Is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and who loses his life for My sake will find it, said Jesus to His disciples and us in Matthew 10:38 & 39…..
The second letter to the church of Smyrna, the Holy Spirit is letting Jesus Christ’s followers, He is in charge. There is nothing in this universe that happens that His sovereignty is not involved…. nothing.
May we grow in the knowledge that our flesh life here on this earth is not the all! May we seek God for His Wisdom to know this life here is just a launch pad for the manifestation of our real life in Jesus Christ for all eternity…. Maybe we need to change our out look at our life here as a school where we will be promoted or not. All is depending on our walk of faith in allowing the Spirit to prove Christ’s image to manifest through us and follow His way .
Since Jesus Christ addresses us in this letter as the First and the Last, who was dead and came to life in verse 8, chapter 2. He is our Beginning and our End is in Him, and then where we begin again as a new creation in Him…..It is All in the Son and will be forever more….. May we focus on the End that God does…. Christ will be all in all….. Everything else that is not Christ won’t be……
So the Holy Spirit is diligent to prove in us the image of Christ and God allows His good to come from plans of evil….. So if we get thrown in prison or whatever adversity that the devil cooks up against us…. God will turn this trial to His good because we love Him and trust Him in all things—– right? We may have to speak this often: Lord, my life I commit to Your hands and trust in You regarding the outcome.
There are many saints that have laid down their lives for Jesus’ name sake and are in the process now as we live and breath free here in America…… for now…… But we better prepare our hearts and minds for persecution of that kind. We must learn to toughen up our inner man and totally weaken the flesh and its complaints against hardship….. Remember carry our cross……..
One day the opportunity may come across our door…… Do we really believe all we need is Christ?
The devil can mess with our lives and if you do not believe that then explain to me all the trials and tribulations and adversities that David, Jesus Christ, Stephen, James, Peter, Paul….. God in His sovereignty allows stuff, however, they can not touch the glory of God within us or stop the Spirit within us. The truth that our mortal body will be changed to an incorruptible body should allow us to grow in our faith and stand strong in keeping the Testimony of Jesus Christ……. The devil wants to shut up our mouths on the Testimony of Jesus Christ and the rights that God has in His creation….. by whatever means he can.
I pray we have a heart revelation of our need to strengthen our inner man where His Spirit dwells and weaken our carnal nature. It may be that today all looks well, but a perfect garden is not promised us here. Can you see the sign of the times that there is a storm brewing….? The time is short. Let us prepare by growing in strength our hidden lives in Christ to make sure we are standing strong in Christ after the storm.
Jesus told us in Sermon On The Mount about who will be standing and who will be destroyed after the storms come,( Matthew 7). Only those who live the sayings of Christ .
Let us have our faith strengthened as the many who were delighted they were counted worthy to suffer for Jesus’ name in the Books of Acts!
We know how it hurts our eyes when someone shines a light in the dark! Expect a reaction as Jesus told us ! Nonetheless, keep shining Him!
Selah!
