We've Got More than Our Fleshly Abilities

[Pressing-On]

Originally Posted by mfblume

By far, our own flesh and the fear is engenders is the BIGGEST enemy we will ever deal with. We have all that we need through what Christ did on the cross for us. It sounds corny, having been said so much, but really it's true - the only thing we should fear is fear itself.

I think a lot of it is due to the fact that the most important things done at the cross were invisible things. Things the word alone can show us - how we died with Jesus and were buried and risen with Him. If we stood there that day, we would not see the vital events that occurred. So, all we have is His Word, and that requires faith.

IMO, I believe we hold fear because we know what we are capable of and we know what others could also be capable of.

Also, when "all things work together...", a situation or issue that arises is on God's timetable. Since we don't control those things, it brings an element of fear that we know we shouldn't have, sometimes we are able to put that down, but other times the waiting can mess with our minds.

When dealing with fear over a situation, God brought to mind Daniel in the lion's den. He asked me - "What was Daniel's greatest fear?" My first thought was the lions, but God responded, "That there was no way out."

A lesson learned. We can fear there is no way out, but God will make a way of escape if we will trust Him. I'm sure Daniel had no idea how long he would be in the den with the lions. That was on God's timetable.

[KeptByTheWord]

Originally Posted by Pressing-On

When dealing with fear over a situation, God brought to mind Daniel in the lion's den. He asked me - "What was Daniel's greatest fear?" My first thought was the lions, but God responded, "That there was no way out."

A lesson learned. We can fear there is no way out, but God will make a way of escape if we will trust Him. I'm sure Daniel had no idea how long he would be in the den with the lions. That was on God's timetable.

Awesome nugget right there Pressing-On!!!! So true that fear is our worst enemy, because our eyes are limited to the now and present. Our faith, though gives us eyes that trust the future, even though we can't see it, because we know our Lord does.

I love thoughts like these - they are good nuggets to store away for the moments and times when you need encouragement instantly.

A favorite nugget of mine .... Being a disciple of Christ really means being called to a life of adventure - you never know what He is going to allow, or what He is going to take you through, or what He is going to ask you to do... but one thing for sure.... He has a plan! Yes, serving Jesus is most certainly a life full of adventure!

[Pressing-On]

Originally Posted by KeptByTheWord

Awesome nugget right there Pressing-On!!!! So true that fear is our worst enemy, because our eyes are limited to the now and present. Our faith, though gives us eyes that trust the future, even though we can't see it, because we know our Lord does.

I love thoughts like these - they are good nuggets to store away for the moments and times when you need encouragement instantly.

A favorite nugget of mine .... Being a disciple of Christ really means being called to a life of adventure - you never know what He is going to allow, or what He is going to take you through, or what He is going to ask you to do... but one thing for sure.... He has a plan! Yes, serving Jesus is most certainly a life full of adventure!

Amen! The waiting game is what got Saul into trouble. He was tired of waiting and offered the sacrifice himself.

[KeptByTheWord]

Originally Posted by Pressing-On

Amen! The waiting game is what got Saul into trouble. He was tired of waiting and offered the sacrifice himself.

And exactly so MANY times our troubles are caused by this very thing. We are impatient, and try to take into our own hands a situation, and make something happen, when if we would just continue to wait on the Lord and his provision, we wouldn't have to deal with the sad outcomes of our own interventions.

For example: Look at what happened to Sarah when she became impatient with the fact that she had not conceived, even though the Lord had made her a promise. She implored her husband to conceive a child through her servant. That child, and his seed, have continued driving a wedge between the seed of Sarah and Abraham ever since.

May God help us all to remember that taking things into our own hands is a very dangerous thing.

[Pressing-On]

Originally Posted by KeptByTheWord

And exactly so MANY times our troubles are caused by this very thing. We are impatient, and try to take into our own hands a situation, and make something happen, when if we would just continue to wait on the Lord and his provision, we wouldn't have to deal with the sad outcomes of our own interventions.

For example: Look at what happened to Sarah when she became impatient with the fact that she had not conceived, even though the Lord had made her a promise. She implored her husband to conceive a child through her servant. That child, and his seed, have continued driving a wedge between the seed of Sarah and Abraham ever since.

May God help us all to remember that taking things into our own hands is a very dangerous thing.

Amen! You are reminding me of Moses and how he hit the rock instead of speaking to it, like God had instructed him. Impatience with God's plans and the people we deal with involved in those plans.

[mfblume]

Speaking of Moses hitting the rock, the cleft of the rock stands for Christ's death. Jesus is the rock. When the Song of Solomon has the king calling to the woman he loved, we read words that mention she was hidden in the cleft.

Song of Solomon 2:10-14 My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely

Christ the rock was smitten in his death. We are baptized into that death and so it can be said that standing in the cleft is standing in the place of death with Christ. The king called to his love to leave the cleft of the rock. This is like the call to go beyond death with Christ so we can walk in this newness of life. So many believers are saved and died with Christ to see their penalty for sin paid, but they do not go further into the heights and depths of living a resurrected life supernaturally in the here and now. They battle doubt and struggle with faith for overcoming struggles. They're stuck in the cleft.

And if we read the words of Song of Solomon carefully, we can see hints of the dove bringing the olive leaf to Noah and informing him the waters are gone and the flowers appear.... Olive trees... And it's time to leave the ark to enter the newness of life. The flood's over.

And so the cleft of the rock corresponds to the ark. Both speak of entrance into the death of Christ. Peter flatly stated entrance into the ark to be saved by water is baptism. And it's vital. But it's a means to the end of entering newness of life next!

Thank God the dove of the Soirit leads to all the fullness of what the cross did for us.