Consider Him

Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. Hebrews 12:3-4 NIV

For days I have been wanting to write something beautiful about what Jesus did for us on this Holy week many years ago. Nothing has came to me until this morning. And in this verse I realize that there’s nothing beautiful about the cross except for the one that hung on it, and the love and mercy and the grace that he possessed. That love, mercy and grace did not die with him but our sins did. He died and rose in order to give us life a new. Not an easy life but a victorious life so that we should not live powerless. We now have the opportunity to have that same Spirit of Jesus abiding and abounding in us which gives us the power when and where we are weak. It’s Resurrecting Power. He didn’t die to leave us defeated. So no matter how dead or lifeless your situation may appear, consider Him.

I love scripture and there’s so many scripture that I can use but I’ll try to keep it simple. Christ died. Christ rose. For God so loved the world (representing you and I), so much, that he sent His only begotten son, Jesus, down from heaven to be flesh and to die for us. He got it right because we couldn’t get it right. We must die to self. We must no longer live unto ourselves but to depend on Him and look to Him for the example that we must follow. That’s not easy. Not only did He give us the example and the way, but the power. We can’t live this way unless we first know Him. The Word says that IF YOU will confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, you shall be saved. No one can do it for you. Do we believe that Jesus came and do we believe in the work of the cross? Then consider Him.

God never said that this life would be easy but he did say that we must deny ourselves and pick up our crosses in order to follow him. It’s not always rainbows, flowers and sunshine. It comes with the rains and storms also, that provide those rainbows and causes the flowers to bloom. He so loved the world that He wanted to save us from the world and it’s ways. Yes, He created the world and He created us with free will but so that we might voluntarily serve and follow Him out of the great love that He had for us when He died. 

So again: For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. KJV

It’s in the mind where the real battle starts. The enemy wants to attack us in our minds so that we won’t believe for what we can’t see but will focus on only that which we can. The mind is the battle field and it is where we win or lose depending on our mindset. It begins and ends in the mind. Those who’s minds are stayed on Him are kept in perfect peace. Peace isn’t the absence of trouble but rather the presence of God in any circumstance. He is peace. We can have peace knowing that He is in control.

Here’s the NKJV: For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.

Discouragement leads straight down; that is why we must encourage ourselves in the Lord and think on the things of God. What is the soul? It is the mind, will and emotions. Remember David asking his soul, “why are you so downcast within me soul?” It is where we must rise up in our thinking and get our minds, will and emotions back on the same page so that we can be strong and courageous as God told Joshua to be. Why did He tell Joshua this? Because He was with Him. He hasn’t left us helpless. He said He He would come to us and never leave us or forsake us. That’s why He told Joshua to be strong because he’d have opportunity to be weak. He plainly said to not be afraid or dismayed. We will battle. If the devil can get you scared, he can get you out of faith and out of doing Gods will. Faith is active, fear is inactive.

What is your point of view on the cross?

What is your point of view on the world? 

The cross tells me that Jesus come to save us FROM the world and it’s ways. Not out of it but that we might be saved and that He made a way through all the hard stuff.

Life isn’t easy. It isn’t always suppose to be.  Life’s full of highs and lows. Our trials are drawing us closer to Him and to the power of the cross, or away.

He did promise to never leave us or forsake us. Just when we think we got it bad. Just when we are come against and attacked. Just when we are persecuted to find that Jesus died a cruel cruel death. We’ve never had to face this kind of persecution and we could never take on the weight of the world. He took your weight for you.

Though you may struggle, He invites you to cast all of your care upon Him and to take His yoke upon you. A yoke was made for 2. We can’t go it alone. It gets too heavy. So the message that I want to present today, that if your life is hard, we must consider Him. What He endured. What He went through. What He conquered. Where He made a way where there seems no way. It was already done in advance. I don’t discount what any of us go through. He doesn’t either. He doesn’t want us to give up and quit. He is our living hope.

The Bible says to not be overcome with evil but to let evil be overcome with good. There is lots of opportunity to sin and get distracted. There’s also lots of opportunity to get even but this isn’t what He says to do in order to win. His word says not to grow weary and well doing for in due season we shall reap if we do not faint. Harvest doesn’t come immediately and planting doesn’t immediately see the benefit. It isn’t easy doing right but it’s worth it and He’s worthy. You are worth it. He died for you! Yes, in your sin that you don’t have to continue to live that way.

We think so many times that Jesus comes to set us free to live an easy life. No! He comes to save us and to teach us how to battle the war that wages on. The one He already won. We are warriors and the sooner we figure out that it’s a a war, the sooner we can figure out how to fight.

The enemy of our very souls wants to come to take our eyes off of Jesus and to get our eyes on our problems. We must not take our eyes off the prize, it’s our why! We must live for our why: Jesus Christ. The enemy wants to steal our joy because it’s our strength. He wants to kill our dreams because he knows within vision we are wasting away only going through the motions. I come to tell You today that there is hope and the devil is a liar. John 10:10 Just CONSIDER JESUS when you consider him.

He knows that if he can discourage us in our hearts that we will lose heart and in our minds that he can trip us up and then he can cause us to quit.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16

We aren’t quitters but runners, and each step should be bringing us closer to Him. Paul says that he knows that this life is a race and he keeps his eye on the prize. He exercised his faith while he threw off everything that hindered him from running his race well. Paul knew where he was going and for what cause. Do you? So again, today I come to tell you to consider Him.

Consider Him when the world comes against you and it feels like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. It never was, it was always on His. He never says that we won’t walk through fire but that we wouldn’t be burned. The fire may get hot but remember the 3 men in the fire. He never says that we wouldn’t walk through the waters but that He would be with us and that wouldn’t overtake us. We’re going through!!! It may feel like you are drowning but He promises that he would be with us and that he would never leave us or for sake us. He always comes through right on time. It might get hot and it might seem impossible BUT GOD!!

He warns us of these things. He doesn’t leave us helpless or defenseless. He said in this world you will have trouble but to be of good cheer for He has overcome the world. Anything else other than trusting and believing God is unbelief. It will lead straight to discouragement if we allow it and if the enemy can get in our hearts and head; then he can lead us to the wrong place . If he can get our eyes off of Jesus then he can get us off track, but we must consider Jesus. He never promised that life would be easy or that we wouldn’t have troubles but that those that wait upon Him, He would renew their strength. His word is living and true. He is active and watching over it to perform it for you!

We’ve never been crucified on a cruel cruel cross. Jesus was and He was obedient to death, even to the death of the cross. Even to our deaths we must be obedient because your race isn’t finished until it is. We must run our race; one can’t claim a winner until you have one. Until we get to that day, we will never hear “well done My good and faithful servant, enter in.” We must run and finish our race. We must see to it that no one takes our crown, we must run with the endurance that he has given us, we must run with our eyes on the prize , and keep our feet in the race. He will Strengthen us where we are weak and reenergize us when we feel like we can’t go on. We must keep our heart and minds stayed on Him. We must not base it off feelings alone but truth.

The fact is that the evil won’t inherit the kingdom and if we let the enemy turn our good works and are faith into anger, bitterness and wanting to give up, then we would be no different than the world. But Christ is coming back for those who trust, rely and cling to Him. He’s not looking for those who had an easy ride but those are faithful and have a heart after Him. Those who fought the good fight and finish the race. In Jesus name I pray that He strengthen you today to carry on; for when we are weak He is strong. His grace is sufficient and it is ENABLING Grace. He doesn’t give us the Grace that we need before or after, He gives it to us right when we need it.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

No matter what is distracting you today, you can get your eyes  back on Jesus and run like those who have ran before us and and won. The key is to believe and to keep your eyes on Jesus, and not the waves. You steer where you stare. If you want to finish well, look to the author and perfecter of your faith. He wants you to finish.

The enemy is out lurking around seeing whom he can devour but Christ died and rose to make a way to set you free from trap. You must run your race and you must fight your fight like you know you have Christ on your side, knowing you aren’t alone. Consider Him.

So many of us know Psalm 23 and it says that “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for Thou art with me.” It’s talking about someone who is confident in knowing Christ is with and in him or her even though…..Who is walking through the valley of the shadow and a deep dark time, but that’s not fearing. Because fact is fear will paralyze and take a death grip on you. You don’t stop walking because it’s dark but your walking because you know you’re not staying there but walking through it and by holding His hand in the dark. We might be walking in it but we’re coming out of it, and not coming out the same because of the One Who is greater and Who is with us. I got the courage to go through because I know that God is with me. You can too!

For the joy set before Jesus He endured the cross scorning it’s shame and eventually sat down at the right hand of God. It’s knowing that eventually that you’ll get there and that will help get you out of the wrong mindset and into the right one. It’s that hope that’ll keep you going and moving on. He has a place prepared for us so that we may go where He is, but, we must follow him in order to get there. Philippians 1:6 says we can be confident at this one thing that Jesus wants to finish what he started in us and He is perfecting that good work until the day of His return. We must cooperate with His plan and power. All of these things are making us stronger and drawing us closer to him if we let it. We may be in it but we’re going through it. He endured the cross because He knew where it would take Him.

He despised it’s shame. It was a horrific death. But for the joy set before Him, He endured.  Do you focus on where you’re going or where your at? Consider Him. Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning. Friday looked hopeless but the third day is coming.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8

No matter what you’ve done or what you’ve endured, Christ made a way. May we return to our strong hold today and be prisoners of hope awaiting His return on that day, in Jesus name amen.

He didn’t die to make us weak but to strengthen us where we are already weak. We serve an alive God and a Risen Savior who made a way. We are to reflect Him and the hope that we have inside.

“Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.”Revelations 3:11

We must take seriously! Or else we take it lightly.

“Through the fire” by Jason crab:

“So many times I've questioned certain circumstances

Things I could not understand

Many times in trials, weakness blurs my vision

Then my frustration gets so out of hand

It's then I am reminded I've never been forsaken

I've never had to stand the test alone

As I look at all the victories the spirit rises up in me

And it's through the fire my weakness is made strong

He never promised that the cross would not get heavy

And the hill would not be hard to climb

He never offered our victories without fighting

But he said help would always come in time

Just remember when you're standing in the valley of decision

And the adversary says give in

Just hold on, our Lord will show up

And he will take you through the fire again

I know within myself that I would surely perish

But if I trust the hand of God, He'll shield the flames again”

Thankful for the Alive God that I serve and Christ power within me. I have considered Him.