Tuesday, 9 February 2021

Don't lose yourself

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"The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." (Exodus 13:14)

"Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life. He will return the evil to my enemies; in your faithfulness put an end to them. With freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good." (Psalm 54:4-5)

"Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper may rejoice together." (John 4:35)

Current events may cause many of us to lose focus on our goal. These events are here to remind us that we are in a time of transition. Transitions often cause us to lose sight of who we are.

We are disciples of Yeshua. We are always meant to be growing into a character closer to Yeshua. We are meant to be stepping deeper into our identity, as individuals and as a community in Yeshua. Sometimes as we transition from one phase to the next, the Lord may take us in circles, or the long way or a way that causes us to be placed in a more difficult position. In our reading, for this week, we see the Lord did this with Israel. It was part of their growth and transition into being a free nation (community) under God.

As a community, we are looking toward awakening and revival. We are looking toward revitalization. The same is true of our region and our country. Yet, we must always remember, we are in a spiritual war that also plays out in the physical. We often forget, however, that it is the spiritual that runs the physical and the not the physical that runs the spiritual.

The above-quoted verses give us a necessary relational progression. As we transition from one place to the next, we encounter those obstacles that will cause us to lose the relational aspect of who we are. When we lose ourselves relationally, we lose sight of where we are going in the Lord.

First, we are reminded to be silent and allow God to fight our enemy for us. This brings us back to a place where we can testify to others about who God is to us. We are strengthened in our faith and we help strengthen others in their faith. This is meant to bring us to a place of focus. Our focus is meant to shift from our enemy to the Lord. Then it is thankfulness for the Lord that grabs our attention.

Then, with our relational selves refocused, we look back to focusing on what the mission is. When this is done correctly, what we often realize is that we were actually on mission the entire time. That refocus caused us to look up and realize the fields are ready.

Let us remember that our transitions are a necessary part of our spiritual warfare. It is not really the enemy that matters. Therefore, we need to return to the relational part of who we are as quickly as possible, because that is who Yeshua is. Moreover, we need to remember that we are in a time where revival and awakening are taking place. So, let us lift up our eyes and realize it is time to transition from those who sow to those who reap.