Simplicity
It is easy to complicate the simple. Jesus' yoke is easy and his burden is light... always. If a decision feels too hard or too heavy, the trick is to get fully into Jesus' leadership.
It feels and sounds nobel to take everyone's interests under your wings... to try and do the best thing for everyone involved. This is often a deception rooted in pride. Pride says "I can be like God to people."
It is easy to think too much of your ability to protect people or save them and this emotion can make simple obedience seem complicated. Believing that your decisions need to account for all the variables negates the supernatural power of God to do impossible things in impossible situations.
Taking responsibility for too much puts you in an unrighteous yoke and an unbearable burden. It is a satanic deception meant to crush you, offend you, and take you out of the race at the time the race is about to be won!
This is the way out of the trap set by the fear of man: simply set your heart to consider ONE person's feelings about the matter...the only person who matters. Set your heart to hear what Jesus is saying and do your best to obey Him regardless of the consequences. Obey Jesus and let the chips fall where they may.
Often, Jesus tells us to do things that may seem hard to obey because it doesn't make sense to us, or it will be unpopular. We imagine we know all the variables and can predict the outcome. We imagine we know better how to differentiate "good from evil" than God does. We don't. That is the tree Adam and Eve ate from that started all the trouble...putting themselves in the place reserved for God.
Genesis 3:4-5 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Eating from that tree was the choice to be "like God" rather than to "be God's beloved" ... to remain in His love:
John 15:10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
Jesus yoke is a real yoke and His burden is a real burden, but they are the yoke and burden mankind was built to bear.
Jesus' yoke is hard on the flesh...it restrains our mind, will, and emotions under His leadership so that our spirit can soar into the place of leadership. His burden pushes down the appetites of our heart so that our heart can truly be lifted up unencumbered by pride and false responsibility.
Everything God builds gets stronger with use...the oak tree becomes stronger as it resists the wind, our bodies get stronger with exercise. False burdens and yokes will wear us out, guaranteed. The burden we were made for refreshes us...the yoke we were designed for strengthens us...but, Jesus burden and yoke require simple submission to His leadership, especially when the world is going to opposite way. Right now the world is rushing away from God's leadership...it is scrambling to break the bonds of His leadership over the earth. Many in the church are following the world and squirming out of the righteous yoke and easy burden...God is going to let them...this is very bad for any who follow thinking they are building "unity" with the world:
Psalms 2:1-4 Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision.
There are many "good" things we could do today, but are they the things God is telling us to do? His ways are not our ways, His thoughts unlike our thoughts:
Isaiah 55:7-9 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord , And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord . “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
What sounds good only is good if God told you to do it right now. Otherwise, it could very well be leading you, and others, outside of Jesus' leadership:
Matthew 7:21-27 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
A wave of glory AND trouble is breaking over the Church and then the world. Position really matters when a wave breaks. If you are in the right spot, like a surfer you can ride the move of God all the way in to shore. If you are behind the place the wave breaks, you will miss the move of God. Too far forward, and the move will pin you to the seafloor and maybe even drown you.
It's not too late. If you are finding yourself in the wrong spot, just repent, which means "agree with God" and let Him supernaturally move you into the right spot...there is soon coming a time when it is too late:
Matthew 25:6-13 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘ No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
The wave is literally rising up right behind us. Do you see it? Do you feel it?
No one has ever seen a wave like this before. Only the still small voice of God can put you in the exact right spot. The flood that destroyed all of creation is the same flood that lifted Noah to safety.
Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
Matthew 24:38-39 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
It feels and sounds nobel to take everyone's interests under your wings... to try and do the best thing for everyone involved. This is often a deception rooted in pride. Pride says "I can be like God to people."
It is easy to think too much of your ability to protect people or save them and this emotion can make simple obedience seem complicated. Believing that your decisions need to account for all the variables negates the supernatural power of God to do impossible things in impossible situations.
Taking responsibility for too much puts you in an unrighteous yoke and an unbearable burden. It is a satanic deception meant to crush you, offend you, and take you out of the race at the time the race is about to be won!
This is the way out of the trap set by the fear of man: simply set your heart to consider ONE person's feelings about the matter...the only person who matters. Set your heart to hear what Jesus is saying and do your best to obey Him regardless of the consequences. Obey Jesus and let the chips fall where they may.
Often, Jesus tells us to do things that may seem hard to obey because it doesn't make sense to us, or it will be unpopular. We imagine we know all the variables and can predict the outcome. We imagine we know better how to differentiate "good from evil" than God does. We don't. That is the tree Adam and Eve ate from that started all the trouble...putting themselves in the place reserved for God.
Genesis 3:4-5 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Eating from that tree was the choice to be "like God" rather than to "be God's beloved" ... to remain in His love:
John 15:10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
Jesus yoke is a real yoke and His burden is a real burden, but they are the yoke and burden mankind was built to bear.
Jesus' yoke is hard on the flesh...it restrains our mind, will, and emotions under His leadership so that our spirit can soar into the place of leadership. His burden pushes down the appetites of our heart so that our heart can truly be lifted up unencumbered by pride and false responsibility.
Everything God builds gets stronger with use...the oak tree becomes stronger as it resists the wind, our bodies get stronger with exercise. False burdens and yokes will wear us out, guaranteed. The burden we were made for refreshes us...the yoke we were designed for strengthens us...but, Jesus burden and yoke require simple submission to His leadership, especially when the world is going to opposite way. Right now the world is rushing away from God's leadership...it is scrambling to break the bonds of His leadership over the earth. Many in the church are following the world and squirming out of the righteous yoke and easy burden...God is going to let them...this is very bad for any who follow thinking they are building "unity" with the world:
Psalms 2:1-4 Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision.
There are many "good" things we could do today, but are they the things God is telling us to do? His ways are not our ways, His thoughts unlike our thoughts:
Isaiah 55:7-9 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord , And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord . “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
What sounds good only is good if God told you to do it right now. Otherwise, it could very well be leading you, and others, outside of Jesus' leadership:
Matthew 7:21-27 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
A wave of glory AND trouble is breaking over the Church and then the world. Position really matters when a wave breaks. If you are in the right spot, like a surfer you can ride the move of God all the way in to shore. If you are behind the place the wave breaks, you will miss the move of God. Too far forward, and the move will pin you to the seafloor and maybe even drown you.
It's not too late. If you are finding yourself in the wrong spot, just repent, which means "agree with God" and let Him supernaturally move you into the right spot...there is soon coming a time when it is too late:
Matthew 25:6-13 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘ No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
The wave is literally rising up right behind us. Do you see it? Do you feel it?
No one has ever seen a wave like this before. Only the still small voice of God can put you in the exact right spot. The flood that destroyed all of creation is the same flood that lifted Noah to safety.
Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
Matthew 24:38-39 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
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