What Have We Got To Lose?

In my blog, The Time is Very Very Short, I was given a message that I believe was from the Lord and in the next blog The World, The Cross, & The Battle, I began to discuss it.  Now I’d like to talk about the second line of that message which I‘ve highlighted below.  

Just when you think the world is at peace, I will call you to rise up, take up your cross and enter a battle.  Bring nothing with you, for I have prepared a mighty army that will fight on your behalf.  You are now living in the world’s darkest hour and just before I raise My hand in judgement.  I will smite the nations that do not honor Me.  But you will be spared if you embrace My Truth as your most sacred armament.  Avoid the entanglements of the world, for it will soon pass away.  Watch, and be ready, for then I will come for you. 

Bring nothing with you … 

In any natural disaster, you have to be prepared.  Most cities and towns have an emergency plan.  Yesterday I was watching the Weather News and they were talking about the possibility of a tsunami hitting a coastal town on Vancouver Island (it was previously struck with one in the 1960s).  The spokesman said the residents would have half an hour to vacate their residence and get to higher ground.  He seemed confident that their emergency plan would be effective.  But have you ever thought about (heaven forbid) what you would grab if suddenly you had to leave your house because of a fire or some other life-threatening issue?  Of course you would do everything possible to make sure everyone and even your pets would make it out safely.  Suddenly all the “stuff” and material things would be completely meaningless at that point.  You always save lives first.  

In the following passage of Scripture, Jesus commands His disciples to go out and minister to people and only take a walking stick with them, and nothing else.   

And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;  And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse:  But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats. And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.  And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.  And they went out, and preached that men should repent.  And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.   Mark 6:7-13 

Have you ever wondered why Jesus commanded His disciples to take nothing with them?  Anything else would have been a hindrance to their ministry.  They had to be single-minded and focus on the things of God.  I wonder at times, if our focus in going out to minister to people has too many bells and whistles.  Do we need a degree in Theology to bring the Gospel message to those that are lost?  Do we really need to keep finding more and better ways to “attract” people to come to our church?  Do we need a lot of money to bring a soul to Christ?   

(Bring nothing with you), for I have prepared a mighty army that will fight on your behalf.   

What is the mighty army that will fight for us?   

Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.  Zec. 4:6   

The Lord doesn’t need our resources; He has prepared His own army much stronger and infinitely more capable than anything we can even imagine.  I wonder if pride sometimes gets in the way of our victory.  We want to do things ourselves and in our own way.  But we are unable to save ourselves in the first place (Eph. 2:1-5 – we were dead in our sins and He made us alive … by grace we are saved).  Our need for Him never lessens, although we foolishly might think it does especially when things are going well. I have found in my own life a constant need to commune with Jesus, for out of my weakness He reveals His great love for me.  And when I want to run off on a tangent, He lovingly draws me back.  Why does He do this?  Because I believe He wants a close relationship with me and one that is all based on trust.  After all, He paid a price for me with His own blood and I no longer belong to myself, but I belong to Him (I Cor. 6:20).    

Perhaps in these days of material prosperity (relatively speaking), we need to make every effort to discard some distractions; you know what they are, the things we really don’t need that can weigh us down.  What do soldiers take when they go into battle?  They take a lot of nerve, that’s what.  And they are single-minded so that they don’t get themselves killed.  What do we take into this spiritual battle?  Nothing of our own resources, but instead a Mighty Omniscient Power, the One who loves us and gave His life for us. 

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?   He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?  Romans 8:31-32   

Thanks for reading and may you experience victory in every area of your life.  God Bless You.