ADVERSITY, THE UNIVERSITY OF GOD’S CHAMPIONS.

This series is for the following kinds of people, and you can become one of them if you want:

• Those who want to join the Army of the Lord Jesus Christ.

• The truly Heaven Minded Ministers of God.

• Strictly for those Aspiring to Become True Champions for Jesus Christ.

• For the Newly Converted Believer.

• For Every Member of the Body of Christ.

Adversity, the University of God’s Champions: This blog will discuss expositorily, what it entails to be a true believer; a true Christian as it was in the days of yore. We will follow each topic step by step.

The First Step to Becoming a God’s Champion: (a) Total Repentance From Sin. (b) And Salvation Through Jesus Christ.

“…Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” This was the response Jesus Christ gave to Nicodemus when he came secretly in the night to see Jesus. Being born again is the same as receiving salvation from sin through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Being born again therefore is the basic requirement for being enlisted into the University of God’s Champions.

We become born again when we totally relinquish and loose our hold on sin and the sin nature and the sin ability. When we turn our back on our sins and turn our face squarely on Jesus Christ the Saviour of the world, and determine to follow Him through; no matter what, that is being born again.

After the above statement by the Lord Jesus Christ, He went on to assert that “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. (He added further), He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”.

From the quoted verses, we will see and understand the compulsion and the necessity of the salvation of our souls through the sacrifice our Saviour carried out for us through the shedding of his holy blood on the cross at Calvary. Before anyone can embark on the journey to heaven, such must receive this free gift to mankind, Jesus Christ, as a compulsory first step.

He is the key; the master key, without which there will be no hope for any man making it eventually to heaven.

The Lord said: “…He that believeth not is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God”. Until one receives Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour, one’s journey to heaven’s kingdom of God can never commence.

Having fulfilled this first step, one must be completely withdrawn from sin, together with everything that causes or that can lead to sin, including all ungodly associations, clubs and societies. Every habit that does not glorify God and His Christ must be dropped.

This person must embrace a new life in Christ which is lived in total righteousness and godliness. This will involve withdrawal from sinful partnerships and people who can influence us to return to sinful ways again.

If your friends are smokers, for example, drunkards, fornicators, adulterers, thieves, seducers, brawlers, occultists, blasphemers, and such like, then the best thing to do is to withdraw your association with such people and make new friends with the people of Christ; people who are truly redeemed and are focused on their walk with Christ.

In addition to the above, you must do away with sinful possessions. These include pictures of and with former sin partners, occult groups, ungodly friends, pornographic objects, films, regalia, mantle; all these things including worldly music and recording/records. These should be destroyed and burnt where fire is needed to destroy any.

Things you stole or got fraudulently must be returned to their rightful owner(s), including wives or husbands, as the case may be. This is known as restitution.

Negative Reactions from People will ensue:

Remember that as you embark on this clean up and separation from ungodly things and people, there will be all sorts of reactions from people and those who loved you before.

Many will see you as a mad person. Some will falsely accuse you. Some will slander you and even go as far as physically assaulting you. Yes, it can get to that. So, if and when this starts to happen, don’t forget that it is how Satan reacts. He can and will use anyone and anything to attack you, just to discourage and frustrate you.

Be wise, determined and don’t be discouraged or deterred. Some people have thrown in the towel at this point of their new journey and backslidden or surrendered to the pressure of persecution and eventually returned to their vomit, like the proverbial dog; all because they could not bring themselves to bear this initial crisis.

Their ignorance and greenness in their new way of life will be exploited by Satan to nip their new and fledgling faith in the bud.

Satan works hard, furiously and violently at this level, to kill the faith and strength of the new convert. He takes away their conviction so that what they have received from God will not take deep root or any root at all.

What are the plans of Satan for humanity? His plan is that no man should come to the knowledge of God. It pleases him to see that no man received salvation through Christ.

Satan’s plan and wish for humanity is for all to follow him to hell fire. He does not want to be the only being that will spend eternity in hell so. creates things that will make humanity to see no need for God in their lives.

He knows that God has great plan for humanity and those great things can only be accessed by those who come receiving Jesus into their lives as their Lord and Saviour.

Who is Jesus referring to as a thief here? Of course Satan is the thief in question.

Satan is a thief and one of the things he steals easily is the soul of man. Jesus Christ says about Satan: “The thief cometh not but for to steal, to kill and to destroy”.

Of course Satan is the thief in question. He steals everything that belongs to mankind which God has provided for them. He steals the souls of men, the blessings of men, their destinies, their glories, their virtues, their stars, their opportunities and many more.

But Jesus says “But I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly”. Jesus brings salvation to mankind. He brings deliverance. He brings healing. He brings provisions. He brings abundant life, and the opportunity for mankind to be with Him in the Kingdom of Heaven at the end of time.

That is why I need Him in my life. That is why you need him too. But there is an adversary that brings adversity on our way in order to hinder us from getting our benefits from our loving Saviour. But you know what, we must it allow the adversity to hinder our journey through the path of righteousness.

Remember the Bible says: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called is unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that we have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you”.

We are not to be deterred or discouraged because of adversity but to be strengthened and be made perfect. We are also instructed to resist the devil in faith.

Thank you for staying till the end. Please kindly like, share, subscribe and drop your comments.