Encouragement from Christ to the Church in Smyrna
The church in Smyrna received a friendly counsel from Jesus Christ. What a blessed assurance to know that Jesus is with you always. Jesus admonished them,
‘Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life’ (Revelation 2:10).
‘And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake’ (Genesis 26:24).
That is why you need to always encourage yourself in the LORD your God. Whatever you are going through as a child of God, do not be afraid and do not look back. Do not think of giving up on Jesus or resign your commitment to Him. The church in Smyrna has gone through the same trials, troubles and came out of it victorious. You will come out of your own trials victorious if you would endure for a while. Your trials and suffering cannot last forever. Christ is saying to you today, ‘Endure for a little season.’
The Courage of the Woman of Zarephath
The woman of Zarephath was never afraid of death. She had strength to prepare her last meal before she and her only son could die while resisting Ahab and Jezebel’s witchcrafts. The hunger was severe but God sustained her. She could have witnessed many people die for their faith. She had attended many burial ceremonies and she was ready to die also instead of compromising her faith.
‘And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son’ (1 Kings 17:13).
‘And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them’ (2 Kings 6:16).
‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness’ (Isaiah 41:10).
Ahab and Jezebel’s witchcraft was not a threat to her. Death had already killed many of her friends and relatives. Therefore, she was no longer afraid. She lived and contended to the day Elisha visited her and told her to fear not. Today, you are alive like the church in Smyrna hearing not from Elijah, Ahab or any rich man in the world but from Christ. Jesus is saying to you today, ‘Do not be afraid.’ Whatever hunger has done to you and your family, fear not. Christ is telling you today to stop being afraid of evil things you know the devil can do.
Elijah’s message to the woman of Zarephath was ‘fear not, go and do as thou hast said, the barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Elijah (see 1 Kings 17:13-14). Whatever your problem is, whether it is cancer, fibroid, barrenness, demonic attacks or threats from ferocious witches, Christ is telling you today, ‘Fear none of those things.’
Trusting in God’s Protection and Deliverance
Jesus told the church at Smyrna to stop being afraid of the occult grandmasters, poverty and the devil. Today is your time to receive the Words of Jesus. He is able to deliver you from the devil, all his agents and problems. Your house rent may be due for renewal; the landlord may be knocking at your door at this moment, the medical reports may be negative but Christ has the final say. Fear not!
You may have woke up today with pains, burden, problems and great enemies, but fear not. A host of soldiers with horses and chariots, who had a mandate to arrest Elisha, surrounded him. But he did not fear them. I cannot tell the kind of negative circumstances that are surrounding you right now and threatening to kill you. But this is an assurance from Jesus, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the Alpha and the Omega. He is saying to you, ‘Fear not.’ Elisha told his servant, ‘fear not; for they that are with us are more than they that are with them’ (2 Kings 6:16).
The letter Jesus sent to the church in Smyrna is not strictly for them only. Today is your time to share in the abundance of this message. Read it through and believe in what Jesus is saying. The bible is filled with great admonitions and encouragement from God. It is a manual of deliverance from above. In the day of Isaiah, he confronted enemies greater than the ones you have today. How did he overcome them? He read God’s Word and trusted God.
God’s Word is written for our learning and deliverance from the devil and his agents together with the problems of life. God told Isaiah,
‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness’ (Isaiah 41:10).
The truth is that we are privileged today more than believers in Smyrna, the woman of Zarephath and Old Testament saints. Why? They received only one letter, believed it and they were delivered from all their problems. But today, all the letters of deliverance from Genesis to Revelation are given to us free of charge. Therefore, I encourage you to read them, believe them and claim the promises therein. It is well with you and your family.
If you are a true believer, it would be hard for you to listen to people that would tell you that anything is impossible. With God, nothing is impossible. It is better to believe in Christ and all the letters of deliverance in the bible instead of your problems.
If you are looking for what to believe, open the scriptures. Do not allow negative things, problems and empty voices around you to lure you into believing in lies of the devil. Are you ready to listen to God, the creator Lord that created you? If your answer is yes, then here is a wonderful passage to encourage you:
‘But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee’ (Isaiah 43:1-3).
‘But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows’ (Matthew 10:30-31).
The same Word God gave to Isaiah, He is giving to you today – Fear not, I have redeemed you, called you by your name, you are mine. If God said you should not be afraid, who or what in the world would then make you afraid? If God said that He has redeemed you, who is able to return you to bondage? If God said you are His property, child, that means that even death cannot claim you unless you decide to hand yourself over to death free of charge.
Child of God, whatever you are passing through now, God said He would be with you. If God is with you, water spirits and their wickedness will flee before God. Evil cannot enter your life from your village river. If your enemies like let them offer one million sacrifices to the queen of the coast, but they cannot flow into your life. If they like let them call their gods, evil spirits like the prophets of Baal from morning to night, they cannot touch you. If your enemies like let them sleep in seven altars, enter one million cults, call fires of death, but they shall not burn you. If they like let them inflame occult fires around your house, office, shops or rooftop. The reality is that such evil flames have no power over you. Why? Because you have a God; the Holy One of Israel. He dealt with Pharaoh of Egypt and He is able to deal with your wicked enemies.