Living by Faith in A World of Adversity, Thriving in Times of Calamity, and Succeeding No Matter The Difficulty

By Charles Gimoh

Do you want to thrive in spite of adversity and succeed no matter the odds?

Do you desire a more effective faith that can deliver practical results?

Do you want to live a more fulfilling life?

No one is immune to adversity. Promising destinies have been aborted, great dreams have been shattered, and mighty heroes have been reduced to zeroes, due to sudden calamities or stubborn difficulties.

Unbelief will keep us struggling to survive and unable to thrive amid adversity and challenges. But those who dare to believe God and boldly step out of their comfort zone; will like Peter discover that they can walk on water by faith. This book audaciously assures us that 'The challenges and limitations imposed upon us by worldly circumstances are not enough reasons to make us fail. No matter who you are, where you are, or how low you have fallen, you can rise from the dust by faith to take your place in history with champions. Within its pages, you will find the powerfully effective tools you need to unleash your faith and unlock your potentials. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: House Church International
• Release date: May 10, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393023678

Book preview

To Baby Jo, my dear wife

For Grace, my loving mother

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I DEDICATE THIS BOOK to Jesus Christ, the love of my life. I am grateful for the beauty of your grace and the blessing of your presence.

Most of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to charity to support individuals living in extreme poverty, particularly those worst affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

CONTENTS

Dare to Believe

NO ONE IS IMMUNE TO adversity. Promising destinies have been aborted, great dreams have been shattered, and mighty heroes have been reduced to zeroes, due to sudden calamities or stubborn difficulties.

In times of adversity, it is men and women of faith that will turn the tables. They are God's disaster specialists; they are spiritual firefighters to put out satanic fires; they will deal with disasters, stop the mouths of lions, take down Goliaths, and turn the tide of battle in the direction of victory.

Unbelief will keep us struggling to survive and unable to thrive amid adversity and challenges. But those who dare to believe God and boldly step out of their comfort zone; will like Peter discover that they can walk on water by faith. This book audaciously assures us that the challenges and limitations imposed upon us by worldly circumstances are not enough reasons to make us fail. No matter who you are, where you are, or how low you have fallen, you can rise from the dust by faith to take your place in history with champions. Within its pages, you will find the powerfully effective tools you need to unleash your faith and unlock your potentials.

And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

Hebrews 11:32-34.

1

THE MAKING OF CHAMPIONS

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,

the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

THERE ARE MANY WAYS we can define faith, the kind of faith that God wants us to have, a faith that can see the unseen and lay hold on the intangible. A faith that sees the conclusion from the beginning and celebrates victory from the start of the battle. The kind of dynamic, practical faith that can confront adversity, conquer calamity, and succeed despite the difficulties of life. However, one of the best ways to understand this type of mountain-moving, situation-changing, history-making, life-transforming faith, is to look at the lives of men and women who wielded it in the Bible. Actions they say, speak louder than words. The actions of these champions will speak better than any definitions we can give. Via the prism of their lives, we can draw inspiration and muster faith not merely to survive life’s battles but to flourish despite obstacles.

Hebrews 11 is unarguably one of the most significant chapters on faith in scriptures. It ushers us through the corridors of history to give breath-taking glimpses of the faith heroes inducted into God’s Hall of Fame, God’s men and women of influence upon the earth — the Inner Caucus of the Almighty. We see a synopsis of the lives of some of the greatest men and women that ever lived, particularly cataloguing the crises and challenges they faced. And it gives us an insight into how they not only survived but into how they thrived despite the intimidating trials, terrible disasters, and daunting challenges they had. This introductory chapter is dedicated to these champions. These were not angels; they were men and women of like passion. ‘Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months’(James 5:17).

These were common folks who had uncommon experiences; they were natural individuals who dared to walk in the realms of the supernatural. Through their stories, we see how ordinary men and women can become God’s instruments for extraordinary exploits. Through them, we can gain insights into the mysteries of faith and discover the secrets of walking in dominion in a world of adversity, thriving in times of calamity, and succeeding no matter the difficulty. The remarkable lives of these Generals will show us  how we too, can get inducted into the inner caucus of the Almighty on the earth.

God’s Inner Caucus

Many are called, but only a few are chosen (Matthew 22:14). Many are called into the Kingdom of God, but only a few can understand the mysteries of the Kingdom (Matthew 13:11; 2 Corinthians 12:2-4). Draw near to God and He will draw closer to you (James 4:8). To draw near to the invisible God, you must have a faith that transcends physical barriers, a faith that can see beyond your natural vision, faith that can see the unseen.

It is one thing to be a believer, but it is quite another thing to believe. There are many believers in the Kingdom, but there are only a few who genuinely believe the Word. God’s people are many, but God’s men and women are few. The Israelites were all people of God, but Moses was a man of God. It is easy to become one of God’s people, but extremely difficult to become one of God’s men. It is very easy to find God’s people; they are everywhere; it is very difficult to find God’s men; they are quite rare (Ezekiel 22:30).

‘And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?’ (Numbers 12:6-8).

God’s people pray; God’s men prevail. God’s people are popular; God’s men are persecuted. God’s people preach; God’s men prophesy. God’s people feast; God’s men fast. In any congregation, conurbation, or nation, God’s people are always in the majority, God’s men are usually in the minority. God’s man is the man or woman of faith. God’s man is Moses amid a wandering, unbelieving Israel (Exodus 32:7-14; Numbers 12:6-8). God’s man is David amid a cowardly Israelite army (1 Samuel 17:11,20-28,50-54). God’s man is Daniel in the midst of a backslidden Israel (Daniel 6:1-28; 10:11). God’s man is Elijah in the centre of a nation in crisis (1 Kings 18:20-40). God’s man is Deborah, rousing cowering Israel to battle (Judges 4:1-9). God’s man is Esther, taking on the might of an empire (Esther 4:13-16). God’s men are Peter, James, and John amid the twelve disciples (Mark 9:2; 14:32-34; Matthew 26:36-37). God’s men belong to the inner caucus. They may not be popular on earth, but they are recognized in Heaven and respected in Hell.

In a time of great adversity such as this, it is men and women of faith that will turn the tables. They are God’s firemen to put out satanic fires. They are God’s disaster specialists to deal with pandemics, avert disaster, stop the mouths of lions, heal sick people, raise dead bodies, conquer the coronavirus, turn the tide of battle in the direction of victory, glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, and cause multitudes to turn their lives over to Him. Taking on the shield of faith, which is ‘above all’, they are able ‘to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked’ who is on the prowl ‘to steal, to kill, and to destroy’ (Ephesians 6:16; John 10:10). They are God’s Generals to lead the Church’s assault against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). And the gates of hell cannot prevail against them (Matthew 16:18). They are God’s men for a day like this! It is men and women such as these that we need to deal with Covid-19 and today’s challenges.

Interestingly, while every member of the Body of Christ has the potential to walk in this realm of faith and power, due to unbelief, most of us never get to operate in this dimension. Unbelief is our greatest enemy; it paralyses us, keeping us confined within our comfort zone:

‘And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?’ (Matthew 21:25-31).

Constitution of Faith

‘Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen’(Hebrews 11:1).

Faith is a divine guarantee that our hopes will be realised. It is a conviction that God’s promise is a foregone conclusion; that if God said it, He would do it. Faith involves fervently trusting the Lord and absolutely relying on His word while ignoring obvious negative circumstances. Faith takes appropriate positive actions and hopes adamantly for the desired outcome. Faith is characterised by the following essential elements:

Fervent trust in God.

Absolute reliance on God’s Word.

Ignores obvious negative evidence and circumstances.

Takes positive actions and thinks positive thoughts.

Hopes adamantly for the desired outcome.

Fervent Trust in God

‘He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith, giving glory to God’ (Romans 4:20).

Faith is fervent trust in God. To be fervent is to exhibit passionate intensity about something, especially a belief. It means to boil, to burn, or to glow. To trust is to have a strong belief in the reliability or ability of someone or something. To have fervent trust in God, therefore, is to have a passionate and burning conviction that God is able and reliable. It is a strong reflection of confidence in God, that the Almighty is trustworthy, that God can be trusted.

Unbelief borne out of fear will keep us struggling to survive and unable to thrive amid calamity and difficulty. But those who dare to believe God and boldly step out of their comfort zone like Peter will discover that they too can walk on water by faith.

In times of calamity and difficulty, it is easy to shift our focus away from the invisible Creator to concentrate on the visible crisis we are seeing. We must resist that temptation and remain fixated on the Lord. Like Peter, we will begin to sink, the moment we look away from the Saviour to concentrate on the storm (Matthew 14:28-31). The Bible assures us that the ‘fervent prayer’ of a righteous man ‘availeth much’ (James 5:16). It also urges us to be ‘fervent in spirit’ (Romans 12:11). It takes fervent faith to pray fervent prayers, and both are the products of a fervent spirit. To become a champion of