Consternation

The miracle of being re-birthed caused indelible transformation in us. We now not only bear His image, but His glory. We simultaneously live in two realms, the physical and the spiritual. Consequently, much of what happens to us after being re-birthed is totally foreign in this respect: we cannot fathom the out-of-proportion assaults exacted upon our lives. In your incredulity or frustration, have you ever said anything remotely like this: ‘Before I came to know the reality of the Lord I never had these kinds of things happening to me! Why is this happening?’

Why, indeed?

Before Lucifer allowed pride to enter his heart (and with that pride the notion he would try to put God out of business), all glory and praise was directed through him towards the God of Glory. However, all that drastically changed in a heartbeat when Lucifer plummeted to earth. He has an objective now. He hates God with a hellish hatred, fuelled by a fiendish resolve to take those now entrusted not only to bear His image but His likeness (you and me) out of the picture.

Having said that (lest anyone think that I am impressed with the devil but only remotely aware of God), let me set the record straight: the exact opposite is true. Our Father has made us to be people who ‘notice’ things. We can get all bent out of shape over the injustices we see, or we can deposit the outrage we feel into prayer and intercession on behalf of those He puts upon our hearts.

I love the following quote from the book, ‘The Barbarian Way’:

“Jesus is being lost in a religion bearing His name. People are being lost because they cannot reconcile Jesus’ association with Christianity. Christianity has become docile, domesticated, civilized. We have forgotten that there is a kingdom of darkness stealing the hopes and dreams and souls of a humanity without God. It is time to hear the barbarian call, to form a barbarian tribe, and to unleash the barbarian revolt. Let the invasion begin.

”Matthew 11:12 (Amp.):

”And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force (as a precious prize, a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion).

Nowadays, the reality of heaven and hell being reduced to nothing more than religious blether is indicative of how Satan has in fact ensnared so many in the matrix of lies. After all, he is called the father of lies. Give him his due - he is very good at what he does!

Everything outside of Christ Jesus is religion, and Satan is the father of religion (‘religion’ being anything that causes adherents to think that by their right living they can ‘be like God’). The on-going training being worked within us has much to do with setting us free from the matrix of religion which has watered the gospel down to less than tepid tea-water.

The original movie, ‘The Matrix’, though fictional, has more spiritual truth than meets the eye. The main character, Thomas Anderson, a.k.a. Neo, only knows reality that comes to him via the Matrix, a self- generated program existing solely in his mind. In the process of being disconnected from the matrix, reality is almost more than he can bear. Likewise, the reality that the Father is awakening in many of his sons and daughters, is more than we can fathom. That is why the quote from The Barbarian Way spoke such encouragement to me.

In the garden, when Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, their eyes were opened…but what they saw did not resemble life and freedom. Is it any wonder that even though we have been re-birthed, it is the Father’s desire to have the eyes of our heart opened up, that we might be flooded with light in the true knowledge of Him being our all? We are here in the now for a purpose, (His) and though most of us do not know or see the reality of this purpose, Satan does. He may be defeated, but he is not stupid insofar as having successfully taken many Christians out of the picture.

The ‘necessity’ of knowing the love of our Father is the only thing that will keep us from losing heart, from capitulating and becoming a statistic or prisoner of war – that and knowing that as the re-birthed we are in a battle for our very souls, and the onslaughts are relentless. However, most Christians don’t realize this. I once heard it said that when most believers give their lives to Christ, they sincerely believe they were signing onto a cruise liner. They had no idea they were boarding a warship!

”Grow not weary in well doing, for in due time you shall reap. If we suffer with Him, we shall reign with Him.” That reigning is in the now, but it is the out-working that results in much suffering.

"The full value of this life can only be got by fighting; the violent take it by storm. And if we have accepted everything we have missed something — war. This life of ours is a very enjoyable fight, but a very miserable truce."

Rich