‘I WILL CAUSE’

* Joseph in Potipher’s house: Genesis 39:3-4, “Now his master saw that the LORD was with him and
how the LORD caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight and
became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put
in his charge.”

* Joseph in jail: Genesis 39:21-23, “But the LORD was with Joseph and extended kindness to him,
and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. The chief jailer committed to Joseph's charge all
the prisoners who were in the jail; so that whatever was done there, he was responsible for it. The
chief jailer did not supervise anything under Joseph's charge because the LORD was with him; and
whatever he did, the LORD made to prosper.”

*Meaning of Joseph’s son, Ephraim: Genesis 41:52, “He named the second Ephraim, ‘For,’ he said,
‘GOD has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction."

* Joseph as a Ruler: Genesis 45:8-9, "Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but GOD; and
He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of
Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, 'Thus says your son Joseph, ‘GOD has made me
lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay.”

* Exodus 3:21, “I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when
you go, you will not go empty-handed.”

* Victory over our enemies: Deuteronomy 28:7, "The LORD shall cause your enemies who rise up
against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you
seven ways. The LORD will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put
your hand to, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your GOD gives you. The LORD will
establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the
LORD your GOD and walk in His ways.”

* 1 Chronicles 4:10, “And Jabez called on the GOD of Israel saying, ‘Oh, that You would bless me
indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from
evil, that I may not cause pain!’ So GOD granted him what he requested.”

* Ezra 7:6, “This Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which
the LORD GOD of Israel had given; and the king granted him all he requested because the hand of
the LORD his GOD was upon him.”

* Psalm 20:4, “May He grant you your heart's desire, and fulfill all your purpose!”

* Psalms 37:4-7a, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD; trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your
righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for
Him.”

* Psalm 52:8-9, “But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of GOD; I trust in the
lovingkindness of GOD forever and ever. I will give You thanks forever, because You have done it.
And I will wait on Your Name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones.”
* Psalm 65:9, “You visit the earth and cause it to overflow; You greatly enrich it. The stream of GOD
is full of water; You prepare their grain, for thus You prepare the earth.” He is the One who gives life
and blessing to all things, including His children (the most dear to His Heart of all creation).

* Psalm 67:1-2,7, “GOD be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His Face to shine upon us—
Selah. That Your way may be known on the earth, Your salvation among all nations…GOD blesses us,
that all the ends of the earth may fear Him.”

* Psalm 78:13-16, “He divided the sea and caused them to pass through, And He made the waters
stand up like a heap. Then He led them with the cloud by day and all the night with a light of fire. He
split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them abundant drink like the ocean depths. He brought forth
streams also from the rock and caused waters to run down like rivers.”

* Psalm 80:1-3,7,17-19, “Oh, give ear, Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who
are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth! Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up
Your power and come to save us! O GOD, restore us and cause Your face to shine upon us, and we
will be saved… O GOD of hosts, restore us and cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be
saved…Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, Upon the son of man whom You made
strong for Yourself. Then we shall not turn back from You; Revive us, and we will call upon Your
name. O LORD GOD of hosts, restore us. Cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.”

* Psalm 105:23-24, “Israel also came into Egypt; thus Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. And He
caused His people to be very fruitful, and made them stronger than their adversaries.”

* Psalm 147:17-18, “He casts forth His ice as fragments; who can stand before His cold? He sends
forth His word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow.”

* Isaiah 41:17-20, "The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, and their tongue is
parched with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer them Myself. As the GOD of Israel I will not forsake
them. I will open rivers on the bare heights and springs in the midst of the valleys. I will make the
wilderness a pool of water and the dry land fountains of water. I will put the cedar in the wilderness,
the acacia and the myrtle and the olive tree. I will place the juniper in the desert together with the box
tree and the cypress, that they may see and recognize, and consider and gain insight as well, that the
hand of the LORD has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it.”

* Isaiah 45:5b-8, "I am the LORD, and there is no other; besides Me there is no GOD. I will gird you,
though you have not known Me; that men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there
is no one besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other, the One forming light and creating
darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity. I am the LORD who does all these. Drip down, O
heavens, from above, and let the clouds pour down righteousness. Let the earth open up, and salvation
bear fruit, and righteousness spring up with it. I, the LORD, have created it.”

* Isaiah 61:11, “For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes the things sown in it
to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the
nations.”

* Isaiah 64:1-3, “Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might
quake at Your presence! As fire kindles the brushwood, as fire causes water to boil, to make Your
Name known to Your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Your presence! When You did
awesome things which we did not expect, You came down, the mountains quaked at Your presence.”
* Isaiah 66:9, “Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?’ says the LORD. ‘Shall I
who cause delivery shut up the womb?’ says your GOD.” A faith-builder that our seeking and
praying will not be in vain (Luke 11:1, 5-13).

* Jeremiah 1:5-9, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I
consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations. Then I said, ‘Alas, Lord GOD!
Behold, I do not know how to speak, Because I am a youth.’ But the LORD said to me, ‘Do not say, 'I
am a youth,' because everywhere I send you, you shall go, and all that I command you, you shall
speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you,’ declares the LORD. Then the LORD
stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me, ‘Behold, I have put My
Words in your mouth.”
Compare this with Jeremiah 4:19, “My soul, my soul! I am in anguish! Oh, my heart! My heart is
pounding in me; I cannot be silent, because you have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the
alarm of war.” Jeremiah went from “I do not know how to speak” (1:6) to “I cannot be silent” (4:19)!
That is the change the Spirit of GOD can make within the heart!
Look also at Jeremiah 20:9 (7-11 is all good), “But if I say, ‘I will not remember Him or speak
anymore in His Name,’ then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones; and I am
weary of holding it in, and I cannot endure it.”

* Jeremiah 15:10-11, “Woe to me, my mother, that you have borne me as a man of strife and a man
of contention to all the land! I have not lent, nor have men lent money to me, yet everyone curses me.
The LORD said, ‘Surely I will set you free for purposes of good; surely I will cause the enemy to make
supplication to you in a time of disaster and a time of distress.”

* Ezekiel 34:23-27, "Then I will set over them one Shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed
them; he will feed them Himself and be their Shepherd. And I, the LORD, will be their GOD, and My
servant David will be prince among them; I the LORD have spoken. I will make a covenant of peace
with them and eliminate harmful beasts from the land so that they may live securely in the wilderness
and sleep in the woods. I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing. And I will cause
showers to come down in their season; they will be showers of blessing. Also the tree of the field will
yield its fruit and the earth will yield its increase, and they will be secure on their land. Then they will
know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bars of their yoke and have delivered them from the
hand of those who enslaved them.” Verses 23-24 establish the fact He’s referring to the New
Covenant. Verses 25-27 refer to the work that He will do under the New Covenant.

* Ezekiel 36:10-12, “I will multiply men on you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities will be
inhabited and the waste places will be rebuilt. I will multiply on you man and beast; and they will
increase and be fruitful; and I will cause you to be inhabited as you were formerly and will treat you
better than at the first. Thus you will know that I am the LORD. Yes, I will cause men—My people
Israel—to walk on you and possess you, so that you will become their inheritance and never again
bereave them of children.” He will cause us to possess our inheritance in Christ JESUS!

* Ezekiel 36:23-30, "I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among
the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD,’
declares the Lord GOD, ‘when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight. For I will take you from
the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean
water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your
idols.”
“Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart
of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to
walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. You will live in the land that I
gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your GOD.”
“Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call for the grain and multiply it,
and I will not bring a famine on you. I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, so
that you will not receive again the disgrace of famine among the nations.” From start to finish, we can
clearly see that this work of the New Covenant (“ministry of the Spirit”—2 Cor. 3:6-8) is HIS doing,
His grace, working in our hearts and in His Church, NOT anything we can do in our own efforts.

* Ezekiel 36:33-36, “Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities,
I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places will be rebuilt. The desolate land will be
cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by. They will say, 'This
desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate and ruined cities are
fortified and inhabited.' Then the nations that are left round about you will know that I, the LORD,
have rebuilt the ruined places and planted that which was desolate; I, the LORD, have spoken and
will do it." A continuation of the same ministry of the Spirit and New Covenant as the reference above.

* Ezekiel 37:1-3, “The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the
LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. He caused me to pass
among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they
were very dry. He said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ And I answered, ‘O Lord GOD, You
know." A—We will see in this passage (v. 1-14) the same thing mentioned in Ezekiel 36, that from
start to finish, it is a work of the Holy Spirit, not something we can do in our efforts.
B—“He caused me…”, meaning that the Lord was helping Ezekiel to understand the utter
impossibility of any change taking place.
C—“and lo, they were very dry.” Compare this with the raising of Lazarus from the dead in John 11.
Perhaps most of our faith for healing would have run out before he died; some people’s faith would
run out after a short time following a death. But even his close friends, Martha and Mary, did not have
the faith that Christ could heal after 4 days of being dead (John 11:21-22, 32, 39). These bones were
“very dry”, meaning these men had been dead a very long time (for at least some months for exposed
bodies to become only skeletons).
D—Ezekiel’s response of, “O Lord GOD, you know” indicates his knowledge of GOD’s power, but
knowing that he could not have the faith for these bones to live.

* Ezekiel 37:4-10, “Again He said to me, ‘Prophesy over these bones and say to them, 'O dry bones,
hear the word of the LORD.' Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, 'Behold, I will cause breath to
enter you that you may come to life. I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you
with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the LORD.' So
I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and
the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh
grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then He said to me, ‘Prophesy to the
breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Come from the four
winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life.’ So I prophesied as He commanded
me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great
army.” A—“I will cause breath to enter you so that you may come to life.” Again, we see from start to
finish the utter impossibility for these bones to come to life. Whether we’re talking about our initial
salvation, or some work of grace, deliverance or victory in our life, it’s clear that we have as much
power to accomplish the work as these bones: ZERO.
B—What was the purpose of this vision? We’ll see more later, but the main purpose in these verses
was that the nation of Israel would rise up and become the “great army” of GOD that He had called
them to be. This is perhaps more accurately applicable to the Church, the Body of Christ, than it was
the Old Testament Jews. The New Testament Church is called to be the Body of Christ, the army of
GOD tearing down the strongholds of Satan and bringing freedom to many captives.
C—When we think of a natural army, such as in the USA, more accurately termed as “military”: the
military is comprised of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and so many other branches which are
also connected with these military operations. The President is the ultimate authority, working with the
Department of Defence. Can you imagine the US military being able to win a war if these different
branches were not in unity with each other? If there was no clear structure of authority? If most of
their “training camps” and “boot camps” were not actively involved in training the soldiers for war?
That seems to be the current condition of the Church, totally disunified, no longer able to work
together to do the work of the Lord or tear down demonic strongholds, and most of the “training
camps” (individual churches and ministries) not at all involved in actually training the believers to do
battle for the souls of men. Ephesians 4:11-13

* Ezekiel 37:11-14, “Then He said to me, ‘Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel;
behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.'
Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Behold, I will open your graves and
cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. Then
you will know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out
of your graves, My people. I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place
you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken and done it,’ declares the
LORD." A—Now the Lord is giving the interpretation of the vision Ezekiel has seen. The people of
Israel had completely lost hope they could ever be restored to their land, or fulfil His intended purpose
for the children of Israel.
B—From start to finish, He is the One who opens the grave (breaks the bondage of the enemy over
our lives: Ezekiel 34:27), who causes us to come up out of those graves. Through the death of JESUS
Christ, the bondage of sin and Satan has been broken. Yet how many of us have not yet come up out of
that bondage, even though the victory has been won? And He is the One who puts His Spirit (breath)
within us and brings us into possession of the promised land (the kingdom of GOD, JESUS).
C—And what is one of the main purposes of v. 11-14? To make us that “exceedingly great army” of
GOD.
D—When the Lord does something in our lives, we should recognize it as a miracle, something we
could not have done in our own strength. “Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and
done it.” Hallelujah!

* Zechariah 8:9, 12-13, "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Let your hands be strong, you who are
listening in these days to these words from the mouth of the prophets, those who spoke in the day that
the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, to the end that the temple might be
built…For there will be peace for the seed: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce
and the heavens will give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these
things. It will come about that just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and
house of Israel, so I will save you that you may become a blessing. Do not fear; let your hands be
strong.”
A—Why was the foundation laid? “to the end that the temple might be built”. The Lord did not save
us so that His temple (our bodies and His Church) would only have a foundation!
B—“peace for the seed”. What does this mean? Seed needs a safe place with good soil; otherwise it
cannot grow. Where is the safe place of “peace” for the Seed, the Word of GOD? It’s only found
within a good heart (Matthew 13:23; Mark 4:20; Luke 8:15). All other seed will somehow get ruined
or not bear fruit for some reason.
C—HE WILL CAUSE us to bear fruit and yield our produce, and the heavens to water our hearts, to
bring blessing upon His Church, and make us a blessing. If we truly believe these promises, then fear
is gone, and we’ll be encouraged to move forward in building the house of GOD for His glory.

* Matthew 13:10-12, “And the disciples came and said to Him, ‘Why do You speak to them in
parables?’ JESUS answered them, ‘To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom
of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he
will have an abundance…” It is totally impossible for the natural mind to understand the mysteries of
His kingdom. The mysteries of His kingdom are in His Hands, and He “grants” those mysteries to be
understood only by those who are truly seeking after Him. Not like the crowds, seemingly content to
walk away from His teaching without any true understanding.

* John 6:65, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the Words that I have spoken to
you are Spirit and are life. And He was saying, ‘For this reason I have said to you, that no one can
come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father." (compare with Ephesians 1:15-18)
A good picture of the grace of GOD, a salvation that cannot be purchased or earned in any way. We
cannot even understand Christ, the Word of GOD, without this granting of His favor.

* Acts 4:29-31, “And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may
speak Your Word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take
place through the Name of Your holy Servant JESUS.’ And when they had prayed, the place where
they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to
speak the word of God with boldness.” The beautiful reality that there is not one gram of power within
ourselves to do His work. The boldness to share His Words, the healings, the signs and wonders…it
ALL comes from the Father, “through the Name of Your holy Servant JESUS”.

* Romans 8:28, “And we know that GOD causes all things to work together for good to those who
love GOD, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Who but our all-knowing (omniscient)
and omnipresent GOD could possibly bring such a work together for millions of His children all
around the world!?

* Romans 15:5-6, “Now may the GOD who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be
of the same mind with one another according to Christ JESUS, so that with one accord you may with
one voice glorify the GOD and Father of our Lord JESUS Christ.” Though we have responsibility to
obey His instructions in regard to loving one another, forgiving each other, being patient, forbearing,
etc., those who have spent much time in ministry, actually dealing with people, should clearly be able
to understand that it requires a major work of grace to bring about this type of unity. Is there any
wonder? John 17:23 illustrates the power of Christian unity among the believers, so definitely we can
expect an all-out assault of the powers of darkness to tear down that unity, building walls between us.

* 1 Corinthians 3:4-7, “For when one says, ‘I am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you
not mere men? What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as
the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but GOD was causing the growth.
So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but GOD who causes the
growth.” Oh how we the Body of Christ need to understand these words, that we are not “anything”,
but it is “GOD who causes the growth”.
* Ephesians 1:16-19, “…while making mention of you in my prayers; that the GOD of our Lord
JESUS Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the
knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what
is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is
the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the
working of the strength of His might…” Two-fold Scriptures: a prayer and a promise. Is it not His will
to give us this spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him? Couple this with Colossians
1:26-27, “…the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been
manifested to His saints, to whom GOD willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this
mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

* Ephesians 3:14-19, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family
[“the whole family”—KJV, NKJV] in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you,
according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner
man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded
in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and
depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the
fullness of GOD.” Again, a prayer and a promise: would the Spirit of the Lord include such prayers
within His Word if it wasn’t His Heart’s desire to fulfil these words? Do we as His Body not
desperately need all these things to be fulfilled in us so that His work can be fully accomplished here
on earth?

* Philippians 2:12-13, “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence
only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is
GOD who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Why should we have
“fear and trembling”? Because the Lord has HIS plans for our lives (including the sanctification of our
hearts), and we need to allow our Creator to have His way within us. Compare verse 13 with Hebrews
13:21 and Jude 1:24-25.

* 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13, “…and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one
another, and for all people, just as we also do for you; so that He may establish your hearts without
blame in holiness before our GOD and Father at the coming of our Lord JESUS with all His saints.”
A—There is such a clear connection here between the love and holiness of GOD. We cannot say that
we are “holy” without our hearts truly abounding with love for others.
B—We can see our utter dependency upon the Lord in the word “cause”.
C—Again, in this prayer/blessing we can also see the promise of GOD. He’s not going to include
these things in His Word if it isn’t His desire to fulfil it.

* 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, “Now may the GOD of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your
spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord JESUS
Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.” This is a confirmation of
what’s been written above, that the prayer/blessings of GOD’s Word are also promises. In verse 24,
He clearly says that He is faithful to bring this prayer/blessing to pass within our lives. Hallelujah!

* 2 Thessalonians 3:5, “May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of GOD and into the
steadfastness of Christ.”
A—Totally dependent upon Him to “direct” our hearts into His ways, in this case into His love.
B—Not only is it He who directs our heart into His love, but only He can “direct” our hearts into the
“steadfastness of Christ”. As human beings we are so prone to be like the chaff or leaf, driven by the
winds, living our lives like spiritual yo-yos, up one day (or minute) and down the next. Our Lord
JESUS never lived His life like that. While on earth He was consistently holy, full of love, and always
ready to do the Father’s will, whether it was being a Carpenter, taking care of His siblings, engaged in
full-blown ministry, or dying on a Cross. And what about now? Now He is the epitome of steadfast
holiness, love, etc, nothing else even remotely possible within His character.

* 2 Timothy 4:18, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His
heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” Only by His grace and mercy could
these feet ever leave the ground on that Day, or enter into the gates of glory.
* Hebrews 13:20-21, “Now the GOD of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of
the sheep through the Blood of the eternal covenant, even JESUS our Lord, equip you in every good
thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through JESUS Christ, to
whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
A—Another one of the prayer/blessing/promises of GOD, a promise that He will equip us to do His
service and will here on this earth.
B—How will this equipping take place? There’s only one way, through “the Way”, JESUS Christ
(also Jude 1:24-25). As in Philippians 2:13, it is our GOD that is working within us, both to will and to
do for His pleasure.

* 1 Peter 5:8-10, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a
roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same
experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have
suffered for a little while, the GOD of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will
Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”
A—We must understand: we cannot overcome this “roaring lion”, one who is bigger, stronger and
wiser that we are, in our own strength or wisdom. It is our “faith” in Him that empowers us to
overcome the evil one (1 John 4:4; 5:4-5)
B—It is only our “GOD of all grace” who can “perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish us.” A
beautiful promise for us as we war with the enemy. It is not in vain!

* Jude 1:24-25, “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the
presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only GOD our Savior, through JESUS Christ
our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”
A—Again, He is the One “who is able” to keep us from stumbling into sin or falling away. And He is
the One who can “make you stand” before Him without blame.
B—It has nothing to do with our abilities or strength. It is GOD working in us, “through JESUS Christ
our Lord” (Hebrews 13:21). Thus, He alone deserves all glory!