Friday, March 22, 2024

Stepping into the World

Stepping into the World 
by David Brenneman 

In heavenly armour we′ll enter the land
The battle belongs to the Lord
No weapon that's fashioned against us shall stand
The battle belongs to the Lord
We sing glory, honor
Power and strength to the Lord
We sing glory, honor
Power and strength to the Lord
When the power of darkness comes in like a flood
The battle belongs to the Lord
He′s raised up a standard, the power of His blood
The battle belongs to the Lord
We sing glory, honor
Power and strength to the lord
We sing glory, honor
Power and strength to the lord
To the Lord
When your enemy presses in hard do not fear
The battle belongs to the Lord
Take courage my friend, your redemption is near
The battle belongs to the Lord
And we sing glory, honor
Power and strength to the lord
We sing glory, honor
Power and strength to the lord
And we sing glory, honor
Power and strength to the lord
We sing glory, honor
Power and strength to the lord
- Praise 11 - Let Us Worship Lord Jehovah • 1998
The Battle Belongs To The Lord
Lyrics of The Battle Belongs To The Lord by Maranatha! Music

Battles come in every shape and size. They come when we expect them and when we don't. They are impartial. The small and the great people of this world engage and endure them. 

"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;" 1 Peter 4:12.

"These things I have spoken to you so thatin Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:23. 

In Habakkuk he writes of the great dismay at what the Lord Jesus Christ has revealed to him. The chaotic, wild, unruly, disrespectful, arrogant, evil Chaldeans were coming and the very thought terrified Habakkuk. Yet at the end of his writing this book he spoke of resting in the God of his salvation. 

It's taken me way too much of my life to realize that there is to partiality in tribulations. It matters not if another decides to arrive before the last one has run its course. 

They can come from those that you thought you could trust with your life. They can come from those whom you've always called friend.

They are just more recognizable in those you don't call close or friend.

Many try to sway your opinions by way of persuasive arguments. Doesn't mean they are right or wrong. The question is what do you do with that information? Run with it or do what's right in the sight of God? That would be to check with Jesus first.  

Satan's schemes can come from anywhere, anyone at anytime.  

As a Chinese General once said "know your enemy, and know yourself". That's not the full quote, but the gist is there. 

What most human beings don't want to acknowledge or recognize is that every single atrocity known and unknown to mankind is possible from every single human being. That's the curse of our fallen sin nature.  

We just should not ever simply run out into the field of battle, be it leaving our bed, leaving the bedroom, leaving the kitchen, car, truck, place of business, place of work, place of worship...anyplace...without Jesus leading the way.

The facts are this: in this fully sin cursed fallen world...there's no safe place to be other than on our knees in prayer.

To put our faith and trust in anything or anyone other than in our Savior is to waste every ounce of time, energy and effort. 

There's another song (of course).

I can hear my Savior calling,
I can hear my Savior calling,
I can hear my Savior calling,
"Take thy cross and follow, follow Me."

Where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow,
I'll go with Him, with Him all the way.

I'll go with Him through the garden,
I'll go with Him through the garden,
I'll go with Him through the garden,
I'll go with Him, with Him all the way. 

I'll go with Him through the judgment,
I'll go with Him through the judgment,
I'll go with Him through the judgment,
I'll go with Him, with Him all the way. 

He will give me grace and glory,
He will give me grace and glory,
He will give me grace and glory,
And go with me, with me all the way. [Refrain]
- E.W. Blandly. 

Are you walking with Jesus or did you unintentionally walk out or walk ahead of Him? A testimony that should always come to mind is that in my life and in countless millions of other people's lives...we are all 1 step away from being where we ought to be with Jesus. 

Stepping out into life as it happens today isn't ever all done in sweet innocence. There are no places to go, no people to see, where life cannot take an unexpected turn. 

Here at home, things have happened where everything seemed normal and all the sudden a cry bursts out and we discovered that one of our cats has died. 

Trying to do the right thing at work...walking in integrity as the Bible says we ought to walk in...was not met with a Biblical response at all in recent weeks as well.  

In my workplace one of the first things is that they want you to be yourself...yet how do you do that when you keep getting told you can't because of this or that? In our working world laws come into play that negate your right to live by your beliefs. 

In my home life sometimes in an instant something breaks. Before or right after something else was just fixed. 

Stepping out into the world is an extremely risky thing to do. 

Stepping out without Jesus leading is never a good thing to do. 

Even if I am running up to the store for something by myself I often pray rather than listen to music or anything else. My drive to work has always included prayer time spent with Jesus.  

I made a rather disastrous mistake decades ago in getting ahead of Jesus. It took decades to find peace again to get back where I never should have left.

My Dear Reader...wherever you are...either turn back to Jesus or stay in step with Jesus. Where He leads...follow. He's not going to remove every single mountain, you may have to climb a few. He’s always working for our good.  

Anything we put before Him will be removed. Our relationship with Jesus is our most important thing in our lives. Always and forever. 

Find a reason to stay in step with Jesus and make it stick, even if, and especially if, the world doesn't understand it.  

I will not compromise in regards to doing what is right in God's eyes. I don't care what friends or foes tell me. Don't care what employers tell me...or anyone else tells me...I answer to Jesus before I answer to anyone else. I have had many battles at many employers...where standing on the truth of God's word was on the line. Every single time...Jesus took care of me. Every single time those who tried to force me to go against what He's told me to do...have lost dearly. 

I am to follow Jesus wherever He leads, under any and all circumstances. Trust in God and leave all the consequences to Him. 

The battle belongs to the Lord. 

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.

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