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Thursday, 29 January 2009 08:54 |
Before Jesus died on the cross, what was Jesus doing with the apostles? Remember that he had sent them out to spread the gospel. But once Jesus was betrayed and crucified, the apostles had pulled back from the work. All their expectations of how the gospel work would go seemed to have "back-fired"! So after Jesus had resurrected, he had to get their attention and get them back on course.
Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:14-15
Jesus corrected them and essentially told them "let's get back on track and get back to the work I have called you to." They had pulled back from their commission to go and preach the gospel. That is what the enemy wants to do with us when things seem to "back-fire".
In Revelation 12:11 the scripture tells us that the faithful are able to overcome set-backs "by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death." If they didn’t overcome this way, they would have become bitter. If a true minister ends up pulling back from their responsibility to preach the full and faithful gospel due to set-backs, they will eventually become bitter and then they will work to turn other people bitter. The Devil still works this way today to spread unbelief and to get people to cast their confidence away.
Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Hebrews 10:35-37
The devil wants to get us to such a place of little confidence that when someone brings a good report, we can't believe it. The devil loves to sow an attitude of negativity and doubt. If we can’t believe the gospel because of what we have seen in the past, then unbelief and doubt has taken hold on us! When people backslide and begin to spread bitterness, we must recognize that and fight against it, because that spirit is out to destroy the work of God. The Devil wants us to harden our heart to such a point that we say, "What's the use, I have seen this before - it will fail again."
Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. Hebrews 10:38-39
Sometimes all you will have is faith - there will not be anything positive to see and feel. Yes, you will face situations that you must determine that you will do what is right by faith, regardless of feelings and what others seem to be doing. The true have always had to live by faith.
Now what happens when people stop living by faith and they start allowing indifference and hardness to creep in? Remember how that the disciples were really tested. They went from feeling like they were on top of the world, to being looked on as if they had been deceived by all that Jesus had said and done. What they saw and felt was: that everything had fallen apart and everyone around them knew it. Now they were marked as the biggest fools alive.
How have we been affected by the ones who have turned against the truth and us? Where are we compared to the apostles and what happened to them? Are we falling into the same trap? Is our confidence where it should be? Have we withdrawn from the work? Drawing back is dangerous because it puts you in a position where bitterness can start, and grow. We all will face hardships of this type at some point in our lives. We want to be a type of ground that receives the word of God, and that will flourish and grow despite the many oppositions. It is a battle that we must be willing to fight!
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