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Ring of Truth provides 366 daily ‘proofs’ that the Bible is consistent throughout from Genesis to Revelation, and relevant for our lives today!
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Ezra 6:11
“Furthermore, I decree that if anyone changes this edict, a beam is to be pulled from his house and he is to be lifted up and impaled on it. And for this crime his house is to be made a pile of rubble.”
Satan always, eventually, overplays his hand.
So often Satan increases the rate and intensity of his attacks until he culminates in a major offensive, which totally backfires on him. He did with Job, as we shall see later, and also with Nehemiah and Esther. And he can do it with us, too. Here, he started with trying infiltration. When that didn’t work, he resorted to frustration and discouragement. When he saw that those weren’t successful either, he thought - ‘I’ll get the people to write and complain to the overseeing political authorities. That should fix them.’
That became his downfall. He thought it would put the fear of death into the people of God, so that they would give up once and for all. But they knew that they had authority. The letter went too far. The accusers asked the authorities to look up the records and see if the workers had any authority to rebuild. That is what clinched it. In their ignorance, they thought this would put an end to all the rebuilding. But God knew their plan. He had already secured the future, because as the king and officials looked back in the records - they found the truth and the evidence of the authority.
But look what that did. Not only did the workers receive authority to carry on but so much more. Firstly, they received a promise that anyone who meddled with their work would be hanged on the cross beams of his own home and that his house would become nothing more than rubble. Crucified and crumbled. Or as they used to say in England, “Hung, drawn and quartered.” And secondly, the king decreed: “The expenses of these men are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury, from the revenues of Trans-Euphrates, so that the work will not stop” (v 8).
So, not only could they carry on with the work unmolested but they would also, in future, get paid to do it. Not a bad outcome. And on top of all that, they were to be given everything they required for the daily sacrifices, whether animals, grain, oil or wine. I call that a victory, don’t you?
Can I encourage you? You may feel frustrated by the enemy in completing the vision God has given you. Wait, it can get worse. BUT when Satan issues his battle ultimatum, rejoice - GOD HAS NEVER LOST ONE YET, nor missed a deadline. On the contrary, you will experience the most phenomenal victory that you could have ever hoped for or imagined.
When I worked with Radio Rhema Inc. in New Zealand, the ‘enemy’ decided to put an end to our broadcasting days in one easy move. The radio frequencies were deregulated, and everyone was ‘invited’ to tender for all their currently licensed frequencies and any others they might wish to obtain (for the next 20 years); the idea being that everyone would pay huge sums bringing in much needed finance to the ‘dollar-focused’ Government.
‘We’ were a charity, relying exclusively upon freewill donations and subscriptions, so could not hope to raise the sort of funds, which would be expected to come in from the corporate sector in competition. However, the Government had made a provision for Charities to be excluded from needing to tender for their current licences, but in naming the charities involved, they had purposely excluded Radio Rhema Inc.
To cut a very long story short, not only did the Government have to back down, so that ‘we’ kept our already hard won frequencies, but also the Lord provided sufficient finance for us to secure, at tender, enough frequencies to complete our nation-wide coverage and create the foundation for a second network for a youth channel. Today Rhema has 3 networks. ‘Our’ potential defeat became a resounding victory.
Hold on my friend, your deliverance is near. When it comes, it will prove to be an unassailable, impenetrable Victory. Because our God cannot fail.
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