Title: Spring Summer Autumn Winter of Faith
Contents
Psalm 23:1-6 Faith spring summer autumn winter
From what we have experienced in our life of faith, we can see that faith is not a life that only pours out blessings. This does not mean that life is always full of hardships. Just as there are four seasons in a year, spring, summer, autumn, and winter, faith also has four seasons, spring, summer, autumn and winter. Today, we want to share the grace of spring, summer, autumn, and winter in our life of faith.
1. Season of Grace and Blessing: Spring
When spring comes, there is a haze, everything becomes green and life abounds. As such, there are times when we experience great blessings and grace with great joy while believing in Jesus. Today's text says, "He makes me lie down in green pastures." It is truly a peaceful and happy time. It is of great significance that God, the shepherd, lays us down on green grass. The reason is that sheep seldom lie down on the grass.
The first condition is that it will lie down in the pasture only when there are no animals trying to prey on the sheep, and never lie down in the pasture if there are wolves, lions, or foxes around. Second, the sheep do not lie on the pasture when they are at peace without fighting each other. When the sheep fight with each other and push each other with their heads, they never lie down on the pasture. Third, never lie down on the grass when you are cramped with bedbugs or fleas on your body. Fourth, we need to eat enough and be full before we can lie down on green pastures.
Therefore, that God lays us in green pastures makes us free from enemies, brings peace among us, and removes from us the bedbugs and fleas of cares, anxieties, anxieties, nervousness, and despair, and gives us souls. It means that all things go well with you, that you may be in good health and that you may have life and have it abundantly.
If you believe in Jesus, you will have such blessed and peaceful times. A season in which the enemy comes in one road and runs away in seven ways, is reconciled to all people, God heals the sick, removes anxieties and anxieties, and answers every prayer so that we can live a life like honey. There is this. There is a confession that "life on this earth couldn't be better than this." "I am the happiest person in the world" is a confession.
This confession is made because the Lord makes us lie down in green pastures, leads us to still waters, revives our souls, and leads us in the path of righteousness. At this time, you will realize, "Believing in Jesus is such a good thing!" This is because it is the season of grace and blessing, which is the spring of the Christian life. If you believe in Jesus, you will surely experience these seasons. For those of you who have not been able to experience these seasons here, I hope you will experience these spring seasons.
2. The Season of Trials: Summer
Just as summer comes when spring passes, when the season of blessing passes, the season of trials also approaches. The season of blessings usually comes when you first believe in Jesus. So, when you first believe in Jesus, even though there is no worldly reason to love you so much, you just have a good heart, and it is indescribable joy to believe in Jesus. The song never leaves my mouth, and Hallelujah comes out of my mouth. And when I have time, I go to church, I read the Bible when I have time, and pray when I have time.
After such a good season has passed, the season of walking into the valley of the shadow of death comes, as mentioned in verse 4 of the text. All the good things are gone, everything is getting dark, and it's dark before my eyes, and difficulties arise in which anxiety and fear engulf me. Afflictions and afflictions arose in the family, businesses that were doing well go bankrupt, and trials and tribulations approach. At this time, it seems that God is a thousand miles away, and it seems that God has completely forsaken me. Even when I go to church, I feel like a loner, no matter how much I cry out and pray, it seems that God does not answer me, and I sometimes pass through the valley of the shadow of death, where it seems that God has completely forgotten.
These dark seasons of death are for the Lord to train us. It is like parents raising their children. When mothers raise babies, they first breastfeed. Then comes the time when the baby grows up and needs to wean and feed. However, there are babies who do not like to eat and continue to breastfeed.
In my family, I have a sister above me, I am the second child, and I have a younger sister below me. Me and my sister were weaned easily and fed. But my little sister breastfed late. Then the mother puts red pepper powder on the milk. Your baby will experience a spicy taste while suckling. The baby cries. I get annoyed. After seeing that spicy taste a few times, your baby will learn to give up feeding and eat. When a child grows up, she has to eat rice instead of breastfeeding, so the mother makes her beloved child wean the milk and gives it a spicy taste.
In the same way, God makes us walk through the valley of the shadow of death in order to grow our faith and character. At this point, life doesn't taste good. I feel like I have been bullied by God and I feel abandoned. So I cry out to God. "God, where are you? If you have one, please tell me. I'm going to die of hardship. I cry out to God in such a difficult time, but God doesn't answer me like a dumb dumbass with honey.
But the strange thing is that he seems to die right away because of the hardship, but strangely he doesn't die and continues to live. That someone is protecting and protecting me. And along the way, I am getting stronger. You can overcome loneliness. Even if ten million people come and try to hit me, I have the strength to endure it without blinking an eye.
In some African countries, there is a ceremony in which a man must climb a mountain at night when he becomes an adult, tie it to a tree and tie it with a rope, and then spend the night alone. A father takes his adult son to the mountain and tie him to a tree. The days are getting darker and darker, and the crowing of animals is heard. And not long after, a ferocious beast comes near and spins round and round. However, as soon as the beast comes near, an arrow flies out and shoots the beast to death.
This young man is trembling in fear, but when an animal comes near, arrows fly from it. So, in the morning, the father was sitting on the tree in front of him, looking down at his son. And when only animals come, they will shoot them with arrows. The son had no idea that his father had climbed the tree in front of him. He thought he was tied to a tree by himself, but he was always there with his father protecting him. Through this process, the son becomes a courageous warrior and a leader.
In this way, God leads us through the valley of the shadow of death. Why? for training. It is to give us the faith that God is protecting us from harm, even in difficult moments, even if we cannot see God. After going through this training, even if no dreams, visions, or revelations come, we can live by faith with the assurance of the Lord's help. The time to train that faith is the time of hardship.
3. Fighting enemies and enriching season: Autumn
After training a soldier in the army, once that soldier is strong enough, he can now deploy it to fight the enemy. As in today's text, "You have set a table for me in the sight of my enemies, and you have anointed my head with oil, my cup overflows" (verse 5). Unexpected enemies arise around you. In the Bible, Jesus said that the family members were enemies, but the enemy's attacks start from near.
Sometimes envy, jealousy, and accusations of rivals come. We are surrounded in all directions, stuffy things happen, we suffer persecution, and all kinds of suffering come to us. The reason this kind of battle comes is that God already has faith in you, so now, try to wrestle with your enemy. It is to practice. At this time, the husband suddenly becomes ferocious, or the wife rave about it, children oppose their parents, become enemies between siblings, such close friends betray each other, and business partners become enemies. may become.
So, my heart is frustrated and there is no way to rely on me, saying, "Can this be like this in the world? Can that person abandon me like that?" However, as we experience the enemy in this way, God prepares a rich feast for us in front of the enemy. Therefore, God's blessings appear stronger when we are harassed by our enemies. It bears abundant fruit. And as we go through this process, our faith becomes more mature again. become God-centered. It is the season of abundant blessings to be received with enemies.
4. The season to look back and go to heaven: winter
In verse 6, David confesses. ?쏥oodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.??A person of faith has some feelings as they get older. It is none other than heaven, the life of another world. As we get older, we look back on our past lives. And we are moved by God's grace and we look forward to living forever in heaven. After the season of happy blessings, the season of trials and tribulation, the season of being attacked by enemies and bearing abundant fruit, we must prepare for winter.
A person is important when they are born, but even more important when they die. If it doesn't end well, everything goes bad. No matter how good you are in your religious life, what good will it be if you lose Jesus when you die, and how sad your life will be if you lose the kingdom of heaven? Our hometown is where our Heavenly Father is. Our citizenship is in heaven. A person should know that when there is a time to live on this earth, there is a time to leave this earth. Only then can you prepare for heaven and organize your life without regrets.
When we go ahead or behind this world, when we leave, we must confess our feelings to the God who chose us, loved us, protected us, and guided us so much. "God, thank you. Thank you. Now call me into your country!" and close your eyes in peace. I pray that you will be blessed with eternal life in the house of Jehovah God and Father forever.
Prayer: Almighty God our Father, just as we experience spring, summer, autumn, and winter while living in this world, in our lives, we pray that God's blessings, trials, and attacks from enemies will bring us to enjoy God's fruit. Help us to know that the seasons, the seasons of death, are sure to come, and help us to realize that no matter what seasons come, you are with us and complete our souls. So, help us all to enter the eternal house of heaven, where there are no such changes and seasons, after passing through all the seasons of our lives with the Lord. I pray in Jesus name. Amen!