unquestioned love of the truth. Number two, have battle tested and hardened faith. And number three, be inspired to action by God's vision of the kingdom. If we do those three things and others beside, we will be spiritually tough. We'll be able to handle whatever comes down the road as prophecies begin to progress.