The Warden

Recently, I, as well as other teachers in our area, were given the opportunity to visit places of employment for an in-service day.  I chose a USP (United States Penitentiary) in our area.

We were scheduled to take part in a tour of the prison that houses over a thousand inmates.

We discovered when we arrived that the tour would not occur, after all, because there had been violent episodes a few days prior, and the prison was on lock down.

I said all of that to really say this:  Instead, we were escorted to a conference room where three USP employees planned to introduce themselves to us, explain the dynamics of a prison system, daily life, employment opportunities, etc.

The teachers hadn't been in the conference room but for a few minutes when the first USP employee began introducing himself and his role at USP.  As he did, a man walked into the room; immediately, another USP employee saw the man, and she interrupted the speaker mid-sentence.

She said, "The Warden is here."

The way she said it was unmistakably understood. Somebody just entered the room.  SOMEBODY just entered the room.  Everybody else take a seat because SOMEBODY --the leader, the boss, the rule maker, the rule enforcer-- just entered the room.

The speaker didn't even finish his sentence.  The floor belonged to the Warden.  The other speakers very obviously stepped back as the Warden began speaking and were attentively engaged.  This moment was one of the best examples of respect I have ever observed by man.

One day, every knee shall bow.

This may sound silly, but for me, the moment was remarkable not because of the man or his job title but because I couldn't help but liken it to what everyone should do when the LORD enters the room.  

How often do we stop mid-sentence when The Lord has something better to say?
How often do we truly reverence the Spirit Of God when He enters our realm?
How often are we willing to lay down our dialogue as we converse with others when the LORD stops us mid-sentence?
How often do we listen attentively when The Lord is speaking?
How often do we allow our egos to take a seat because The Lord has a better plan?
How often do we heed the signs when it is time for God to speak and time for us to be silent?

We better know that although the warden held the keys to a man-made prison; the Lord Jesus Christ holds the keys to hell and death.

May we be found faithful to HIM and know that The Lord  is the SOMEBODY who

• always has something better to say,
• always deserves our reverential respect,
• always supersedes our thoughts, and
• always deserves our undivided attention.

Amen!

The Struggle

Jesus said, “But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!” (Luke 12:50)

According to Strong’s Concordance, the word straitened in the Greek means:

“to hold together, i.e. to compress (the ears, with a crowd or siege) or arrest (a prisoner); figuratively, to compel, perplex, afflict, preoccupy:—constrain, hold, keep in, press, lie sick of, stop, be in a strait, straiten, be taken with, throng.”

Are you experiencing this baptism of anguish right now? Your response during time(s) of  “straitening” is crucial.  Those who have ears to hear, let them hear.

This baptism of tremendous struggle (an anguish that will seem impossible to bear) must be endured in the faith.  You must endure the humiliation. You must endure the loss.  You must endure the agony.  Giving up is not an option for those whose eternity will be spent with Christ.

You will suffer as a Christian. Let that sink in.  How will you respond in such times?  In your patience, possess your souls (Luke 21:19).  Understand that while the suffering (your tribulation) is and will be the most agonizing time(s) of your life, those times of trial are the most important, and if endured in Christ, the most holy encounters a person can have with the Lord.   

Never find personal delight in another person’s suffering, but, at the same time, always know that suffering is an opportunity for a person to either continue on the narrow path that leads to Jesus Christ or an opportunity for a person to begin his journey with Christ - as long as the suffering person continues in the faith.

During tribulation (agony), read (study) the Word of God, pray, fast, and most importantly, never give up on the Lord manifesting Himself to you. Satan will whisper all kinds of deceptions to you. He will want you to be angry, to give up, to kill yourself, to assume God just doesn't care; each of these ultimately equal not continuing in the faith. Don't you believe him!

The first true moment of tribulation in my own life occurred some 9 years ago.  I’ll link those personal

testimonies at the end of this article. During that time of being crushed by the wine press (a death of my flesh and birth of the Holy Spirit within me), the Lord was first silent for a long period of time, but He, in His mercy, sent a sister in Christ to feed me manna until I could reach the crucial and mandatory place of Peniel (Genesis 32:30). It was there that I saw His Face. His presence manifested after months of agony (months of prayer, months of weeping, months of building faith, months of fasting, months of studying His Word).

In that process, I was trampled on the ground in a state of utter humiliation.  All types of “notions” I had about my abilities crashed to the floor!!! Hallelujah! The Lord was patient during all of this, and He, being all knowing, waited until I reached complete brokenness, complete humility before He showed me  #1 that He truly exists and #2 that I am nothing if I do not rely on Him. The scales gradually fell from my eyes, and through this threshing process, my perception of sin and carnality was turned on its head -  better yet, it was ripped to shreds !  It was only during that excruciating process (the process where my cross was heavy and my knees were buckling underneath) that I was truly born of the Spirit and the Truth.

The aspects of carnality that I loved about life (my life, other people’s lives, and just in general) died a slow, agonizing death.  Due to truly enduring by faith, Christ was forming in me, so that I could walk in the SPIRIT of CHRIST (Romans 8:9; Romans 8:11).   I gloried in God to see that dead carcass of selfishness and carnality at the end of this tremendous struggle, and you will too!  Just endure, knowing that your fiery trial will yield the fruit of righteousness.  I was happy to see my carnal self put to death. As painful a battle as it was and some of the battles were beyond brutal, such was necessary to really be straitened (pressed, perplexed, afflicted, thronged) (Luke 12:50).  Not only was it a battle against my flesh, but Satan was also very fond of my carnality too; he had spent 32 years molding me, so he brazenly made his presence known over a period of several months.  Hallelujah, the LORD is stronger though!

Why do I share this?  When YOUR day of tribulation comes (and maybe it is here now), do not take the easy way out.  Do not listen to your flesh or Satan.  Do not listen to voices in this world who know nothing about truly enduring in the faith.  Go to God, and do not relent until He speaks.  He will.  He will.

Further Reading:

That Much More

Place of a Skull

Stand in the Gap

Confusing the Voices

Follow Me

Skin for Skin

The Tribulum and Threshing

Are You Really IN Christ?