Hebrews 12:3
There is no shortcut
to reaching the heights and plateau that God has designed for you; there is no
way to circumvent the paths and lanes which were uniquely customized for your
feet to travel… In today’s devotional we are reminded that we must focus on our
source of strength instead of dwelling on our current problem or situation… There
are so many of us who daily find ourselves being caught up in situations to the
point that we neglect and negate the power and presences of God… When you
find yourself on the verge of throwing in the proverbial towel, when you feel
like you are at the end of your rope and can’t say any way out, the author
tells you that you must consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners…
Remember all the snares, trials and hardships that Jesus faced; remember the
heartache and spiritual pain that was firmly thrust upon His shoulders and know
that in the end He was victorious… You can draw strength from the Lord by
simply reflecting on all that He has done in your life and even before you were
born… Jesus fought the good fight over 2000 years ago so that you could see
this day; He considered it not robbery to leave His home in glory so that you
could one day reside with Him… All these things Jesus did for you and indeed
did accomplish them and this alone should provide your source of strength and
motivation to do the same… The enemy can only defeat you if you allow Him and
the proof of this statement is in the words of Jesus Christ recorded in the 4th
chapter of Matthew… Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to
be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty
nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are
the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It
is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes
from the mouth of God.” Then the devil took him to the holy city and had
him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of
God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “He will command
his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that
you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Jesus answered him, “It is
also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” Again, the devil took
him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and
their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down
and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is
written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” Then the devil left
him, and angels came and attended him. The passage from Matthew should
serve as a great source of encouragement for the weak and discouraged believer…
The devil presented Jesus with choices to try and deter His divine destiny;
however, Jesus standing firm on the knowledge of God was able to combat Him and
prevail… Today, know that the enemy will present choices in your life; He
cannot defeat you, but will try to get you to ultimately be your own worse
enemy and thus defeat yourself… Jesus drew strength from the words It is
written; you can draw that same strength from Him today and not allow the
enemy to overwhelm you to the point that you give up on your divine calling and
destiny… All these things which Jesus endured was not only to bring Salvation
into reality, it also was to display the Lord’s victory over sin so that you
will not grow weary and lose heart… So many of us would have bailed and
given up if it were not for the story of Jesus being spoken to us… We would
have ran from our calling and not stood in faith if we didn’t know about a man
from the town of Bethlehem and how He overcame every device of the enemy to
fulfill the prophetic words of old… Jesus opened the door to rekindle our
relationship with the father and also left us with a rod of reinforcement to
know that there is light at the end of the tunnel… This life is filled with ups
and downs; the minute you think you have peace of mind is the same minute you
find yourself on the verge of pulling out your hair… There are many trials and
tribulations that we are too fast and the word of God declares to us that we
are assured to encounter test and opposition… The beginning of the 12th
chapter of Hebrews starts off by saying, “Therefore, since we are surrounded
by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders
and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with
perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on
Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him
he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right
hand of the throne of God.” Jesus conquered what people thought was
unconquerable (death) and is not sitting at the right hand of God making
intercession for us… He is a living example that things are not always what
they same and even the most trying situations can produce the most fulfilling
results… Keep your hand to the plow; the field will produce the harvest which
will make the sowing all that more enjoyable…
BE
BLESSED!!!
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