IT IS WRITTEN
When the accuser of the brethren accuses His elect day and night before God saying they are not Christ’s, Paul says in Romans 9:20-33
~ Romans 9:20-33 ~
20 But indeed, O man, WHO ARE YOU to reply against God? Will the thing FORMED say to him who FORMED it, “Why have you made me like this?”
21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make ONE VESSEL for HONOR and another for dishonor?
22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, ENDURED with MUCH LONGSUFFERING the VESSELS OF WRATH prepared for destruction,
23 and that He might MAKE KNOWN the riches of His glory on the VESSELS OF MERCY, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,
24 even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
25 As He says also in Hosea:
“I WILL CALL THEM MY PEOPLE, who were not My people,
And HER BELOVED, who was not beloved.”
26 “And it shall come to pass IN THE PLACE where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’
There they shall be called sons of the living God.”
27 Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel:
“Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea,
The remnant will be saved.
28 For HE WILL FINISH THE WORK and CUT IT SHORT IN RIGHTEOUSNESS,
Because the LORD will make A SHORT WORK upon the earth.”
29 And as Isaiah said before:
“Unless the LORD of Sabaoth had left us a seed,
We would have become like Sodom,
And we would have been made like Gomorrah.”
30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, even the righteousness of faith;
31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.
32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they STUMBLED at that STUMBLING STONE.
33 As it is written:
“Behold, I lay IN ZION A STUMBLING STONE and A ROCK OF OFFENSE,
And whoever BELIEVES on Him WILL NOT be put to shame.”
Even Revelation 12:10-11 assures
10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “NOW SALVATION, and STRENGTH, and the KINGDOM OF OUR GOD, and the POWER OF HIS CHRIST HAVE COME, for the accuser of our brethren, who ACCUSED THEM before our God day and night, HAS BEEN CAST DOWN.
11 “And they OVERCAME him by the BLOOD OF THE LAMB and by the WORD OF THEIR TESTIMONY, and they DID NOT LOVE their lives TO THE DEATH.
What then shall we say then when the accuser of our brethren comes? Romans 8:31-39 assures us
~ Romans 8:31-39 ~
31 What then shall we say to thse things? IF GOD FOR US, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?
32 He did not spare His own Son, but DELIVERED HIM UP for us all, how shall He not with Him ALSO FREELY GIVE US ALL things?
33 Who shall bring A CHARGE AGAINST God’s elect? IT IS GOD WHO JUSTIFIES.
34 Who is he who condemns? IT IS CHRIST WHO DIED, and furthermore IS ALSO RISEN, who is even at the right hand of God, WHO ALSO MAKES INTERCESSION FOR US.
35 Who shall SEPARATE US from the LOVE OF CHRIST? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 AS IT IS WRITTEN: “For your sake we are killed all day long; We are ACCOUNTED as SHEEP FOR THE SLAUGHTER.”
37 YET IN ALL THESE THINGS we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH HIM who loved us.
38 For I am PERSUADED that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers not things present nor things to come,
39 nor height nor depth, nor ANY OTHER CREATED THING, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE OF GOD which is in Christ Jesus OUR LORD.
God could have sent Jesus as the deity to come down on earth, but instead He chose to bring Him forth through the womb of a virgin. He came forth through a virgin’s womb as fully God but also fully man, for God intended His beloved Son Jesus to show man how to truly live a life in Christ, in the Spirit that overcomes this fallen world, and a fallen life.
If Jesus would have come down as a deity, then we will not know how to live a life in the Spirit which is the ONLY WAY to overcome this sinful life, which is also our sinful nature.
The bible writes there is nothing that is profitable in our human nature.
Even Jesus fully God but fully man, had to fast for 40 days and be tested in the wilderness to BE FILLED with the Spirit, because He was fully man. Even He had to resist the devil when facing temptations in the wilderness. Being fully God but walking on earth as fully man, He showed us the way to live, the way to battle, the way to resist. Jesus showed us that man SHALL NOT LIVE by bread alone, BUT BY EVERY WORD that PROCEEDS from the mouth of God, which is YAH, God’s breath.
It wasn’t scriptures that defeated the enemy, for even the adversary know scriptures more than we do.
It was the IMPARTED WORD that is being worked deeply in us that overcomes the adversary. It was the breath of God, the WORD that PROCEEDS from His mouth, that breath that the Holy Spirit breathes the yah into you that came forth from our faith in believing THAT WORD that drives the enemy away. For we are told to RESIST THE DEVIL and he will flee. But before even having the power to resist, we have to SUBMIT TO GOD, for if GOD IS FOR US, who can be AGAINST us? The key is to STAY RIGHT and CONTINUE TO LIVE IN STAYING RIGHT WITH GOD.
The tests that Jesus faced in the wilderness forty days as recorded in Matthew 4:1-11 basically sums up the tests that we will ever face in this lifetime. And every of it, Jesus says “IT IS WRITTEN”. Why did God inspire men of faith under the full inspiration of the Holy Spirit to pen down and record down every scripture heard and revealed?
To show us THE WAY, THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE. Every word has Jesus breathed in it.
~ Matthew 4:1-11 ~
1 Then Jesus was LED UP BY THE SPIRIT into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.
3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4 BUT HE ANSWERED AND SAID, “IT IS WRITTEN, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD.'”
5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,
6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'”
7 Jesus said to him, “IT IS WRITTEN AGAIN, ‘You SHALL NOT tempt the LORD YOUR GOD.'”
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and SHOWED HIM all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 And he said to HIM, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “AWAY WITH YOU, Satan! For IT IS WRITTEN, ‘You shall WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, and HIM ONLY you shall SERVE.'”
11 THEN the devil LEFT Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
Even the devil can use the Word to work his accusations against God’s elect. To reverse his accusations, we have to KNOW the word, HAVE the word and BE REFORMED IN HIS WORD. That’s the WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY that OVERCAME THE ACCUSER. Without the word BEING REFORMED, we have no power and authority to apply the blood and the word of His testimony.
For even though Christ has overcomed and conquered the last enemy and all, it is the APPLICATION OF THE BLOOD, the INGRAFTING OF THE WORD FORMED in us, that we are reformed to live a life in the communion with Christ and the Spirit, that overcomes every accusation sent from the enemy.
That is why for far too long, we become the church outwardly clean, but inwardly there is no power and authority when the enemy shows up at the door and wreck our lives upside down.
Jesus was led into the temptations by the Spirit. He was led by the Spirit to be tested. When we face much testings and ferocious battles, when everything goes wrong, we tend to thing that there is something wrong in us, or even doubting our walk with God and whether God is with us.
But perhaps it’s because of the deep love of God showering upon our lives and marking our lives that cause us to be led by the Spirit to be tested. Even Jesus who is fully God fully man faced the testings led by the Spirit.
It’s the oil that is deposited in us that draws these testings that come in the form of trials, calamities and tribulations that came to deepen our faith in God and deepen our love for Him for in that valley of trials, calamities and tribulations, when things keep going the opposite and challenging the Holy Spirit within us, the Holy Spirit overshadow us and envelope us with His grace and fill us with His power to empower us to overcome every challenge and obstacle set before us. God cause us to fully encounter His glory making alive ins us as the present reality when we go through seasons and valleys of testings, trials and tribulations. Christ the hope of glory becomes our strength in the valleys.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD DELIVERS him out of them ALL (Psalm 34:1-22)
~ Psalm 34:1-22 ~
1 I WILL BLESS THE LORD AT ALL TIMES; HIS PRAISE shall CONTINUALLY BE IN MY MOUTH.
2 My soul shall make its boast IN THE LORD;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
3 Oh, MAGNIFY THE LORD with me,
And let us EXALT HIS NAME TOGETHER.
4 I SOUGHT THE LORD, and HE HEARD ME,
And DELIVERED me from ALL MY FEARS.
5 They LOOKED TO HIM and were RADIANT,
And their faces WERE NOT ASHAMED.
6 This poor man cried out, and the LORD HEARD him, And SAVED him from ALL HIS TROUBLES.
7 The angel of the LORD ENCAMPS all around those who FEAR HIM, And Delivers them.
8 Oh, TASTE and SEE that the LORD IS GOOD;
BLESSED is the man who TRUSTS IN HIM!
9 Oh, FEAR THE LORD, you His saints! There is NO WANT to those who FEAR HIM.
10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who SEEK THE LORD SHALL NOT LACK ANY GOOD THING.
11 Come, you CHILDREN, listen to me; I will TEACH you the FEAR OF THE LORD.
12 Who is the man who desires life,
And loves many days, that he may SEE GOOD?
13 KEEP YOUR TONGUE FROM EVIL,
And your lips from SPEAKING DECEIT.
14 DEPART FROM EVIL and DO GOOD; SEEK PEACE and PURSUE IT.
15 The eyes of the LORD ARE ON the righteous,
And His ears are OPEN to their cry.
16 The FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST those who DO EVIL,
To CUT OFF the remembrance of them from the earth
17 The righteous CRY OUT, and the LORD HEARS,
And DELIVERS THEM OUT OF ALL THEIR TROUBLES.
18 THE LORD IS NEAR to those who have a BROKEN HEART,
And SAVES such as have a CONTRITE SPIRIT.
19 MANY are the AFFLICTIONS of the RIGHTEOUS, BUT THE LORD DELIVERS HIM OUT OF THEM ALL.
20 He GUARDS ALL HIS BONES;
NOT ONE OF THEM IS BROKEN.
21 EVIL SHALL SLAY THE WICKED,
And those who HATE the righteous SHALL BE CONDEMNED.
22 The LORD REDEEMS the soul of His servants, And NONE of those who TRUST IN HIM shall be condemned.
The psalmist tells us that God desires us to come to Him as children, with childlike faith to LEARN the FEAR OF THE LORD. The LORD is faithful, He guards the bones of the righteous, none of it shall be broken.
Through it all, the LORD is good. The LORD’s mercy endures forever. Everyday we learn and gather something new to GIVE THANKS, to PRAISE YOU and to FEAR THE LORD. May the FEAR OF THE LORD ALWAYS BE WRITTEN in our heards, to GUARD us and KEEP us, so that we will never fall away again from His grace and His presence. The FEAR OF THE LORD KEEPS us walking continually in communion with Jesus and living in fellowship with His Holy Spirit.
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