2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NLT We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.
Colossians 1:15-20 Phillips Now Christ is the visible expression of the invisible God. He existed before creation began, for it was through Him that every thing was made, whether spiritual or material, seen or unseen. Through Him, and for Him, also, were created power and dominion, ownership and authority. In fact, every single thing was created through, and for Him. He is both the first principle and the upholding principle of the whole scheme of creation. And now He is the head of the body which is composed of all Christian people. Life from nothing began through Him, and life from the dead began through Him, and He is, therefore, justly called the Lord of all. It was in Him that the full nature of God chose to live, and through Him God planned to reconcile in His own person, as it were, everything on earth and everything in Heaven by virtue of the sacrifice of the cross.
Observation
Here are a few reminders about who we are in Christ as we look toward the future.
We operate from a position of advantage. We are IN Christ, not near Him, not next to Him but IN Him. We are the children of the Almighty God, Messiah, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is never surprised by the moves of the enemy. He is never unprepared or taken aback by what happens. He never leaves or forsakes us.
We are not in charge of the ultimate plan. He feels no pressure or compunction to react or act according to any plan or timetable other than His own. He is never concerned about what people will think about an individual battle that seems to be lost. He will partner with us and equip us to accomplish His plan and fulfill His will and purpose BUT He will not necessarily bless any plan we come up with on our own. He has already won the war and will lead us in victory – if we choose to follow into His Kingdom that He has established on earth as it is in Heaven. We need to wait and take however long it takes to hear from Him and be wise enough to trust and embrace His plan for us.
We have been given superior weapons. The weapons our God gives us are not the weapons the world sees as powerful but are those that exercise His absolute spiritual power and authority – on earth and in the heavenlies. These are the invisible weapons of surrendered life of faith born from a heart established in Christ. These weapons wield incredible power against which the enemy has no defense – 1 Corinthians 13 love, grace, forgiveness, mercy, self-sacrifice, humility, obedience to His call, the fruit of the Spirit among so many others. The enemy gains no foothold, no victory, when we wield only God’s weapons by responding according to the Word of God rather than react according to our flesh. We are not ignorant of the enemy’s devices; we should also know how to use the weapons God has given.
God is not performance-based. Will we be judged by Jesus one day for the works performed by us as an act to demonstrate our love and gratitude for Who He is and what He has done for us? Absolutely! However, showing Him many lists with all the boxes checked off, showing all the good things we decided to do on our own in His name, will not impress Him nearly as much as how well we listened and obeyed in whatever He specifically asked us to do. If we trust God enough to pray and wait to hear His plan, setting aside our timetable, our need to be in control, and our need to rack up another achievement to gain the praise of men, we will find that our joy will be full because we have given Him joy in His heart.
Impact on Me
These are all reminders that speak powerfully to me. Learning to live by faith is a journey of surrendering over and over, finding Jesus faithful when I do, and moving on to the next opportunity to learn to trust Him. Sometimes, I have to circle back a few times on the same path. It is amazing to me that Holy Spirit is such a patient and faithful teacher and companion.
I need to remember that my God’s power, authority and strength is like the whole power plant compared to the devil’s microwave strength – like the Sun compared to a mini-flashlight. I think about Peter walking on the water. He was actually doing it until he was distracted by the stormy waves. Why would calm or stormy make a difference – walking on water in any case is impossible. My goal this year is to keep my eyes on Jesus so the storminess around me won’t distract me from remembering and exercising who I am in Christ.
Devotion
Almighty, Everlasting, Omniscient Father, I worship You. Jesus, Creator, Redeemer, Savior, You are worthy of all praise. Holy Spirit, patient and constant, teach and guide me in trusting in my adoption, my redemption, my authority in Christ so I won’t be distracted by the storms and sink. Help me to wait on You but act quickly to obey when I do hear Your voice, Your call. School me in using Your weapons, provide me with the humility needed to use them, and grace, grace, grace. I ask this all in Jesus’ name.
Pressing On In His Footsteps 