“But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this
is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also
suffered for us, leaving us and example, that you should follow His steps:
Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth; who, when He was
reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but
committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins
in His own body on the tree that, that we, having died to sins, might live for
righteousness-by whose stripes you were healed.” 1 Peter 2:20-24
The highest calling of God in Christ is to love those who hate and persecute us. Loving our enemies with His power glorifies God’s radical sacrificial love as nothing else can do. I was praying for the Christians in Afghanistan when I experienced God’s heart and purpose in allowing us to experience persecution. It was powerful, poignant, beautiful and painful all at the same time.
I believe Paul saw a reflection of Jesus in Stephen’s martyrdom, and he is a type of an army of Saul’s turned Paul’s in this hour. A powerful sense of God’s peace and love rested on me that entire day (I felt I was floating all day in a vat of honey-love... it was awesome). The experience strengthened my heart in divine hope from the Holy Spirit despite the tragic news.
The manifest love of God in the face of hatred shatters the hard heart of darkness that grips humanity. If we crawl off of the altar and give way to human passions, we will miss the chance to “bring many sons to glory.” I am so not there! Not even close. I am weak in so many things and have found His power is wholly sufficient. I have learned from hard experience to NEVER look at myself for anything at all. (And I don't think you should either!)
We are going into mankind’s darkest, and most glorious days, I believe, and our hearts are the Holy Grail. God wants to reveal His love in us while Satan wants to twist and distort the truth of God’s character. He is a liar, and the deadliest lies are about God. Our hearts are like treasure chests that God fills with precious treasures of His love, but Satan always lurks around the corner to steal what God has given to us. We must be vigilant and aware of his schemes.
Esther showed stunning meekness when she obeyed the Lord and invited Haman to dinner with the King. It’s easy to forget that Esther was not privy to exactly how her actions would bring deliverance to the Jews. God rarely explains how obedience will deliver us-only that victory is assured. Can you imagine seeking the Lord about an enemy threatening to destroy your community and family only to receive divine guidance to invite him to a special family dinner? I think not!
God instructed Esther to do a really foolish thing potentially placing her people at much greater risk by emboldening their archenemy. Her obedience took incredible meekness towards the Lord. I wonder if she had a little discussion with God about His plan. Lord, really?! Invite Haman for dinner? And not once, but twice she submitted herself to this risky plan. She put her ways and thoughts aside to seek His ways, and it led to a great deliverance.
This same meekness and trust in God are seen in the way that David
responded to Shimei’s curses. Shimei was insulting and threatening David, and
while most of us would become offended and possibly vengeful, David shows
breathtaking meekness by committing himself to God.
“…And he cast stones at David, and at all the servants of King
David…and thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, you bloody man,
you man of Belial:” (meaning worthless). 2 Samuel 16: 6,7
David responded, “…let him alone, and let him curse; for the Lord has bidden him. It may be that the Lord will look on my affliction, and that the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this day.” 2 Samuel 16:12
I feel the urgency of this hour,
and the call to stay awake and to cleave to God. Johnathan ate the
honey of divine revelation the secret place and his eyes were strengthened to trounce the enemy, and so will we! The same meekness that Esther demonstrated in seeking God and submitting to His divine plan will be our greatest strength to overcome the snare coming
on the earth. (Snare means to be robbed of a blessing.)
For the Lord, the snare of the enemy is just a divine launching pad
into God’s glory!
We have been warned in scripture that Satan will once more rise to hideous power for an "hour"- speaking of a brief period of time according to God's will.
Revelations 13:7
“And it
was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power
was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.”
(Who God will destroy with the breath of his mouth and the brightness of his coming lest we end on a sour note. 2 Th 2:8)
Just this week two different world leaders called their own
citizens by extremely derogatory names akin to excrement. As we can all see, a
cascading spirit of hatred has been unleashed from the highest places of authority
all over the earth. Just like in any workplace or organization, the-
you-know-what flows from the top, and we see it flowing from one end of the globe to the other.
It is stunning to me that while Satan had entered Judas to kill
Jesus, he was doing so according to God’s will. With all of the injustice, greed, deception and
lies harming so many, this truly comforts me.
Last summer I had a dream from the book of Esther about the Hebrew word for “decree." Here is the verse I was led to.
“In the name of King Ahasuerus it was
written, and sealed with the king's signet ring. And the letters were sent by
couriers into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate
all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, on the
thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder
their possessions.” (Esther 3:12-13)
I have had several dreams and words from the Lord about coming persecution, and this time he seemed to be showing me that a secret decree had gone out in America against the Christians. That dream and the other warnings have served to make me more focused than ever before on being strengthened by God in prayer, just like Jesus demonstrated in the garden how to watch and pray. The disciples slept and fell away, but Jesus prayed and overcame.
We need to discern the hour so that we can focus on what matters the most-not all epochs and times are the same.
Meekness will be the armor of light we will be arrayed in to bring glory to God as gross darkness covers the earth. The spirit of the world will want to cloth us in the armor of Saul, and like David we will have to refuse it. It will be a great temptation, but God is able to strengthen us to be covered in the armor of His Spirit.
God rebuked the Israelites for choosing the wrong covering that made sense to them.
"Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:" Isaiah 30:1
Father, grant us grace to be covered in your Holy Spirit. Lord, strengthen us with divine might to submit our hearts, minds, and plans to you in this hour. Lord, we cannot do these great exploits, but by your glorious might we will prevail! You are a faithful and merciful Shepherd, and by your grace, we will trust you, and we will follow you wherever you go!
He will clothe us in His
meekness as we seek His face.
I think all good blogs should end with a Star Wars quote, don't you?
“War tends to distort
our point of view. If we sacrifice our code, even for victory, we may lose that
which is important for our honor."
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