When the Lord brings us to significant junctures in our life it is important to stop and ponder and take in everything the Lord has for us to learn about what He is speaking to our heart. In the psalms David often uses the word selah-meaning think about that. He brings us to the place of ruin and brokeness not to keep us there but to destroy our flesh and build us up in His Spirit and grace. In our weakness He is strong. Sown in weakness, raised in power, His power. In order for this to happen, the flesh needs to be crucified.
In Exodus 17, Israel had just been delivered from years of bondage and the control of the Egyptians. They had come out of Egypt through the passover and crossed the Red Sea by the mighty salvation of the Lord, then they encountered the first enemy they had to deal with Amalek. Many scholars believe Amalek is a picture of the flesh. Because Amalek and his people were enemies of God they had to be subdued even if it meant going to war. Amalek did not fear God and was their first and constant struggle.
When Israel came out of Egypt and crossed the Red Sea, Moses said one of my favorite verses, (I carried this verse on an index card with me for 1 year) Ex 14:13-14 "Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord which HE will accomplish for you...The Lord will fight for you , and you shall hold your peace." That is salvation! Then came Amalek and the command was "Go out and fight against Amalek-that's a picture of warfare.
In the battle against Amalek God instructs Moses to raise his rod over his head and when he did Israel prevailed, when he let his hands down, Amalek prevailed. Moses hands became so heavy that they put a stone under him, and Aaron and Hur supported his hand one on either side. The raised hands did not indicate Moses empowering. The Israelite's learned that their freedom was dependent only on their faith in God, not on their own strength.
I noticed two significant things here. To fight against the flesh it is going to hurt physically. That is why if we are going to have victory we must along with the obvious spending time in God's word we need to have a devoted steady prayer life and include times of fasting. Second, we must include our friends to help hold us up. Goodness do we need to chose our friends and counselors wisely. My husband is a counselor to me. The word instructs him as my husband to wash me in the truth of God's word. I've been praying the prayers from Stormie OMartin's book The Power Of A Praying wife for him. In the section for his repentance it says, "If there is suffering to be done, let it be the suffering of a remorseful heart and not because the crushing hand of the enemy has found an opening through unconfessed sin." How careful we must be that we recieve counsel from those who do not have unconfessed sin in their life which would block them from communicating the truth fully. We need to take counsel from those who are filled with the Holy Spirit.
There is a continuing warfare raging in our bodies. "For the flesh sets itself against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another." Gal 5:17 The flesh must continually be put to death. If we walk by the Spirit we will not carry out the desires of the flesh. We cannot battle the flesh in our own strength. All power and authority have been given to Jesus and what is His is ours as well by the indwelling of the Spirit that lives within all believers.
In Galatians, Paul explains to the Galatians that no works of the flesh will be justified but by grace through faith in Jesus. He challenged them because they seemed to begin in the Spirit then tried to be made perfect by the flesh. They fell into legalism which only enslaved them to works and not the liberty and freedom which came through Christ alone by faith. The hope of righteousness by faith in Christ not only brings justification before God but also growth in the Christian life until we are completely glorified by God and freed from the presence of sin.
We cannot fear God and fear man. Paul said, "For do I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ Gal 1:10."
Fear of man is a snare and a battle I've struggled with most of my life. The Lord is teaching me and moving my hearts full devotion to live to please the Lord alone and not to be enslaved under the acceptance and control of others.
No comments:
Post a Comment