“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Do you feel alone? Abandoned? Has a good religious mentor left you? Do you have nobody to turn to for advice or counsel? Have you lost a loved one? We had a mass exodus of teachers from our church. A large proportion of our assistant pastors and Sunday School teachers left to serve other churches. Many of our Sunday School students felt abandoned and alone. I gave them this slogan. 

1. Be self-reliant!
2. Be a silent warrior! 
3. Invite only Jesus into your hearts!
4. Follow the Lord to the end! 

We must build a self-reliant and autonomous faith. Fellowship and church gatherings are essential facets, but certain times (like the one we are facing now) require us to build our independence. There comes a time of solitude when we stand alone. Nobody sees what we are doing or cares what we are doing. No pastors. No church. No fellowship. Being silent means doing the task at hand in solitude. In the silence, we do not clamor to be the center of attention or make a scene: we forge a path in silence, accepting Jesus into our hearts and following His voice to the end. 

Noah is the model of a self-reliant faith. People thought he was crazy when he started building the ark. He was alone in the world. Nobody helped him. Despite being the object of scorn, Noah didn’t fight back or clamor; he quietly stuck to the task at hand. He overcame the endless solitude by keeping Jesus in his heart and following His commands to the end. When the whole world seems to be against you, take heart and remember we are silent warriors. When you feel like you are alone in the world, don’t wallow in self-pity or seek attention. Remember and follow the Lord!

When Joseph’s brothers betrayed him and threw him into a pit, nobody helped Joseph. When he was sold into slavery, he was alone in the world. He needed to be self-reliant, and he was. And when these bad things happened to him, including being wrongly accused by Potiphar’s wife and sent to jail, Joseph didn’t holler and shout. He didn’t scream about being unfairly treated. Like a silent warrior, he forged ahead, and in these spaces where he was alone and nobody in the world could help him, he met God. He kept God in His heart and followed Him to the end. When we suffer injustice or feel wronged, how many of us do the exact opposite of what Joseph did? How many of us complain or make a scene? How many of us never get over being wronged?

When Elijah and Elisha were making their way from Gilgal, fellow prophets turned their backs on them. They stayed in Bethel and Jericho, even ridiculing Elisha for following Elijah. “Didn’t I tell you not to go?” They had nobody to turn to, nobody to help them. While everybody dropped off, they continued down the solemn path, knowing God had a plan for them and would reward them for their obedience. When we walk a path toward a destination God sets for us, like the prophets who stayed in Bethel and Jericho, we will lose some of our friends, family members, and peers. They will not understand. They will urge us not to go. They will beg us to stay put. But we must stay the course and follow the Lord to the end.

Hannah is one of two wives, and she lives in agony because she can’t give birth. She considers being barren a personal failure. She has nobody to turn to and feels alone in the world. When we face harsh realities, how many of us give up? How many of us complain and turn our backs on God? Hannah is self-reliant, a silent warrior, looking only to God despite her difficult circumstances. Hannah weeps and prays, and God gives her Samuel, a man of God who succeeds in every role given to him, whether a priest, prophet, or military leader. Like Hannah, we face unsolvable problems. What do we do? Instead of looking to others for help, be self-reliant, and look only to God for guidance! 

Now is not the time for being a flashy Christian! 

Now is not the time for Christian showmanship! 

Now is the time to be self-reliant and independent. 

Now is the time to do God’s will in silence . 

Now is the time to invite Jesus into your hearts.

Now is the time to follow Him despite the obstacles and hardships we face. 

We live in extraordinary times. We live in a time of blaming, ostentatious behavior, and brazen showmanship. We need to find solitude, a quiet place, where we are self-reliant. We need to be silent warriors who have Jesus living in our hearts. Instead of following this preacher or this leader or this fad, we need to be independent and follow the Lord.

https://soundcloud.com/yhpaik/1987-9-20-full-mixdown

English Reading https://youtu.be/Jv_GRfV6IMI