Kingdom of Heaven
FEBRUARY 5, 2010

A friend of mine told me that “In the Kingdom of Heaven, weak things become mighty and mighty things here on earth often prove themselves to be weakest. God see’s not as a man sees, and the things held in high esteem among men are the very things that God despises.

The carnal courage so prized in the kingdom of Adam results in the direct and constant humiliating defeat among Christians today. God will not be under the necessity of using fleshly means to accomplish His spiritual purposes. The bold “strength of character” which helps men to forge themselves to the front of the line, to get the best job, to overawe their opponent, may very well stand squarely in the way of all efforts to progress in the life of the Spirit. God still gives courage to the faint, and He see’s the proud afar off. From Adam we inherit the instinct to confront our enemies head on, to try to win by direct assault, and it is only after experiencing many shocking failures that we learn that victories are not so won in the realm of the spirit. The carnal approach usually does little more than to alienate the enemy still further from us, and worst of all, it puts us in a position where God cannot help us. Our enemy Satan never quite knows how to deal with a humble man; he and his offspring are so used to dealing with proud and stubborn people that a truly humble man upsets their timetable and frustrates their thoughts on a daily bases. Furthermore, the man who is humble has God fighting on his side - and who can fight against God?

Strange as it may seem,  we often win over our enemies only after we have been soundly defeated ourselves and that by the Lord Himself. God often conquers our enemies by first conquering us. He defeated Esau by first defeating Jacob the night before on the banks of the Jabbok. It is so often true. When God foresees that we must meet a deadly opponent, He assures our victory by first bring us down in humbleness at His feet. After that, everything else becomes easy. Best of all, we have placed ourselves in the position where God can and will fight for us, and in a situation like that, the outcome is decided from heaven above.” What he shared with me has changed my life. – Pastor Jack