Scared to Death (1)
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with all that is hidden, whether it is good, or whether it is evil. Ecclesiastes 12:14 Jay Green
Every work – Scrupulous! Rigorous! Meticulous! Do those adjectives describe your life before the Lord – or are you one of the many who seem to think that God’s merciful forgiveness whitewashes your responsibility for holy living? It is an unfortunate consequence of Christianity’s nearly-exclusive proclamation of God’s love that believers are convinced their lives are covered in “the blood” and nothing more need be done. This view finds no support in Scripture. Forgiveness always includes demand, expectation and obedience. The theme is no different in the Tanakh than it is in the New Testament. Consider the parable of the slave who is forgiven an impossibly large debt if you have any doubt at all that wrath is a characteristic of forgiveness.
This final verse in Ecclesiastes should shake us to the core. When judgment comes, every work (kol ma’aseh) will be examined. The Hebrew words mean every deed, every bit of production, every expression, every effort and all labor – everything that makes up life – will be put to the test. Was it for good or for evil? Paul echoes the same idea. We will all give account.
Are you saved? Have you been forgiven? Great! Good news! But did you think that God’s grace poured out on you would exempt you from the reckoning? No, you too will give an account. Your deeds will also be examined. When I reflect on my life, I shudder to think what this will mean. Yes, I know God’s goodness and His favor, but there are no excuses for my deeds. It is a tragedy of eternal proportions to discover that most believers pay little attention to the details. Believing that God has thrown a blanket of protection over them, they carry on as if the minute choices that constitute the majority of living really don’t matter. They do not subscribe to the kol ma’aseh view of Scripture. The tragedy is that some day they will be forced to acknowledge it, and on that day it will be too late to change anything on the account.
What would your life look like if you realized that every action carries an eternal weight? What would have to change if you judged every thought, word and deed on the scales of yetzer ha’ra or yetzer ha’tov? How fastidious would you need to become in order to measure up to these expectations?
What does your life really look like when no one is watching?
Topical Index: every work, kol ma’aseh, judgment, Ecclesiastes 12:14
Ecclesiastes 12:14
Hmmm My 12:14 is a little different ….
Who feels sorry for a snake-charmer bitten by a snake,
or for those who take risks with savage animals
Just so for someone consorting with a sinner
and being accomplice to his sins.
On page 1044, a few pages earlier, is one of my favorite passages:
Ecclesiastes 7:12
Do not draw up a lying indictment against your brother
Do not do it against a friend either
Mind you tell no lies
for no good can come of it.
What translation are you using, Michael? The Complete Jewish Bible says: “Here is the final conclusion of the matter, now that you have heard everything: fear G’d and keep his mitzvot; this is what being human is all about. For G’d will bring to judgment everything we do, including every secret, whether good or bad.”
The question it seems, is this one: Does YHVH “bring to judgment everything we do” in us personally, or does He bring it to judgment in the Messiah, our Savior!
While the second option seems to be the teaching of the guilt offering, I hope that it would not relieve us of the first option. What excuse would we have before YHWH if we said, “Well, it didn’t matter how I lived since Yeshua made the guilt go away”?
St. Paul in Romans deals with issue quite thoroughly. See Rom 3:31 – but put it in context to the words prior to this.
“What translation are you using, Michael?”
Hi Bonnie,
I use The Jerusalem Bible, but it is usually not so different
And my book opens naturally in the middle to EcclesiastiCus
So I didn’t notice I was not even in Ecclesiastes 🙂
But oddly enough there is no 12:14 in my Ecclesiastes either
However the Epilogue in 11:14 of my Ecclesiastes does make “the whole matter clear:”
To sum up the whole matter: fear God, and keep his commandments
since this is the whole duty of man.
For God will call all hidden deeds, good or bad, to judgement.
“Fear God, and keep his commandments since this is the whole duty of man.”
Hmmm
When I read the statement above, I tend to think it makes most arguments somewhat irrelevant.
Jesus said “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”
Aren’t the commandments God’s laws in the kingdom of heaven?
Seems to me our job is to obey these laws and we will be judged on how well we obeyed them 🙂
On a personal note, I left the Catholic Church in the 7th grade
Because I concluded that God’s law’s were too hard to obey
I figured I would have to become a monk and didn’t want to
When I was about 17, I read about Gandhi and concluded
That’s the model God wants (a guy who acts like his Son)
Any wonder that Solomon’s summary, after all has been heard, is to “fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecc 12:13).
For me, the greatest impediment to living in a way that recognized God’s on-going demand for righteous living and not just righteous professions (cognitive beliefs housed in propositional statements), began with the manner in which I was told the gospel worked…the way in which I was to “receive” the gospel of forgiveness. A gospel that focused, not on God but on me. The gospel was nothing more than how I could benefit and what this gospel could do for me and how I could get heaven and all of God’s benefits in the here and now…and with little for me to do than to “receive” this free gift of God’s love which covered all of my sins and would make me a friend of God etc. Me, I, you etc. A completely man-centered gospel. In promoting a gospel of “easy belief”, and in accepting a gospel of “easy belief” (which gave the communicator of the gospel a sense of personal accomplishment for God but gives the recipient of this half-gospel something less than the gospel itself), it became that much easier to simply weight the gospel in a way that removed virtually the very reason for the gospel itself – to meet God’s demands for righteousness in a way that would please and reflect God’s demands for righteousness in my life and as a witness for Him. Any wonder that those professing Christ’s salvation today seem largely so powerless and anemic? Any wonder that church kids who grow up under the influence of this type of gospel so quickly abandon this gospel once they leave the influence of the church where they received this gospel? Any wonder that most of our celebrated Christian public voices seem so silly sometimes (almost like substance-less caricatures in comic strips) and marginalized as irrelevant in today’s public forums? Any wonder that the vast majority of Christian books that sell and are purchased in Christian bookstores are narcissistic? Any wonder that the Christian right is more something to be used for political gain than it is something to be reckoned with as a “move of God?” It’s because the problem isn’t just those who are “saved” but rather what they received in the way of salvation – the gospel itself. I believe that the vast majority of believers in America today have received only half of the gospel and therefore are only capable of living what they have received. THere is a lot of deception and self-deception going on in the CHristian community and the problem isn’t solely our inability to live up to God’s righteous demands…it may be that our view of this gospel has been corrupted with our authority and control in mind. We have simply turned God’s salvation (Jonah 2:9) into our salvation and in the process shifted the entire foundation of the gospel in way that we have “emptied the cross of its power.” (I Corinthians 1:17)
Amein David. Well put. As G. K. Chesterton once wrote: “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.”
We might take it one step further and say that it hasn’t even been understood (or at least proclaimed) let alone tried. May we be the people who truly shema- hear and obey-the message of Yah- our Creator, Savior, King and Judge. Thanks for your (and others) keen input and, of course, to Skip who seems to be secretly reading our hearts (unlike the Rupert Murdock scandal of the unauthorized reading of people’s e-mail) and knows what word we need. “A word fitly spoken Is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” Proverbs 25:11 (HNV) Shabbat Shalom to all.
I agree – David did well.
David, but there exists a remnant that has not been hoodwinked & do not participate in the organized church – we/they think & judge differently & do not act out or manifest what you speak of above – now how did we/they come to this place in our lives with a different truth than most – not really sure except that HE was in charge of our knowing & learning & having revelation of the TRUTH. i still think that most people have no idea Who the Holy Spirit is & without HIM there is no revelation or discernment of the scriptures or the TRUTHS of God – it is something that is written on our hearts & in our hearts & spirits by HIM – IT IS TRUE RELATIONSHIP. How many people do you know that have a real relationship with our/the Lord??? i don’t even know what religion is – i am so far removed from it… i detest religion & anything to do with it… we cannot blame our relationship on knowledge & how we attained it because even the word/scriptures indicate that we can be wholly taught by the Holy Spirit – just you & HIM. i would never blame our way of salvation or our learning on someone else – because in those circumstances – i know when the truth is being distorted because the Holy Spirit within me is terribly grieved & therefore i am too… when that happens i no longer put myself under that teaching – can’t sit & listen to lies while my heart is breaking for the TRUTH… jan
“Forgiveness always includes demand, expectation and obedience.”
Matt 20: 1 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who went out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. . . .
14 Now take your pay and go! I choose to give the last worker as much as I’m giving you.
15 Haven’t I the right to do what I want with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’
16 Thus the last ones will be first and the first last.”
Rom 3: 21 But now, quite apart from Torah, God’s way of making people righteous in his sight has been made clear – although the Torah and the Prophets give their witness to it as well –
22 and it is a righteousness that comes from God, through the faithfulness of Yeshua the Messiah, to all who continue trusting. For it makes no difference whether one is a Jew or a Gentile,
23 since all have sinned and come short of earning God’s praise.
24 By God’s grace, without earning it, all are granted the status of being considered righteous before him, through the act redeeming us from our enslavement to sin that was accomplished by the Messiah Yeshua.
25 God put Yeshua forward as the kapparah for sin through his faithfulness in respect to his bloody sacrificial death. This vindicated God’s righteousness; because, in his forbearance, he had passed over [with neither punishment nor remission] the sins people had committed in the past;
26 and it vindicates his righteousness in the present age by showing that he is righteous himself and is also the one who makes people righteous on the ground of Yeshua’s faithfulness. . . .
Rom 8: 1 Therefore, there is NO LONGER ANY CONDEMNATION awaiting those who are in union with the Messiah Yeshua.
2 Why? Because the Torah of the Spirit, which produces this life in union with Messiah Yeshua, has set me free from the “Torah” of sin and death.
3 For what the Torah could not do by itself, because it lacked the power to make the old nature cooperate, God did by sending his own Son as a human being with a nature like our own sinful one [but without sin]. God did this in order to deal with sin, and in so doing he executed the punishment against sin in human nature,
4 so that the just requirement of the Torah might be fulfilled in us who do not run our lives according to what our old nature wants but according to what the Spirit wants.
Disciplined by grace. I agree with other who have said, ‘We do not teach grace too much, but too little – because if people really understood grace, they would realize it is not cheap. Grace is a disciplining force.’
Gabe- grace was (is) free but is ours through an infinite price. – There is no ‘free lunch’- ever, -Someone pays. I am ‘smitten’ by grace. – And when I (too) think that G-d,- His Son not sparing, sent Him to die – I (too) “scarce can take it in.” And yes, – His grace still amazes me! -tHis Love is still a mystery!
I know (full too well) or maybe -not well enough- the price that was paid to atone for my sins. O- the Love that drew salvation’s plan- O the mighty gulf that G-d did span- ‘at Calvary!’
I don’t know where or who came up with the (false) idea of “cheap grace.” No. No. and No. Those who think this way have never been to Calvary. Those who think grace is cheap have no idea of why Christ was crucified and have no place in the pulpit- if they are in one.
Too true. But while we give reverence for Christ’s sacrifice with our lips — how many of us are wearing out Romans 7 to excuse our own sin. Far too often I’ve used Romans 7 as a crutch for disobedience. “Hey, I’m just a sinner saved by Jesus.” is a true sentence – but too often used to excuse my own continually unrepentant behavior.
For me, focusing on Christ’s suffering was never enough to keep me straight or to produce any lasting changes. It wasn’t until I understood that grace brings discipline, that I could go backwards and say, “If I am not becoming more disciplined – have I really received grace?!”. A scary thought for me. But this ‘epiphany’ has helped me work through a lot of self-deception. My sins make my family and myself miserable — I need deliverance on THIS side of heaven. I am too much of a barbarian — I need tangible and real freedom from sin, not just some qualification for heaven or a crossed out ledger. Grace is not just ‘unmerited favor’, it is unmerited favor to win victories over sin that we could never accomplish on our own.
i agree with you Gabe & i have never used the excuse i am just a sinner saved by grace because i know/knew better & not going to & haven’t used that excuse in my walk ever – seems such a coward way out. i know what i am accountable for & yes, i sin but i don’t blame my sin on being a sinner saved by grace but a sinner walking in the flesh that i chose to walk in… ♥
jan
Maybe Patrick (the tech geek) could work in somehow for us- a “like” button!
“What do the scriptures say?” -should ever be our guide.- Why? But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Ruach HaKodesh, (the Holy Breath)—He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. (John 14.26)
Who is our Teacher? He is. Who is our Guide? -He is. Who is our Master? He is. Who is our Savior? He is. Who is our Shepherd? He is. Who is our Sovereign? He is. Who is our Strength? He is.- Need we go on? (we certainly could!)
The words He speaks (and where are these words found?) always/always result in blessing, healing, godliness, and life. “(We) do err, not knowing the scriptures, (both old and new) nor the power of G-d. Back to the book- amen. Every word of G-d (written in his Word) is pure. What did Yeshua say? (Are we listening?)- If you abide in Me and my words abide in you..- Do we ‘abide’ in Him? -Do His words ‘abide’ in us?
Whose words? His words. Not Martha Stewart said.. Not Ben Franklin said.. (oooh- Ben Franklin!). Not this guy or that girl. No. No. and no. Whose words give life? His words – found in His book, our Bible. Please..-someone ‘accuse’ me of being a Bible ‘thumper!’ lol!- I will delight in confessing my crime- Yes, dear friends, – I am admittedly so, a lover of the word(s) of the LORD.
Please. – Three hundred sixty six times (it would be fun to review each one!) our Bible says- “fear not.”- I am most blessed to recall and remember this.- Thank you Holy Spirit.
Any particular reason we must be ‘re-minded’ three hundred sixty six times- ‘fear not?’ -Talk about ‘Fear Factor!” Fear is not a factor anymore.. Fear is no longer an option, for He said, – “He said.. “fear not.” Did our Master say “fear not?” Are we going to “shema the Savior?” – (Listen and obey?)
What did G-d say?- He said, “fear not.” -over three hundred sixty six times..
I would also note some of the New Covenant writings that support the doctrine of Ecc 12:14, they are, Matt 12:36, Rev 20:12-13, Jas 2:14-26, Tit 3:8, 14, etc.
Like so many professing Christians of today, I have been aware of this judgment for years, and chose to forget (ignore) it. So the question now becomes, “It is not have you been convected, but have you been transformed?”
Even so, while our salvation may not depend on the number and quality of our ‘good works’, each and every ‘work’ shall be judged of God. So, we also need to continually examine ourselves and our works, so that we are not left answering God with, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?”, only to loose out at our own final judgment.
Somewhere in this discussion is a place for the atonement. Did the Messiah’s life, death & resurrection actually satisfy all the demands of righteousness, or does the Messiah’s life, death and resurrection only potentially satisfy all the demands of righteousness, and to make it actual requires something to be added to it, our cooperation? In other words, is justification monergistic or synergistic?
You are such a good Calvinist. 🙂 thanks for raising the level of theological debate
–What does you life really look like when no one is watching?–
Nothing escapes His notice. He knows when a sparrow falls to the ground and the very hairs of our heads are numbered. “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your Presence? (Psalm 139.7)
If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. (Psalm 139.8
– Death and Destruction lie open before the LORD–how much more the hearts of men! (Proverbs 15:11)
No one is watching? He (Imanu’El) is (ever) with us..
“What does your life really look like when no one is watching?”
People may not SEE what I do, but that doesn’t make the RESULTS of my actions invisible. And there is nothing hidden from G-d. That’s both comforting and frightening! Definitely something to keep in mind as I make choices that affect myself as well as others. No man is an island.
We’ve all heard the cliche, “Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking.”
Let me add this one that I read on my friend’s Facebook page recently:
“Character is defined by what you do after you fall down, not because you fall down.”
Proverbs 24:16, “for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.” NIV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNBZtayoT_w “Light the Fire Again” Brian Doerksen
You know my heart, my deeds
I’m calling out
Light the fire again
I need Your discipline
I’m calling out
Light the fire again
CYndee,
Don’t let our love grow cold
Cause i’m calling out
Light the fire again
Don’t let our vision die
I’m calling out
Light the fire again
You know my heart, my deeds
I’m calling out
Light the fire again
I need Your discipline
I’m calling out
Light the fire again
I am here to buy gold
Refined in the fire
Naked and poor
Wretched and blind I come
Clothe me in white
So I won’t be ashamed
Lord, light the fire again
I KNOW 70 X 7 BUT HERE AGAIN – ONLY THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL/JESUS & THE HOLY SPIRIT CAN EMPOWER ON ONE TO HANG ON – IF IT IS HIS WILL THEN HE WILL PROVIDE THE POWER TO HANG ON DOESN’T MEAN IT WILL BE SO DISTASTEFUL THAT THE PERSON HANGING ON IS SICKENED TO THE POINT OF REPULSION – IT IS WORK IN BOTH HEARTS AT THE SAME TIME HOPEFULLY PRODUCING MUCH MUCH FRUIT TO HIS GLORY…
“Character is defined by what you do after you fall down, not because you fall down.” CHARACTER IS ALSO DEFINED IN NOT CONTINUING TO FALL DOWN – THERE HAS TO BE A TURNING POINT – A LEARNING CURVE MUST BE MET OR THERE WILL BE OR IS NO CHANGE THEREFORE NO CHARACTER OR INTEGRITY – HOW CAN ONE EVEN BUILD CHARACTER OR INTEGRITY IF THEY ARE CONTINUALLY FALLING DOWN – EVEN THOUGH ONE GET UP – THERE IS NO CHANGE – WE MUST BE TRANSFORMED & OUR MINDS RENEWED BY THE WASHING OF THE WORD & THAT PRODUCES OBEDIENCE & THE FAITH TO OBEY – THERE MUST BE A CHANGE IN THE PERSON (RIGHTEOUS MAN) OR HE/SHE WOULD NOT BE RIGHTEOUS DOING THE SAME THING OVER & OVER; GROWTH & CHANGE MUST TAKE PLACE BECAUSE GOD/JESUS/HOLY SPIRIT NEVER EVER PROMISED NOR WANTS ANY OF US TO REMAIN THE SAME – WE HAVE TO CHANGE – WE HAVE TO COME UP HIGHER – WE CANNOT REMAIN ON THE SAME PLANE OF NO CHANGE – NOT GETTING BETTER – NO WALKING AWAY FROM OUR SIN(S) – WE CANNOT REMAIN THE SAME NOR DOES HE WANT OR EXPECT US TO REMAIN THE SAME – IT IS GLORY TO GLORY – IT IS ALL ABOUT CHANGE/TRANSFORMATION IN TO HIS IMAGE – HE NEVER FELL DOWN – HE KEPT GOING HIGHER & HIGHER & HIGHER – NEVER GOING BACKWARD & THAT IS WHAT HE WANTS FROM US…
JAN
“CHARACTER IS ALSO DEFINED IN NOT CONTINUING TO FALL DOWN – THERE HAS TO BE A TURNING POINT”
Hi Jan,
Just to play devil’s advocate, and I think I know what you mean, who does not fall down?
As a child, seemed like every Saturday I had to confess taking the Lord’s name in vain.
And “gosh darn it” still slips out of my mouth from time to time, when I get mad a Max.
The other 9 commandments are fairly easy to keep, but do work Saturday sometimes.
Mike
Mike, my dearest one…
With all that darn head knowledge you have & you can’t figure this one out – it is beyond me. i would not have said/typed/expressed that toward you had i not known/experienced your intellect from this site – so here we go – hold on tight because this is really gonna be deep…
when we are babies just learning how to walk/talk – we fall down considerably/continually until we get our balance & actually start walking & then we need assistance quite regularly & we fall down lots & we cry & we hurt ourselves & we either get up alone or someone helps us get up again…
then we become toddlers where we are really getting around pretty good but still a little clumsy & continue to fall on a regular basis also but not as frequent as a baby just learning to walk & a little less traumatic for us…
then we are elementary school age children running & playing & having fun & sometimes learning to play sports & falling when pushed or tripping over our own feet or someone elses…
then we become young adults that hardly ever fall unless attempting something we should or shouldn’t be doing but i would say not falling (again or all the time as before) unless we are trying something new that takes a certain skill or balance – we are not falling all the time for sure – we are pretty much on our feet…
then we are/become adults & then on in to our older days – our golden years & most of us hardly ever fall just by chance or happen stance but hardly ever at all…
just like in our “walk” with God/Jesus/Holy Spirit – we learn to walk & not fall down. do you fall down much as an older adult – i don’t & i truly believe that/this walk is also compared or the same walk in life from beginning to end – yes, i know when we get really old some may even take a bad fall & break something as when we are very young & throughout our growing years – same thing with God/Jesus/Holy Spirit & our walk with them/HIM – but we come to points in our lives when we don’t fall down that much at all or hardly ever – would you not agree???
SO – what is really the difference in our walk with HIM & learning to walk with HIM – nothing as far as i’m concerned – was that easy enough to understand or was that too deep for you… ♥ jan
the last time i fell was about a month ago & what i was doing was pulling the lawn mower out the fence gate & my female doxie/Peanut tried to escape & i fell to my knees trying to catch here & skinned my knee a little but saved her from herself of wanting to be free & lost or eaten by a pit bull dog across the street; falling down was on purpose & it hurt but i rescued someone i loved & protected them from being eaten alive – same as i do in this life… ♥
i think Carl calls this planet parables… ♥ 🙂
btw: if “gosh darn it” is all that has slipped out of your mouth you are doing way much better than me… ♥
jan
“I think I know what you mean”
Hi Jan,
Yes, I said the above because I agree with your “growing up” and not “falling down” metaphor
But I think we must always remain humble and remember the “pride goeth before the fall” metaphor
I’m also just a little superstitious and maybe don’t want to give Yahweh any reason to show me
That I’m not quite as strong as I think I am 🙂
Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction
a haughty spirit spirit
before a fall
Mike, since there is not a reply option to click (why does that happen sometimes & not – you don’t want me to reply so you remove the option – we do have that opportunity afforded us)…
agreeing is not much in my favor because i don’t know how you could/would not see the point i was making without agreeing to it…
why was pride even brought into this – is that the reason you think people should or do fall all the time??? because of the scripture that pride proceedth a fall – falling is a choice in my opinion & sometimes it may be due to pride but sometimes & i find most of the time it is just plain wanting to do what we/you want to do instead of being obedient & if the bent is to pride then so be it – i don’t feel i have much pride for anything left in me besides wanting the Truth of all matters in life if possible…
are you humble all the time or are you prideful all the time – i don’t know because i don’t know you other than what i read that you type here on this site…
i am beginning to think/wonder/feel that social media is a hoax & not real because so many people can be who they are not – i have never portrayed someone i am not nor have i used fictitious names for myself but i have found that too many (to want to count) do that & i’m not really sure what that is all about in a person why/what would cause them to do such…
could it be pride or could it be fear or is pride related to fear??? i see so many people on facebook, twitter, tumblr that have haughty deceptive ways/spirits & it doesn’t seem to bother them any & why i don’t really know. i may get angry but i do not have a haughty spirit but i see/know many that do & it is very very sickening to say the least…
i strive to reach the prize so if that seems prideful & haughty to you then that is your opinion/perception/feelings – doesn’t mean that i agree with them or accept them or that they pertain to me…
btw: i doubt that Yahweh has anything to do with superstitions & trying to show you up – thinking you are not strong enough to handle it (any situation) perhaps HE wants to stretch you a little in your faith – supply some trials & testing to see how mature you have become – do you pass or do you fall down or do you worry about your pride in being a mighty man of valor… 🙂
jan
HERE IS AN ARTICLE THAT I JUST RECEIVED IN MY EMAIL:
It Will be Worth it!
Victoria Boyson
http://www.boyson.org
To those who overcome in the midst of adversity, He will give increased authority (Rev. 2:26). You have indeed been tried by the fires of hell, yet you have remained steadfast. As you thrust yourself into the bosom of your Father, you walk away having learned the secrets of His heart. You are no longer as easily beguiled or overwrought by the enemy, but you see now with the eyes of heaven. You are made sober in spirit, yet gentle as a dove.
God Never Said It Would Be Easy!
Have you been attacked by the enemy? Have you been hit so hard that you’ve wanted to die? Has someone torn your heart out and trampled on it? Have you been betrayed, lied about or robbed? God never said this life would be easy, He only said that a life lived for Him would be worth the battle!
Every battle worth fighting is difficult. It was not easy for Jesus to die for the sins of the world. It was not easy for the early Christians to die for their faith or for the pilgrims to come to America to find religious freedom. What they faced was not easy for them, but it was worth it! And we thank God for them.
These people knew that they were not fighting their battles for themselves alone, but for those their lives would affect. The forefathers of the United States had a dream of a great nation, and they fought and died for their dream. God had a dream of making us a part of His family: Jesus died to bring that dream to life. It was extremely difficult, but we were worth it to Him.
Never Give Up!
It is always easier to give up – to leave your ministry, church or family – but it is often the easy road that leads to destruction. The seemingly shortest or easiest path is usually a mistake. Hold your ground, stay on course and you will have a great victory…if you do not give up.
At times, when I have gone to the Lord with my pains or complaints, He will speak this short simple phrase to me: “Did you think it would be easy?” The Lord has given us a great destiny to fulfill, but He never promised that it would be easy. In fact, He told us it would be difficult. He said, “In this world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Sometimes in the midst of the trial we are facing we get discouraged and disheartened. It is easy to think we have had more than our share of attacks. But in those times we need to be reminded that God knows of our difficulties and He is not panicked. He knew it wouldn’t be easy for us, but He knew that if we did not give up, we would win. And the victory that we would enjoy would be well worth the fight.
There will always be someone who thinks they could do your job better than you. They feel as though they are more anointed than you and it seems there is no end to their criticisms. Of course the enemy tries his very best to convince you that they are right in their opinions, but they are NOT! You must hold your ground! If you give up your position in the body of Christ, the place you’ve held is then left unprotected and others will suffer.
God has you where you are for a reason; someone has to hold that position. You do not know how many lives that you are affecting just by being where you are. What you are doing is important. It is important for your own personal well-being as a child of God, and to others. Your battle is not for you alone, but for the kingdom of heaven. Your fight of faith is for the Lover of your soul, and that others may know of Him and love Him too.
Elijah’s Despair
After the prophet Elijah had the prophets of Baal killed with a sword (1 Kings 18:40), King Ahab told his wife Jezebel what Elijah had done. “Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying, ‘So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time'” (1 Kings 19:2).
After hearing her threat, Elijah was afraid and ran for his life into the wilderness. He was filled with hopelessness and despair (1 Kings 19:3-4). After one of the greatest victories of his life, he felt like a failure. He felt overwhelmed by the evil of his day and hopeless to overcome it.
The enemy can at times come in like a flood and tear apart our faith, leaving us discouraged and feeling hopeless to fight it. We may lose sight of our vision because of the pain we feel, just as Elijah lost sight of all that God had done through him. He lost his focus and was not able to see the true picture of what God was doing through him and he felt like a failure.
Elijah lived his life in obedience to God, doing great things for Him. Yet he wanted to die because of the despair he felt. Maybe Elijah did not do all that he wanted to do for God, but he did do what God wanted him to do. He needed to be reminded of the truth of his situation to shake off the hopelessness he felt. And so do we.
I have felt much like Elijah. I have experienced the sting of the enemy and felt the hopelessness he can bring. But somehow, with God by my side, I made it through that time. Step by carefully placed step I walked together with God out of Satan’s death trap. I found myself being carried by God through my fiery trial, and what I thought would be the end of me was really only the beginning of more of Him.
When you feel like you will go crazy, but don’t; when you know that Satan wanted you dead, but you’re not; when you want to give up, but continue on, that is when you begin to know God as He truly is. You know He is holding you, and carrying you through.
When I read in 1 Kings 19:4-7 of how the angel of the Lord brought Elijah bread and water from heaven while he rested under the juniper tree, I see the power of our loving Father to restore us. After the touch of the Lord, Elijah was sustained for the next forty days as he journeyed to the mountain of the Lord, where he met with God (vs. 8-9).
Elijah continued to remind God of his trouble, but God responded by telling him to return to his position of authority (1 Kings 19:15). We see in God’s instructions to Elijah to anoint Hazael as king over Aram, Jehu as king over Israel and Elisha as his successor not only His plan of victory over evil (1 King 19:17), but an increase in authority given to Elijah to carry out His plan. God did not pity Elijah, but restored him and sent him back to fulfill the plans that He had for him.
We Will Be Victorious
Indeed, you have been treated unjustly; they have lied about you and cursed you. Jesus said they would speak evil against us (Matthew 10:17-28). He told us that we would be persecuted because of Him. But He also said we would receive a rich reward for every lie, curse or unjust act we have faced for His sake (Matthew 5:11-12). Yes, He did warn us of what we would face, but He also said it would be worth it.
It is worth it because we will be victorious! Someday we will all be together with our Lord and we will see our enemy for what he truly is. We will wonder then how it was even possible for him to cause us trouble. We will marvel at what a forlorn creature he is, the rejected of heaven. (Is. 14:19; Luke 10:18).
In 1 Peter 5:8, Satan is described as a roaring lion. He is indeed a roaring lion and with his roar he unleashes accusation, intimidation and deception, because he knows that if we are able, even for a moment, to see him as he really is, we will no longer fear him.
Our enemy is defeated! He is a toothless lion who makes a lot of noise! Jesus is our victor and it is He who has removed the sting of death from our enemy (Luke 10:18-20), taking out his teeth. He has given us His victory and there is now more power in even the youngest babe in Christ than there is in Satan’s whole demon lair. “Greater is HE who is in you, than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
Do not listen to the lies of the enemy. He will try to intimidate you, but he has no real power over those who are in Christ. Do not listen to the voices of intimidation, manipulation and condemnation, because your heavenly Father loves you and He is fighting for you.
Beloved, it will be worth it!
Jan, isn’t grace wonderful?..- G-d always gives us -what we need,- and when we need it. His timing is perfect! I would say “may I have an “amen?” but in this case I’m going for a (shouted) Hallelujah! – and an amen!- This encouraging word from Victoria will be kept in my files and read more than once in days to come. Our “sufferings” are purposeful. G-d is not random in anything He says or does. (Who am I to say this?) but He is perfect in everything- “You are Amazing G-d.” Amen.
Suffering (again) is one of our “needs.” Dear friends and family- it is so. We must, we will suffer. Here is the drill- “no pain, -no gain.” And due to the benevolence of our Father- none of us will suffer above and beyond that which we are able. But it is going to happen. As someone said- “I guarantee it.” -In this world, you will have tribulation- this was said by Who?- and has He ever said anything that did not come into glorious being?
The Captain of our Salvation was made perfect by sufferings and the servant (us) is not above his Master (Him). -No pain..-no gain. We must also (as He did) “set our face as a flint” toward (the new) Jerusalem. A man (or woman) may endure much if they know the “why.” No pain, no gain.
“After” you have suffered awhile make you perfect (not sinless- mature)- stablish, strengthen, settle you. “After” (praise G-d for the “after”) we have suffered…- We will be “broken and beautiful”- We will be a new crop of “wounded healers!”
Brother Skip has gone through (and is going through) this process of sanctification. It is less of Me and more of Him. The Refiner is purifying (feeling the heat?) our mettle- testing our resolve- strengthening and conforming us (according to His good pleasure) into the image of the Son.
His words again: “But be of good cheer- take heart- find courage in this- “I have (already) overcome the world.”
Jan, -I’m calling the disc jockey and dedicating a song today for you. This is it- “enjoy!”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp569dzQVfQ
OH, THANK YOU SO MUCH CARL, I REALLY NEED THE ENCOURAGEMENT 4 SURE – THANK YOU FOR THINKING OF ME & MINISTERING TO ME WHILE I AM SUFFERING 2 (4 SURE)… THIS USED TO BE ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS & HAVEN’T HEARD IT IN A LONG TIME… IT WAS A GREAT GIFT & SO APPRECIATED & CHERISHED FROM HIM & you…
j