GET READY FOR A FIGHT! A Fight Always Follows Illumination But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; Hebrews 10:32 (KJV) Have you ever received a word from the Lord that gave you the exact direction you needed? If so, let me guess what happened next. Suddenly—BOOM! It seemed like all hell broke loose! The craziest circumstances erupted, seeming to directly challenge and assault that word you had just received from God! If Ive just described what youve gone through or what you are going through right now, be encouraged! You must be right on track! A spiritual fight usually does occur when youve been specially illuminated to the plan God has for your life. In Hebrews 10:32, the Bible says, But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions.... Today I want us to look at three key words in this verse: great, fight, and afflictions. These words describe what you and I might experience after the Lord has given us a word of instruction to illuminate us regarding His plan for our lives. First, lets look at the word great. In Greek, its the word mega, and it describes something very big. For instance, the word mega is where we get the word megaphone, an instrument for making a very big noise. This word mega is used by people when they speak of …. mega-bills, mega-problems, mega-work, and so on. By using this word, the writer of Hebrews tells us that spiritual conflicts accompanying a word of divine direction are normally not small—theyre usually mega! Theyre BIG! The second word I want you to see is the word fight. It comes from the Greek word athlesis and refers to a committed athlete. This undoubtedly tells you that when you receive a word from the Lord, it may throw you into one of the greatest challenges of your entire life! Youll feel like youve just entered the ring and are competing for the prize! Finally, we come to the third word, afflictions. It is the Greek word pathema and usually refers to mental pressure or to suffering that affects the mind. This isnt talking about mental sickness; rather, it points to a war in your soul or an attack on your mind. Hebrews 10:32 could thus be taken to mean: After you were illuminated, you endured a mega-sized ordeal that threw you into the biggest fight you ever faced in your life. But the most critical part of the struggle resulted from the unremitting assaults that literally battered your mind.... You can be sure that if you take a stance of faith in response to a word you received from God, every possible negative thought will come against your mind. Not only will the devil try to use people and circumstances to thwart the plan, but he will also affect your mind with all kinds of negative thoughts and accusations. Hell do everything he can to talk you out of doing what God has called you to do. Dont be surprised by this! You must remember that Jesus experienced this type of attack as He hung on the Cross. As He selflessly laid down His own life on the Cross, the soldiers and other criminals hurled their horrible, slanderous statements at Him. But Jesus pushed aside all the assaults that came against His soul and endured, committing His life and destiny into the Fathers hands. So if you have received a word from God for your life, let me ask you: Did you go through a mega-ordeal yourself after you were illuminated to Gods plan? Did you feel you were thrown into a fight that came to challenge what God had told you? Did you find that the devil tried to assault your mind and emotions with lies, accusations, and fears? If you have been in this place Im talking about—or if this is exactly where you are right now—then be encouraged! This is probably your clearest signal that youve received a real word from the Lord. You must be right on track, because the devil is terribly concerned about what will happen if you act on what God has revealed to you. Dont back down. Dont surrender to the enemys vicious lies in your mind, his attacks against your body, his challenges to your finances, or his assaults on your relationships. Regardless of how much resistance he tries to bring against you, dont you dare back up on that word God gave you! If you hadnt received a true word from the Lord, there would be nothing for the devil to challenge! The fight you face is the greatest evidence youre right on track! Just hang on, and dont give up! Youre clearly headed in the right direction! MY PRAYER FOR TODAY Lord, as I take a stand of faith in response to that word I have received from You for my life, I realize that Satan may try to use negative thoughts to war against my mind. Thank You for alerting me to the fact that the devil may even try to use people and circumstances to thwart Your plan for my life. But I also thank You that Satan cannot stop Your plan from coming to pass! With Your Spirit illuminating my mind, I know I will be able to discern the attacks of the enemy and successfully resist each and every attack! I pray this in Jesus name! QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER 1. What are some past instances when you received direction for your life that you knew was from God? 2. Were you bombarded with negative thoughts and pressures that tried to make you doubt the direction God gave you? How did you react? 3. In the future, how can you respond according to the Word when these negative thoughts and pressures come against Gods direction for your life? Sparkling Gems from the Greek
Posted on: Sun, 26 Jan 2014 13:13:16 +0000
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