Battle Ridden Brethren

This is for the battle ridden brethren in Christ Jesus who find themselves on hands and knees in the middle of the war torn field gasping for breath, wondering which way should I go?  What should I do? This is for you.

The word remnant means “a small remaining quantity of something.”  If you are under the impression that there be few who are encountering the battles you are facing, you are correct.  There is only a small remnant.  If you are under the impression that you are fighting a losing battle, then you are not correct.  There are promises in the Word of God teaching us exactly how to endure in the Faith, no matter the circumstance, no matter the struggle, no matter the pain, no matter the anguish.

You must first be willing to believe this:  ‘My God will help me overcome in a godly and holy way.’  You must allow that to seep down into the very pores of your spirit.  You must be willing to patiently wait for His guidance.  There will be those, Satan and others, who will make every attempt to convince you that you should seek to escape down a path other than the narrow path the Lord spoke of.  Do not heed the advice of those who contradict the promises and conditions set forth by God Himself!

If the way of escape is not a godly way, then it is not from God.  It is Satan, not God, whose goal is to persuade men to choose sin/rebellion/disobedience.  

John 10:10The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.John 10:27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:John 18:37Jesus said,To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. 

John 10:4-5  And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

During dark battles, I have noticed that there are always many voices attempting to point me off the straight and narrow path.  Some of those voices are very, very convincing and seemingly genuine in their advice and their approach, but the Lord teaches His followers to WAIT on Him.  Confusion breeds rash decisions that lead to sin and rebellion, but the Word of God teaches that everyone that is of the truth heareth His voice. The Lord’s voice will never agree with sin. Never.  

Beloved, please know that there are many spirits in this world.  The Lord has so very specifically taught me during trials that we cannot judge the reliability of a spirit by that same spirit.  In other words, don’t fall into the trap of thinking, “Well, this person spoke kind words to me during this past event. Or this person provided sound words of wisdom to me last year or last week, so this current advice must be true.”  If you think that way, then you are judging a spirit by the same spirit.  And you are valuing ‘man’s truth’ over God’s Standard of Truth.

Although it may be true a person has imparted Biblical wisdom to you in the past, that most assuredly does not mean all words that come from that individual are ‘of God’.  

Measure any and every spirit, whether from another person or from yourself, by the only accurate gauge of TRUTH… and that is the source of TRUTH: The Word of God.

The Devil has truly sought to convince others that these Truths are offensive, but we must separate ourselves from emotional attachments and allow the Word of God to stand True in our lives and our hearts no matter what.  Emotions are deceptive and unruly.  Many a well-seeming man has allowed himself to believe a false gospel of emotional entanglements instead of the unadulterated Word of God.

Matthew 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait [thlibo] is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

The Greek word thlibo means to crowd, to press upon (like grapes), to press hard, to contract, to trouble, to distress.   Brethren, you are going to suffer tremendously.  However, if we are not forewarned and taught of these inevitable struggles, we may be inclined to give up the faith and instead give into the sorrow.  Know this:  The price that was paid at Calvary was much too precious for giving up or giving in.

The Holy Spirit sends this reminder -  if you feel you can’t continue on another step:  remember Joseph in Egypt, remember Daniel in Babylon, remember Jesus in the wilderness, remember Elijah against Jezebel, remember Esther in Shushan, remember David against Goliath, remember John crying out in the wilderness. Remember those true examples of faithfulness and endurance.  

It is time to look toward the hills.  From there comes your help!

Psalm 121“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.”

Remnant:  It is time that you look for assistance from Truth!  

No matter the battle, there are promises that cannot be denied in God’s Holy Bible.  Stand on those promises no matter the opposition.  God’s word will stand when all else fails.  Stand on His Word.  

“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Matthew 24:13).

"Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life" (Revelation 2:10).

"To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." (Revelation 2:7).

"To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it" (Revelation 2:17).

"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne" (Revelation 3:21).

Grace empowers you to overcome any and all struggles.  Wait on the Lord for His holy direction.  You won’t regret it. When we truly seek Him diligently with all of our hearts (and this is what it takes), It Is Written that He will not give you a stone, nor will He give you a serpent! (Matthew 7:9-10). Jesus will give you that which sustains LIFE, not that which facilitates death in sin. Glory!

Jesus was crucified as a solitary body on that cross, suffering and dejected, so just when you think you are alone in your tremendous trial, there was One who prepared a way for you to overcome.  Praise this God who provided Himself the sacrifice! (Genesis 22:8)

Stand up, dust off your hands and knees; the spoils of Victory are awaiting you.  Fight the good fight.

That Much More

Jesus recognized the weakness of the flesh.  In fact, He specifically addresses flesh as being weak.

He said in the 26th chapter of Matthew:  "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Let us be clear on this matter:  Jesus did not address the weakness of the flesh as a way of granting subtle or even not so subtle permission to sin.  No.  He acknowledged the weakness of the human flesh, but He pressed into prayer that much more.  That much harder.  That much more obediently. Because He fully understood the snares and traps within the flesh, He illustrated what any son of God is called to do: Pray to the Father.  Press in & don't stop!  He is truly the perfect Teacher for those of us who long to follow Him.  When He states so many times in the Gospel, "Follow me,"  it is clear that following Him also includes being taught of Him.  He shows followers how to handle any situation, any trial, and any temptation of the flesh.   Thank you, Lord!
 
Therefore, when Jesus was battling the flesh nature, He prayed.  He knew the agony awaiting Him just around the corner.  He knew of Judas' upcoming kiss of betrayal, He knew of the upcoming scourging and humiliation, and He knew of His impending gory physical death.  The flesh rose up in opposition to this.  Just as our own flesh will rise up in opposition to us when we devote ourselves to the Lord.  The flesh won't give up without a fight.

Jesus, Our Example:

This verse is absolutely one of the most profound verses in all scripture illustrating precisely what it means to ENDURE in the Faith:

"And being in agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground" (Luke 22: 44).

How does Jesus handle this time of agony?  The word "agony" in verse 44 is the Greek word agonia . It means "struggle ie anguish."  Do we see Him giving into the struggle by obeying the flesh's desires?  Do we see Him saying, "This is too much.  Surely, the Father understands my frailties of giving into sin?"  Of course not!  He prays that much more, that much harder, & that much more obediently! (Make no mistake about it.  The flesh rises up in opposition in order to plant and reap disobedience.  Disobedience equals SIN.)  Hallelujah, the Lord provided Himself as an example of what we are called to do in order to avoid giving into the flesh and its deception.  Not just one time does the Son pray to the Father while in agony of what He was being called to, not just two times, but three times Jesus diligently prays.  Enduring in the faith!

Jesus is our Master Instructor.  If instruction comes from another individual (even if from ourselves) that is in opposition to the example set forth by Christ, we must reject it.  No matter the messenger, if the message about how we are to react to sin & the temptation to sin is a stark contradiction to the way Jesus said to handle it, then we must reject the false instruction.  Today, we can look anywhere and hear the familiar tune of the flesh being weak and that God understands such things.  Those words are misleading, and that kind of misleading message is one that facilitates continued sin within a person.  We see this mentality everywhere.

I included part of a verse at the beginning of this post: "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Here is the entire verse:

"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41).

 
Never let your "prayer" be:  "God, you know my flesh is weak.  I can't help myself with this sin I am committing."

Always let your prayer be: "God, you know my flesh is weak.  That is why I am relying on Your Power to deliver me from this temptation.  I won't stop seeking You until You deliver me of this temptation. Rid me of the desire surrounding this temptation."

When others mention fleshly struggles to us, we must make sure that our response to that person is led of the Holy Spirit of God and not of our own flesh.   Flesh wants to comfort flesh.  "There, there...you can't help yourself.  God understands... Don't worry, you are under the blood no matter what."

If we are being led of the Holy Spirit, our response will be 'watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.'  'Fight the good fight of faith!'  'Bring all imaginations in subjection to Christ.'  'The Lord overcame the world, so that you, too, can overcome this temptation.'  'Be encouraged, there is hope to overcome this temptation IN Christ Jesus!'

Falling Away to the Anti-Christ