03/12/11

Being persistent

Luke 23:23 - And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed.


Yesterday I was with a beautiful couple who came from Australia. The husband born Indian had gone there to settle down. They were sharing with me how the Lord was working in their lives. But their ride was not smooth, for they did have many bumps on the road and even car breakdowns but their journey never stopped and the reason of this was persistence.

Persistence does not mean to be determined or focused on getting the job completed; this definition is what the world tells us. In the Kingdom of God persistence has another meaning for in the Kingdom of God victory is already written therefore being persistent means remaining moving on the path.

The Lord is pleased not more with how big events we organize in His Name or we coming on national television to witness Him, but the Lord is more pleased when we diligently do even the small things for His Kingdom, for His glory.

Satan too knows this secret and we see in today's message how the people along with the chief priest wore down Pilate by keeping on shouting that Jesus be crucified. Even though Pilate realized he was making a mistake yet he lost to their persistence.

One secret I like to share with you is how to overcome the persistence of Satan. Firstly there is a big difference with our being persistent and the world being persistent. We work with our victory already in place and they need to work towards creating their victory. They need to struggle to earn victory and therefore need to work towards being persistent and earning victory. In our case we do not need to earn our victory it is already done, we just need to remain persistent.

For the second part I will need to share with you something in Bible image study. Like I told you all things are made in an image, either in the image of things of God's Kingdom (His kind) or things after the fallen angels (their kind).

In this world temptation can be easily understood by studying the mosquito. Most deaths in this world are not due to accidents or great sickness but more due to the tiny mosquito. The most effective weapon against the mosquito is a simple net. Remaining in a net prevents us from getting bitten by a mosquito. The Word of God is a net. All scriptures connect together in one understanding. Even though we have several books yet they all connect together as one and called The Word. Same as when we join 2 or more nets together we still call it as a net, not nets.

Another important aspect towards fighting mosquitoes is getting rid of still water. Still waters represent sin or sinful life and if we keep living a sinful life we are more likely to fall keep getting tempted more and more. Similarly the less we fall in sin the less we encounter temptation.

Jesus as man did not get tempted or more correctly put temptation had no effect on Him. The only place we read about His real encounter with temptation is when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness. But for Him to come to a state of being in a position of getting tempted the Spirit of God had to lead Him into the desert for 40days without food and water. Yet this temptation had no victory on Him because He remained in the Word. Jesus used scriptures to defeat the mosquitoes Satan tried on Him. Since no sin was in Him the temptation could not last long. Later the Angels came to strengthen Him spiritually by ministering to Him.

Another very important factor to remember is the life span of the mosquito is very short (from a week to a few months). Thus if we diligently keep using the strategy of the net and no still water we are sure to nearly eradicate mosquitoes from our lives.

But the problem comes is that it is not possible for us weak in spirit to completely eradicate still water. Therefore as we keep fighting to reduce the still waters, we also need to avoid the existing still waters from being used for breeding temptation. To do this we use the solution of pouring oil over the still water.

Oil in the Bible has 2 meaning one which is connected to our spirit and other to our inner-man / mind. The pouring of the Holy Spirit (done by i.e. laying of hands or while worshiping the Lord) gives us the ability to overcome, this is the anointing we receive in our spirit. In the weaker stages this anointing is difficult therefore the Lord suggests us also the other anointing with oil which means covering our minds or strengthening our inner-man with testimonies. People, who do not understand the meaning of anointing with oil, take real oil and pour on heads of people. They behave like the people of the Old Testament who lacked understanding or spiritual maturity, like the people Paul poke to (when Paul told them oil he specified olive oil - which had symbolic meaning).

Thus to overcome the persistence of Satan we need to remain in the Word and remain anointed like the Israelites did when they carried the Ark which had the Word (the Commandments), their testimonies (pot of manna) and spiritual anointing (the budded rod of Aaron).

Our Victory is already written all we need to do is remain persistent and overcome Satan by carrying our Ark.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, You made all things available for us, even our victory is not earned by us but given by You. You started the job of overcoming darkness when You made man and coming as man You wrote the final end that is our victory. All You ask of us Lord is to be diligent and remain persistent in your Kingdom working for the glory of our Father in Heaven. Lord, help us remain in your Word and to be anointed always in mind and spirit...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]
Luke 23:20-25
20 Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them.
21 But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him.
22 And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go.
23 And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed.
24 And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.
25 And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.

Matthew 4:1-11
1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

For understanding anointing with oil read the old post
http://www.savedbyfaith.info/messages/130711.html

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