How To Stand In The Faces Of Adversity And Division

[Musicmaster]

We look all about us these days, many fearing for their futures on this earth, and that of their families, and rightly so.

The problem, however, is not about the power grid not able to sustain charging all the electric vehicles some want us all driving in the future, or going cashless, or even tyrannical government, wealthy elite trying to bring everything down into ruin, assuming they will have the ability and resources to build it all back up into whatever utopia they envision in their puny little minds.

What is the REAL danger?

Well, scripture already has all the answers:

Matthew 12:25-26
25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
26 "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?

Mark 3:24-26
24 "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25 "And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26 "And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.

When most people read the above passages, in their contexts, they normally correlate it all to social, cultural, governmental and economic devices as the objects, but that's not the case when dealing within the inspired words of the Divine.

Please give ear to that which is FAR more important than the pettiness to which far too many subscribe the words of the Most High:

When the Lord speaks of division, which brings to ruin any ability to stand here in the natural, most easily miss that He is speaking of things unseen, and yet so very tangible in all our lives...so tangible, in fact, that even Satan himself would find his own end dare he allow division within himself. Yes, his kingdom would end, but that verse 26 of Mark 3 speaks of his person, not just his kingdom. Please read it again, and let the impact of the words sink in.

The GREATEST hope of all, however, is to understand the magnitude of what's being said, and doing so by taking your eyes off the temporal, and fixate your eyes of understanding upon things unseen.

Romans 14:4 Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

Are you beginning to see it? If not, pray that the Spirit would open your eyes of understanding...

1 Corinthians 16:13 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

That yoke of bondage, in the context of Galatians 16, it is speaking of the Mosaic Law, and can even encompass every vestige of legalism used to hold up the construct of your theological views.

In other words, there are many things that can cause divisions within you, in the life that you live before the Lord. Never mind the storms that rage outside of you in the culture, society and government. Look more closely, and within, and understand that no matter what's going on out there, the One who has the Power to make you STAND, in spite of all the torrents and buffets of the horrid immoralities and mass confusions in the nation and the world, God has more than enough at His command to MAKE YOU STAND!

Philippians 1:27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,

1 Thessalonians 3:8 For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.

No matter what, so long as we remain faithful unto the Lord in faith, and strive together with fellow believers for the faith of the Gospel, you will be empowered to stand and withstand the hateful powers brought to bare against you by those who are in league with the evil one.

Psalm 91:1-16
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, "[He is] my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler [And] from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth [shall be your] shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, [Nor] of the arrow [that] flies by day,
6 [Nor] of the pestilence [that] walks in darkness, [Nor] of the destruction [that] lays waste at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; [But] it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the LORD, [who is] my refuge, [Even] the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.
12 In [their] hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
14 "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I [will be] with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation."

Many think that this is speaking of Jesus only, mainly because Satan tried to use this against Jesus while trying to tempt Him, but at what time in all His eternal existence has He ever needed salvation, as stated in verse 16 above?

Others might say that this is speaking only to the nation Israel.

Do we not serve the same Lord? Are we not grafted into the same Vine as is the nation Israel? This speaks not of the promises given to Abraham for His bloodline offspring, this is about ALL the people of the Lord, those who are called according to His purpose.

Let us draw near to the truth of all this, and allow it to build us up into the stature the Lord has commanded of us.

MM

 

[blueskies]

No matter what, so long as we remain faithful unto the Lord in faith, and strive together with fellow believers for the faith of the Gospel, you will be empowered to stand and withstand the hateful powers brought to bare against you by those who are in league with the evil one.

Question sir,
Do you believe this applies physically and spiritually, as in our bodies and souls are made invincible to corruption if our faith is strong, and we make a stand, and remain faithful and strong in the Lord? Is the promise strictly a guarantee that our souls will ultimately remain with the Lord, but our physical bodies are subject to the principalities of darkness and a corrupt world regardless of our adherence to God’s law?

I ask this because so many seemingly identify more with the body in this singular life, sometimes more than that part of us which is eternal.

BTW, I like and agree with your post. Thank you for your passionate writing and attention to details.

 

[Musicmaster]

Question sir,
Do you believe this applies physically and spiritually, as in our bodies and souls are made invincible to corruption if our faith is strong, and we make a stand, and remain faithful and strong in the Lord? Is the promise strictly a guarantee that our souls will ultimately remain with the Lord, but our physical bodies are subject to the principalities of darkness and a corrupt world regardless of our adherence to God’s law?

I ask this because so many seemingly identify more with the body in this singular life, sometimes more than that part of us which is eternal.

BTW, I like and agree with your post. Thank you for your passionate writing and attention to details.

Hmm. Really good question.

My confidence is that we can both agree that the text applies to both...the body and the soul. Every bit of it rests upon the Lord's own will for each individual. Many a faithful follower of Christ has suffered greatly, and will continue to do so, but there is another promise I did not quote before, but one to which I alluded to in the OP, and will quote here, which we all know by heart:

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to [His] purpose.

I'm sure some would bemoan my taking literally what is underlined...ALL things. The only limitation to that is for one to have fallen outside the bounds of loving God as one should, AND being called according to His purpose. They go hand in hand. The latter is a good topic for discussion, but might prove rather short-lived since it doesn't expound upon what it means to be called in relation to His purposes, especially when considering He is Sovereign. Perhaps that best way to think of that item is to look to one's conduct and faith, and seek to walk in the level of faith that is consistent with the word of God and the leading of the Spirit so that he may stand well within the realm of such a calling, rather than to have departed because of sin.

You're right, though. Most tend to see that preservation as merely temporal, even though the REAL battle is against the powers and principalities of the air, as we are told, rather than with flesh and blood. A man can lose everything, and still walk upright, upheld to stand in the things of Christ unto the very end when his heart takes that last beat, and his last breath.

It's to the Lord all praise goes for His wonderful inspirations He gives to us all for sharing with others.

Blessings to you and yours.

MM

 

[Via dolarossa]

Sometimes I still find myself actually missing hidden sinful thoughts and attitudes, and nearly falling off the edge (spiritually speaking) of a cliff into what would most likely make matters even worse if I was to carry our my sinful plans in my anger...

But the Lord is merciful, in that He holds me back now. He has reigned much of my temper.
Maybe ive been dangled enough to know and understand that acting in anger is never a good thing.

 

[TransformedinChrist]

Much needed today MM. Thank you. I wish sometimes your writing were bite sizes. Lol. I feel like I choke [in a good way] swallowing all of this at once. It is much needed. I am blessed by your passionate devotion to the Word of God. Thank you.

 

[bobinfaith]

Hello Musicmaster;

I'd like to respond from a different angle but hopefully in align with your Scriptural post.

America is blessed of it's wonderful accomplishments in history. I always follow how our country is an opportunity for innovation, and for the most part I agree. The problem is when we celebrate a breakthrough in something new - food, invention, technology, pharmaceutical, jobs, etc...we don't always see the bigger picture, only the excitement of discovery for the moment.

Example, the infrastructure of our freeway systems around the country need updating badly. In Los Angeles and San Francisco both cities grew so rapidly that it's freeways were not well planned. San Diego, the second largest city after Los Angeles saw the infrastructure in these freeways and planned better traffic management for it's freeways, not for the moment but for the future.

So the question I pose is this: Do we cause our own adversity and division because we say, do and plan in error for the long run, is there an ulterior motive aside from God's glory?

God bless you, brother, and your family.

 

[Musicmaster]

Much needed today MM. Thank you. I wish sometimes your writing were bite sizes. Lol. I feel like I choke [in a good way] swallowing all of this at once. It is much needed. I am blessed by your passionate devotion to the Word of God. Thank you.

I do apologize, my sister, that I was not able to condense this topic, and do so without losing so much of the richness that is in those verses and the observations that needed pointing out. I'm glad that it still was a blessing to you, which is a blessing directed to the Lord for His provision in our teaching and sanctification.

Blessings to you and yours.

MM

 

[Musicmaster]

So the question I pose is this: Do we cause our own adversity and division because we say, do and plan in error for the long run, is there an ulterior motive aside from God's glory?

The "cause," as I see it, is two-fold - the prime mover in the self-refuting wholeness in a nation and in the general populace of the people is the enemy of our souls. The other is the sinful heart, which, as you know, is desperately wicked, and therefore unknowable.

There is a third and more important Person in it all, which I pointed out in the OP, and Him being the Lord of Glory. Nothing can succeed in America and Europe that the Lord does not allow. If we go down as free nations and peoples, falling into the hands of the wealthy elite who are governed and possessed by their father Satan, the Lord will still be with us, no matter what, through suffering, right up to our last breath...including those who live to the moment of our being caught up to Him.

So, in a manner of speaking, yes. We are "A" cause, but not "THE" cause that has the greatest influence and ability to move the wicked hearts of men to do his bidding as the Lord allows.

Hope that provides some insights.

MM