He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches: (Revelation 3:5,6).

“Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I , even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no savior” (Isaiah 43:10-11).

“I know thy works, behold I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it; for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and has not denied my name” (Revelation 3:7-11).

I desire that the Lord should have confidence in me that if he asks me to follow him, that I will do whatever he asks willingly and without complaint. When I can be trusted to do the will of God he can have confidence in me and give me “an open door that no man can shut”. What? Do you mean even after you have prayed for a financial miracle, and you lose your job, you can have an open door? Yes, no man can shut the door that God opens.

The Lord tells us, “for thou hast a little strength.” He didn’t say that we were destitute and completely void of strength: we have sufficient strength to get God’s will accomplished. As we work on our relationship with God, and continue to do his will, in spite of our circumstances, it gets his attention, and even though we may only have a little strength, he reminds us that he hasn’t forgotten us. He is faithful.

Keeping the word requires a great deal of strength and determination. While Satan tries to rob us; the world and the cares of this life surround us; and the light of the gospel is being choked out of us; the Lord promises to “set before us an open door” that compels us to come in and experience the opportunities and the blessings that he has prepared for us. We are commended when he tells us that “thou hast not denied my name.” How many times people have denied the name, Jesus, the only name that will save us? They, in essence, are denying the only way of escape that is opened to them choosing rather to fumble through life alone.

When trials come, we could betray Jesus like some have done in the past. Judas Iscariot sold out for 30 pieces of silver, we could sell out for much less; sports, drugs, prestige , vanity, worldly pleasures, position, fame, peer pressure, or acceptance by our so called friends. The riches of this life will melt with fervent heat, and we’ll all face God on Judgment Day to give an account of our lives.

Who can stand on that day? Those who have been found faithful, kept the word, and those who have not denied the name. Our covenant is eternal and the benefits of that covenant can’t be bought, because they have been paid-in-full at Calvary. Our circumstances may look impossible because we only see the now, but keep holding on to God’s promise and in “yet a little while, it shall come to pass.”

Lord, help us to be thankful for your provision and care. Just for today, I ask you to order my steps in your will.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for reminding me in your gentle way that I am more blessed than I deserve. If you had so chosen, I might not have opened my eyes, today, to see the sunrise or feel the delicious breeze. In those few quiet moments alone in your presence, I live a lifetime. Too often I grumble and complain when circumstances seem to pressure me to make important decisions. I’d prefer to go with the flow and not confront difficulties, but you remind me gently that if I’m to be a strong Christian, fit for the Master’s use, that I’m going to go through some hard places where I have to press on with all my strength, then pray the power down to gain your strength so that I can be an overcomer. Through all of my struggles, you remind me that I have to keep moving forward and trusting in you.

Yes, Lord, I know that it’d be easier to go with the opposition, give in, be quiet about what I believe, quench your Spirit, but the easier way won’t give me the joy that you can give. If I will hold on and keep strong in the faith, I’ll be able to overcome every trial; I can have the victory over all of Satan’s arsenal.

You know, Lord, sometimes I just get plain-old tired of fighting the Spirits of darkness, the principalities, the rulers of dark places, but then once again, you remind me that the fight isn’t mine,; it is yours. Knowing that, makes me feel pretty special and loved, although I know that I am too critical at times. For the life of me, I can’t imagine someone loving me as much as you do: but you do love me.

When I think about Calvary and the unselfish sacrifices that you made for me there, I can keep going forward in the faith because you live and you love me. It isn’t difficult to give thanks for everything when you consider that you, Jesus Christ, are everything important in my life. I stand complete in you, Lord.

“But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by the gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (II Thessalonians 2: 13-14).

I thank you for choosing me to be a part of this glorious church.

Love, Your daughter, Grace