Saturday, June 5, 2021

 I was talking to a friend today and she mentioned a conversation that Nicodemus and Jesus had. How Jesus told him that his battle is not with Rome. It struck me quite profoundly. Because I have felt like I have been battling with my own Rome. Battling with the world and all the corruption, lies, the overwhelming changes taking place which come against Christians, against God, and against His Word, the teaching of Christ Jesus. Each day I only get more angry. So many messages and just so much sin infiltrating our daily lives. What is sin?

Sin - an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law: a sin in the eyes of God/the human capacity for sin. An act regarded as a serious or regrettable fault, offence, or omission: he committed the unforgivable sin by rejecting His plan for salvation.

The ways of the world have a tendency to draw us toward sinful behavior, away from what God instructed His people from the very beginning of Creation. After the fall of Adam and Eve, their sinful choice of disobedience and pride, birth was given to a sin nature which has gripped humanity with what is called the flesh. (Ephesians 2:2,3 "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts.")
We tend to be drawn by many worldly desires. Daily we are being bombarded from every direction.

For centuries since Satan tempted Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit, Satan continues to use temptation to fight God, as he also tempted Jesus and using the same tactics and temptations on us today. We can learn from how Jesus responded using the same weapon that Satan the devil used to tempt Jesus. Jesus used the sword of God's Word to rebuke the devil.

Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness

Matthew 4
4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[c]”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[d]”

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[e]”

11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

It goes against the answer Jesus gave back to him in verse 4,7,10. "

There are many instances where Jesus instructed us to pray and not fall into temptation. Jesus knows the battle that we would have to fight for generations to come. The battle against a worthy adversary, who seems to exist and has been allowed to run a muck throughout this earth with the sole purpose of destroying our souls. His weapon is mostly the lies he tells us as to kill our lives, destroy our faith in the one who can give eternal life. There are reasons why Jesus tells us:
Matthew 38 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

All this being said, there are many things which can consume our thoughts, and they influence our actions good or bad. I have felt myself slowing changing from a fairly mild and meek, person into a ravenous lion at times. I have felt the anger in me grow like a fire out of control at times. You know how a fire burns nice and steady with a flickering flame and then when gas is thrown on it, it turns into a blazing bush fire. In the time since Covid began like a slow fade I began to lose the inspired passion that used to shine in my eyes. The joy of life at times felt quenched. It reminds me of a glass of pop with a little sip left at the bottom. The glass never made it back into the dish-water for a cleansing. So it sat on that forgotten shelf and the pop turned hard and stuck to the bottom of the cup.

Today, when that friend prayed for me, I was like a ripe old prune shriveling and ready to fall off the branch. From time to time in the past year, my prayers had been a spontaneous reaction to whatever the need. God does not leave us even when leave Him our of our life equation.  However, we may reap the consequence of what we sow. Suddenly, her prayer was watering that prune. As she prayed, I realized that everything I have been doing and saying was my way of venting or fighting the battle without God's Spirit leading me on. I was taking years of bottled up emotions, anger, rejections and turning them into a method of releasing all my frustrations onto an open forum for the world to read. Thinking that I needed to be the world's Savior trying to be the one warrior who would speak up when everyone else seemed so silent and uninterested in what is going on. The lie had become my truth. The truth is, I am not Jesus, and I am no one's Savior.  I could never be that. There is truly only one Savior and He is Jesus Christ. That is my truth. Truth without love is no truth. Truth that is mean, arrogant or without grace or mercy is no truth. Truth is Christ. He is the Way the Truth and the Life. Truth sets us free when we pray to him and lay all our burdens down at his feet. Truth helps us to help others pick up that cross when they are too weak to pick it up themselves. It is okay to be a lion if the Lord is the one holding onto your mane. The lion of Judah, in me, speaking by the Spirit and glorifying God in whatever we do. Sadly, in my attempt to speak an opinion whether right or wrong it is how you speak and that is why many Christian's keep a reign on their own tongue.

The message of this world is all about speaking your truth. Many who have read my posts would say, my truth is not their truth. The danger in any one of us giving such power to our truth is that it may not be God's truth. That is a dangerous mountain to fall off of. It is a hard climb back up that mountain. That is my Rome and that is my battle.


 

What Rome are you fighting? I don't think I am the only one in a battle of some sort. Solomon said in Ecclesiastics  there is A Time for Everything- https://classic.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ecclesiastes 3:1-8 

Someone has to fight the fight. This is true. We can't be fighting the battles that belong to the Lord. We can only shine His light and speak when He directs us to do so. In the process of a Spiritual battle it is best to have an army of prayer warriors behind you. No weapon formed against you will prosper.  Any battles done in the Bible had God's army along side and God was the Commander and Chief. We should not expect help from God when the war is not ours to fight as much as it is God's battle to win. It is easy to forget that God is in control. God is all powerful. God has a plan far beyond what my feeble little mind can even comprehend. I have been like Nicodemus, a Pharisee. He knew the Jewish rulings and council and Old Testament teachings yet he never truly understood the fulfillment of the Scriptures when Christ Jesus sat right in front of him having a conversation with him.

It was no coincidence that Jesus met with him and began to teach him about the Kingdom of God which is far greater than the Roman Empire. So, the scales I have been wearing on my eyes for the last little while are slowly being removed. Like Nicodemus I am familiar with the scriptures. Knowing them is one thing, but even the devil knows the scriptures. Living them is another thing. So many times, I have been reminded over the last couple of years that our battle is not against flesh and blood, it is against the powers of darkness. But I put that scripture on the back shelf, so to speak.

The Bible reference I am talking about is from the book of Ephesians. 6:10 ("Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 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.")

Seems like the message below is more applicable to everything I have just spoken of. If it does not speak to anyone else, it surely speaks to me. I am convicted.

Instructions for Christian Living

17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.
20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”[d]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

MAY GOD FORGIVE ME AND MAY ALL THOSE WHO I OFFENDED FORGIVE ME ALSO.

So, summing up my long awaited blog. Let us contemplate the conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus. Because this is a conversation Jesus is having to all of us also.

Jesus Teaches Nicodemus
John 3 - New International Version

3 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.[a]”
4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[b] gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You[c] must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”[d]

9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.[e] 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,[f] 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”[g]

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
Biblegateway.com

Our Father who is in Heaven, Holy is your Name. Let you Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass (sin) against us. Lead us not into temptation, deliver us from evil. For Yours is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Thank you for your grace and mercy and the forgiveness of my sins through your Son's death the redemption (the action of saving us from the penalty of our sin, error, evil ways, and for giving us the opportunity to have life eternal when we deserve the penalty for our sins (death). “in whom ye also, having heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation,—in whom, having also believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is an earnest of our inheritance, unto the redemption of God’s own possession, unto the praise of his glory.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:13-14‬ ‭ASV‬‬

You died to give life paying the penalty for those who repent and believe. Praise be to Jesus. Amen!




1 comment:

  1. Clarity is very freeing, isn't it! Happy that you have thrown off that weight.

    ReplyDelete