I was confronted by a thought yesterday that has me still working it out today. Maybe it is something you are well aware of but it is something I had never really thought about, and it has put a smile on my face and a cheer in my heart. And it is simple.
How does the enemy try to keep us off balance? That is what he is doing because the last thing he wants us to do is get any traction in our relationship with Jesus. He won't stop us from going to church or reading our Bible but he will do what he can to make sure those activities do not have a lasting effect on us. The last thing he wants us to know is our true identity in Jesus.
The tools he loves to use is fear, anxiety and worry. These things will keep our mind distracted and keep us busy trying to rescue ourselves. These things keep us awake at night, effect our health and keep us moving in the opposite direction to Jesus. The he does not want us to understand that the peace of Jesus, a free gift to us, is a great weapon of war.
Yes, that is the thought I was confronted with yesterday: peace is a weapon of war. Seems a bit strange right? As long as we are fearful the enemy is winning. As long as we are worried and anxious about our problems he is dancing about with glee. But the moment that the peace of the Lord is established in us, any foot holds the enemy had are lost and he must flee from the presence of the Lord in us. Powerful:
"Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I give to you not as the world gives. Don’t be troubled or afraid." (John 14:27)
This peace cannot be manufactured by us. We don't produce it by happy thoughts or positive thinking. This is a supernatural peace that shields us in all circumstances. It protects our heart, mind, spirit and soul. It protects our relationship in Jesus. It is a shield that the enemy can only throw mud at, he can't overcome it, but he will try to make us let go of it. It frustrates him when we hold on tight.
We have this peace in our relationship with Jesus because ours is a reality not understood by the flesh but dictated by the Spirit:
"I’ve said these things to you so that you will have peace in me. In the world you have distress. But be encouraged! I have conquered the world.” (John 16:33)
This great weapon of warfare defies all human logic and understanding. It goes in the opposite direction of where our natural self wants to go. We have to make the decision that we are people of faith, that we trust Jesus and that we will give all peace-disturbing things over to him:
Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks. Then the peace of God that exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)
Safe! There are no short cuts, no pills to take, no 7 step systems: there is only faith. Faith says I trust Jesus over the obvious reality of this world and I know through him I am already victorious. Faith says I accept your gift Jesus, my Lord and my King. I encourage you to meditate on the truth of Scripture and to defeat the enemy of your soul today: Peace be with you.
Showing posts with label tool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tool. Show all posts
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Jesus' Instructions On God's Blessings
Our God is a God of blessings. It is his great pleasure to bless and not spoil his children. His ultimate desire is for us to join him for eternity but he also enjoys pouring out good things on those who love him. A person would have to purposefully ignore great portions of scripture and the underlying current of the Bible to miss this point. Just this one scripture alone:
Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:9-11)
The words of Jesus. But what the world considers good is not necessarily what God considers good. Scriptures also make it clear that God's ways are not our ways and his thoughts are so much higher than our own. Can I tell you, there is more to life than money? Too many of us associate God`s blessings with money. It`s like we are possessed by the thought of it. Jesus told us to consider money to be a tool. Do you remember that odd passage?
Jesus told a parable about a shrewd manager who was being fired so he went to all his boss' business associates who owed money. He cut what they owed so that when he was fired they would remember what he had done and would show kindness to him. When his boss found out what he had done he commended him and did not fire him. An odd parable but Jesus concluded it with this:
I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. (Luke 16:9)
Money is a tool that will open many doors in this world for the purpose of relationship. Relationship is what is key. But Jesus also gave us plenty of warning not to allow money to become something that it is not. Remember the parable about the farmer who had a bountiful crop? It was so big he built extra barns to store it. Jesus said he was a fool because that night his life would be taken from him and what good would all that wealth have been.
We are all familiar with the passage concerning worry. Jesus told us not to chase after what the rest of the world chases after. We are not to be worried about what we need. We are God's instruments here and he will always make sure we have what we need for life and service. When we chase after wealth there is a change of who is our master. Jesus warned:
No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (Luke 16:13)
Money is a tool, perhaps a blessing that is intended to be used on others, for others but with eternal benefit. Money is not power. Money is not to be possessed, stored away, hidden for other purposes. Jesus taught that we are to be as generous as our Father is extravagant in love. The possession doesn't matter and the relationship does. Jesus also gave us this warning:
Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? (Luke 16:10-12)
You are entrusted with many blessings from our Father. He is rich beyond compare and he pours these riches into your life, but it is not to be horded away. You are to be as generous toward others as your Father has been to you. He has entrusted you with great things, to pour those great things into people around you. Understand, generosity marks the children of the Father:
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. (Matthew 10:8)
It's not just about money but every material and spiritual blessing we receive. Do not be possessed by money but instead possess it. Do not treat it like a commodity but instead a powerful tool. Do not see it as something to be stored away for a rainy day as that shows you do not trust God, but instead, give it out as quickly as it comes in. You are a blessed child of God, so be blessed and be a blessing.
Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:9-11)
The words of Jesus. But what the world considers good is not necessarily what God considers good. Scriptures also make it clear that God's ways are not our ways and his thoughts are so much higher than our own. Can I tell you, there is more to life than money? Too many of us associate God`s blessings with money. It`s like we are possessed by the thought of it. Jesus told us to consider money to be a tool. Do you remember that odd passage?
Jesus told a parable about a shrewd manager who was being fired so he went to all his boss' business associates who owed money. He cut what they owed so that when he was fired they would remember what he had done and would show kindness to him. When his boss found out what he had done he commended him and did not fire him. An odd parable but Jesus concluded it with this:
I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. (Luke 16:9)
Money is a tool that will open many doors in this world for the purpose of relationship. Relationship is what is key. But Jesus also gave us plenty of warning not to allow money to become something that it is not. Remember the parable about the farmer who had a bountiful crop? It was so big he built extra barns to store it. Jesus said he was a fool because that night his life would be taken from him and what good would all that wealth have been.
We are all familiar with the passage concerning worry. Jesus told us not to chase after what the rest of the world chases after. We are not to be worried about what we need. We are God's instruments here and he will always make sure we have what we need for life and service. When we chase after wealth there is a change of who is our master. Jesus warned:
No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (Luke 16:13)
Money is a tool, perhaps a blessing that is intended to be used on others, for others but with eternal benefit. Money is not power. Money is not to be possessed, stored away, hidden for other purposes. Jesus taught that we are to be as generous as our Father is extravagant in love. The possession doesn't matter and the relationship does. Jesus also gave us this warning:
Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? (Luke 16:10-12)
You are entrusted with many blessings from our Father. He is rich beyond compare and he pours these riches into your life, but it is not to be horded away. You are to be as generous toward others as your Father has been to you. He has entrusted you with great things, to pour those great things into people around you. Understand, generosity marks the children of the Father:
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. (Matthew 10:8)
It's not just about money but every material and spiritual blessing we receive. Do not be possessed by money but instead possess it. Do not treat it like a commodity but instead a powerful tool. Do not see it as something to be stored away for a rainy day as that shows you do not trust God, but instead, give it out as quickly as it comes in. You are a blessed child of God, so be blessed and be a blessing.
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