Tag: perseverance

25.s. “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds”

 

2 Corinthians 10:4  For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

 Ephesians 6:13-18     Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.  Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,  and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.  In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;  and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,  praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

 1 Samuel 17:45-50    Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

 Isaiah 2:11-12     The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.  For the LORD of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low;

We walk according to the flesh in the sense that we all do. We are flesh and blood human beings, and we struggle with the same things the Corinthian Christians struggled with. However, Paul wants to make it clear that he does not war according to the flesh.  Our weapons were not material or fleshly but spiritual, suited for spiritual war. Think about that and how it applies to how we should live, in order that in all we say, think, and do we honor and glorify Jesus Christ.  Love rather than hate, Faith rather than self-reliance and self-assurance, Confidence rather than doubt, Power of the Holy Spirit rather than might of flesh, Joy rather than despair, Peace rather than conflict, Hope rather than fear and anxiousness, Kindness rather than hard-hearted and callous, Generous rather than selfish and self-centered, rejoicing rather than mourning, Holiness rather than polluted by worldly desires, Surrender to the will of God rather than the influence of self-reliance, etc…. The fleshly, worldly, and human way is to overpower, dominate, manipulate, and out-maneuver. The spiritual, Jesus honoring and glorifying way is to humble yourself, die to yourself, and let God show His resurrection power through you.

This reliance on fleshly/worldly methods and the habit of thinking this way is a false stronghold. It stubbornly sets down deep roots in the heart and mind, and it colors all of our actions and thinking. It is hard to let go of the thinking that values the things and ways of this world, but God’s power really can break down these strongholds. (Guzik)

151. And his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God,

1 Kings 15:1  Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah. He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father.

2 Chronicles 25:2    And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, yet not with a whole heart.

2 Chronicles 31:20-21  Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God.  And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered.

When walking down the paths of; 1. And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God.  2.  he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, yet not with a whole heart.  3. seeking his God, he did with all his heart and prospered.

There are dangers we face that are self-induced and none so dangerous as not giving God our whole heart.   When God does not get our whole heart then we get influenced and driven by our own sinful desires or those of others.  When we separate our heart to serve other things more wholly than God we jump on a very wide deceiving path of influence, illusions, deception, false hopes, and fleeting satisfaction.  Matthew 6:24 “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.” This is true in more than just money.  If we try to manage our time with God in an attempt to satisfy both our self and God we most certainly will side with self.  When that happens the word of God becomes less and less, serving Him becomes a burden, honoring Him becomes counterfeit, following Him becomes more of performing art than the desired walk, and obeying Him becomes at best a guess of what society deems ok.  See what Peter says about slipping away from God and it’s the outcome: 2 Peter 1:3-10 “ His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble,”

Serving God half-hearted will lead to acceptance and tolerance of sin in our lives.  It will rob us or true joy, peace, rest, hope, and faith.

Be Bold, do not hold back

Exodus 5:1   Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’” But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.”

Ezekiel 2:6     And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.

Matthew 10:28    And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Acts 4:29     And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness,

Isaiah 58:1    “Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins.

Ephesians 6:18-20    praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,  and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,

2 Timothy 4:17     But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed

Where has the boldness gone in proclaiming the Gospel?  Where has the boldness gone to live righteously?  Where has the boldness gone to declare the sovereignty, power and might of God?

The Greek term translated bold or boldly or boldness, means “candor in the face of opposition.” We should give a candid, clear, compassionate, compelling witness to the news of how sins can be forgiven in Jesus Christ and how we have experienced that reality personally. Boldness isn’t being obnoxious–I’m gonna shove this down your throat whether you want to hear it or not. Boldness can be very gentle, kind and from a loving heart. It’s not mean or pushy; it’s just convinced. Boldness does not adjust the presentation to avoid a negative response.

We want to see people converted but don’t want any feathers ruffled or anyone to get upset when they reject the Gospel. Today we want to be the aroma of life to those who are being saved without being the aroma of death to those who are perishing

God has called you to something bold today. It may not be taking a nation out of slavery, but God has put a task before you today that you need to accomplish. There’s going to be be people and circumstances that stand against you doing that bold thing. Ignore them or confront them, but don’t let them stop you. Persist in faith by continuing forward through the opposition into the victory that God has already won in through Jesus Christ.

There’s going to be trouble. There’s going to be opposition. But don’t worry about it. Jesus has already overcome and the Father has always been in control. Be bold in pursuing what God has put before you. Persist in faith.