Secure part 3
I think, really, the biggest battle we fight is with ourselves. With our own thoughts. Which is why LETTING the mind of Christ that's already in you BE in you is so important. I think so often we make mountains out of molehills because we're so focused on the problem. We feel like we have to solve the problem. Fix the problem. Finishe the work. When in fact the opposite is true. Jesus finished the work. HE fixed the problem. And all we have to do is believe. Colossians 3:2 says it like this, "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." That's where our focus needs to be. Not on the problem. Not on trying to find a solution. Our focus needs to be ON the solution. On Jesus. On things above. You can't pray, "in earth as it is in heaven" unless you know how it is in heaven! You can't stop stressing out about the problem until you see the solution. Again, not "figure out the solution and then do the solution." SEE the solution. Seeing is believing. So if the work of God is to believe, then He had to first show us something to believe in. And that's what the cross was. God showed us His love by laying His life down for us. By giving His life for us and giving His life to us. God never expects something unless He first provides it. Even all the way back to Abraham and Isaac. God provided HIMSELF a ram. HE was the sacrifice that was required. And that's how we know that we're safe and secure on (IN!) the Rock. That's how we know that Daddy's got our back. Because He proved it to us. He told us what love is--no greater love can a man have than to lay down His life for His friends--and then He went to the cross and did just that. We can trust God because He has proven Himself trustworthy. We don't praise Him in order to bribe Him into giving us anything. We praise Him because He has shown Himself to be praiseworthy. We don't love Him so that He'll love us. We love Him because He FIRST loved us! It all flows from the source. And since we're talking about love... and God IS love... He is the source. I've heard it said like this, "Don't tell God how big your problems are, tell your problems how big God is!" Keep your focus in the right place. What you magnify is what will manifest. So if all you can do is focus on, and talk about, and bang your head against your problems... where's the room for God to operate? And by "operate" I DON'T mean God will swoop in and "fix" everything. I mean He will SHOW you how He already fixed everything. God did everything He was going to do on the cross. Everything He needed to do. We don't need a "move of God." We need a revelation of Jesus. We need to understand THAT we are safe in His loving arms and we need to understand WHY we are safe in His loving arms. And that's what He shows us every chance He gets. And that's what we SEE every time we look for it. When we stop Spiritually working and start Spiritually resting... when we stop stressing out and trust in Him... that's when we CAN truly rest. We can sleep easy. We know all things work together for the good!