Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
2 Corinthians 2:14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.
There is an old Indian fable which tells of a mouse who was in constant distress because of its fear of cats. So a magician took pity on it and turned it into a cat so it would have no more fear. Now, as a cat, it was in fear of dogs. So the magician turned it into a dog. Now, as a dog, it was stressed out in fear of tigers. Then the magician turned the dog into a tiger. Now, as a tiger, it was shaking in fear of hunters. The magician finally said to the tiger, "Be a mouse again. You only have the heart of a mouse, and I cannot help you."
There is a lesson here -- if we never deal with the root of our issues, and ultimately the issue of fear ... we'll fail to walk victoriously in all that we do. If we fail to achieve victory, it is not because of a lack of resources or strength ... but rather a failure to confront our fears. Ultimately, the fear to overcome is the fear of death!
As Hebrews describes through Yeshua's (Jesus') death, "He might destroy the one who has power of death, that is the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to a lifetime of slavery." [Hebrews 2:14-15] In Revelation, the description given to those who were victorious ... "conquered by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives unto the death." [Revelation 12:11]
So the key is overcoming the fear of death, and once you have conquered the fear of death ... then it becomes an easy task to live for Him. This is one of the keys to walking victoriously. For the promise is given to us ... for we are more than conquerors and we can walk in triumph over any circumstance revealing Him in the process.
So, never allow your problems to define your heart attitude or crush your spirit. Whether you are a mouse, a tiger, or a man, through Messiah your victory is assured as His aroma fragrances the world around us.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]When I studied Isaiah 53 earnestly in the ancient Hebrew, I was taken back by the Hebrew word for “afflicted” (me-u-neh). In modern Hebrew this word means “tortured”. When I was young, and first learned what torture actually involved, my soul was shocked that this could happen to people; in fact that it was happening to people. That a person could be kept alive for the purpose of intentionally causing him intense agonizing pain was an astounding enigma for my young soul. It really frightened me; and I think that fear of torture is probably the greatest fear that humans can experience. We read about people who have been tortured, with a kind of horrified awe. And quietly we wonder inside, “How can this be?” And, “Could this ever happen to me?”
I love this story! Peter was sitting between two guards and suddenly an angel of the Lord comes to him and frees him — and he thinks it’s a vision! He’s not sure if he truly believes it.
“Exhausted but still in pursuit…” Well, now we know why the angel of YHVH addressed Gideon the way he did. With his small three hundred man army he had just decimated the army of Midian — but the victory wasn’t complete, and so the Jewish general and his small, exhausted, hungry, band were determined to cross the Jordan and take care of 15,000 additional Midanite enemies and their leaders, Zebah and Zalmunna.
His nightmares began each day when he awoke. James Stegalls was nineteen. He was in Vietnam. Though he carried a small Gideon New Testament in his shirt pocket, he couldn’t bring himself to read it. His buddies were cut down around him, terror was building within him, and God seemed far away. His twentieth birthday passed, then his twenty-first. At last, he felt he couldn’t go on.
On January 1st 1863, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation which proclaimed freedom for all slaves in the ten states which were in rebellion. At the time, when U.S. Secretary of State Seward took the document to the President to sign, Lincoln took a pen, and held it for a moment. He then removed his hand and dropped his pen. Lincoln turned to Seward and said, “I have been shaking hands since nine o’clock this morning and my right arm is almost paralyzed. If my name ever goes into history, it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it.” He hesitated, then took the pen, and without wavering, took the document and boldly signed it!
For nearly 2000 years the Jewish people were scattered across the world without a homeland. In one day, according to the meticulous preparation of God, on May 14th 1948, the nation of Israel was restored. As millions of Jews were returning to their homeland they began rebuilding the ancient cities that were destroyed, restoring the desolations of many generations, and fulfilling Biblical prophecy…
As we celebrated Shavuot last night, we’re looking at the promise given 2000 years ago: that normal people will lead extraordinary lives; that disciples, who were terrified on the night of Yeshua’s (Jesus) death, were transformed into bold saints of God; and that fishermen, tax collectors, and housewives – normal everyday people – became empowered, and turned the Roman Empire inside out and upside down!