The Cares of this Life

I have always believed that God has solutions for our every problem.  As I grew in skill and wisdom, I became very good at helping to make life smoother for my family and myself, tackling areas that did not run well and thinking ahead so that other matters would not go “wrong.”  Imagine my surprise when I became over-burdened with the cares of this life.

Jesus told us in the parable of the sower and the seeds that one area of our hearts where the word of God would not grow well was the area where we let thorns grow; the thorns are the cares of this life (Lk 8:14).  The first “care” Jesus mentions is “life’s worries.” The next two are “riches and pleasures.” Though we can avoid the love of this life and other pursuits that would snare us, Christians often feel called to set their mind on the problems of life that need to be solved, and the burden they carry increases until they can bear no more.

God gives men and women the wonderful capacity to not only endure the troubles of this life, but also to labor with Him on areas they are called to.  Each person has his or her own gift to maintain life and to prevent harm.  And yet, even Jesus said there would be troubles in this life.  He did not eliminate them all, and neither can we.  In fact, Jesus did not bring peace between men (Mt 10:34).  Serving God can put us in positions that actually cause things to run very unsmoothly.

Though we each are called to serve God in ways that address areas we care about, how can we prevent ourselves from being held captive by these cares?  Indeed, some problems are not solved in our life-time. And, the longer we walk with God on the earth, the more we see that we ourselves have troubled areas within us that need to be addressed. I believe Jesus gave us advise that will prevent us from becoming over-burdened when He asked His people to take His yoke upon them, for then their burden would be light (Mt 11:30).  If we are yoked to Jesus, He will pull the heavier burden of the problems that need to be worked on, and our walk alongside of Him will become lighter.

How do we let Jesus carry the heavier yoke and pull the heavier load? We must trust Him.  To walk in God’s kingdom requires us to have faith in Him, just as a little child has faith (Mt 18:3-4).  Though we can do great things, in our mind we must be humble like a little child, trusting God for the outcome.  Our minds can become entangled in the problems of our lives, causing us to worry and become over-burdened with what we care about.  But the humility of child-like faith is to not think above God; we must give Him the highest place in solving problems and running life, and not let our thoughts contend with what He is doing (2 Cor 10:5). 

To come to the place of humility of mind, we cannot base our trust on what we see God do about those things we entrust Him with.  Paul writes “For I know Whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day.” (2 Tim 1:12).  Though his life was full of suffering, Paul did not attempt to change these circumstances.  Instead, he trusted God’s purposes for not only his own life, but for the kingdom as well.  We have Paul’s writings because God faithfully worked in his life, despite the problems that remained and eventually took his life.

Let us not let the troubles of this life over-run our hearts with their burdens.  Today, take Jesus yoke upon yourself, trusting Him as a little child would.  If we have this humbleness in our minds, the word of God will bear much fruit in us, and we will be successful in serving God.  Amen.

Strategy 2

In the prior lessons I wrote about strategies.  One way to look at God’s strategy of Jesus dying on the cross for Mankind is this:

·         Satan’s plan was to kill the Son of God so that he could stop God’s work on the earth.

·         God’s plan was that His Son’s death would bring the Holy Spirit into believers, multiplying God’s work on the earth (Jn 16:7).

God out-strategizes His enemy every time.

Strategies

In my previous lesson I talked about God’s strategy of secrecy.  Of course, the Lord must have many strategies in addition to His hiddenness.  Strategies are necessary because there is an enemy, and God knows His enemy’s devices.  God’s strategies equip us to “stand against the devil’s schemes” as we “stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (Eph 6:10-13).

Jesus, being the Word of God, knew His purpose on the earth (Jn 1:1-3).  Nothing was spoken without His mouth containing the words.  We read that which was spoken about what Jesus’ sacrifice would look like in Isaiah 53.  He

• Seemed stricken by God
• Was despised and rejected by men
• Was physically wounded, and unfairly judged for sins He had not committed
• Jesus died a shameful death, the cross being a curse
• His blameless life shows that He was not worthy of having the sins of all Man heaped onto Him, like a scapegoat.

This was God’s plan for Mankind’s salvation.  Jesus was there in the beginning, before the world was created, and spoke this plan into being. 

Men have thought that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was God’s way of settling legal ordinances against us.  This is true, and yet if we look at legal issues alone we not only miss God’s strategy; we fail to see our enemy’s.  Jesus had just been affirmed by God from heaven, Who said “This is my Son whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Mt3:16-17)  Satan’s first purpose of temptation was to cause Jesus to doubt His Heavenly Father’s words. Because satan did not want Jesus to save Mankind, he met Him to tempt Him in the wilderness.  The enemy of God’s purposes offered

• Strength and endurance by physical means.  Satan wanted Jesus’ powerful fast to be broken. To plant doubt, he began with “If you are the Son of God. . . ”.  And to usurp the fast, He asked Jesus to compromise; prove Himself by making bread out of rocks (Mt 4:3).  Satan’s underlying message was that Jesus could achieve spiritual goals and avoid suffering by using His powers.  But it was because Jesus did not rely on His powers alone that He was able to drink the cup of suffering which led Him to the cross (Lk 22:40-46).
• Protection if Jesus would prove Himself by defying the physical laws men are subjected to (Mt 4:6).  This would cause Jesus to walk as a supernatural human being, unlike the One Who would be acquainted with the sorrows of men. However, Jesus “had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people.  Because He himself suffered when he was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Heb:17-18)Jesus made Himself like a human, not a god, and humbled Himself to death . . . even death on a cross (Phil 2:6-8).
• The splendor and authority of the kingdoms of this world (Mt 4:8-9). To usurp God’s plan of using Jesus as the sacrificial lamb for Mankind, satan offered Him the kingdoms without the sacrifice.  Though this temptation does not question the legitimacy of Jesus being the Son of God, it plants doubt on the acceptance of His sacrifice.  Because satan is the accuser of the brethren, he would be there in heaven to accuse Jesus’ sacrifice to the Father, for Jesus would have all the sin of Mankind laid upon Him.  We see this principle in Zechariah 3 where satan accuses the high priest Joshua, who has filthy garments on.  Legally, the garments did not meet the standards of a priest who was to atone for the sins of others.  In the vision we see that the filthy garments are exchanged for “rich” ones, and all the filthiness of the sins are taken away.  The Lord rebukes satan, revealing that it is God Himself Who snatches men from the fire to redeem them. In Revelation 5 we see that Jesus’ sacrifice was received by God, and all His shame was taken away.  He then receives His rightful place of glory, honor, power and authority. 

As we follow in Jesus’ footsteps, we must consider how to take our stand for faith, and against our enemy.  Looking at how our common enemy tempted Jesus shows us many strategies.  Satan is not a creative being, and he repeats his temptations over and over again.  Here are some points to consider;

• Just as satan tried to plant doubt by saying “If you are the Son of God . . . “, so he also will try to plant doubt in our minds that we are Jesus’ followers, Christians who are co-heirs in the family of God.  Satan tries to erase what God has said and His promises to us in the scriptures.  Similarly, he asked Eve “Has God said . . . ?” in the garden of Eden (Gen 3:1).  Doubt regarding our relationship with God is his first weapon against us, and the shield of faith is our defense (Eph 6:16).
• Compromise with our flesh is a strong temptation from our enemy, for we do not like to suffer.  It is a mature Christian that comes to the realization that suffering is in his life as he lays it down on the altar of sacrifice, taking up his own cross to follow Christ.  Though Jesus came to the earth from heaven, He learned obedience through those things He suffered, and thereby His life was perfected as an acceptable offering (Heb 5:8-10).  We too have to learn obedience through suffering if we are to follow in His steps.
• Satan also tries to get us to focus on the supernatural as a means to prove our spirituality to God and to others.  This will distance us from most people, causing our hearts to be cold and indifferent to their needs.  Though Jesus was “acquainted” with the griefs of people, those who devote their time to supernatural endeavors will be out of touch with the patience it takes to walk another mile with a brother, and will deny themselves the inconvenience of surrendering their coat to warm him.  If Jesus, the Son of God, had to be fully human, then we also can be fully human while we are becoming the sons and daughters of God. This is what it means; “every spirit that has come in the flesh is from God” and that is how we can know when the Holy Spirit is speaking (1 Jn 4:2-3).  Jesus was fully human. And, as He was in this world, so are we (1 Jn 4:17).  In our flesh the Son of God has come, when we are baptized by His Holy Spirit.  The spirit of Anti Christ says we cannot be like Him, and that He had special powers that enabled Him to be perfect. However, imperfect as we are, the supernatural does not hold the key to our perfection; our obedience in our flesh does.
• Satan always tempts us to take short cuts, or the easy way out.  He likes to tell us that all our sacrifice is not going to accomplish a thing, and that we can have the world and all its glories and still achieve our goals.  In fact, he tempts the servants of God by deceiving them into thinking that they can do more for God if they have more of the world.  The prophet Malachi spoke against the spiritual leaders of his time for believing the same thing. They had said “It is futile to serve God.  What did we gain by carrying out His requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty?  Certainly the evil doers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.” (Mal 3:14-15).  Our enemy wants us to covet the world and find all the good in it that would serve our purposes.  God wants us to forsake the world and serve His purposes in our lives as He works His will in us (Phil 2:13).

I do not believe that the Lord wants us to focus on satan’s weapons in order to defeat him.  Rather, let us be equipped with God’s strategies.  Peter put it this way: “Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are under-going the same kind of sufferings.” (2 Pet 5:8-9)  Therefore, stand firm in who you are in Christ, your place in His family, and in all He has both written and spoken.  Know that you are called to suffer in the flesh (1 Pet 4:1), but that Jesus will restore you and make you strong (1 Pet 5:10-11).  Remember that the proof of our spirituality is not the supernatural works we do, but the works of love we give (Mt 25:31-45). And do not become a friend of the world, thinking to use the world to gain the kingdom of God, for those who do so will not have the love of God in them (1 Jn 2:15-17).  Amen.

Wars and Rumors of Wars

“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed.  Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.  Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.  There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.  All these are the beginning of birth pains.” (Mt 24:6-8)

Jesus spoke about the end of times to his disciples, telling them what the conditions would be like.  Concerning wars, we have plenty.  Yet Jesus tells us that we are not to be alarmed about these wars, famines and earthquakes.  Like birth pains, they are the beginning of a process.  Though men write their predictions about what is to happen, they are writing “rumors” and not focusing on how to prepare.

God has “strategy”. We hear that word a lot in Christian literature and at prayer meetings as people lead us to pray or call us into action.  However, one of God’s greatest strategies is secrecy.  We see this in Psalm 18 where king David cries out to the Lord for help.  When the Lord came down, “He made darkness His covering, His canopy around Him.”  Dark clouds with hailstones and bolts of lightning preceded His arrival. His voice thundered, and He took action (Ps 18:11-14).  What began in heaven, came to earth, covered for a period of time in secrecy.  Then God spoke, rebuking David’s enemies, and those things that were covered over became apparent (vs 15).

Nothing happens on the earth without first happening in heaven . . . and nothing happens in heaven until God speaks. God has not lost track of what is going on here on earth.  It is God’s strategy to tell us what will precede the end so that we will know what time we live in.  And yet, wars, famines and earthquakes are not what we should focus on.   We are waiting for the court to convene and make decisions on our behalf (Dan 7:26-27).  One day the Ancient of Days will pronounce judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and then we will possess the Kingdom of God (Dan 7:22). We are waiting for God to speak.

God will win this war in heaven.  His first strategy was to kick the accuser of the brethren out of heaven.  The God who has strategies, who holds mysteries until their time of unveiling, has equipped us to deal with our enemy on the earth.  Jesus disclosed what He knew about the end of times, revealing our enemy’s weapons against us.  Jesus’ first warning was “Watch out that no one deceives you.  For many will come in My name, claiming ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many (Mt 24:4-5). “Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.” (vs 11)  Deception and falsehood are some of the weapons our enemy will use against us. 

Jesus also talked about persecution, which will cause many to fall away, and to betray their brethren.  It is a time of sifting, and only those who love the Lord and His people will remain in the faith.

Wickedness will grieve many people, and yet others will become cold and indifferent in their hearts.  Our enemy will try to overcome the good works that are a light to the people on the earth.  Yet those that continue to do works of love will overcome satan, and their light will save many.

From looking at Jesus’ warnings and predictions in Matthew 24 we see a few strategies to use against our enemy.  To begin with, we must love the truth more than loving those who minister to us.  If what they are saying does not line up with the scriptures and is not handled by the Holy Spirit, we should beware.  The second strategy is called “endurance.”  If we let go of the love of this life and all it holds for us then persecution will not turn us away from God.  We will be looking for a permanent residence with Him, called The City of God.  And finally, love people. When we let God bring the weak and imperfect into our lives love grows, and works of love are produced.  Faith works through love (Gal 5:6), and therefore both protect us from a cold heart and meaningless faith.

Amen. God bless you!

Intimacy

God chose the term “Bride” to describe His people.  It symbolizes an intimate relationship between two people, and spiritually, the relationship between the Son of God and His beloved. This intimate relationship contains honesty, vulnerability, openness, and is an aspect of faith, believing in the love of the other’s heart;  a love that will receive us and love us back.

God’s people sometimes lose the concept of intimacy when relating to God.  If we are focused on what we can do for God, our goal becomes the white linen garment mentioned in Revelation 19:8.  Today the Lord asked me this question; “What good is a garment if there is no body to put it on?”  While God appreciates all we do, and desires us to fulfill our destinies, a bride is still a bride; the intended one with whom God desires an intimate relationship.  Our preparation for the marriage should not be so many works that we become emotionally and spiritually unavailable for intimacy.

If intimacy were based on information-sharing then God could be satisfied with His people coming to Him for more news and better guidance.  However, a bride is more than a friend to share information with; she is one with whom the groom shares his heart.  All his dreams and plans are shared with his loved one . . . and his admiration for her.  Intimacy is a time for exchanging what the heart wants to express.  Our loving worship comes from our relationship with the Lord. 

Because we cannot see the practical purpose for intimacy, our human mind often dismisses the need for time spent on this kind of relationship with God.  After the Lord asked me what good the garment was without a body to put it on, I understood that the body was us, His people, and that He desired our affection and time.  The Lord continued, saying “Receive Me as Who I am in your life and then we can build our relationship.”  I was suddenly aware that I had been trying to shape God into One Who provides practical answers.  He was becoming  One Whom I needed, and Who I wanted Him to be, by my faith.

I had faith for ending trials by wonderful solutions, not for having a Friend to walk through them with.  I was believing for great wisdom whereby obstacles would be avoided and things would run smoothly; not for grace to navigate work with less than perfect fellow human beings, including myself.  Often I had missed God’s availability because I hadn’t accepted Him for Who He is in my life.  I was busy trying to direct Him by my misguided faith.

Relationships can become very practical.  In families, there is a lot of activity and less time available for listening to one another’s heart.  After the children are grown and the home is quiet, the husband and wife look at each other and wonder at how little they really know each other.  Busyness and activities kept their hearts quiet for a season.  This can happen to Christians also. 

Sometimes we seek busyness to avoid the loneliness in our hearts.   However, the Lord has put loneliness in our hearts to drive us towards intimacy; intimacy with God and intimacy with others.  He wants His people to know Him, and feel loved. These people will be His Bride, and no matter how many hardships come upon the earth, they will not feel separated from God’s love (Ro 8:35-39).  Let us examine our faith, and whether we want God to provide for our practical needs alone, or to be a God with Whom we also have intimate fellowship.  Amen.

The Authority of Christ #2

To apply Christ’s authority in one’s life we have to know whom to exert that authority for, and against.  If we rightly identify our enemy’s works, we can pray against him.  And that leaves the field wide open to pray for the brethren.

Satan wants to turn us against God and against each other.  We have authority to defeat that process, if we choose to love instead of hate, and have faith instead of doubt.  When we pray on behalf of a brother or sister in Christ, we build God’s kingdom and destroy satan’s.  When we pray against satan’s activities, we do the same.  Our enemy will send onslaughts against our mind to prevent us from prayer because it is so powerful.  He will intimidate us so that we will not feel worthy of the authority we were given.  Satan is afraid of the outcome of prayer.

Though in Revelation 12 we see the battle fought in heaven, it has come to the earth.  We fight it in our minds, with our choices and emotions.  The results of our inner wars determine our outer words and actions.  Well it was written that the issues of life reside within the heart (Prov 4:23).  If we keep our hearts fortified with love and the word of God, we will speak and act well.  If we let our hearts become plundered with doubt and hatred, we will become an agent of our enemy and a campground for fools.

We should thank satan for bringing our brethren before us to accuse.  Our reply should be “thank you for reminding me to pray for him.”  Train your mind to be aware of what our enemy brings to you.  Remember that you have the authority to forgive or to retain a man’s offenses against him (Jn 20:23). Because of our authority in Christ, satan tries to get us to deliver a verdict against one another.  However, as subtle and wiley as he is, God is wiser.  Our prayers for each other deliver one another from trial and into appointed destinies.  On our knees we can do exploits for our Lord.

The Authority of Christ

When God sends us a sign, we should pay attention.  In Revelation 12 God shows two signs in the sky.  One is a woman dressed in the sun, standing on the moon and with a crown of 12 stars on her head.  The second sign is the red dragon, satan.  After the woman bears a manchild the dragon seeks to destroy him, yet thechild is caught up to heaven.  A war breaks out between the dragon and his demons with God’s angel Michael and His angels, and it ends with satan and his demons being cast out of heaven.

What was the result of the war which followed God’s signs in heaven?  We are told that four things came to Man: Salvation, power, the Kingdom of God, and the authority of Christ.  God showed John the struggle in heaven that took place, where satan tried to prevent salvation from coming to Mankind.  God also showed satan’s defeat.

When God tells us the name of a spiritual entity, it is important.  He called satan the “Accuser of the brethren” (Rev 12:10).  Satan used to accuse God’s people to Him day and night.  But then He purchased people with the Blood of His Son, and satan had no legal grounds with which to accuse them anymore.

The dragon, satan, still accuses the brethren, but not to God.  Since he was cast down to the earth he vents his powerful accusations against those who have salvation.  Yet the book of Revelation makes it clear that we have the power to overcome him.  Legally, our souls have been purchased by God by the blood of the Lamb.  The lives we now live are a testimony to the power of Christ residing in us.  We have chosen the Kingdom of God by walking in the Spirit of which we are re-born.  These things give us power over satan’s accusations on this earth, and separate us from the love of this life.

God does not ask us to say we are perfect and sinless, for that would be a lie.  However, we are to have faith in the work Christ continues to do in us for our perfection.  Though our enemy tries to wear down the saints with his lies and accusations, his motive is to defeat our faith in God.  We now have the authority of Christ to defeat our enemy.  Be encouraged in your battles with satan, that God intends you to win.  He more than intends your victory, he has given you all you need to overcome.  Amen.

God's heart vs the heart of the Whore

God’s heart is for the outcasts that come to Him (Is 56:1-8). Those who oppress and reject them become God’s enemies because they hate and exclude the outcasts which the Lord has brought in (Is 66:5-6).  In some ministries it is as if God’s enemies live in His house to represent their own interests and not the interests of the Master of the House.

We find this theme of self-representation in both the Old and the New Testament.  No place does it seem more apparent than in the description of the Whore, “Babylon the Great” of Revelation 17 and 18. Though she thinks of herself as the wife of the King, her heart is not as His. Things that point to her having her own agenda are;

·         Rejecting God’s servants, and mistreating them

·         Allowing blasphemers to be her support

o   Does not protect God’s word but lets others twist and pollute it in exchange for their friendships

·         Intercoursing with the world for her benefit

·         Using others to make herself rich and famous

·         No sense of accountability to God as His wife

God doesn’t like His people to be rejected, or mistreated, used and abused, lied to and polluted by the world.  If we find ourselves in an organization that does this, we are not to stay (Rev 18:4).  The examples Jesus and His Apostles left us in their writings contradict what the Whore does. They wrote;

·         Receive each other (Mt 10:40-41), and do good to those who belong to the household of faith (Gal 6:10)

·         Defend the faith entrusted to us, resisting false brethren (Jude 1:3)

·         Keep ourselves from being polluted by the world (Jms 1:27)

·         Whatever things that were gain to us, we now count as loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus (Phil 3:7)

·         Speak to others as God’s servants, and not deceitfully as our own masters (Rom 14:11-12; 2 Cor 2:17; Heb 4:13)

God loves His people and is saving up a special reward for those who mistreat them (Rev 18:20).  As those who labor in God’s house, may we serve Him in truth and purity, not setting our own agenda first nor using the Church as a platform to represent ourselves.  Remember, what may be an outcast to the world is precious in God’s eyes. All men will benefit the Church when they are instated in their rightful place and built up in their faith.  Amen.