With Christ in Us We Have What It Takes

Through the years I have often said that what we see happening in the natural realm is a result of what is going on in the spiritual realm. There are plenty of Scriptures to support this. However, for the sake of time I will only use two Scriptures.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, 'Let there be light:' and there was light:” Genesis 1:1-3

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12

In Genesis 1:1-3 the activity of God creating in the realm of the spirit resulted in the natural creation of earth and all that is within it. Paul the apostle in Ephesians makes it quite clear that whether a person is a Christian or not a Christian, whether we believe it or not, there are spiritual forces at work for or against us.

For the past week the news has been covering a blow-up between President Trump and Elon Musk. The catalyst is regarding the “One Big Beautiful Bill” which some want passed, but others who do not want it passed out of the belief there are not enough spending cuts. Others do not want it passed simply out of pure hatred. What is failing to be seen is that this truly is not just a political or policy issue. It is not just an economic issue.

There are other intense situations such as the riots in Los Angeles, the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russa, and issues with China. All these are the fruit of a particular root. Every election since the early 1990's has increasingly become volatile. It is one thing for people to disagree with policies or political parties. However, it has gotten to the point where friendships end, families break up and we all get so caught up in our emotional feelings none of us see straight. Even if people are correct about certain policies or parties, it has become like a dear friend of mine who is a missionary with his wife in Southeast Asia would say, “You're so right, that your wrong.” People may be correct about certain things, but their heart posture is not right. That's because we have become so much about being right rather than really wanting to know the truth.

I don't want to paint a broad brush with the legal system, but it's a perfect example. The whole point of our legal system in which there is a prosecution and a defense, is to settle the matter by finding the truth. It is about presenting evidence, or refuting evidence with the desire to have justice served by finding the truth. Our legal system has devolved into not so much using evidence to find the truth, as it is to win the case.

Political debates have became the same thing. We typically view the winner of the debate as the one who is more convincing. Just because a person is more convincing does not mean that what they are saying, or in the manner of how their spinning their point, means that they telling the truth.

Why is our nation turning into a powder keg ready to explode? People, including Christians to some degree, may not want to read this, but it is true, nevertheless.

“Trust in the Lord with ALL thine heart; and LEAN NOT unto thine own understanding. In ALL thy ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. BE NOT WISE IN THINE OWN EYES.” Proverbs 3:5-7a

Many Christians are familiar with this Scripture almost as much as John 3:16. It has become one of those Scriptures that we are so familiar with that we don't even begin to truly think about what it is saying, much less believe what it is saying. I would say the overwhelming evidence of what is going on in our nation, primarily is because of what is not going on in Christian churches throughout America. We think because we know this Scripture that we are living it. Few things can be further than the truth.

Do we really trust the Lord with ALL our hearts? Do we really LEAN NOT unto our own understanding? Do we truly acknowledge Him in ALL our ways. If we were, God would be directing all our paths and the direction of our nation would not be such as it has become over the last several decades. Are we not being wise in our own eyes? If we were not being wise in our own eyes, why to we put such a high premium on being right as opposed to wanting the truth. And folks, truth isn't relative. There is absolute truth. The truth is, people who try to say there is not absolute truth, and that there are no absolutes, are themselves absolute on their position which that in itself proves there are absolutes.

As a nation and as Christians, we are placing our confidence and our trust in ourselves, and in people, and in systems of people. Then we wonder why all this chaos is happening. And please, let us not go into the “end times”. Pardon my being blunt, but if I had a nickel for every time in the fifty years that I've walked with the Lord, that I heard, “Jesus is coming back any moment,” “The tribulation is about to happen,” “are you rapture ready,” I'd be wealthier than Warren Buffet and Elon Musk combined. Pardon my New York sarcasm. Please continue to read.

To be clear, I do believe in the second bodily coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. But in Luke 19:13 in a parable Jesus tells, and in the Acts 1:8, Jesus makes it abundantly clear that we are to focus on our relationship with Him, so that we can be His witnesses-His proof and evidence of who He is, the Son of God, that He is not only an historical figure, but that He has risen from the dead-as evident in and through our lives. We are to focus on that to “occupy” until He comes, meaning we are to be about the business of expanding His Kingdom on earth until He returns. This isn't only about getting people saved so that when they die they go to heaven, or to stuff people through the pearly gates before Jesus returns. It is about discipling people, helping them in their relationship with Jesus to become more like Him, as we become more like Him, thereby advancing His Kingdom. All of this can only happen when our focus is on our having such a deep, intimate relationship with Him, with our identity completely consumed in Him. This can only happen when we have a heart posture of our relationship with Him being all or nothing.

I don't say any of this as if I've arrived. I only wish I would have had more of this heart posture when I was younger. I would have allowed the Holy Spirit govern my life completely differently. But like saying goes, “Better late than never.”

We have to but our trust in Him more than ever before. We have to focus on knowing Him more than ever. Not knowing about Him, but actually knowing Him. Jesus defines eternal or everlasting life this way:

“And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent.”

The word “know” in that verse means to get to know through effort and experience. Any relationship worth having and keeping takes effort, and having experiences. That is how we come to know people. The same is true with God and His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

The only way we can truly trust God/Jesus is through effort and experience in our relationship with Him that causes us to love Him above all which will cause trust to flow from. Let us look at some other familiar “trust” Scriptures.

“The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” Psalm 18:2

Notice that in the middle of the verse it says, “in whom I WILL trust.” It is an act of our will to trust Him. It is a conscience choice to choose to trust Him no matter what the circumstances are, no matter what our eyes, ears, emotions or physical feelings are telling us. God/Jesus is either what the Bible declares Him to be, or He's not. There is no middle ground.

“As for God, His way IS perfect: The word of the Lord is tried: He is a buckler to all those that trust in Him.” Psalm 18:30

The word “buckler” in both these verses has in it's meaning to be a shield, to be a defense.

“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” Psalm 20:7

This verse is a song that we used to sing out of our Bibles at home fellowship meetings in the mid '70's. This is our problem, even as Christians. We put our trust in our own abilities or in other people's abilities, and we forget to put our trust in Him. We put our trust in the so called “experts.” If you ask me, in recent years the track record of the “experts” has been rather abysmal.

“Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.” Psalm 37:5

The word “commit” has in it's meaning, to cast yourself upon. Think of it this way. When Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane, He was agonizing about surrendering His will to the Father to go to the cross for the sin of all humanity for all time. Jesus never sinned, although tested in every way that we are. According to the Old Covenant Law, Jesus had the right to live. By surrendering His will to the Father, Jesus was cast Himself upon the Father trusting that the Father would raise Him from the dead. Committing our lives to God/Jesus is much more that going to church on Sunday, possibly Wednesday, studying the Bible and praying. All of these are proper disciplines in our relationship with God. However, how far are we willing to go for Him in our relationship?

In the 1980's in the film “The Untouchables,” with Kevin Costner who played Elliott Ness, and Sean Connery who played a beat cop who helped Elliott Ness against gangster king pin, Al Capone (Robert DeNiro) there is a scene when Elliott Ness initially asks for Malone's help. Malone asks Ness, “What are you prepared to do?” Malone told Ness that if he goes up against Capone he has to “go all the way.” Malone was trying to get through to Ness that once the fuse is lit, there is no turning back.

Toward the end of the movie, Capone has Malone ambushed. When Ness arrives, he finds a bloodied Malone lying on the floor. When Ness leans over him, Malone grabs Ness by his collar and pulls Ness' face into Malones bloodied face and struggles to get out the words, “What are you prepared to do?”

It is the same way about our committing to trust the Lord despite our situations, circumstances, emotional and phyical feeling. Are we willing to cast ourselves, our lives upon the Father, trusting Him implicitly? What are we prepared to do for God in our relatioship with Him? What sacrifices are we willing to make? If our confidence is in people, be it family, friends, ourselves, in politicians or in the so-called experts, our confidence is badly misplaced.

“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust the Lord than to put confidence in princes.” Psalm 118:8-9

Psalm 37:5 and Psalm 118:8-9 sums up perfectly where we are at in America and as Christians. The good news is, all we need to do is repent, call out to God, cast ourselves upon Him and love and trust Him like never before. If we choose to yield to His Holy Spirit, we will receive His power to be prepared to do for Christ and His Kingdom whatever needs to be done through us. Casting ourselves upon Him with full trust will not only bring change in our own lives, but bring change throughout America. Because Christ lives in us, we have what it takes. Love and God bless, in all humility, Pastor Paul.