Fruitful in the land of suffering

The second son he named Ephraim and said, “it’s because God has made me fruitful in the land of suffering” Gen 41:52

Jesus warned us that in the world we would endure suffering, yet He has overcome the world. (Jn 16:33)  No one has probably suffered like Jesus did in Gethsemane and on the cross, yet he endured all for the joy of our salvation which was the fruit of His suffering. (Heb 12:2)  He was intimately acquainted with our griefs and sorrows talking them for us on the cross. (Is 53:4)  The God of the universe, Creator or all, suffered for a people to be redeemed by His blood, and the eternal fruit of His suffering will be ongoing even to the Day when He winds all things up to dwell with His people on a new heaven and new earth.  It was this fruit that kept Him stayed on the path of suffering and obedience for his momentary affliction could not be compared the the Glory that was and still is to come (as the Apostle Paul so adequately proclaimed. 2Cor 4:7.) Jesus had an eternal perspective and not a temporal one as He endured the most horrific suffering at the hands of those he came to save.

This in no way negates the pain of the suffering. Jesus’ sweat was like drops of blood so excruciating was the suffering He knew He had to endure for our freedom (Lk 22:34), but His focus and trust was in Father whom He knew wouldn’t leave His body to rot in the grave (Ps 16:10) and the promise  that “after He has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.” (Is 53:11). It does help to know that no suffering is wasted and that God will always bring out eternal fruit from the things which we have suffered if we do not remain trapped in the pain and memory of it.

Many blame God in their times of suffering, or for past suffering and they can harden their hearts towards Him. There are only two responses to suffering. We can run to God or run away from Him when we lay blame at His feet.

We have many examples of people who endured suffering in the bible, and yet rose from the ashes of their pain, enduring and standing firm in their quiet trust in God. When we look at  Joseph’s life and recognise the unfairness of his treatment, we can see that Joseph could have succumbed to bitterness and railed at God for the rejection and unfair treatment of his brothers as well as Potiphar when wrongly accused.  He was thrown into goal and forgotten for a time before he was promoted to second most influential man in Egypt.  Joseph had just cause to complain for all that life had dished up to him.  As a teen, God had given him amazing dreams, but he could have tossed this all aside and become bitter and twisted in an “unfair” world.  Had this been Joseph’s response to his suffering, his family would never have been saved from famine and the whole of history would have been changed.  So what kept Joseph focused throughout his ordeal.  A simple phrase that is repeated throughout his story - “the Lord was with him.”  Joseph knew that His suffering was for a great purpose. “But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God...” (Ex 45: 7-8)

This is what suffering is all about. When we endure and are healed, we then have authority to take others through to deliverance and healing.  However, we can remain in the unfairness of it all and have an excuse to maintain our right to self pity and strengthen our focus in a victim mentality.  We have a choice, the pain of coming to the Lord and being healed or the continual pain of being in bondage never to receive healing and go round the mountain again and again, like a worn out record, wearing ourselves into depression and sorrow.

Let me ask a question. Was it fair for Jesus to go to the cross for our sin?  It doesn’t bear thinking about if He hadn’t set his face like flint to endure, we would all still be lost in our sin and condemned to an eternal hell.  But God was rich in mercy and gave His only Son to die on a cross for us,  The benefits of the cross that come to us through His suffering and obedience are astounding. The fruit of His obedience has opened a new way for our reconciliation to Father and a new covenant with better promises including healing for spirit, soul and body.

Joseph too, in the land of his suffering, saw the fruit of the salvation of his family and the people of Egypt.  He didn’t blame God but recognised that throughout his ordeal God was with him and the end result was the favour and positioning of God to make a real difference in the land.

Life happens and we can remain stuck in the past, or like Joseph, forgive and recognise a higher calling and that God will never forsake us because He has a greater plan.  He will weave our suffering into His large plan to exact vengeance on the enemy of our soul and give a double recompense for what we have endured.  Put away the past and look forward in expectation to see His mighty hand move in and through you to right that which was wrong and advance His Kingdom.

Intimate plans of a Godly nature

I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” Jer 29:11

God has a personal plan for each one of us. It’s a blueprint that He mapped out before the creation of the world in His intimate knowledge of each one of us. His plan takes into account the gifts and talents that He has endowed us with, and walking in them will bring us the greatest fulfilment and success in life, and ultimately Glory to Him.  And it is all about community.  God has given talents to us so that areas of need in community are filled and His goodness is perpetuated as we work “as unto the Lord” (Col 3:23) in areas that our particular talent is required.

God declared this hope to His exiled people who were carried away into captivity under Nebuchadnezzar and lived in a society that held none of their beliefs. In the midst of their discomfort and discouragement, He delivers hope for their future.  Even in their predicament, God gives them instructions to enjoy life, to build, to marry, to have children and to pray for the prosperity of the cities they dwelt in, until the day He delivered them into freedom. He even told them how long they would be in captivity, a full 70 years, each decade for their disobedience to His Law, but knowing the time of deliverance would full them with hopeful vision for their and their children’s future.

Was this God’s original plan for His people? No.  He had warned them through His prophets that unless they obeyed Him, they would go into captivity.  So even though the perfect plan of God’s for the nation was diverted, He still was interested in bringing them hope and an expectation of a good future.  Please get this, even though His people worshipped other “gods”, were disobedient to Him and did not heed His prophets who spoke His word to them, God was still concerned for their welfare and outcome and in turning their situation around for good. Oftentimes it is in the hard places of life that we begin to seek God and draw near to Him.  This appears to be the cycle we see from the history of God’s people, revival through to apostasy and back to revival, yet God never gave His people up, but delivered hope and restoration, right up to the time of Christ.

So I believe that God has an individualised plan for each person, city, country and church but one of the ways we can divert the plan that God has for us is through the words of our mouth.

From the fruit of a person’s mouth his stomach is satisfied, 

with the product of his lips is he satisfied.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, 

and those who love its use will eat its fruit.  Prov 18: 20-21

We can self-prophesy our future by the words of our mouth.  God’s word is creative and full of power to bless, and we can choose to speak what He says or we can curse ourselves by the negative words we speak.  These negative words also affect our emotions. The Strong’s Concordance gives definition to the word “belly” or stomach in the translation used above as the seat of mental faculties.  If we stubbornly believe what the world says about us, or the negative words that have been spoken to us, and do not renew our minds with the truth God has spoken, we will suffer rejection, depression, condemnation and a host of negative emotions. Sons and daughters of God, please think about this very carefully. Jesus has warned us that by our words we will be justified or condemned.  We either agree with God or agree with the devil, and the principle here is, we obviously get what God says, or, if in agreement with satan, we open ourselves up to allow his will to be done in our lives. The devil is only happy to oblige us with what we confess and believe. Remember, you will have what you say. We cannot break God’s eternal laws.  God is not mocked, what a man sows he will reap. We will either sow blessing or cursing with the very words we speak.  Words have creative power, and being made in the image of our Father who created everything we see by His words, our words also have power to create the environment around us.

“For who makes you different from everyone else? (The obvious answer is God) What do you have that you did not receive? (Again the answer is God) And if you did receive it, what makes you boast as if you did not?” 1Cor 4:7

I believe that pride can also divert God’s plan for our lives. If we stubbornly reject the truth of God’s word, our hearts cannot connect with Him on deeper levels, and God will resist us. That’s a scary thought. Humility accepts God’s word with meekness, recognising His amazing Grace poured out on us through the cross of Christ.  All good and perfect gifts come to us from our Father in Heaven and recognising this helps us to release those giftings in the world as co-labourers with Jesus.  We are humbled when we see the gifting of the Holy Spirit operating through us to bring help, truth and healing to those God connects us with. There is nothing like recognising the anointing upon you for a purpose of God’s plan to come into effect in a given moment of time. You know that it was the Holy Spirit working because you know that the situation was way beyond your ability, and you can give God the glory and rejoice in His goodness.

God has a good plan for you. Believe it and work with Him sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Pray for Him to teach you to be led by Him and to obey with all your heart. His plan for you will involve bringing blessing and establishing the King’s domain on earth.  This is why, right from creation, God declared “be fruitful and multiply.”

What is God's heart in suffering

I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more……

I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, "Behold, God's dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 

He will wipe away from them every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away." 

He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." He said, "Write, for these words of God are faithful and true."  Rev 21:1-5

We often hear people say, “if your God is so loving, why did this happen; why is there such evil in the world; why did my child die; why did my dad have to suffer cancer; why was I abused; why, why, why.”  These kind of questions can be really hard for us to answer, especially in the raw emotion of someone's real pain and hurt.  No one, at that moment of deep suffering and loss, wants our pat answers to the problems of sin in the world.  So often, blame is put at God’s feet for the atrocities that happen in the world.

I know that God too weeps over the state of this world, (Jn 11:35/Lk 19:41) because it is so far from His heart of love for those whom He created.  Our world of chaos and suffering is so far from His original intent of, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." (Gen 1:26)

So let's look at God's image, to see what He intended for humankind to be.  

God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. (Gen 1:31)

I want you to grasp this concept.  Behold, it was VERY GOOD!  As Jesus taught us, “Even so, every good tree produces good fruit; but the corrupt tree produces evil fruit. A good tree can't produce evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree produce good fruit.” (Matt 7:17-18)

God is ultimately GOOD.  There is no darkness in Him, (James 1:17) no evil. Good cannot produce evil, nor can evil produce good.  We could say, light overcomes darkness.  A beautiful example of this declaration that God is good, came from Jesus in His conversation with the rich, young ruler.

As  he was going out into the way, one ran to him, knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may eternal life?" Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except one-God.  You know the commandments: 'Do not murder,' 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not give false testimony,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honour your father and mother.” (Lk 18: 18-20)

These commandments show God's ultimate “golden rule” “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Luke 6:31) love in action towards each other.  And His love toward us too.

Jesus is the image of God. (Col 1:15)  He came to show us the Father's heart and is a visual aid in the ministry of God's goodness to humankind.  And Jesus said,  “The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.” (Jn 10:10)

So we see another principle at work here, EVIL.  We see Jesus, GOOD, and the thief, Destruction of all kinds.  And we see the Father's heart to right that which is wrong, through Jesus, to bring abundant life in restoration and healing.

This brings me back to the first scripture in this blog, God's intention is to bring everything back to His original plan: “Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more.”  Back to, “and, behold, it was very good.”

How is God going to accomplish this? “Behold, I am making all things new.”  What a hope we have, for God Himself will dwell with us physically and in us and through us.  He will give mankind “new hearts” (Ezekiel 36:26) after His own and without the influence of the evil.  The “thief” will no longer be able to have his evil sway on human hearts, for the dominion and overcoming spirit of the goodness of God's heart and His love will rule in our hearts instead.

Talking of dominion, it was always God's desire that we would rule over “flesh” (i.e. birds, fish, every living thing). (Gen 1:28) This dominion was not in a negative form, but as stewards of God's grace for goodness to reign and flourish.  I would also like to suggest that He intended us to rule over our own “flesh” and bring our fleshly desires under subjection in love and consideration of others first.  Tongue in cheek, I think Jesus called this “dying to self”  by taking up our cross to follow Him.  Even as Jesus was willing to submit to the Father's plan for the salvation and die for us on that Cross for all of us who had gone astray from God's original plan.

"For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the spring of living waters, and cut them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. Jer 2:13

When we forsake God, we also forsake His design and purpose in us as we begin to live for no one but our own selfish desires and self preservation. The spring of living water of the goodness, life and love of God that He intended to flow through us to sustain the life and order which He created for us to enjoy, to have fulfilment and to be successful, no longer flows. Metaphorically we become dry, lifeless and struggling in a dog eat dog society. Goodness for others and the world flies out of the window. We can no longer offer His life to others when we are not flowing and living in the water Christ offers to all who want to drink of Him. (Jn 4:4; 7:37)

When the good God gives us new hearts with a new spirit, (Ezekiel 36:26) touched and wholly filled with His love, His nature and desires, and new glorified bodies, the result will be “no mourning, no crying, no pain anymore.”  Faith, love and hope, these three abide, but the greatest of these is love (1 Cor 13:13) and the fruit thereof:-  Love is patient and is kind; love doesn't envy. Love doesn't brag, is not proud, doesn't behave itself inappropriately, doesn't seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; doesn't rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. (1 Cor 13: 4-8)  

This can only be accomplished in us through the Spirit of the Living God, the Holy Spirit. Evil is overcome by God's goodness, even in men's hearts.

So back to my original thought of what to offer those suffering and disillusioned with life. Do what God would do LISTEN and offer comfort. Pray for them that the God of comfort would come in and heal the hurt. Pray for the goodness of God to overwhelm them in the midst of their suffering. Pray for hope, that God would restore it back to them, and where you can, help them in practical ways too by doing an act of service in love. Show them you care. Wipe away every tear. Bring God's goodness into an otherwise evil moment.

Identification with Christ

I was mediating on salvation brought for us through Jesus Christ and all the benefits that He purchased for us.  The bible teaches us that at one time, when we didn't know Jesus, we were far from God but the blood of Jesus had now brought us near. Eph 2:13

I realise afresh that it is all about identification. Think about this....how could God, the Eternal Spirit and Creator of the universe feel what we feel, unless He experienced first hand the limitations of the flesh in which our spirit resides?  And so the Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us. (Jn 1:14)

For God achieved what the law could not do because it was weakened through the flesh. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, Rom 8:3

Jesus, fully God and fully man, and of whom the Word teaches that all things, seen and unseen, were created through Him, (Jn 1:3) came as one of His own. He suffered pain, for He took up our pain and sickness (Isa 53:4) on the Cross and felt the whip across His back, and the driving force of the hammer on the nails. He knew hunger and thirst. (Lk 4:2) He experienced the seasons. His flesh also cried out in exhaustion (Matt 8:24) and despair. (Matt 26:36) He looked on His creation through human eyes and experienced the wonder of a sunset. He tasted the bitter anguish of rejection and was vilified by those who hated Him. Even members of His own family hated Him and He suffered the brunt of their sarcasm. (Jn 7:3-8) He was misunderstood  and disbelieved by many. He rejoiced and He cried. 

The thing is, Jesus fully identified with us. He experienced the full limitation of flesh and hence He know us in the flesh and in the spirit.  And, His compassion for us is heightened because of His experience.

We can only have true compassion for someone when we have walked the same road. Even then, we can never know anyone fully because we are all individuals and experienced things to different levels.  But our experience, being similar, can bring an understanding that creates empathy to anyone travelling the same valley. 

He died for all, that those who live should no longer live to themselves, but to him who for their sakes died and rose again. 

Therefore we know no one after the flesh from now on. Even though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we know him so no more. 2 Cor 5: 15-16

The bible teaches us that when we are born again, our spirit is made alive or quickened when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us.  We therefore can identify with Jesus as a son/daughter of God. We identify with Him through the Spirit,  for the spirit confirms to our heart that we are indeed, children of God.  We also can identify with Jesus by understanding that the Father is also pleased with us as His adopted children and joint heirs with His Son. The Apostle Paul also talks about us identifying with Jesus in His sufferings. This is because, as Jesus warned, the world first hated Him and will also hate us too.  This is becoming much more evident in today's political correct agenda that denigrates Christians for choosing to believe in the Word of God as our final authority on things pertain to matters of life.

Yet for all of this, Jesus has the answer and the comfort for us.  He is able to keep us and heal us and shower us with more of His love.  If you have never experienced Christ’s love and peace, He invites you to ask, as the Word says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”

True Repentance, True love

For this is what the master, the Lord, the Holy One of Israel says: 

“If you repented and patiently waited for me, you would be delivered; 

if you calmly trusted in me you would find strength, 

but you are unwilling. Is 30:15

Repentance heals the breach in relationships. You have probably experienced this breach after having a “strong disagreement” with a close friend, family member or spouse. You can feel the wedge of dis-ease between you. The cold shoulder of pride and hurt hangs like an icicle in a heart once warmed by mutual respect and love. The togetherness and enjoyment of the relationship becomes a one focus division, “it's all about me and how you hurt me” moments that destroys intimacy. The frosty words, chill the atmosphere in a bleak cold freeze until someone warms it with a genuine heartfelt sorrow for forgiveness.

Humility and true love are the fruit of repentance; being humble enough to say I've been wrong, loving enough to be grieved over what we have done, knowing we have hurt another and done something not pleasing to God.  Recognising that sin pulls us away from God and destroys our intimacy, should make us desire to run to God and ask for His forgiveness. Only then can His Grace touch the wounds and heal the broken intimacy.  God's position in our relationship never changes regardless of what we do.  He always loves us, but our relationship with Him does because in our pride we do not like to admit we have hurt someone or failed in any way.  We are full of “buts” and “ifs” to deflect the blame from us on to others. “If you hadn't of….” “I’m sorry but you…..”

We can try to “hide” as Adam and Eve did, but the guilt we feel cannot be erased until we say, “Father I'm so sorry, please forgive me.”  As John the Baptist said to the religious leaders of the day, who were so stuck in their pride and arrogance and held to their man made tradition over the word:-

Therefore bring forth fruit worthy of repentance! Matt 3:8

True repentance will bring change because it comes from a heart that truly loves and does not want to repeat the offence.  It helps us loathe sin, which is destructive, and true repentance helps us to lean on the power of the Holy Spirit; to fully surrender; to desire the fruit of holiness; to be more like Jesus. We call out for Grace because God's Grace is sufficient and all empowering.

When we “hide” sin in darkness, we give it power.  God still sees.  We cannot “hide” anything from an all seeing, all knowing Creator, but in trying to “hide”, the destructive emotions of sin rule.  Guilt, shame, condemnation, discouragement, despair, self hatred and loathing rage in the darkness of sin. God does not want this for us.  He wants to run to Him and bring the sin into the light of His Presence, for as soon as we confess it, we can receive His cleansing power and forgiveness.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we say that we haven't sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 Jn 1:9-10

The blood of Jesus makes us white as snow (Ps 53:7) and, as long as we believe we are forgiven, destructive emotions no longer have a hook on which to hang.  The Grace of God is amazing for those of us in Christ as scripture teaches there is no condemnation to those in Christ who walk after the Spirit. (Rom  8:1) 

When conviction comes from the Holy Spirit to repent, do so quickly, and with all your heart.  Remember He wants us to be children who walk in the light (1Jn1:5) and repentance is a part of the process.

Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? Rom 2:4

Remember, God always wants our relationship with Him to be deeply and personally intimate, and He is jealous in His amazing kindness, to restore us to Himself. He does not want us hindered and bound by sin, but wants us to walk in honesty and transparency before Him.  This is freedom.  Trust in His kindness and love toward you and bring everything to Him. No more hiding sin in the closet and His Grace will heal, restore and strengthen you.

Our life - His Story

This is not a new concept but one that is so good - this life we live is a part of His Story. Before the creation, we were a part of His plan and His purposes to bring His Goodness to others. Many of us didn't realise that we were born for a greater plan and purpose with Christ being the centre and so we walked out our own path.  

Often times our story was difficult and hurt, rejection and disappointment lead us to ask the big questions of life. Why am I here, what is life about? We were searching, looking for fulfilment that seemed evasive. We were like a kid’s escaped balloon, floating in a immense blue, no end in sight, lonely, moved and shaped by an unseen wind, our feet to never land on something solid.

My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.  Job 10:1

It is in these moments of life's wandering in the “wings” of our own messed up lives, that God writes us into His Story and onto the “stage” of His unfolding plan. The Holy Spirit who had been working on our hearts for such a long time, catches our attention. He beckons us to come into the spotlight of the Son, centre stage, where the bright lights reveal the truth of Christ and darkness flees.  Our focus is now on the lover of our soul and no longer on self, the villain of our story.  This villain has been the idol of our life and has driven a hard bargain, grinding us into all kinds of fear, self gratification and self preservation.

In the light of His blood, bathed by His Love, we entered into the story of LIFE.  Worn down, battered and bruised from writing our own lines, we now enter into the Story of His Life. His love song burst into our hearts,  halting the never ending cycle of disappointments, complaining and looking for acceptance from others.

For he chose us in Christ, before the foundation of the world, that we may be holy and unblemished in his sight in love. He did this by predestining us to adoption as his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure of his will – to the praise of the glory of his grace that he has freely bestowed on us in his dearly loved Son. Eph 1: 4-6

And what a love song! Together with the Saviour, we begin a dance, scene by scene, but more often line by line, as we learn who we are and what His plan is for us. Trust, learnt in His Leading arms,  growing in confidence, we surrender into the Saviour’s leading role, and give ourselves more and more into His loving purpose.  He breathes the truth into our souls as the Songwriter caresses the love words deep into our reviving hearts. Personal lines of love and acceptance soften the hardened heart and tears of healing begin to flow; our sins gently washed away by His blood and His own tears.

We become the supporting role of a large plan, already laid out. We just have to learn the script, believe His love for us and live it out.

These signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new languages; .. they will place their hands on the sick and they will be well.” Mark 16: 17,18

Because of who Jesus is to us, we become more like Him and, as we introduce Him to others, His everlasting arms draws them into His story too.

The everlasting God is a refuge, 

and underneath you are his eternal arms. Deut 33:28

There is only one leading role and only one like our Saviour, Lord and King, Jesus. Only one who gives life to the full having surrendered His life to give it to us. There's only One who loves us so fully, He elevates from our despondency into a heavenly realm of existence as His Kingdom becomes alive in us. His loves pours down on us enabling us to love others, forgive others and build them up. No fear, we walk as children of peace, bring healing and LIFE to others as the villain of self no longer keeps the control.

God, our Heavenly Father works All things together for good. This is the main theme in His play as we live and move and have our being in Jesus.

Healing in the Instead of

The grace and mercy of God is beyond our understanding.  A straying humanity is never beyond His restoration.  The promises in Isaiah 61 are phenomenal in the Creator God’s loving manifesto towards those broken and in despair who recognise their spiritual poverty and deep need of Him.

Jesus came to reverse the curse that was basically caused by Adam and Eve going their own way and throwing all humanity into the destructive patterns of sin and death. (Gen 4 17-19)  Jesus opened His ministry with a 400 year prophecy concerning His redemptive plan to those, who of their own accord, had pierced their souls with the devastating effects of rebellion against Him who loved them so much.

Jesus came to preach the Good news to those oppressed by His eternal enemy, satan, and to bind up the broken hearts ravished by the lies and deception of the kingdom of darkness by appealing to the sins of the flesh, lust of the eyes and pride of life.

“Do not love the world (i.e. the philosophies that oppose God) or the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world.  And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” I Jn 2:15-17

Jesus came to free the prisoners held in the dark captivity of inherent sins and bound to repeating the same mistakes as their ancestors.  Hence He brought about the favour of the LORD to those who accept His invitation to have Him come in and “sup” with them (i.e. have a relationship with Him) (Rev 3:20), and to bring His Light to the hurting places in their souls; to comfort them with eternal salvation as by the Spirit, they are born again. (Jn 3:5-8)

“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the Light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” Jn 8:12

Jesus began declaring, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matt 4:17) and He began to pour out upon the people the fullness of the favour of the Kingdom only hinted at in the Old Testament but had now become a visual aid in His ministry and work during His days on earth.

Thankfully it didn’t end there, for the same manifesto prophesied over the Messiah’s life before He came, is the same manifesto over the Sons and Daughters of God as Jesus promised:-

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works then these he will do, because I go to the Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” Jn 14: 12-14

And there is more….  The passage in Isaiah goes on to give us amazing promises of full restoration in a series of “instead ofs” that come with the comfort of the LORD.  What grace!  We who caused our own discomfort and pain in the ever spiralling downward pull into darkness, receive comfort and restoration in at least a double measure.  Both those taken captive by sin and those a victim of sin against them receive this restoration:-

Beauty instead of ashes;

Oil of joy instead of mourning;

garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

instead of shame, double honour;

instead of confusion, rejoicing in their portion;

and, they shall possess double;

Everlasting joy shall be theirs.  Is 61: 3-7

This restoration from the loving hand of the Father through the Spirit leads to three results.  Our ministry to the LORD is birthed out of the overcoming victory of being set free by the LORD and secondly His favour and restoration will be clearly witnessed by others.

“That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”  Is 61:3b

And thirdly, this becomes, “And the day of vengeance of our God” (Is 61:2b).  The enemy of our soul, the one who comes only to “kill, steal and destroy” (Jn 10:10) has no more authority in the area of our lives he originally kept us captive and where freedom has been secured by our Saviour’s work on the cross.  “if the Son set you free you will be free indeed.” Jn 8:36

Joy indeed flows and more joy when we are able to help someone who has been taken captive in the same area with the comfort that we received from the LORD.  We now have the authority in this area to take others into freedom.  We never take vengeance on people, for our fight is not with “flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Eph 6:12 The vengeance of the LORD is against satan and his hordes.

This “instead of” principle can be the spirit of prophecy over all areas of our Christian walk and is also a part of growing to become more like Jesus.  Whatever negative emotion holds you captive, the “instead of” principle will return the opposite quality of the Kingdom in a two-fold blessing. We go from victim to victory, overcoming in the power of the Spirit and become a conqueror to help others.

If you are anxious all the time, this obviously, is not a Kingdom of Light emotion.  The “instead of” clearly is “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, (and) will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:7  There is a “work” you have to do though – BELIEVE God’s promise is for you, surrender the anxiety and walk in His peace.  We need to renew our minds.  In this passage of scripture regarding anxiety, the Apostle Paul gives us some keys to walk in this freedom.  

Pray.  

Surrender the anxiety.

Adopt an attitude of thanks giving.

Mediate on “whatever things are true…noble…just…pure…lovely…of good report…virtue…praiseworthy” Phil 4:8

Think of the joy set before you.  Your overcoming victory will take someone else to freedom and you will have exacted your vengeance upon the spirit of anxiety who held you captive in the first place.

All of us will have strongholds in some areas, but we can hold to and believe in the “instead of” God wants to lavish upon us to facilitate healing and freedom in our lives.  Hallelujah!