If I didn’t believe in the Sovereignty of God, I would not compose this blog because it would be an exercise in absolute, absurd, futility. How’s that for an article entitled ‘A Renewed Confidence’. It is because of my belief in God’s Sovereignty that keeps me in His peace and assurance that allows me to persevere with a renewed confidence in Him. Our renewed confidence is upheld by the ‘blood of the Lamb’, ‘the word’ of our testimony, and not ‘loving my life to the death’. That’s what Revelation 12:11 declares how we, as believers in Christ, overcome in the last days. Because of Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, Satan has been stripped of his power.
It is recorded in Colossians 2:11-15, “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it our of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” (NKJV).
I hope you took the time to read and meditate on Hebrews 12:1-28, then you will understand my next statement. I am repeating a thought from a previous blog. A fresh alignment of our heart toward the Lord must precede overcoming by the word of our testimony. We have considered overcoming by the Blood of the Lamb. We renewed our confidence in the power of the blood. We have reflected upon the apathy of our heart. Are we only kindly affectionate toward the Lord, or are we self-sacrificing in our commitment to follow Him? If the words of our mouth and the meditation of our heart are not acceptable in His sight, then our words to the world and/or witness in the world, or other believers are as I Corinthians 13:1-3. Paul wrote, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love (agape), I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love (agape). I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love it profits me nothing.” (NKJV);
Let me share the commentary written about these verses expressed in my Study Bible, page 1739, “Without love (agape) the most magnificent manifestation of gifts and the most heroic self-sacrifice mean nothing. Right things must be done in the right way.” Reflect on those words.
Let me insert an observation: Do you remember when Moses was told by God to speak to the rock in order for the water to come out? Moses became upset with Israel’s complaining, and he struck the rock with his staff instead of speaking to it as God had told him. God did supply the water that the people were complaining about; but Moses misrepresented God before the people and Moses got to see the Promised Land but he was not allowed to enter into it and live there.(Numbers 20:7-13) Did it cost Moses his eternal relationship with God? No. How do we know that? Who was on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus, Elijah, and three disciples? Moses. (Luke 9:27-36) What do we need to see from this episode in Moses’ life? He misrepresented God because of the words of his mouth and the meditation of his heart was not upright before the Lord and his response before the people was an act of disobedience that the Lord disciplined.
Let me say again, I am deeply convinced by the Word and the Spirit of God, that this nation is not fighting “against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12 NKJV). It is affecting the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts; and we are hearing and witnessing responses that do not please the Lord.
In his commentary on Isaiah, Ray Ortlund makes this statement. “The greatest prayer we can pray is for God to do His will, for His glory, in His way, by His gospel, in our generation without restraint. That’s a prayer God loves to hear and is ready to answer.”
My question: Father, are you using this present moment on Your created earth, waiting for Your people to pray the substance of this prayer to You, and You will come down, manifest Your Presence, pour out Your Spirit, have Your Gospel preached, save souls, and change the environment in our nations?
Is there another Spiritual Awakening on the horizon ?
Will this one have No Restraint?”
“Just let us be part of Your movement today.” Ray Ortland
Isaiah 63:15, “Look down from Your habitation, holy and glorious. Where are Your zeal and Your strength, The yearning of Your heart and Your mercies toward me? Are they restrained?” (NKJV)
“Oh, that You would come down and make Your Presence felt in our generation.” Ray Ortlund
What’s the desire of your heart?
Up to this point, we have considered overcoming by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of our testimony, but there is a third imperative in Revelation 12:11, “and they did not love their lives to the death.”
We need to consider what that means, TBC
Living Words of Encouragement 