OCTOBER 19 Become More Determined than Hell Itself! Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. — 2 Cor 11:23 I am often amazed by people who say they want to be mightily used by God but yet are so “soft”! It doesnt take much at all to ruffle these peoples feathers. A little inconvenience or discomfort is enough to upset them and start them complaining. And if they are asked to do a little extra work for free, they act like martyrs who are doing something extremely sacrificial! If youre going to do something mighty for God, you have to throw yourself into the call of God and do what is needed, regardless of whether or not it is convenient to you. The fact is, doing what God has called us to do must be paramount in our lives — more important than any comfort or pleasure. Like the examples we see in the lives of Jesus and the apostle Paul, we must be willing to do anything required or go to any length to do exactly what God has assigned to us. Of course God wants His people to be blessed! But a believer shouldnt start whining and complaining just because he runs into an attack of the devil that affects the level of comfort he is accustomed to. And if hes asked to do a little more than what is usually asked of him, he shouldnt start griping that the extra task is not a part of his job description. When a person does that, we can know that this is someone who will not do something mighty for God — at least not until he makes an adjustment in his attitude! To push the forces of hell out of the way, you have to be more determined than hell itself. You have to be willing to do anything necessary to get the job done. The vision before you must be more important than your own personal pleasure. When you adopt this mentality for your life, you will always push through hard times and take significant territory for the Kingdom of God. Paul then goes on to tell us more about his determined attitude to finish Gods call, regardless of what he has to do to finish it and the challenges he has to face on his way to victory. Stripes above Measure In addition to working hard, Paul tells us what he has physically endured in order to fulfill his heavenly assignment. He tells us that he has been physically beaten as he pursued the fulfillment of his God-given task, experiencing “...stripes above measure....” Notice that the mans wounds were so devastating that when the thieves departed, they assumed he was dead. These were mortal wounds. Now Paul uses this same word to describe the kinds of beatings he received as he sought to fulfill his God-given assignment in life. This word is also used in Acts 16:33 to describe the kind of beating Paul and Silas received in Philippi. After Gods power shook the prison walls and set Paul and Silas free, the keeper of the prison came to them to ask how to be saved. Acts 16:33 tells us that once the prison guard was saved, he “...took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes...” This word “stripes” is the same Greek word plege. Here we see an example of the physical beatings Paul endured. But this incident in Philippi was just one example of Paul being physically knocked around by opponents to the Gospel. In 2 Cor 11:23, he goes on to say that he experienced these stripes “above measure.” You must be more determined than the forces that will try to come against you. Otherwise, it wont take much pressure to make you say, “This is too hard” or “I didnt understand how difficult this was going to be.” Youll mentally start packing your bags so you can transfer back to more comfortable territory where less is expected of you. By no means am I wishing hardships or hard times on you. But I do pray that you make up your mind to be tougher than anything the devil ever tries to throw in your direction. In your flesh alone, you are not strong enough to withstand the devils assaults. But with the power of the Holy Spirit, you can resist, stand against, and drive back everything the devil will attempt to do to you, to your family, to your business, or to your church or ministry. Isnt it time for you to make up your mind to stick with Gods call on your life and press ahead in the power of the Holy Spirit? Prisons More Frequent Paul goes on to tell us that he has been “...in prisons more frequent....” The word “prison” is the Greek word plulake. It describes a place of custody, a prison ward, or a place heavily guarded by keepers and watchmen. Such a prison was usually a small, dark chamber in which the most hardened, dangerous, and menacing prisoners were confined. The prisoners who were put into this particular kind of chamber were considered so risky that they were usually accompanied by a host of prison guards who guarded them twenty-four hours a day. Paul was also kept in this kind of extreme confinement many times during his ministry; this is what he means when he says here that he has been in “prisons more frequent.” In fact, Paul became so familiar with this type of confinement that he even spent his final days under similar circumstances: “And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him” (Acts 28:16). No one wants to go to jail! But if going to jail meant that Paul would accomplish his apostolic calling along the way that was what he was willing to do. Paul was ready to undergo any inconvenience, pay any price, and go to all lengths to do what God had commissioned him to do. Even jail would not stop him. Deaths Oft We know that Paul wrote in 1 Cor 15:31, “...I die daily.” We tend to spiritualize this statement, but in reality, Paul faced actual physical death on a regular basis. When he wrote, “...I die daily,” he actually meant, “I am constantly confronted with the prospect of death.” Paul faced death so often that he learned how to face it bravely. In Rom 14:8, he wrote, “...whether we die, we die unto the Lord....” In 1 Cor 15:55, we see that he learned to meditate on victory rather than on mortality and fatality: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” These are not allegorical verses about death. They are the thoughts of a man who faced the prospect of death almost on a daily basis. Paul never sought to live under this constant threat of murder or execution. It was just a part of the journey to get where he needed to go. But rather than run and hide from imminent danger, he faced it bravely and kept moving forward to do what he was called to do. Had Paul been less committed, it would have taken only a few of these difficult experiences to knock him out of the race. But because he was totally focused on finishing the assignment Heaven had given him, he pushed beyond each of these attacks, and at the end of his life, he was able to say, “...I have finished my course...” (2 Tim 4:7). The Holy Spirit who empowered the apostle Paul to overcome each of these instances is the same Holy Spirit who is available to help you. You never have to be a defeated victim. If you choose to take advantage of the power that is available to you, the Spirit of God will energize and lift you to a place of victory over any obstacle the devil tries to throw in your way. Never forget that you have resurrection power residing inside you (see Rom 8:11). If youll yield to that power, it will supernaturally quicken you to overcome every time! So throw open your arms of faith and embrace the Spirits power to overcome each attack the devil has tried to orchestrate against you. If youll embrace that power, it will begin to flood you with everything you need to survive and to gloriously succeed in your task! Make the decision to let it start flowing today!
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 12:22:29 +0000
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