When the children of Israel were delivered from Egypt and they crossed over the Red Sea, their faith was at an all-time high. They sang, danced and shouted the praises of God for revealing his mighty arm of deliverance. “The Lord is my strength and song … your right hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power … the Lord shall reign forever and ever” (Exodus 15:2, 6, 18).
But the Israelites soon forgot his works and turned away from his guidance. They reverted to doubt and unbelief, and the heavenly Father was incredulous. “Now the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel. Then the Lord said to Moses: ‘How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?’” (Numbers 14:10-11). What a profound cry from the heart of God: “What do I have to do to find a people who will fully trust me?”
Just as in Moses’ day, God’s people today trudge blindly on in unbelief, seeming to believe that the grace of God exempts them from the penalties of sin. But the Word makes it clear that even followers of Christ can possess a heart capable of unbelief, “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12). It is not talking of degenerates here; it is talking to believers. “Brothers, beware, because you could have a heart of unbelief — in you!”
The Scriptures say, “For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end” (3:14). Some of God’s people today are losing the unwavering confidence they once had because of severe testing. Jesus warned of fiery trials of faith that would immediately precede his coming but do not fall back into fear and unbelief.
“Your faith [is] much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire” (1 Peter 1:7). Though you will go through trials do not allow your faith to be diminished by the fire. Instead, allow your faith to be purified. To be made holy. Endure the temporary hardship for an eternal blessing. The God you serve loves you and can be trusted to bring you through any test!
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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.