GLORY IN TRIBULATIONS 2

3 AND NOT ONLY THAT, BUT WE ALSO GLORY IN TRIBULATIONS, knowing that TRIBULATION PRODUCES PERSEVERANCE;
4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope."
Romans 5:3,4 (NKJV)

3 WE CAN REJOICE, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that THEY HELP US DEVELOP ENDURANCE.
4 AND ENDURANCE DEVELOPS STRENGTH OF CHARACTER, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation."
Romans 5:3,4 (NLT)

• To be perfect according to the above Scripture, is to be mature. That is, to be mature and complete mean to have an approved character. A believer who has a godly character is a mature believer (1 Corinthians 3:1-3).

• A mature person in Christ is someone who is fully grown and developed in spirit, soul or mind, and body. Someone who allows the Holy Spirit to take over his or her life; who allows God's Spirit to work through his or her spirit—inward Man or newly created human spirit—to control their minds and bodies.
• A believer who allows the Holy Spirit, on the inside of him or her, to work through their inward man, human spirit, and influence their souls and bodies to yield to God and walk in line with God's Word—both the written Word and the Word spoken by the Holy Spirit—is called a mature believer.
• Such a believer is also known as Spirit controlled or led believer, whilst the believer who refuses the Holy Spirit to work through his or her human spirit, to control the soul and the body, is called body ruled believer or carnal believer:
  1 AND I, BRETHREN, COULD NOT SPEAK TO YOU AS TO SPIRITUAL PEOPLE BUT AS TO CARNAL, AS TO BABES IN CHRIST. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 FOR YOU ARE STILL CARNAL. FOR WHERE THERE ARE ENVY, STRIFE, AND DIVISIONS AMONG YOU, ARE YOU NOT CARNAL AND BEHAVING LIKE MERE MEN [natural persons or unbelievers]?" (1 Corinthians 3:1-3 NKJV).

• Carnal believers are shallow, they cannot understand the deep things of God (1 Corinthians 2:10).

• Such believers find it difficult to understand the ways of God, they only understand His acts: "HE MADE KNOWN HIS WAYS TO MOSES, HIS ACTS TO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL" (Psalm 103:7 NKJV).
• However, God reveals Himself to mature believers, they only, understand His ways:
  6 HOWEVER, WE SPEAK WISDOM AMONG THOSE WHO ARE MATURE, YET NOT THE WISDOM OF THIS AGE, NOR OF THE RULERS OF THIS AGE, WHO ARE COMING TO NOTHING. 7 BUT WE SPEAK THE WISDOM OF GOD IN A MYSTERY, THE HIDDEN WISDOM WHICH GOD ORDAINED BEFORE THE AGES FOR OUR GLORY, 10 BUT GOD HAS REVEALED THEM TO US [mature believers] THROUGH HIS SPIRIT. FOR THE SPIRIT SEARCHES ALL THINGS, YES, THE DEEP THINGS OF GOD" (1 Corinthians 2:6,7,10 NKJV).

• Carnal believers run around, looking for miracles. They live in sins and follow the dictates of their flesh.

• Whatever their flesh or body demanded for, they give to it.
  a. If their flesh demanded for alcohol, they give to it, they satisfy their flesh.
  b. If It demanded for illicit affairs; immoral or unethical affairs, they would go ahead and satisfy their flesh.
  c. If they are boiling with anger and their flesh demanded for fisticuffs or combats—to fight or strike with the fists—they would not hesitate to grant the demands of the flesh.
• Such believers live to satisfy the flesh. They would not want to know anything about the denying of the flesh: "FOR YOU ARE STILL [unspiritual, having the nature] OF THE FLESH [under the control of ordinary impulses]. FOR AS LONG AS [there are] envying and jealousy and wrangling and factions among you, are you not unspiritual and of the flesh, BEHAVING YOURSELVES AFTER A HUMAN STANDARD AND LIKE MERE (unchanged) MEN?" (1 Corinthians 3:3 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition).

• The unbelievers, those who are not saved or born-again also walk in the flesh, their flesh controls them.
a. The spirit or the inward Man of those who are unsaved is not regenerated.
b. Their flesh and mind dominate their spirits; they are controlled by their human nature—the mind and flesh—that dictates what they should do (Ephesians 2:3).
c. They honour their human nature, flesh and mind, and satisfy and please It in everything.

• The Bible says the believers who are born-again now were like that before:
  1 AND YOU HE MADE ALIVE, WHO WERE DEAD IN TRESPASSES AND SINS, 2 IN WHICH YOU ONCE WALKED ACCORDING TO THE COURSE OF THIS WORLD, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 AMONG WHOM ALSO WE ALL ONCE CONDUCTED OURSELVES IN THE LUSTS OF OUR FLESH, FULFILLING THE DESIRES OF THE FLESH AND OF THE MIND, AND WERE BY NATURE CHILDREN OF WRATH, JUST AS THE OTHERS" (Ephesians 2:1-3 NKJV).
• Flesh lusts, thus, whoever is claiming to be saved or born-again should not satisfy the flesh. You are no longer to satisfy the lusts of the flesh, now that you are in Christ Jesus:
  16 I SAY THEN: WALK IN THE SPIRIT, AND YOU SHALL NOT FULFIL THE LUST OF THE FLESH. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; AND THESE ARE CONTRARY TO ONE ANOTHER, SO THAT YOU DO NOT DO THE THINGS THAT YOU WISH" (Galatians 5:16,17 NKJV).

• You will not be a waste in Jesus' name.

• Should there be any sickness in your body, receive life and complete healing now in Jesus' name.
• The hold is completely broken and It will never rise again in Jesus' name.
  Peace!
  TO BE CONTINUED

STEPS TO SALVATION
• Take notice of this:
IF you are yet to take the step of salvation, that is, yet to be born-again, do it now, tomorrow might be too late (2 Corinthians 6:1,2; Hebrews 3:7,8,15).
a. Acknowledge that you are a sinner and confess your Sins (1 John 1:9); And ask Jesus Christ to come into your life (Revelation 3:20).
b. Confess that you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that you confess it with your mouth, Thus, you accept Him As your Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:9,10).
c. As you took the steps A and B your name is written in the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:8).

• If you took the steps As highlighted above, congratulations, It means you are saved—born-again. Join a Word based church in your area and Town or city, and be part of whatever they are doing there. Peace.