“Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness accord-ing to the word of Elisha” (2 Kings 6:16-18).

With all the talk of war lately, it is comforting to know that God’s army is larger than any army in the world, including Satan’s. As Christians, we are fighting in a spiritual war where Satan seems to be winning. Satan fools us into believing that he has won the battles that we face and because we believe this we give up and quit. When Satan tries to make us give up, we need to be reminded that God is much stronger than Satan could ever imagine.

For those who trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, God will give victory over Satan. God’s precious Word tells us that Christ has the power to overcome sin and death (Romans 8:37). Thus, by obeying His Word, we as Christians can benefit from Christ’s victory. We as Christians must remember that our God is great, powerful, and almighty. When we are faced with difficult times may we remember the advice of Elisha in 2 Kings 6:16-18, “Don’t be afraid…Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

God can do amazing things when our eyes are open to His will. God will fight for us and will help us win the battles of life. May we always remember that God is fighting for us!

Mark T. Tonkery

 I read the story of two friends in World War I who were inseparable. They had enlisted together, trained together, were shipped overseas together, and fought side-by-side in the trenches. During an attack, one of the men was critically wounded in a field filled with barbed wire obstacles. He was unable to crawl back to his foxhole. The entire area was under enemy crossfire, and it was suicidal to try to reach him. Yet his friend decided to do just that. The sergeant told him, "It's too late. You can't do him any good, and you'll only get yourself killed." But the man went anyway. He returned a few minutes later, carrying his friend. But he himself had been mortally wounded. The sergeant was both angry and deeply moved. He blurted out, "What a waste! He's dead and you're dying. It just wasn't worth it." With almost his last breath, the dying man replied, "Oh, yes it was, Sarge. When I got to him, the only thing he said was, 'I knew you'd come, Jim.'" (by Doug Lyon)

https://anchor.fm/preacher-tonk/episodes/Spell-Love-e1ecfk9

Tonk Talk by Mark T. Tonkery 

The French physicist, Arago ascribes his success to words found on the cover of a book when greatly discouraged.  They were, “Go on, sir; go on! The difficulties you meet will resolve themselves as you advance.  Proceed, and light will dawn and shine with increased clearness on your path,” written by D’Alembert.  “That maxim,” says Arago, “was my greatest master in mathematics.”  Following out these simple words, “Go on, sir; go on!” made him the first astronomical mathematician of his age.

What Christians it would make of us!  What heroes of faith, what sages in holy wisdom, should we become, by acting out that maxim, “Go on sir; go on!” (Author Unknown).

We may be very discouraged today by all the things that are happening in our world, but we must never give up!  We must continue on, especially when it comes to our precious faith.

Notice these words of encouragement from scripture to remind us to “Go on; Go on!”

· Php. 3:14, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

· Rom. 8:37, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

· 1 Jn. 5:4, “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”

· Jos. 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” 

Arago was encouraged by the words of a mere man and accomplished great things in the field of mathematics.  We have the words of God, God-breathed words, words inspired by the Holy Spirit, how much more should we be encouraged and willing to do great things in the Lord’s name!

Christian now is the time to keep going and growing in our faith.  It is always too early to quit, so don’t give up!  “Go on, Christian; Go on!”

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