"Faith grows amid storms" -- just four words, but oh, how full of import to the soul who has been in the storms!
Faith is that God-given faculty which, when exercised, brings the unseen into plain view, and by which the impossible things are made possible. It deals with supernaturals. But it "grows amid storms"; that is, where there are disturbances in the spiritual atmosphere. Storms are caused by the conflicts of elements; and the storms of the spiritual world are conflicts with hostile elements. In such an atmosphere faith finds its most productive soil; in such an element it comes more quickly to full fruition.
The staunchest tree is not found in the shelter of the forest, but out in the open where the winds from every quarter beat upon it, and bend and twist it until it becomes a giant in stature this is the tree which the mechanic wants his tools made of, and the wagon-maker seeks.
So in the spiritual world, when you see a giant, remember the road you must travel to come up to his side is not along the sunny lane where wild flowers ever bloom; but a steep, rocky, narrow pathway where the blasts of hell will almost blow you off your feet; where the sharp rocks cut the flesh, where the projecting thorns scratch the brow, and the venomous beasts hiss on every side.
It is a pathway of sorrow and joy, of suffering and healing balm, of tears and smiles, of trials and victories, of conflicts and triumphs, of hardships and perils and buffetings, of persecutions and misunderstandings, of troubles and distress; through all of which we are made more than conquerors through Him who loves us.
"Amid storms." Right in the midst where it is fiercest. You may shrink back from the ordeal of a fierce storm of trial…but go in! God is there to meet you in the center of all your trials, and to whisper His secrets which will make you come forth with a shining face and an indomitable faith that all the demons of hell shall never afterwards cause to waver.
--E. A. Kilbourne
In The News:
Willie and Korie Robertson Respond to Duck Dynasty Ratings Drop, Will Let God Guide Future
Carrie Dedrick
| Editor, ChristianHeadlines.com
|
A&E’s hit reality show “Duck Dynasty” has seen a significant drop in ratings;
the show that follows the lives of the duck-hunting Robertson family
ended its sixth season last week with 50 percent less viewers than the
previous season finale.
Dynasty stars Willie and Korie Robertson responded to the decline in ratings with ease.
"To some extent it's a natural cycle of any show. You have ups and you
have downs... [This season] was aired in the summer which is when not as
many people are watching TV,” Willie Robertson said in an interview.
Korie Robertson said that the family uses the show as a platform to
spread Christianity. "Doing the show and having this platform is
absolutely worth it...if controversy comes with that, and it does,
hopefully we handle it as a family the best way we can with love and the
way God would want us to,” she said.
Despite the recent slump in ratings, Willie Robertson maintains that
the fans are still supportive of the show. "If you travelled around with
us and saw the vigorousness of the fans' support you'll see that it
certainly hasn't lost momentum," he said.
The Robertsons say that they do not know what opportunities will come in the future, but they trust God for direction.
"We'll let the Lord guide us where He takes us,” Willie Robertson said.
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