Warriors Arise: July 12, 2023
Matthew 3:13-17 (NKJV) Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” 15 But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. 16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
I did chuckle in reading "When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water…" Right here it lets baptizers know that they are not to hold the people under water until they "tap out." I was thinking about how people will wrestle and one taps out to let the other one know that they yield/consede. Jesus, tapped out before he even went into the water. He conceded His life when He came from heaven to be our sacrifice on the cross. His yielding was not to the devil. He didn't concede to satan. His battle wasn't against him. There was never a contest between Jesus and satan. Jesus would always be wiser, stronger, more capable, creative, and powerful. There was no contest. This doesn't mean that satan didn't pick a fight with Jesus. I'm saying it was a fight he couldn't win. They weren't even in the same league. It would be like a t-ball team playing against professionals. There is no contest. The professionals can make the little tots feel good by pretending to play, but it isn't a real game. There is no way the t-ball team could defeat the professionals. There was and is no comparison in ability, power, and wisdom between Jesus and satan. Satan is a counterfeit. He can only do what he has seen done. He doesn't have the power to defeat Jesus, God or the Holy Spirit. He cannot come up with anything new. He is not even second to Jesus in power and authority. You and I are second in authority to Jesus. Satan has less power and ability than us. The authority Jesus lived with here on earth is the same authority He gave to you and I, His disciples.
This is a mind blowing concept. So, who was his opponent? It wasn't God. God didn't force Him to be our sacrifice. God didn't get Jesus in a head lock and tell Him to come to earth and die for humanity. God didn't kick Jesus out of heaven and say, "Don't come back until you have done what I said."
Since satan was not Jesus' opponent and neither was God, who was Jesus' opponent? Who did Jesus have to "tap out" to lay down His life and die for us? Jesus didn't tap out to God. He honored God. He loved His Father and demonstrated His love by coming to heaven to show us how to live in the power God has given us and then walked to the cross to be our Savior. As our Savior He was buried in the tomb and rose three days later, alive! The stone was rolled away and He walked out of there alive.
Going to the cross was not tapping out to satan. Satan is not the one who put Jesus on that cross. Jesus put Jesus on that cross. Jesus let them nail His hands and feet to the cross. Jesus let them whip Him with 40 lashes minus 1. Jesus let them beat the crown of thorns onto His head. There was no battle. Jesus did not concede to the high priests. He did not concede to the Romans. He did not tap out to satan. He did not yield to them, because He wasn't in a battle against them.
Satan tried to pick a battle in the garden and was defeated three times. It was a no contest for Jesus. So who did Jesus in a battle with?
Just like you and I, Jesus was in a battle against Himself. In the Garden of Gathsemane, Jesus was praying. He asked, "If It be Thy will, let this cup pass from me." He knew what the plan was. He knew what part He played. He wasn't praying to defeat the enemy. He knew the pain He was about to endure. The mental pain would be just as atrocious as the physical pain. In the garden, He was already battling in His mind. He broke away from the battle and awakened His disciples when Judas came. Before He gets up from praying, He has yielded to Himself. He has yielded to the complete plan for our receptions. At that point, He taps out and the matter is settled in His mind.
Our biggest battle will always be in our mind! The battle was His mind verses His heart. His love for you and I won! What Jesus was going to have to do was becoming a reality in the garden. His mind tapped out while His heart overtook and He stood to receive the torment of the next twelve hours. His heart saw through the now and looked to the future. A future where He walked out of that grave. A future where You and I would hear of His love through unbelievable sacrifice. A future where you and I would walk in the fullness of the power of God, being His witnesses, and demonstrating His love through miracles. A future where you and I would be with Him in heaven. Jesus won the battle in his mind.
Father, every battle that I face is won or lost in my mind. I pray your Word would be grafted into my DNA. I pray I would know Your Word and prepare to take a stand against the enemy. I pray I would look with Your eyes and see through the mess, the chaos, the hurt, and the torment so that I keep my eyes on the prize of Your kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. You are amazing in all of You ways. Jesus won the battle in His mind. He is my example of strength, power and love. I will not let my mind win. I will make my mind be focused on You, Your Word, and Your ways in Jesus' name amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy Hand
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