file:///C:/Users/Tery/Desktop/index.html The Latter Glory: Against All Odds

Against All Odds


Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be Romans 4v18
There is something about God that is amazing yet very true. He loves showing Himself mightily where conditions are not conducive for that which He does. He brings rain in the wrong season if He wants; He chooses the least likely and the ones who look least suitable for a major task. Talk about Jesus, how that no-one believed that He was the Christ just because
His stature and history did not prove or at least suggest so. Talk about David, how that he was the least likely among his brothers, but God chose him to be king, preferring him to his brothers who looked suitable for the task. God likes to do things against all odds, and if you believe it He can do the same for you and me.
Sometimes God does some things that really look silly, the main reason being that He wants to show Himself mightily in such circumstances so that no human-devised formula can prove His work. Let us look at this:
God can prosper your business to the extent of you being listed on Wall Street in the midst of a depression greater than the great depression of the 20th century
For [simply] consider your own call, brethren; not many [of you were considered to be] wise according to human estimates {and} standards, not many influential {and} powerful, not many of high {and} noble birth. [No] for God selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is foolish to put the wise to shame, and what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame. And God also selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is lowborn {and} insignificant and branded {and} treated with contempt, even the things that are nothing, that He might depose {and} bring to nothing the things that are,So that no mortal man should [have pretense for glorying and] boast in the presence of God. (1 Corinthians 1:26-29 AMP)
In this account we see what I am talking about. There are people who are easily despised in life and these are the ones God uses for His work and glory. The main reason being ”that no flesh should glory in His presence“ (vs29KJV). God hates one thing, that is, sharing His glory with someone else. He says in Isaiah 42v8:  I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. God does not want anything or anyone to take credit for what He has done. This
He brings rain in the wrong season if He wants
is why He uses the most unlikely conditions to do a great work, so that even  the philosopher will concede that there was no way this could have happened, but only God can explain this. So you see folks, God uses exactly the foolish things in the world to put the wise men to shame. The Bible here is talking about the educated people who want to bring out formulas, methods and strategies for everything that happens. God can use the blind to teach pupils in class, He can use the most uneducated people to preach the Word of God; the biggest bodied person can be used by God to become the fastest man in the world. He does exactly opposite to what people expect. God builds a person in such a way that his testimony will just convince everyone that God was involved, think of Esther.
Just imagine how Daniel refused to eat the king’s meat and wine, yet after ten days his ”countenance was fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat.(Daniel 1v15). God used the foolish things to confound the wise. God is not restricted and confined to the methods and strategies that man put in place. He is the God who does things against all odds.
 I have laid a sub-stratum to the story I want you to learn today. Now let’s get into it together.
The Bible in Genesis talks about a man called Isaac. There was a famine in the land where he lived. A famine is worse in nature than a drought. This man used natural, human reasoning and decided to run away from the land, to another place which did look fruitful. This is what the philosophers could have suggested, this is probably what the specialists of the time could have suggested, but no, God had a better plan, as is His nature, He works against all odds. God realized that this man was about to depend on human wisdom, then ”the Lord appeared to him and said, Do not go down to Egypt “ Genesis 26v2(AMP)
This was probably the most ridiculous and frivolous advice that Isaac had received. Probably at a point in time he concluded that either God wanted to betray him or he was hearing the wrong voice, little did he know that God works against all odds. This was God’s reason: live in the land of which I will tell you. Dwell temporarily in this land, and I will be with you and will favor you with blessings; for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father (vs2-3). Thank goodness Isaac obeyed God. In return, God showed Himself mightily and through Rebekah Isaac got royal security for his family. God then did something remarkable for Isaac. Remember this was a time of famine, but ”Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him. And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great: for he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistims envied him“ vs12-14
I want you to notice how God worked against all odds to bless Isaac when the environment was inconducive. The man was blessed to the point that the nation envied him and closed the wells that had belonged to him from his fathers due to jealousy. Imagine the congressmen holding a meeting in the Capitol in Washington to discuss how they can freeze your assets as a result of the blessing of God upon your life, I believe that this is only possible if God does something against all odds to prove Himself in your life. Isaac reaped 100% in famine, I wonder what he could have done when not in a famine. He dug wells when the earth was dry and the ground was hard, and God worked against all odds and there was water in all the wells that he dug.
Take a good look at the Lord Jesus, He came from a despised town called Bethlehem. He was not born in a fancy Hospital or inn, he was born in a manger, a feeding plate for animals. As if that was not enough, He shared accommodation with animals, one singer sang. He was born of a virgin, whose husband was a carpenter, and Jesus grew up working with His father as a carpenter. With all that background, no one ever imagined that this was the Christ and it was the most nonsensical thing to believe, no wonder they couldn’t believe Him, that He was the Son of God. They expected someone from Jerusalem the capital city, someone who would come in great splendor, not born of a woman but someone who would appear from heaven riding on a chariot of fire with loud trumpet sound. However God works against all odds, to confound the wise, so that the philosopher who had predicted that the Christ’s arrival would be ceremonial would not glory in the presence of God. Indeed no flesh did glory but God was glorified in Him.
Think of Paul, how that before his conversion he persecuted the Church of God beyond measure, killing Christians everywhere. I must admit that I wouldn’t have believed him when he suddenly resurfaced saying Jesus is Lord. God however used that man to become the greatest Apostle ever and the man to write more than 50% of the New Testament. Notice how when Paul preached Christ people GLORIFIED GOD (Galatians 1v24). Had God not worked against all odds, people would have glorified Paul, but all that God did, He did it so ”that no flesh should glory in His presence“ (1Corinthians 1v29)
I want to write to someone today who has been despised in life, people have rejected you, they have hated you and spoken everything bad about you calling you names, but this is the time to know that God works against all odds to bring you up. Whatever seems wrong in your life is the best ingredient for God to bring the best out of you. Your body shape, your appearance, your voice, everything that people may despise is exactly what God needs. It is actually dangerous not to have something that people may despise about you because God’s raw materials will be limited. He is the God who qualifies the uneducated, the God who weds those who are described as ugly. No matter how they describe you, know that God uses the despised things of this world to put the wise to shame. You are the right candidate God wants for people to look at and say, this is unbelievable, ”this is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes“(Psalms 118v23). I know that it is possible. God can prosper your business to the extent of you being listed on Wall Street in the midst of a depression greater than the great depression of the 20th century. God
enjoys doing something that everyone least expects, something that can only be described as impossible, for ”the things which are impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18v27). God wants those who are uneducated to own property, He wants those called ugly to be married, He wants the poor to become top of the rich list, He wants the witches and wizards to stand on the pulpit every Sunday to proclaim that Jesus Is Lord. It might be foolish to you but it is wise to God. God really wants you to have bread and butter when the whole nation is scrapping the barrel, He did it with Isaac, and He can do it with you. He works against all odds.
As I conclude I want us to look at our opening scripture. The Bible, talking about papa Abraham says he ”against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations.“ The Bible here is giving a distinction between godly hope and worldly hope. Abraham used godly hope to contradict worldly hope, and the Bible tells us
[For Abraham, human reason for] hope being gone, hoped in faith that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been promised, So [numberless] shall your descendants be. He did not weaken in faith when he considered the [utter] impotence of his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or [when he considered] the barrenness of Sarah's [deadened] womb. No unbelief {or} distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong {and} was empowered by faith as he gave praise {and} glory to God, Fully satisfied {and} assured that God was able {and} mighty to keep His word {and} to do what He had promised. Romans 4v18-21
Abraham went against worldly hope, because he understood that God works against all odds, with an impotent body, a barren, old wife with dead womb and both of them very old, he was nevertheless fully satisfied {and} assured that God was able {and} mighty to keep His word {and} to do what He had promised’’ vs21. Worldly hope works with physical evidence, but godly hope believes in a God who is not confined to human laws, systems and strategies, a God who works against all odds. It takes faith to get hold of this truth ladies and gentlemen. Understand therefore, that in the unlikeliest of circumstances, God will work against all odds to fight on your behalf. Till next time remember, that
Jesus Is Lord TLG

1 comment:

  1. God will work against all odds in my life

    ReplyDelete