A hill to die on

There is a battle that rages around us, a battle so intense that from the very beginning of creation it has been going on.

Most don’t even know it is happening, the weapons are mostly silent the agents are covert and it is fought in a realm we know about but in our foolishness refuse to acknowledge or talk about.

The spiritual realm is just as real as what we see around us right now, it is a realm where angels tread and demons dwell, it is a place where the prayers of God’s people make there way too His throne, and a place where even the bravest of mankind fear to go.

God’s word says this “Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit — which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. For this I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough to speak about it as I should.” Ephesians 6:10-20 CSB

We are in this battle, we are born into it and in no way can we avoid it, ignoring it only helps the enemy for their powers are taken from fear, ignorance and apathy.

God never abandoned us, or intended for us too go at it alone and fight this battle, He fights this battle for us. He sent Jesus to defeat the enemy and He did. On the cross Jesus said “ it is finished” and struck the enemy a death blow.

God’s word says this; “For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ, and you have been filled by him, who is the head over every ruler and authority. You were also circumcised in him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, when you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses. He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.”

Colossians 2:9-15 CSB

Jesus chose to take the hill called Mount Calvary , it was here that the battle raged for mankind’s soul, and Jesus took that hill for us. He abandoned His humanity, His Deity and surrendered His life for ours. But three days later He rose from the dead and once and for all ended the reign of sin and death.

By doing so He set the captives free, those who were held captive and those of us who would be held captive. He did this so we would see the love of God, the truth of God and so the enemy of God would be exposed for who and what he is, a liar, a thief and deceiver.

God’s word says this; “Now grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. For it says: When he ascended on high, he took the captives captive; he gave gifts to people. But what does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower parts of the earth? The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, to fill all things.”

Ephesians 4:7-10 CSB

“For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, in which he also went and made proclamation to the spirits in prison who in the past were disobedient, when God patiently waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared. In it a few — that is, eight people — were saved through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you (not as the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.”1 Peter 3:18-22 CSB

This battle we are in is already won, we must choose what side we will line up with.

Just as Jesus chose to die on a hill called Mount Calvary and rise again from the dead, we must choose to die on the hill of self. A hill where this battle rages daily for how we will live. When we choose to die on this hill, Christ lives in us and in Him we have the victory over sin and death, we can walk through the spiritual realm in Christ and be not afraid for His rod and staff comfort us as He prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies.

God’s word says this; “Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

1 John 4:7-10 CSB

Are you ready to walk in victory? We are more than conquerors when we surrender our lives to Christ, let’s walk in complete victory by surrendering all of our lives to Him today and die to ourselves so He may live in us.

“What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare his own Son but offered him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything? Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:31-39 CSB

For more on spiritual battles read Genesis 3: Daniel 10: 2 Kings 6: Matthew 4: Acts 19: these are just a few examples of how real this battle is.

Self sufficient or fully dependent

One of our many faults is that we believe we are self sufficient, that we don’t need to rely on others or God.

I have heard the quote a thousand times,” God helps those who help themselves “ this is not spoken in scripture anywhere.

God word says this: “In fact, when we were with you, this is what we commanded you: “If anyone isn’t willing to work, he should not eat.”

2 Thessalonians 3:10 CSB

So if God has given you the ability to work then you should be working,  and providing for your family. 

This is not the point though, God helps those who come to the end of themselves and realize their dependence on Him, not just for small things or the big things in life, but in ALL things.

We must tear down the idol of self sufficiency, of isolation and come to the altar and offer all of ourselves as living sacrifices to God the Father, surrender our stubborn pride and realize our total dependence on God.

If we take the time to listen too what God says instead of rushing through our day we would hear Him and see His mighty works of grace and supplication in our lives.

Look at how Jesus taught us to pray, the entire prayer shows us our total dependence on God, not one word in this prayer shows us or tells us we can do anything without God’s help. 

“Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

Matthew 6:9-13 CSB

Let’s not just say the words and go through the motions, let’s live as God has instructed us, as our creator and Father, He has our lives in His hands.

Do we recognize Christ?

Too many people today talk about everything and everyone that is unimportant.

The nfl, the college game, who won what in hollywood, what the President said, what the has been actor, singer, or former leader said. 

Who cares, really? How are any of these people or things important in our lives?

All these things, all these people will soon be forgotten, how shallow our lives are when we have to live through the eyes of the media and what they tell us and put in front of us to watch day after day, and to top it off that is all we have to talk about. 

Really?

Time has come for people to get off babies milk and move on. 

Stop caring more about what was worn on the red carpet or said somewhere by so and so ,than the souls of those around you!

God’s word says this: “Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their thoughts. They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more. But that is not how you came to know Christ, assuming you heard about him and were taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, to take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth. Therefore, putting away lying, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another. Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, and don’t give the devil an opportunity. Let the thief no longer steal. Instead, he is to do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need. No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear. And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by him for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.”

Ephesians 4:17-32 CSB

“Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children, and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for saints. Obscene and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks. For know and recognize this: Every sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, who is an idolater, does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for God’s wrath is coming on the disobedient because of these things. Therefore, do not become their partners. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light — for the fruit of the light consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth — testing what is pleasing to the Lord. Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them.” Ephesians 5:1-11 CSB

We cannot partner with darkness and claim to walk in the light of Christ, Jesus could walk into our homes, our houses of worship and our work places and we would miss Him, just as when He walked the earth over 2000 years ago we are so caught up in ourselves and the way we think it should be. We are no different than what John tells us about the Jewish nation and  how they rejected Jesus.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it....He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” John 1:1-5, 10-11 CSB

If we who say we believe in Christ, don’t recognize Christ, His authority, His holiness, His grace, and live by what we say we believe, then how can we put expectations on the world to live that way either!

Ask God to break our hearts with what breaks His, to reveal to us areas we need too surrender to Him and for Him to work in us and around us , may we be broken of our ways and follow Him.