Some think that believers should always be upbeat, always sure of where they are going, always self-fulfilled and satisfied, but many times our smiles camouflage pain, confusion and sorrow. All true men and women of God have experienced such things. If you feel spiritually, physically and emotionally bankrupt, knowing that without a supernatural infusion of Christ’s strength you simply cannot go on, you are not alone. But be assured that there is complete victory for you!
The Bible is full of accounts of great men of God who came to the end of their rope. David is an example of “a man after [God’s] own heart” (Acts 13:22) and yet at times he was overwhelmed with remorse, depression, and negative emotions of all kinds. “I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long” (Psalm 38:6).
Why was David allowed to endure so much loss and turmoil in his life? Some of it came as a result of his sin, for which he repented with sorrow, but it was also because godly character was being forged in him. There was not a moment the Holy Spirit was not with David, but he was permitted to come to the end of himself at times.
God promises strength to his anointed: “Blessed be the Lord, because He has heard the voice of my supplications! The Lord is my strength and my shield … my heart greatly rejoices and with my song I will praise Him” (7" class="scriptRef">Psalm 28:6-7). If you will call on him, he will pour his strength into you: “In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul … Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand … and Your right hand will save me” (Psalm 138:3, 7).
You can trust the Lord to see you through any circumstance in your life. The Word of God is full of glorious promises and our Lord delights in our faith and trust. Don’t neglect to encourage yourself in the Lord, just as David did, and grow stronger and stronger each day.
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David Wilkerson (1931 – 2011)
Founder of Times Square Church in New York City with over 100 different languages spoken in the congregation. Wilkerson wrote many powerful books such as: The Vision and Cross and the Switchblade. His ministry was prophetic as God called him to be a watchman to the Church in North America. He gave clear messages on repentance to the Church.Wilkerson also founded Teen Challenge where there are hundreds of centres for Christ-centered drug recovery and addiction recovery. He also organized and spoke at pastors gatherings in many countries where he gave prophetic strong messages to encourage pastors and leaders.
Recommends these books by David Wilkerson:
The Vision and Beyond, Prophecies Fulfilled and Still to Come by David Wilkerson
Knowing God by Name: Names of God That Bring Hope and Healing by David Wilkerson
God's Plan to Protect His People in the Coming Depression by David Wilkerson
David Wilkerson is an American Christian evangelist, most well-known for his book The Cross and the Switchblade. He is also the founder of Times Square Church in New York, an interdenominational church.
Wilkerson is well-known for these early years of his ministry to young drug addicts and gang members in New York City in the 1950s and 1960s. He co-authored a book about his work with the New York drug addicts, The Cross and the Switchblade, which became a best-seller, selling over 50 million copies in over thirty languages since it was published in 1963. The book was included among the 100 most important Christian books of the 20th century.
For over four decades, Wilkerson's ministry has included preaching, teaching and writing. He has authored over 30 books.
David Wilkerson is the founder and president of World Challenge, Inc., a nonprofit organization incorporated on September 22, 1971. Reverend Wilkerson, the author of over thirty inspirational books, is perhaps best known for his early days of ministry to young drug addicts and gang members in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. His story is told in The Cross and the Switchblade, a book he co-authored which became a best-seller. (The story has been read by over 50 million people in some thirty languages and 150 countries since 1963. In 1969, a motion picture of the same title was released.)
For over four decades, Reverend Wilkerson's evangelistic ministry has included preaching, teaching and writing. Throughout that time a distinctive characteristic of his work has been his direct efforts to reach the neediest members of the population with help for both body and soul. Even now, the almost 70 year-old minister often goes out alone or sometimes with an assistant to walk through the streets of New York City, along Broadway and Eighth Avenue or down 42nd Street and nearby "Crack Alley" on 41st Street. His mission is always to seek out the lost, the disoriented, and the addicted , to tell them of the power of the risen Christ to set them free.
David Wilkerson, born in Hammond, Indiana on May 19, 1931, was married in 1953 to Gwen Carosso. The Wilkersons' two sons are ministers, and their two daughters are married to ministers. They have 11 grandchildren. The Wilkersons served small pastorates in Scottsdale and Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, until Reverend Wilkerson saw a photograph in Life magazine of several New York City teenagers charged with murder. Moved with compassion he was drawn to the city in February 1959. It was at that time he began his street ministry to what one writer called "desperate, bewildered, addicted, often violent youth.