That Which I Have Been Shown
My spirit has been low. I have been broken; in fear and in anxiety, physical and emotional pain, this I have endured. I have shut up into my own comfort zone to which there is no comfort. I have filled my head with demon's lies. I have cowered under the towering shadows of inadequacy, failing health, incapability, and shear meaninglessness. I have succumbed to a depression of the greatest scale when the Lord has been bestowing blessing after blessing right before my eyes. So why have I not felt the reward of these blessings?
From what I can tell, if the devil can keep me preoccupied with my own inadequacies and anxieties, I can be of no use to the kingdom. Out of my fatigue I will be unable to serve and minister to others. Out of my fears, I will never be inclined to make any more attempts at spiritual growth, and most importantly on his agenda, if my mind is consistently preoccupied in thwarting off fear and spiritual attacks, I will never be inclined to intercede for others. This is the strategy of Satan. How does one overcome?
I have had to remind myself at all hours of the day who I am in Christ. I have been crucified. I am dead to sin. I have been set apart by God's glorious calling to bring Him glory and honor; to transcend death and take part in wonderful fellowship with Him for eternity. My inheritance is all things beautiful; eternal life, effervescent peace, and everlasting love are mine, gifts of God through my precious Lord Jesus. It is He who sustains me and whispers through the shouts of the demons, "You are forgiven, you are worthy, you are my son." Truly, the Father sees His Son in me. He must. It is the only way that this works. For Christ has been grafted into me. Where I was crucified, Christ's righteousness pervaded my being. Where my sin left of His holiness picked up. Satan is the father of lies. He not only lies in word, but by deed and by show. I claim the promises of my God, who promised a future and a blessing. He has a plan for me. The wind and the waves are raging, but He has calmed my seas.
I have a basil plant growing in my room right now. I went without watering it for a few days, and just yesterday it had begun wilting, sagging in seeming sorrow, starved of sustenance, in need of water and life. As I poured water into the dry soil, I knew that it would spring back to life, but not nearly as quickly as I thought it would. Only hours later I entered back into the room to see the plant standing taller and truer than it had initially. It was growing. It was at that instance that the Lord revealed to me that the plant withers without water, but when giving just a bit of nourishment it springs forth back to life and grows stronger and taller. I know that my health has been reinstated, my heart has been refreshed, and my mind has been cleansed by the blood of the Lord Jesus that waters my soul. The truth is in his promises and His word endures forever.
It was later that day, after spending time in prayer, that I rode my bicycle down the road. Beneath a highway underpass, I came across a man with a sign pleading for money. I approached him and struck up conversation. His name was William, but he went by "Wizard" on the street. He was a tough, burly man, who apparently had someone looking out for him, be it magic or what. He had a hernia protruding from his stomach, caused by a shotgun blast to the gut. It looked as if he was a pregnant woman. The sight was pathetic, that this man was left to plead for money on the side of the road, on his atrophied legs, which doctors said he would never use again after being struck by a passing motorist. Needless to say this man was a fighter. I conversed with him for quite a while, seeing that this man was a wise man.
Indeed his wisdom was not a fallacy, for as we got to speaking of heavenly things, it turned out that this man was a faithful disciple of the Lord. His testimony was astounding! He had inverted pentagrams and demons tattooed up his arms and he confessed that there was a time in his life that he had given his worship to Satan. I asked him if he considered his devilish background any contribution to the state he now found himself in, to which he immediately resounded "Yes". He imparted this wisdom upon me. He said that, "No matter how far I tried to get away from the Lord, he brought me that much closer to Him." His faith was beautiful. This was the type of person that John witnessed to in prison, the type of man Paul sailed in captivity with, and the type of man that Christ sat and ate with. He was an inspiration to me. The essence of Christianity emanated from him. Only Christ offers the grace to an individual who is destitute of all worthiness and hope. His body was ravaged, he had no reason for peace, but he was at peace. He simply needed a couple of bucks because, clearly, he could not work.
These things which I have been shown have brought me strength. The Lord is faithful and I know that He is for me. Even if the plans he has for me send me to a highway swamp, amongst racoons, snakes, and flies, I will gladly give the gospel and store up my treasures in heaven. No other faith offers hope to the helpless. No other faith houses a God who is true, real, and personal. No other faith can offer such a God who loves us despite our unworthiness. He is holy and by his faithfulness He breaks through the darkness to bring us a brilliant light and life worth living and dying for. I love my Lord, for he called me unto salvation and continues to call me to bear fruit. By His grace I shall bear fruit, just as my fellow brother in the Lord, William, bears fruit where it looks like all hope is lost. I have yet to find a man with no hope who finds it in faiths other than Christianity. My God saves. Can yours?
From what I can tell, if the devil can keep me preoccupied with my own inadequacies and anxieties, I can be of no use to the kingdom. Out of my fatigue I will be unable to serve and minister to others. Out of my fears, I will never be inclined to make any more attempts at spiritual growth, and most importantly on his agenda, if my mind is consistently preoccupied in thwarting off fear and spiritual attacks, I will never be inclined to intercede for others. This is the strategy of Satan. How does one overcome?
I have had to remind myself at all hours of the day who I am in Christ. I have been crucified. I am dead to sin. I have been set apart by God's glorious calling to bring Him glory and honor; to transcend death and take part in wonderful fellowship with Him for eternity. My inheritance is all things beautiful; eternal life, effervescent peace, and everlasting love are mine, gifts of God through my precious Lord Jesus. It is He who sustains me and whispers through the shouts of the demons, "You are forgiven, you are worthy, you are my son." Truly, the Father sees His Son in me. He must. It is the only way that this works. For Christ has been grafted into me. Where I was crucified, Christ's righteousness pervaded my being. Where my sin left of His holiness picked up. Satan is the father of lies. He not only lies in word, but by deed and by show. I claim the promises of my God, who promised a future and a blessing. He has a plan for me. The wind and the waves are raging, but He has calmed my seas.
I have a basil plant growing in my room right now. I went without watering it for a few days, and just yesterday it had begun wilting, sagging in seeming sorrow, starved of sustenance, in need of water and life. As I poured water into the dry soil, I knew that it would spring back to life, but not nearly as quickly as I thought it would. Only hours later I entered back into the room to see the plant standing taller and truer than it had initially. It was growing. It was at that instance that the Lord revealed to me that the plant withers without water, but when giving just a bit of nourishment it springs forth back to life and grows stronger and taller. I know that my health has been reinstated, my heart has been refreshed, and my mind has been cleansed by the blood of the Lord Jesus that waters my soul. The truth is in his promises and His word endures forever.
It was later that day, after spending time in prayer, that I rode my bicycle down the road. Beneath a highway underpass, I came across a man with a sign pleading for money. I approached him and struck up conversation. His name was William, but he went by "Wizard" on the street. He was a tough, burly man, who apparently had someone looking out for him, be it magic or what. He had a hernia protruding from his stomach, caused by a shotgun blast to the gut. It looked as if he was a pregnant woman. The sight was pathetic, that this man was left to plead for money on the side of the road, on his atrophied legs, which doctors said he would never use again after being struck by a passing motorist. Needless to say this man was a fighter. I conversed with him for quite a while, seeing that this man was a wise man.
Indeed his wisdom was not a fallacy, for as we got to speaking of heavenly things, it turned out that this man was a faithful disciple of the Lord. His testimony was astounding! He had inverted pentagrams and demons tattooed up his arms and he confessed that there was a time in his life that he had given his worship to Satan. I asked him if he considered his devilish background any contribution to the state he now found himself in, to which he immediately resounded "Yes". He imparted this wisdom upon me. He said that, "No matter how far I tried to get away from the Lord, he brought me that much closer to Him." His faith was beautiful. This was the type of person that John witnessed to in prison, the type of man Paul sailed in captivity with, and the type of man that Christ sat and ate with. He was an inspiration to me. The essence of Christianity emanated from him. Only Christ offers the grace to an individual who is destitute of all worthiness and hope. His body was ravaged, he had no reason for peace, but he was at peace. He simply needed a couple of bucks because, clearly, he could not work.
These things which I have been shown have brought me strength. The Lord is faithful and I know that He is for me. Even if the plans he has for me send me to a highway swamp, amongst racoons, snakes, and flies, I will gladly give the gospel and store up my treasures in heaven. No other faith offers hope to the helpless. No other faith houses a God who is true, real, and personal. No other faith can offer such a God who loves us despite our unworthiness. He is holy and by his faithfulness He breaks through the darkness to bring us a brilliant light and life worth living and dying for. I love my Lord, for he called me unto salvation and continues to call me to bear fruit. By His grace I shall bear fruit, just as my fellow brother in the Lord, William, bears fruit where it looks like all hope is lost. I have yet to find a man with no hope who finds it in faiths other than Christianity. My God saves. Can yours?
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