" Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." - Ephesians 3:20-21
My life is reflected by this very statement, the reality that God ALWAYS does far more than I could ever comprehend, want, or imagine; and it is by this truth that I am both humbled and amazed. Through the valleys in my life I experience the most intimate love with the Father that compels me to trust and to believe that this statement, and ones like it in Scripture are true; and as He leads me back up the mountain so to speak I begin to see glimpses of His handiwork and humbly stand in awe. And it is when I get to the top of that mountain and He richly rewards, richly blesses, and grants me the wisdom to comprehend what He is doing that I am overwhelmed.
I don't think, myself included, we always realize the rich blessing in Ephesians 3, but more than that the TRUTH behind it. Look at the language here..."Now to Him who is able", when a believer follows the road of obedience/holiness through the grace of God, HE IS ABLE, through the sanctifying work of the spirit "to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works within us"...this power, what is it? This power is derived and explained in the previous verses 16-19 where John MacArthur explains it as "This is how to take the resource and the power and make it operative. And we said there are five sequential steps; inner strength, indwelling Christ, incomprehensible love, infinite fullness and internal power." Do you realize the incredible power you have through Him? Jesus Himself said in John 14:12, - "It's alright when I go away because when I go away you'll do greater things than I did. " John MacArhtur explains, "Not greater in quality, you could never do things greater in quality;greater in quantity is what that text is saying. We've studied it before. Greater in quantity, all around the world and over and over through the centuries has the church been able to see the power of God manifest in a far greater way quantitatively than Jesus ever did in His limited 3 year ministry in one location." That is incredible to think about, and that He would choose to use YOU and ME, not because He needed us but because He wanted to, we were the very tools He created to use for His glory and purposes (crazy!).
I like what John MacArthur says here about this passage; "He is able," that's enough, isn't it? "He is able to do--He is able to do what you ask--He is able to do what you ask or think--He is able to do all that you ask or think--He is able to do above all that you ask or think--He is able to do abundantly above all that you ask or think. And that's not all, He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that you ask or think. Don't ever say, Lord, I don't know if You can use me in this situation. He can. Beyond your dreams, infinitely beyond. What a power is there. And as a church we should have that power. You know, I don't believe that we've even begun to see what God could do if we really got turned on. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, said Paul to the Corinthians, when you are gathered together and my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. Don't ever forget it. When the church gathers together, it gathers with the Holy Spirit, and the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. And when it separates every believer goes out of here able to do exceeding abundantly above all that he can ask or think, if he follows the pattern right here."
There is incredible Truth in this passage in Ephesians, it reminds me of Ephesians chapter 2 in which we are described as HIS workmanship being used for His glory and to accomplish His purposes, and why? Because He works in us to will and work for His good pleasure. We are living advertisements (As JMAC likes to put it) for Jesus Christ, the question is do we live like it? Do we use the resources we have to be powerful testimonies for Him? God himself has given us POWER , AUTHORITY, POSITION, STRENGTH, EVERYTHING we need to be His ambassadors for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, now may we be faithful, may we as Paul exhorted as well in Philippians 2 to work out our salvation with fear and trembling knowing He is at work in us. We must be diligent, but always knowing it is only by HIS power and working that anything is accomplished; and we can be encouraged in knowing His plans and purposes will ALWAYS prevail and they will ALWAYS be more than we could imagine!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
He IS Sovereign
" The sovereignty of God is often questioned because man does not understand what God is doing. Because He does not act as we think He should, we conclude He cannot act as we think He would. This is the essence of God’s sovereignty; His absolute independence to do as He pleases and His absolute control over the actions of all His creatures. No creature, person, or empire can either thwart His will or act outside the bounds of His will. Confidence in the sovereignty of God in all that affects us is crucial to our trusting Him. If there is a single event in all of the universe that can occur outside of God’s sovereign control then we cannot trust Him. His love may be infinite, but if His power is limited and His purpose can be thwarted, we cannot trust Him." -Jerry Bridges
The sovereignty of God is something not easy to get our minds around, in fact it is entirely impossible, yet faith in it is absolutely demanded by the Word. What I have come to realize is that no matter how much I grow in the knowledge of who He is, I will never "arrive" so to speak in my understanding and/or full comprehension of who He is, in His character and His being. I often have wondered how much I would have to read in the Word, how "mature" I would have to be in Him, how long I would have to ask for Him to reveal Himself to me in order that I might truly KNOW Him, as he really is; what I have found is a sweet and humbling reality that although I will always grow in my knowledge of Him, the depths of who He is are far beyond my grasp. I must do as I read in Psalm 46:10, "Be still and KNOW that I am God".
I have been reading through the book of 1 John daily and have come across this phrase in 3:2 "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." What an incredible statement to take hold of, to know that one day we will be made like Him yes, but more importantly that we will SEE Him as He truly is!! I don't think I can even get my mind around that, even try to get my mind around that.
In a world that is constantly changing, when my own life is constantly changing, I am faced like I mentioned above with a longing, a deep yearning to KNOW God, personally, deeply, passionately, intimately. He truly is, as Spurgeon said, the fuel my soul burns. As I seek to understand, to deepen my knowledge of Him, to in essence deepen my fellowship with Him, I find myself more in awe of who He is, and realizing more than ever that I have only scratched the surface of God. The sovereignty of God is one attribute, one character trait, one Truth that baffles my mind. Looking around at the world, the good and the evil, I often times find myself wrestling with the reality and the promise that He is sovereign over ALL things and working everything together as part of His plan for redemption, ultimately to bring glory to Himself. I wonder, to my own fault, sometimes how God could be working in certain situations in my life, and why certain things happen the way they do and as my emotions begin to deceive my heart and lead it astray from the Truth of the Word, I find myself kneeling at the foot of the cross begging God to increase my faith, to enable me to SEE, to trust and to hope in His precious promises.
I guess I relate to the apostle Paul in Romans 7 when he describes the tension going on in His own flesh. In the same way, I find my emotions trying to persuade me to believe that somehow I have control over a situation or that something just isn't right, that God couldn't be ordaining what is happening; and all the while my spirit is attempting to reign in my heart and my thoughts, taking each one captive to the obedience of Christ and saying BE STILL MY SOUL AND HOPE IN GOD; reminding me that HE is the everlasting Creator of the universe! So what do I do, what should we as believers do when we are tempted to question the sovereignty of God? I have found three things helpful in my own walk and pray they might encourage you as well as you seek to KNOW your Father more deeply.
TAKE EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE: In 2 Corinthians 10:5 we read "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."- This reality is crucial in our fight against our flesh and the spiritual battle going on daily. We must seek to reign in our thoughts, our emotions, and our feelings and check it to the Word of God; if it is unedifying, unfruitful, and a lie we must cast it aside. The moment we let our thoughts wander, entertain our hearts lusts or desires that are not of God, and allow ourselves to question the character of the Holy God is the moment we have opened ourselves up to temptation and sin.
THINK TRUTH: Philippians 4:8 says "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. "- If anyone knows me, they have heard this phrase come out of my mouth many times, it is what I like to say my "life motto" the Lord has given me. Psalm 42 is another great example of how we are to do this, how we are to preach to ourselves rather than to listen to ourselves. We must think on only things that are TRUE, and where do we find that Truth? In the Word of God, we must measure every thought, desire and deed to the Word and seek to only entertain those of excellence, that bring HIM glory!
CAST YOUR CARES AT THE CROSS: 1 Peter 5:7 says "casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you." - In other words, get on your knees and pray! Replacing worry with prayer, doubt with prayer, fear with prayer, anything with prayer is what we are commanded to do. We need to remember the cross and fall humbly to our knees and cry out to our Father, the one who is sovereign and ruling and reigning over everything. He cares deeply and intimately about each one of His kids and the precious fellowship we can share with Him so often gets taken for granted. It is here at the foot of the cross that we find peace we don't understand, joy unexplainable, and hope neverending.
So as life changes, whether blessing or trial, may we always keep our eyes fixed ever on Jesus face, humbly seeking to KNOW him more and always being still and knowing He is God, the sovereign, ruling and reigning Creator of all!
The sovereignty of God is something not easy to get our minds around, in fact it is entirely impossible, yet faith in it is absolutely demanded by the Word. What I have come to realize is that no matter how much I grow in the knowledge of who He is, I will never "arrive" so to speak in my understanding and/or full comprehension of who He is, in His character and His being. I often have wondered how much I would have to read in the Word, how "mature" I would have to be in Him, how long I would have to ask for Him to reveal Himself to me in order that I might truly KNOW Him, as he really is; what I have found is a sweet and humbling reality that although I will always grow in my knowledge of Him, the depths of who He is are far beyond my grasp. I must do as I read in Psalm 46:10, "Be still and KNOW that I am God".
I have been reading through the book of 1 John daily and have come across this phrase in 3:2 "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." What an incredible statement to take hold of, to know that one day we will be made like Him yes, but more importantly that we will SEE Him as He truly is!! I don't think I can even get my mind around that, even try to get my mind around that.
In a world that is constantly changing, when my own life is constantly changing, I am faced like I mentioned above with a longing, a deep yearning to KNOW God, personally, deeply, passionately, intimately. He truly is, as Spurgeon said, the fuel my soul burns. As I seek to understand, to deepen my knowledge of Him, to in essence deepen my fellowship with Him, I find myself more in awe of who He is, and realizing more than ever that I have only scratched the surface of God. The sovereignty of God is one attribute, one character trait, one Truth that baffles my mind. Looking around at the world, the good and the evil, I often times find myself wrestling with the reality and the promise that He is sovereign over ALL things and working everything together as part of His plan for redemption, ultimately to bring glory to Himself. I wonder, to my own fault, sometimes how God could be working in certain situations in my life, and why certain things happen the way they do and as my emotions begin to deceive my heart and lead it astray from the Truth of the Word, I find myself kneeling at the foot of the cross begging God to increase my faith, to enable me to SEE, to trust and to hope in His precious promises.
I guess I relate to the apostle Paul in Romans 7 when he describes the tension going on in His own flesh. In the same way, I find my emotions trying to persuade me to believe that somehow I have control over a situation or that something just isn't right, that God couldn't be ordaining what is happening; and all the while my spirit is attempting to reign in my heart and my thoughts, taking each one captive to the obedience of Christ and saying BE STILL MY SOUL AND HOPE IN GOD; reminding me that HE is the everlasting Creator of the universe! So what do I do, what should we as believers do when we are tempted to question the sovereignty of God? I have found three things helpful in my own walk and pray they might encourage you as well as you seek to KNOW your Father more deeply.
TAKE EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE: In 2 Corinthians 10:5 we read "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."- This reality is crucial in our fight against our flesh and the spiritual battle going on daily. We must seek to reign in our thoughts, our emotions, and our feelings and check it to the Word of God; if it is unedifying, unfruitful, and a lie we must cast it aside. The moment we let our thoughts wander, entertain our hearts lusts or desires that are not of God, and allow ourselves to question the character of the Holy God is the moment we have opened ourselves up to temptation and sin.
THINK TRUTH: Philippians 4:8 says "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. "- If anyone knows me, they have heard this phrase come out of my mouth many times, it is what I like to say my "life motto" the Lord has given me. Psalm 42 is another great example of how we are to do this, how we are to preach to ourselves rather than to listen to ourselves. We must think on only things that are TRUE, and where do we find that Truth? In the Word of God, we must measure every thought, desire and deed to the Word and seek to only entertain those of excellence, that bring HIM glory!
CAST YOUR CARES AT THE CROSS: 1 Peter 5:7 says "casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you." - In other words, get on your knees and pray! Replacing worry with prayer, doubt with prayer, fear with prayer, anything with prayer is what we are commanded to do. We need to remember the cross and fall humbly to our knees and cry out to our Father, the one who is sovereign and ruling and reigning over everything. He cares deeply and intimately about each one of His kids and the precious fellowship we can share with Him so often gets taken for granted. It is here at the foot of the cross that we find peace we don't understand, joy unexplainable, and hope neverending.
So as life changes, whether blessing or trial, may we always keep our eyes fixed ever on Jesus face, humbly seeking to KNOW him more and always being still and knowing He is God, the sovereign, ruling and reigning Creator of all!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Faith and Suffering
I am continually amazed at the hand of God; in fact amazed is just the tip of the iceberg of what I can even grasp. Over the past week, as explained in my previous blog, I have experienced one of the greatest times of weakness in my life but one of the greatest times of strength. The verse that kept coming to my mind was Paul's declaration in 2 Corinthians 12:9 "But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
This week I was bombarded with trials and tests that seemed to come from every direction, in the midst of it all I was seeking to implement the resolutions I had committed to follow and in all honesty had a few moments of complete brokenness in which I could do nothing more than cry out to my loving Father in heaven and ask for Him to strengthen me. There are these paradoxes within the Christian life I can't seem to resolve that when you are weak, you are strong and when confusion swarms your heart and mind, there is peace. God in His perfect providence orchestrated the encouragement of a few Godly men whom I respect and admire, John MacArthur and Paul Washer. During my time in the Word I sought the words of these men as the articulated the concepts of faith and suffering. The weakness of my flesh was exposed even more and the humility I felt was unexplainable; the reality of not thinking you are strong lest you fall came knocking at my door, and the Truth of my whole dependence on Him forced me to my knees.
Washer explained the power of the faith we as believers have been given through the precious grace of God. This faith is what motivates everything we as believers do, and it is this very faith and the lack thereof that explains everything about us and even more importantly our view of the character of God. When we choose sin, we lack faith. When we choose to manipulate situations to get what we want, we lack faith. When we question suffering, pain and hardship we lack faith. When we keep our mouths closed in opportunity to share Christ, we lack faith. When we worry, we lack faith. When we avoid suffering for the cause of Christ we lack faith. When we fear, we lack faith. And the list goes on. Our faith is the outward and inward reality of what we think of the Almighty, the Sovereign One, the Creator of the universe. This concept is powerful, it is convicting and it drove me to remember that I need to pour myself into studying my precious Jesus. I realized how foolish I was to question the PROVIDENCE of a sovereign God in the affairs of all things, and that my weary soul was lacking faith. It drove me to my knees in prayer, begging the Lord to grant me faith to trust even when I can't see. Paul Washer said, "Seek the Lord...on my knees humbly seeking my God, it is the answer to everything! You don't know what to do? Drop to your knees and seek His face!"
MacArthurs point was similar and encouraging. In his book The Power of Sufferingwe see the promises of Scripture expounded upon; the reality that the believer WILL suffer, some more than others. Examples of Paul, Daniel and the like proved God's sovereign hand in all the affairs of life. MacArthur explained the "purposes" we see in Scripture for our suffering:
(1) The Lesson of Faith- the foremost reason is to test our faith in Him! This is not because He doesn't know what our faith is like, this is for us, to assure us and to give us hope and encouragement.
(2) The Lesson of Humility- to remind us of our dependence on Him and that we would boast in Him alone
(3) The Lesson of Rejecting Materialism- the need to wean us away from worldly things
(4) The Lesson of Eternal Hope- to call us to a greater realization of our eternal hope
It is in the very example of Jesus Christ that we find our model, our perfect example of suffering and our response to that. He was a silent sufferer, One who deserved nothing but praise, glory, and worship but received persecution, mocking, and humiliation to the max and yet stood still, giving Himself up. As the Bible teaches, the servant is not above His master and therefore if Jesus suffered, which He did, we too are promised suffering and therefore must be prepared for it. Yet we shouldn't fear, God didn't give us a spirit of fear, in fact He promises the complete opposite, total peace. " If we are faithfully walking in the path of discipleship daily we will be aware of all the consequences of obedient living". And yet how are we to respond? With thankfulness! Thankfulness is the antidote to worry and fear. Christians are given peace, perfect peace in the midst of every suffering, a confident trust that God is PROVIDENTIALLY at work in every little detail of our lives and in the lives of every individual. "Once you come to accept that God is in control of all things, you will be that much better prepared to deal with whatever hardships and sufferings He may choose to send your way because "We know that God causes ALL things to work together for good for those who love God, to those who have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28)"".
I have been encouraged by the peace of God I have had that surpasses all understanding, the joy He has given me solely in Him, and the faith that He has given me to believe that He is good just like He says He is and that He is in control of everything! What an amazing God we serve, One who never leaves us or forsakes us, who will never let us down, and who will fulfill His plans and purposes! Grace...It is by grace you are justified and by grace you are sanctified and it will be by grace that one day you are glorified; there is never a moment in life when you are not in full need of every ounce of His grace. What incredible LOVE He has for those who are in Him!
May our hearts have this attitude: "Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." -Psalm 73:25-26 And may our faith be increased, even more so in the midst of suffering!
This week I was bombarded with trials and tests that seemed to come from every direction, in the midst of it all I was seeking to implement the resolutions I had committed to follow and in all honesty had a few moments of complete brokenness in which I could do nothing more than cry out to my loving Father in heaven and ask for Him to strengthen me. There are these paradoxes within the Christian life I can't seem to resolve that when you are weak, you are strong and when confusion swarms your heart and mind, there is peace. God in His perfect providence orchestrated the encouragement of a few Godly men whom I respect and admire, John MacArthur and Paul Washer. During my time in the Word I sought the words of these men as the articulated the concepts of faith and suffering. The weakness of my flesh was exposed even more and the humility I felt was unexplainable; the reality of not thinking you are strong lest you fall came knocking at my door, and the Truth of my whole dependence on Him forced me to my knees.
Washer explained the power of the faith we as believers have been given through the precious grace of God. This faith is what motivates everything we as believers do, and it is this very faith and the lack thereof that explains everything about us and even more importantly our view of the character of God. When we choose sin, we lack faith. When we choose to manipulate situations to get what we want, we lack faith. When we question suffering, pain and hardship we lack faith. When we keep our mouths closed in opportunity to share Christ, we lack faith. When we worry, we lack faith. When we avoid suffering for the cause of Christ we lack faith. When we fear, we lack faith. And the list goes on. Our faith is the outward and inward reality of what we think of the Almighty, the Sovereign One, the Creator of the universe. This concept is powerful, it is convicting and it drove me to remember that I need to pour myself into studying my precious Jesus. I realized how foolish I was to question the PROVIDENCE of a sovereign God in the affairs of all things, and that my weary soul was lacking faith. It drove me to my knees in prayer, begging the Lord to grant me faith to trust even when I can't see. Paul Washer said, "Seek the Lord...on my knees humbly seeking my God, it is the answer to everything! You don't know what to do? Drop to your knees and seek His face!"
MacArthurs point was similar and encouraging. In his book The Power of Sufferingwe see the promises of Scripture expounded upon; the reality that the believer WILL suffer, some more than others. Examples of Paul, Daniel and the like proved God's sovereign hand in all the affairs of life. MacArthur explained the "purposes" we see in Scripture for our suffering:
(1) The Lesson of Faith- the foremost reason is to test our faith in Him! This is not because He doesn't know what our faith is like, this is for us, to assure us and to give us hope and encouragement.
(2) The Lesson of Humility- to remind us of our dependence on Him and that we would boast in Him alone
(3) The Lesson of Rejecting Materialism- the need to wean us away from worldly things
(4) The Lesson of Eternal Hope- to call us to a greater realization of our eternal hope
It is in the very example of Jesus Christ that we find our model, our perfect example of suffering and our response to that. He was a silent sufferer, One who deserved nothing but praise, glory, and worship but received persecution, mocking, and humiliation to the max and yet stood still, giving Himself up. As the Bible teaches, the servant is not above His master and therefore if Jesus suffered, which He did, we too are promised suffering and therefore must be prepared for it. Yet we shouldn't fear, God didn't give us a spirit of fear, in fact He promises the complete opposite, total peace. " If we are faithfully walking in the path of discipleship daily we will be aware of all the consequences of obedient living". And yet how are we to respond? With thankfulness! Thankfulness is the antidote to worry and fear. Christians are given peace, perfect peace in the midst of every suffering, a confident trust that God is PROVIDENTIALLY at work in every little detail of our lives and in the lives of every individual. "Once you come to accept that God is in control of all things, you will be that much better prepared to deal with whatever hardships and sufferings He may choose to send your way because "We know that God causes ALL things to work together for good for those who love God, to those who have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28)"".
I have been encouraged by the peace of God I have had that surpasses all understanding, the joy He has given me solely in Him, and the faith that He has given me to believe that He is good just like He says He is and that He is in control of everything! What an amazing God we serve, One who never leaves us or forsakes us, who will never let us down, and who will fulfill His plans and purposes! Grace...It is by grace you are justified and by grace you are sanctified and it will be by grace that one day you are glorified; there is never a moment in life when you are not in full need of every ounce of His grace. What incredible LOVE He has for those who are in Him!
May our hearts have this attitude: "Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." -Psalm 73:25-26 And may our faith be increased, even more so in the midst of suffering!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Job and the Good Shepherd
" It is a serious reflection for the evangelist that wherever God's Spirit is at work, there Satan is sure to be busy. We must remember and ever be prepared for this. The enemy of Christ and the enemy of souls is always on the watch, always hovering about to see what he can do, either to hinder or corrupt the work of the gospel. This need not terrify or even discourage the workman; but it is well to bear it in mind and be watchful. Satan will leave no stone unturned to mar or hinder the blessed work of God's Spirit. He has proved himself the ceaseless, vigilant enemy of that work, from the days of Eden down to the present moment." -C.H. MacIntosh
Every time I read the story of Job I am encouraged; I am encouraged because I see a sovereign God at work in what seems to be the biggest of tragedies and all for Job's good and God's glory. I think often about Job and how despite the constant fiery darts of Satan, he persevered, chose to trust His perfect Father and held tightly to the hope He possessed. The line we often remember is "naked I came from my mother's womb and naked I will return". That is in and of itself mind boggling for me to think about; the attitude He possessed is nothing short of God's strength manifested in Him.
Although my life doesn't even come close to Job, in any aspect, I often find myself drawing comfort and encouragement from His story as I attempt to relate to Him in many ways. I see a man who was speared from every side, struck down in every way possible by the enemy (except death), filled with lies by "friends" and a wife, and who still clung to the living God.
About two weeks ago I posted some resolutions on my blog that I was commiting to myself, before the Lord and asking for His strength in a way to enable me to pursue holiness like I believe He has called me to do. Ironically enough a week later I studied the armor of the Lord and the reality of the spiritual battle we daily face. In all honesty since that day I have been poked, prodded, tested and tried in every way by the enemy. I have found myself weak, weary and discouraged as I seem to get up and get knocked right back down. There are so many situations outside my control and it is overwhelming to even begin to discern what God's trying to teach me through this; and yet in the midst of it all there is that still small voice saying "BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD". That of course is much easier said then done. It is not that I don't trust God, or that I question His sovereignty but rather that I am realizing more than ever the constant inner struggle and the constant battle it is to live for Him.
I was thinking about the analogy all throughout Scripture between the sheep and the Shepherd and relating that to real sheep and the real Shepherds and found some interesting things. A sheep is unwise, defenseless, helpless, and foolish and totally and completely at ALL times dependent on the Shepherd for everything. When a sheep is disobedient, wanders away etc. the sheep is struck with the staff, sometimes to the point where its legs are broken and the sheep must be carried by the good shepherd. It is such a picture of us. We are the sheep, we are the ones who are unwise in our own eyes, helpless and TOTALLY and ALWAYS dependent on the GOOD SHEPHERD for EVERYTHING! Yet do we realize that? Do we live that way? Do we draw our strength, our hope, our joy, our peace from Him or is it only when we are knocked down on our faces that we see the reality of that?
Sometimes God allows Satan to take part in this very process. He allows Satan to come in and break us like he did to Job. Satan wants us to be ineffective, to question God, to believe that we are living for the wrong thing, but we must remember that nothing Satan does is without the perfect sovereign hand of God allowing it. That is hard to grasp but it is the truth. Knowing that even the spiritual battle that we face is not out of His control, in fact He uses it all for our sanctification. John Newton said, "Faith upholds a Christian under all trials, by assuring him that every painful dispensation is under the direction of his Lord; that chastisements are a token of His love; that the season, measure, and continuance of his sufferings, are appointed by Infinite Wisdom, and designed to work for his everlasting good; and that grace and strength shall be afforded him, according to his need." Therefore as I look at my own situation right now and the battles going on, the very real spiritual warfare I am facing as I seek the Lord with my whole heart I will rest in knowing that God will never give me more than I can handle, He will always be with me each step of the way, carrying me along the way and that He is perfect in all He does working everything to His glory and my good. And I will look to Job as my example and the promise that we see at the end of the book brings me so much excitement:
"The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. " -Job 42:12a
Every time I read the story of Job I am encouraged; I am encouraged because I see a sovereign God at work in what seems to be the biggest of tragedies and all for Job's good and God's glory. I think often about Job and how despite the constant fiery darts of Satan, he persevered, chose to trust His perfect Father and held tightly to the hope He possessed. The line we often remember is "naked I came from my mother's womb and naked I will return". That is in and of itself mind boggling for me to think about; the attitude He possessed is nothing short of God's strength manifested in Him.
Although my life doesn't even come close to Job, in any aspect, I often find myself drawing comfort and encouragement from His story as I attempt to relate to Him in many ways. I see a man who was speared from every side, struck down in every way possible by the enemy (except death), filled with lies by "friends" and a wife, and who still clung to the living God.
About two weeks ago I posted some resolutions on my blog that I was commiting to myself, before the Lord and asking for His strength in a way to enable me to pursue holiness like I believe He has called me to do. Ironically enough a week later I studied the armor of the Lord and the reality of the spiritual battle we daily face. In all honesty since that day I have been poked, prodded, tested and tried in every way by the enemy. I have found myself weak, weary and discouraged as I seem to get up and get knocked right back down. There are so many situations outside my control and it is overwhelming to even begin to discern what God's trying to teach me through this; and yet in the midst of it all there is that still small voice saying "BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD". That of course is much easier said then done. It is not that I don't trust God, or that I question His sovereignty but rather that I am realizing more than ever the constant inner struggle and the constant battle it is to live for Him.
I was thinking about the analogy all throughout Scripture between the sheep and the Shepherd and relating that to real sheep and the real Shepherds and found some interesting things. A sheep is unwise, defenseless, helpless, and foolish and totally and completely at ALL times dependent on the Shepherd for everything. When a sheep is disobedient, wanders away etc. the sheep is struck with the staff, sometimes to the point where its legs are broken and the sheep must be carried by the good shepherd. It is such a picture of us. We are the sheep, we are the ones who are unwise in our own eyes, helpless and TOTALLY and ALWAYS dependent on the GOOD SHEPHERD for EVERYTHING! Yet do we realize that? Do we live that way? Do we draw our strength, our hope, our joy, our peace from Him or is it only when we are knocked down on our faces that we see the reality of that?
Sometimes God allows Satan to take part in this very process. He allows Satan to come in and break us like he did to Job. Satan wants us to be ineffective, to question God, to believe that we are living for the wrong thing, but we must remember that nothing Satan does is without the perfect sovereign hand of God allowing it. That is hard to grasp but it is the truth. Knowing that even the spiritual battle that we face is not out of His control, in fact He uses it all for our sanctification. John Newton said, "Faith upholds a Christian under all trials, by assuring him that every painful dispensation is under the direction of his Lord; that chastisements are a token of His love; that the season, measure, and continuance of his sufferings, are appointed by Infinite Wisdom, and designed to work for his everlasting good; and that grace and strength shall be afforded him, according to his need." Therefore as I look at my own situation right now and the battles going on, the very real spiritual warfare I am facing as I seek the Lord with my whole heart I will rest in knowing that God will never give me more than I can handle, He will always be with me each step of the way, carrying me along the way and that He is perfect in all He does working everything to His glory and my good. And I will look to Job as my example and the promise that we see at the end of the book brings me so much excitement:
"The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. " -Job 42:12a
Thursday, May 06, 2010
It's A Battle
This week at our woman's Bible study we studied one of the most familiar passages in all of Scripture, the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). In this short little passage we as believers are commanded to daily put on the "Armor" of the Lord because of a spiritual battle that we face. Whether we want to acknowledge it or not there is a very active war going on in the spiritual realm, a battle we cannot see with our eyes but that we can see evidenced in the world. This battle is one that will not end until the day Jesus Christ comes and finishes what has been started and therefore we mustn't take Paul's exhortation here in Ephesians 6 lightly. Take a look at the passage:
Ephesians 6:10-18
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Our life as Christians is anything but easy. The battle we face daily is something that goes on internally between our spirit and our flesh and is only enticed even more by the evil powers of this world. We often fail to realize the power the enemy has. Looking back in Genesis and the power he had to deceive perfect people into disobedience evidences this very thing. He is powerful, strong, and on the attack. In fact in 1 Peter 5:8 we see him depicted as on the hunt, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." Now although Satan himself won't be showing up at your front door step, his schemes, his plans, his demons, and his ways will be consistently seeking to pervert your pursuit of holiness and your effectiveness for the kingdom. I once heard that once Satan knows he doesn't have you on his team, his only goal is to make you ineffective. And the more effective you are for the kingdom the more his fiery darts will come. The battle comes in different shapes and forms but it seeks to corrupt your character as a believer, pervert Scripture and distort the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Knowing that this battle is real, happening right now as you read this, the question becomes well then what? How do I fight? How do I stay prepared and on the offensive as opposed to the defensive?
Today as we read in Ephesians it struck me that as believers we are already fully equipped, fully armed. The armor of the Lord is essentially the character of the Christian. It is by His strength that we fight and gain victory. The question is do we use the armor we have? Are we being faithful to become more familiar with how to use it? If you knew you were going to battle in a foreign country and had a list of things that would enable you to succeed and gain victory I guarantee you would study them; the same goes for us in battle against the enemy, we need to study the WORD so that we can be better equipped, stronger so to speak, in the battle.
Christ has already won the victory and therefore we have a commander in chief who has given us the plans we need to succeed (in the Word). That is so encouraging to think about. As much as we need to be in the Word, we need to be in constant prayer! Piper calls prayer our "wartime walkie talkie", do we use it? Are we daily on our knees asking God to help us fight this battle or do we try and do it in our own strength? If we are fighting on our own we are bound to fail for this battle as Paul noted is not one of flesh and blood. We must fight in His power and in His ways!
The battle wages on and the more we are aware of it the more we can see it in this world and in our own hearts and lives; but on the flip side this should give us the motivation we need to pursue holiness, to fight with HIs strength, and to joy in the hope of what will happen in the end!
Ephesians 6:10-18
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Our life as Christians is anything but easy. The battle we face daily is something that goes on internally between our spirit and our flesh and is only enticed even more by the evil powers of this world. We often fail to realize the power the enemy has. Looking back in Genesis and the power he had to deceive perfect people into disobedience evidences this very thing. He is powerful, strong, and on the attack. In fact in 1 Peter 5:8 we see him depicted as on the hunt, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." Now although Satan himself won't be showing up at your front door step, his schemes, his plans, his demons, and his ways will be consistently seeking to pervert your pursuit of holiness and your effectiveness for the kingdom. I once heard that once Satan knows he doesn't have you on his team, his only goal is to make you ineffective. And the more effective you are for the kingdom the more his fiery darts will come. The battle comes in different shapes and forms but it seeks to corrupt your character as a believer, pervert Scripture and distort the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Knowing that this battle is real, happening right now as you read this, the question becomes well then what? How do I fight? How do I stay prepared and on the offensive as opposed to the defensive?
Today as we read in Ephesians it struck me that as believers we are already fully equipped, fully armed. The armor of the Lord is essentially the character of the Christian. It is by His strength that we fight and gain victory. The question is do we use the armor we have? Are we being faithful to become more familiar with how to use it? If you knew you were going to battle in a foreign country and had a list of things that would enable you to succeed and gain victory I guarantee you would study them; the same goes for us in battle against the enemy, we need to study the WORD so that we can be better equipped, stronger so to speak, in the battle.
Christ has already won the victory and therefore we have a commander in chief who has given us the plans we need to succeed (in the Word). That is so encouraging to think about. As much as we need to be in the Word, we need to be in constant prayer! Piper calls prayer our "wartime walkie talkie", do we use it? Are we daily on our knees asking God to help us fight this battle or do we try and do it in our own strength? If we are fighting on our own we are bound to fail for this battle as Paul noted is not one of flesh and blood. We must fight in His power and in His ways!
The battle wages on and the more we are aware of it the more we can see it in this world and in our own hearts and lives; but on the flip side this should give us the motivation we need to pursue holiness, to fight with HIs strength, and to joy in the hope of what will happen in the end!
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