Warriors Arise: August 29, 2023
Matthew 4:12-17 (NKJV) Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles:
16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,
And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death
Light has dawned.”
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
There is not time to waste! Jesus was baptized, He was given His Father's blessing, empowered by the Holy Spirit, defeated the devil and now, He finds out John has been taken to prison. John has worked too hard and Jesus has come too far to turn back now. It is time to move forward with God's plan. There is no time to get distracted.
On the other side of defeating the devil is moving forward. We can come out of a battle and see that others have been imprisoned by people, things of this world or the temptation the devil has offered, but we can't allow their imprisonment to hold us captive as well. Nor can we allow it to be a distraction.
How many times have we come out of a battle, sent the enemy packing and he throws us off the track by distracting us with someone else's need? This is something to consider. In thinking back when God has empowered me to overcome he temptations the devil placed before me, God has shown Himself strong on my behalf. He has given me what I needed to resist temptation. But then, when I come out of the battle, I see another in need and get sidetracked. I step away from what God has called me to do to help them and then I am taken down because I was distracted. I stepped away from the place God called me to be.
This is a serious issue for me. I don't want to see anyone struggle. If I can help and they want my help, I am there for for them. I will come along side and battle the enemy with them. If I saw it for what it was, it was only another way to be tempted. It was being lured away, distracted not through temptation of sin but taking my eyes off of the Father, stepping aside from where He has told me to go. It isn't that He doesn't want the others to win in the battle they are faced with, but He either has someone else to help them or they need to draw strengthen by receiving from Him to win. When I step in, it is like helping a butterfly out of their cocoon. They need the struggle to get out of the cocoon themselves so their wings are strong enough to fly. If someone helps the butterfly out of the cocoon, they are unable to fly. For a butterfly, that is death. I have had to learn the hard way to listen to God when I see another struggling. I ask, "God, do you want me to help them?" It isn't so much as to what I missed out on but that my help hindered them from growing in their relationship with the Lord. It is a matter of repenting for being distracted and stepping into a battle that wasn't mine to be a part of. I have to repent for getting distracted from the path God has for me.
Jesus loves John the baptist. But, Jesus loves God more. He will trust God to be with John while He goes on with the plans God has for Him. Jesus' entire ministry is based on helping others. God sends Jesus to the broken, the lame, the demonic, and the dead. But John, would have been a distraction. Jesus had to keep His eyes on the Father and His plan. He could not allow Himself to be distracted by John's predicament/imprisonment. Jesus had to follow exactly where His Father was leading Him. He had a path only He could walk. He could not get caught up in someone else's cause. He could not get distracted. If He had joined John would He have been beheaded with John? Would He have been killed before He was able to shared God's message and demonstrate God's love? How would the people have known what He was there to do if He had died along side of John? Jesus had to obey His Father and walk the path He had for Him.
Father, I pray for discernment. I want to know when I am to come along side others and help them in the battle they have engaged. I also want to know when I keep moving forward in the plans You have for me and let them fight their own battle. I need discernment. I ask for You to guide me. I pray I will seek You to know when to help another. My heart's desire is to help everyone I see in need, but Jesus helped all who came to Him, Scripture does not say he went and found everyone who was in need. He made Himself available. People sought Him out. I pray I would keep my eyes on You. I pray I would walk on the path You have for me. I will see the people before me. I pray I would know when I need to fight alongside of others and when to let them seek You and strengthen themselves in the Lord for their victory. I will keep my eyes on You and listen to Your direction. I will not get distracted and leave the path You have laid before me in Jesus' name amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy Hand
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