SLOUGH TO TRUDGE

Reading:  Mark. 4:14-15  Text:  Jeremiah 15:12 God split the Red Sea and firmed up the ground for easy passage (Ex. 14:Entire).  Though that be not always the case, God will and can lead us, even across a slough to trudge to dry firmer ground. FEAR YE NOT,  STAND STILL AND SEE THE SALVATION OF THE LORD…{Ex. 14:13(part)}!  Why do we, the church of the living God, young and old alike, murmur as the Children of Israel (Ex. 16:17-18)? Oh, why do we not hold to God's promise that even though the enemy entreat against us that indeed he will strengthen our swords as the 'Northern iron and steal? Is there any element that can cut through God's glory? NO! Satan himself was unable to render the Word useless and had to flee (Mt. 4:1-11)! Since Jonathan trusted God enough to stand with David's army to fight against his own father (1Sa. 14:Entire), Saul's army; Saul as a matter of fact, heaved a javelin at him (1Sa. 20:33); then why must we faint week and grow so tired that we tend to want to give into the world? The same God who entrusted Ezekiel to speak God's threatenings to Israel bids us to keep our blades sharp because of the hard stony ground which must indeed be plowed and rendered useful!  

While I find it easy (Dry smooth Ground) to speak to a congregation of baptized believers with perhaps an admixture of the world, in just moments of passing time I find my self yet again putting on my hip boots to trudge yet another slough. I know that it is an easy solution when we hear a dear lost friend speak against our witness to run for shelter, and should the scorn be heated within a group of un-believer's we will often tend to pick up the pace. Brother's and Sister's, when we give into fear fear,  becomes our guide and self our god! So what if thy father answer thee roughly? (Isa. 20:10)! If God before us who can be against us (Ro.8:31)?  The voice God bid Abram Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I will show thee (Ge. 12:1). God promised that the seed of Abraham would bound countless, and that seed would indeed march on to victory, into the land of Cannan (Ge. 12:1-9), and thus became the defended city of Jerusalem! However, reading on concerning the account we find that this journey was filled with plenty of pit-falls. That the same God which I find even my self whinnying to, Jacob, Moses, Joshua and many others had to put up with from this group (Acts. 7:entire).

The Word of God is stuffed with ensamples of how the tough stony ground be found also with the more soft mushy wet merk, that the trudge lay heavy against the calve muscles rendering us, the very children of God, so week that we want, and sadly enough, often find that the smooth ground the rebel treads so comforting, as the children of Israel gave into their captor's, become so complacent that we put the plow in the barn and allow the blades to rust!  We need to heed to the voice God with the same faith that Daniel, Amos, Zephaniah did. Jesus spoke of God's bidding when he said, The sower soweth the word.

Let's not forget what Israel (Jacob) told Joseph, found in the 48th chapter of Genesis Behold, I die: but God shall be with you and bring you again unto the land of your fathers. We (Ge. 49:Entire) find Jacob about to die, giving his twelve sons charge, that they bear the name of the twelve tribes of Israel.  In  the ninth chapter of Daniel we read of the prophecy concerning Jeremiah, how the slough became too heavy for this people that they finally became totally desolate of God's spirit. That their backs turned from God and they were satisfied to burn offerings unto Baal for fears sake, that instead of reaching that dry smooth ground they drowned in the muck and mire of idolatry!  Every time we bear witness we also find Satan. The harder we fight, the hotter he becomes, and oh how it breaks our hearts to see our friends answering to sins wages! And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. No matter how hard the slough becomes to trudge against let's hold on to God! (Acts ch. 7 & 8) One never knows when a scoffer, such as the mighty Romanist Saul (later renamed Paul) is in the mix!  Yes, when we dash our swords of Northern iron and steel all else is of the lesser strength, and iron and brass will never cut through the Northern iron and steel! Jeremiah 15:12 God asks Jeremiah this question, Shall the iron break the Northern iron and steel? No; never will God bow to the enemy! Stephen sowed the seed and even in death thrust his blade of Northern iron and steel! And, because the Grecian's were so appalled at the word of God, we find that they began to gnash on him with their teeth before they indeed stoned him to death! No, Stephen, though the slough became rough, trudged on to the end!

 Let's thank God that he entrusted this greater Northern iron and steel to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob; the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, (Gen. 49:Entire) Israel's Judges and Prophets! Let's thank God that His only begotten Son, King Jesus chose the twelve Apostles (Mat.  10:entire, Acts 2:Entire), preacher's as well the common disciple's who thrust God's Northern iron and steel through my heart of iron and brass that my soul of perdition as the rest of our persecutor's had to fall!  

 Lost friend, your' soul is the enemy and bids you to destroy – that you remain the son's and daughter's of destruction! Oh, cry the cry of repentance for your rebellious nature! You have already lost this battle! In vain you dash iron and brass against God's Northern Iron and Steel (Ro. 8:Entire)! Will you not plead to become a warrior for God? Those who are not saved by the grace of God are indeed perditious souls that answers to Satan, the angel who told the woman You shall not surely die! REPENT! REPENT! REPENT! Or you will make the wrong choice which will leave your eternal soul in Hell (Lk. 16:19-31)! God has armed his children with the weapon of Northern iron and steel with a promise that the Spirit whom dwelleth in me will cut asunder your sword of iron and brass!

I am a soldier of the cross with a divine promise that the end of my battle against perdition that I will march triumphant in the Bosom of Abraham (Re. 12:Entire)! Because of this child born, this Son given, KING JESUS, became the last sacrifice, you too lost friend have the opportunity to become a resident of this New Jerusalem! Do not try to fight God! You do then in Hell you'll lift your eyes being in torment and hearing the warning to flee the wrath to come! A war wound that'll never be healed!