The Ones Who Cause the Earth to Groan

photo by Cody Redmon

We are on the precipice of a great unveiling.  Since before time began, there has been a great dispute - a great battle.  It has not been a true struggle in the sense of having two equal opponents.  The One has always been superior in every way.  It is only the ability to deceive that has given the inferior any foothold.  Although the overwhelming sovereignty of the One has been displayed time and again, the weak minds and souls of men have continued to be swayed by the schemes of the lesser one.

The earth groans.  It has watched the rise and fall of many men and nations as some have believed, as many are deceived.  It waits for a specific man - a specific nation.  It waits and anticipates their unveiling - their release onto the earth - for where they walk, no darkness can stay.  When they speak, no deception can persuade otherwise.  They carry Life which has overcome death on every front.  They are those who have walked through the waters, but knew their God was with them, and were not overcome.  They have stood in the fire, but the flames did not kindle upon them.  They have been mocked and scorned, but thought it worthy to suffer for the One to Whom they have entrusted their every breath.  They are not afraid, although confronted on every side, for they have seen the faithfulness and fortitude of their Salvation.  The earth anticipates these, for they carry within them the One, Jesus,  to whom the earth owes its very existence.

There has always been the faithful in the midst of the trial.  There has always been light in the darkness.  What will make this day unlike any other?  It is like asking, when filling a glass with water, "What makes one drop any different from the others?"  At some moment the glass will be full; at some moment it will overflow.  And at a moment unlike any other in history, darkness will reach a point of overflow.  But on that day, according to God's great plan, Light will also pour forth in unprecedented display.

Jesus spoke continually of the Kingdom of God being like that which is hidden for a season only to be revealed in fullness - as seeds planted in the ground, as leaven in flour.  That which our God has been planting and perfecting from the first day will mature to fullness at the perfect time.  In hiddenness, the Lord has been pouring Himself without measure into those whose hearts are truly pure before Him; those who wait in silence and trust.  At some moment, these hearts will overflow upon the earth - not because they are the great or strong, but the humble full of Truth and Peace.  This release will not be a trickle, but a deluge.  It will be a flood as in Noah's day, but of Life and Liberty.  Hold on to this truth.  Hold on to the whispers of the Spirit in the night.  His Light will break forth in your darkness as you are revealed for the son that He has been making you to be and you will join with all of His sons to reveal the One who has always been the superior.

A New Look at the Armor of God

"A final word: Be strong with the Lord's mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil." (Ephesians 6:10-11)

Although I have read Paul's description of the armor of God many, many times, it recently struck me very differently. In the past, putting on the armor was more of a mental exercise: speaking or thinking the scripture and picturing myself putting on each piece. Although this exercise has its purpose and place, as I read this familiar passage this week, I saw it in a whole new way.

I don't think Paul had mental exercises in mind when he exhorted the Body of Christ to gird themselves with truth, put on the shoes of peace, and lift up a shield of faith. The armor Paul described is one that grows and expands as we mature in our spiritual walk. Take the belt of truth, for example. Exactly how does truth protect us? It is not so much by just believing that truth exists, but by knowing and holding to what is true in the midst of the battle.

I remember a life-changing conversation I had with my son, Sam, when he was a teenager. We discussed the difference between truth and fact. In the dictionary, they mean basically the same thing. But to those of us who are in Christ Jesus, they become distinctively different.

Facts are all around us. They are what we perceive with our five senses. The fact is that people are hurting and hungry, enslaved in addictions and circumstances. The fact is that the world is full of unanswered questions and unsolved problems. The fact is that we all know people who are sick, even dying, and many who don't have hope for a future.

But in the midst of these facts stands truth. The truth is God's perspective. The truth is God's plans. The truth is God's love and faithfulness and Word, and truth always triumphs over facts. Jesus lived a life of consistently bringing the truth of God into the facts around Him, and the facts changed.

When we put on the belt of truth, we don't just do a mental exercise. Instead, it is a daily walking out of the truths of the Word, through trials and joys, and coming to know that they are indeed irrefutable. When we put on truth, we turn our gaze away from the facts around us, choosing instead to stand firmly on the character and faithfulness of our God. We feed our hearts and minds with the Word and the testimony it manifests before us. We hold onto it in spite of feelings or opinions, believing that it cannot fail. Believing God's love, wisdom, and power cannot fail.

Jesus said in John 8:31-32 that if we obey His teachings, we will know the truth and the truth will set us free. Free from what? Free from the lies and snares of the Devil. Free from fear and anxiety. Free from confusion and doubt. Truth takes us from the realm of earth's impossibilities into the realm of heaven's possibilities. Truth releases joy in the midst of pain, and hope in the midst of darkness. Truth releases the Life of Christ that has conquered death. This is the truth that covers and protects us.

Putting on the armor of God is an amazing journey of growth. Putting on God's armor is walking in truth, pursuing peace, understanding righteousness and salvation, immersing ourselves in the Word, and growing in faith. It is coming to know the One Who is our armor. When we put on God's armor, we desire one thing: the fullness of Christ in us.

  

Calculated Abandonment

In no other area but toward the will of God is abandonment such a calculated path of perseverance. In contrast to the worldly idea of abandonment being a single carefree act, abandoning ourselves to God's will is a moment by moment, intentional, and sacrificial choice: my life for His Life.

"Then I said, Behold, here I am, coming to do Your will, O God - to fulfill what is written of me in the volume of the Book." Heb. 10:7 


Only the recognition and acceptance of a continual flow of His love to us and through us will sustain us on a journey such as this.