The Holy One calls to me this morning. Lately I have been overwhelmed by all the evil that is being brought to bear here at home and around the world. From the earthly perspective, things relative to our persecution as devoted followers of Christ, are not looking so good for the home team.
It is a time when many are in deepest despair and yet for others, it is a time of great anticipation as we await the return of our King. What makes the difference seems to be whether or not we possess an eternal perspective over the events unfolding in our lives.
I have been asking my Lord for help since He has told me that to focus on the evil robs me of my peace. I need His help to understand how to look at the evil and not allow the despair to take over. Today He speaks of a perspective: "The eternal perspective of temporal circumstances is crucial during these end times of the enemy's rage".
With that He takes me back to a familiar passage in Isaiah 54:16-17, "Behold I have created the blacksmith who blows the coals in the fire, who brings forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the spoiler to destroy.
"No weapon formed against you shall prosper. And every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousness is from Me, says the Lord."NKJV
This was for many years my "life verse". It is a battle hymn in my heart. I found it years ago when trying to grasp the evil, that was coming against me at that time, much like it is coming against all of the Lord's Beloved today. I was trying to grasp the lessons tucked within the circumstances of my life. For to understand the Lord's ways is to have a greater understanding of Him.
When I found and pondered Isaiah 54, much came in to focus and vs 16-17 provided a picture of the "spoiler" aka Satan, as under the ultimate control of the Creator Himself. We get a more detailed picture of this ancient foe in the first two chapters of Job.
If I believe and accept the Majestic and absolute Sovereignty of my Creator God Who is beyond our temporal universe and all circumstances on earth, then I must acknowledge that He knows exactly what this "spoiler" will do and has Divine purpose for me in what He permits, just like He did in the life of Job and I must pray to find it.
Once this becomes my faith reality then I can move on to live in the promise that; "No weapon formed against me will prosper and I will condemn every tongue accusing me. Why? Because my righteousness comes from the Lord. The accuser is made silent and I am free from wrath or penalty executed by a Righteous and Holy God. Jesus took my penalty and God's wrath.
Now I am being prepared for an outrageous eternity. I have been bought and paid for as a servant of the Most High, but then, even better, I have been adopted into His family and with the inheritance rights of a child of the King.
The spoiler has but one purpose and that is to keep us from our Sacred relationship in knowing and loving our Creator Who, by the way, is his Creator God too.
The "why" of it all is very simple: Angels in creation were provided free will by design just as humanity has been given. But for them, there is no savior for their kind. Lucifer used his free will to rebel against the Creator and was evicted from Heaven with an irrevocable ultimate death sentence.
One who was the most beautiful of his kind became proud and chose to make war against God in Heaven and was cast out and down to earth where he now and for a little while longer makes war with God's beloved. (See Rev 12)
Having been catapulted to the earth realm, yet being in essence more powerful than man, Satan has made it his ambition to tempt God's beloved humanity to follow him in rebellion of the Most High. We were created in innocence to co-govern with the Creator over this earth realm, but the spoiler's presence here is the very thing that provides a choice for our free will to make: accept or reject God and His one and only way of reconciliation in relationship.
Satan uses the very same deception today as back in the Garden of Eden and that is to challenge God's rule and question His love. His attack and attempted assassination of God's Character is relentless because he has nothing to lose, his fate is set. Humanity on the other hand has eternity to lose if we miss and refuse the rescue that God provided through His Son Jesus.
The truly amazing part of our reconciliation is the priceless unity we now have with our Creator and that brings a whole new perspective to life on earth. Now I can process what I see and experience in light of eternity and there I can see the Lord's better purpose even in temporal suffering. I can be like Jesus, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame.
If the eternal purpose of my life is to testify about my eternal Lord and Savior to enlarge the citizenship of my eternal home, then I must look to the people whose lives my circumstances put me in contact with and then testify to the goodness and salvation of my Lord.
The mercy of God may call me into untoward places. But His mercy at that moment is not so much for me but for those who oppose me, even the unsaved. His mercy for me is that I am already rescued and His promise is that "He will prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies".
As I pray for fulfillment of God's eternal purpose in my temporal circumstances my perspective changes. Hard times will fade into a distant memory as I press on into eternity. To be able to understand how my "hard things" are actually a sacred trust place here by my Lord to further His will, in the salvation of humanity, gives me the determination to look for and find the better and greater purpose He has than the personal pain I feel at the moment.
His message this morning reminded me that while the enemy is attacking our temporal circumstances, the victory will be experienced as we look for and find God's eternal perspective.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
It is a time when many are in deepest despair and yet for others, it is a time of great anticipation as we await the return of our King. What makes the difference seems to be whether or not we possess an eternal perspective over the events unfolding in our lives.
I have been asking my Lord for help since He has told me that to focus on the evil robs me of my peace. I need His help to understand how to look at the evil and not allow the despair to take over. Today He speaks of a perspective: "The eternal perspective of temporal circumstances is crucial during these end times of the enemy's rage".
With that He takes me back to a familiar passage in Isaiah 54:16-17, "Behold I have created the blacksmith who blows the coals in the fire, who brings forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the spoiler to destroy.
"No weapon formed against you shall prosper. And every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousness is from Me, says the Lord."NKJV
This was for many years my "life verse". It is a battle hymn in my heart. I found it years ago when trying to grasp the evil, that was coming against me at that time, much like it is coming against all of the Lord's Beloved today. I was trying to grasp the lessons tucked within the circumstances of my life. For to understand the Lord's ways is to have a greater understanding of Him.
When I found and pondered Isaiah 54, much came in to focus and vs 16-17 provided a picture of the "spoiler" aka Satan, as under the ultimate control of the Creator Himself. We get a more detailed picture of this ancient foe in the first two chapters of Job.
If I believe and accept the Majestic and absolute Sovereignty of my Creator God Who is beyond our temporal universe and all circumstances on earth, then I must acknowledge that He knows exactly what this "spoiler" will do and has Divine purpose for me in what He permits, just like He did in the life of Job and I must pray to find it.
Once this becomes my faith reality then I can move on to live in the promise that; "No weapon formed against me will prosper and I will condemn every tongue accusing me. Why? Because my righteousness comes from the Lord. The accuser is made silent and I am free from wrath or penalty executed by a Righteous and Holy God. Jesus took my penalty and God's wrath.
Now I am being prepared for an outrageous eternity. I have been bought and paid for as a servant of the Most High, but then, even better, I have been adopted into His family and with the inheritance rights of a child of the King.
The spoiler has but one purpose and that is to keep us from our Sacred relationship in knowing and loving our Creator Who, by the way, is his Creator God too.
The "why" of it all is very simple: Angels in creation were provided free will by design just as humanity has been given. But for them, there is no savior for their kind. Lucifer used his free will to rebel against the Creator and was evicted from Heaven with an irrevocable ultimate death sentence.
One who was the most beautiful of his kind became proud and chose to make war against God in Heaven and was cast out and down to earth where he now and for a little while longer makes war with God's beloved. (See Rev 12)
Having been catapulted to the earth realm, yet being in essence more powerful than man, Satan has made it his ambition to tempt God's beloved humanity to follow him in rebellion of the Most High. We were created in innocence to co-govern with the Creator over this earth realm, but the spoiler's presence here is the very thing that provides a choice for our free will to make: accept or reject God and His one and only way of reconciliation in relationship.
Satan uses the very same deception today as back in the Garden of Eden and that is to challenge God's rule and question His love. His attack and attempted assassination of God's Character is relentless because he has nothing to lose, his fate is set. Humanity on the other hand has eternity to lose if we miss and refuse the rescue that God provided through His Son Jesus.
The truly amazing part of our reconciliation is the priceless unity we now have with our Creator and that brings a whole new perspective to life on earth. Now I can process what I see and experience in light of eternity and there I can see the Lord's better purpose even in temporal suffering. I can be like Jesus, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame.
If the eternal purpose of my life is to testify about my eternal Lord and Savior to enlarge the citizenship of my eternal home, then I must look to the people whose lives my circumstances put me in contact with and then testify to the goodness and salvation of my Lord.
The mercy of God may call me into untoward places. But His mercy at that moment is not so much for me but for those who oppose me, even the unsaved. His mercy for me is that I am already rescued and His promise is that "He will prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies".
As I pray for fulfillment of God's eternal purpose in my temporal circumstances my perspective changes. Hard times will fade into a distant memory as I press on into eternity. To be able to understand how my "hard things" are actually a sacred trust place here by my Lord to further His will, in the salvation of humanity, gives me the determination to look for and find the better and greater purpose He has than the personal pain I feel at the moment.
His message this morning reminded me that while the enemy is attacking our temporal circumstances, the victory will be experienced as we look for and find God's eternal perspective.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
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