Guilt, shame,
regret, and fear reigned in the hearts of Adam and Eve as soon as they partook
in the forbidden fruit. They did their best to hide their sin and hide from God
by finding near by trees. Although, they could not hide…their God, their
creator, and their companion could not be fooled. He knew exactly what they
did. Once that happened all creation was torn, broken, and different then what
they were originally created for. But even all the way back in Genesis God
gives a glimpse of Jesus… the bridge between God and His creations. He was to
bring hope for all mankind, make all things new, and take away fear and worry for good.
In the reveal of
Jesus in Genesis, God didn’t portray Jesus as this wimp that was just going to
roll over and die. He gave a glimpse of his true nature in Genesis 3…HE is a mighty
warrior. Genesis 3: 15 reveals, “I will put hostility between you and the
woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will strike your head, and you
will strike his heel.” Some translations even say, “crush your head.” I don’t
know about you but I wouldn’t even go near a snake if I saw it. I would scream
like a little girl and probably get bit any way because I screamed and startled
the snake. But Genesis reveals that Jesus goes towards the snake. He isn’t
afraid.
Even when Satan temps
Jesus in the desert He is not fazed. Satan tries to tempt Him with all sorts of
things while Jesus is desperate for much needed water and food. But Jesus
doesn’t give in and lastly commands in Matthew 4:10, “Go away, Satan! For it is
written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him.” Jesus was also bold
declaring that He was the Son of God regardless of the doubt that surrounding
Him. He has one of the greatest “Drop the mic moments in history”when he read from Isaiah 61. In Luke 4:
16-20…
“He came to Nazareth, where
He had been brought up. As usual, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day
and stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him, and
unrolling the scroll, He found the place where it was written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me,
because He has anointed Me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent Me
to proclaim freedom to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free the oppressed, to
proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
He then rolled up the scroll, gave
it back to the attendant, and sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the
synagogue were fixed on Him. He began by saying to them, “Today as you listen, this
Scripture has been fulfilled.”’
Jesus knew who He
was and He wasn’t afraid to show it…even to the point of handing himself over
the officials to be crucified in order to fulfill scripture to further prove He was who He said
He was. Jesus was fierce. He was beaten, bruised, and tortured beyond
recognition for the love of all generations. Those that mocked Him thought He
was weak because He would not bring himself down from the cross. Even one that
hung next to him shouted at Him in Luke 29: 39, “Then one of the criminals
hanging there began to yell insults at Him: "Aren't You the Messiah? Save
Yourself and us!" BUT Jesus wasn’t weak and not even death could hold Him
down! 1 Corinthians 15: 54 reveals that “Death has been swallowed up in
victory.”
I could go on and
on at how amazingly strong Jesus is but my favorite reveal is found in
Revelation 19. Jesus will be back again to make all things right and it won’t
be in some humble way either…
REVELATION 19: 11-16, “Then
I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful
and True, and He judges and makes war in righteousness. His eyes were like a
fiery flame, and many crowns were on His head. He had a name written that no
one knows except Himself. He wore a robe stained with blood, and His name is
the Word of God. The armies that were in heaven followed Him on white horses,
wearing pure white linen. A sharp sword came from His mouth, so that He might
strike the nations with it. He will shepherd them with an iron scepter. He will
also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. And
He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh:
KING OF KINGS
AND LORD OF LORDS.
Regardless of
what people think…Jesus is not a wimp! He has never worried. He has always
known who He is….JESUS IS A WARRIOR and He calls us to be the same. He calls us to
be tapped into the spirit within us. Romans 8: 11 tells us, “And if the Spirit
of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ
from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through His Spirit who
lives in you.” He doesn’t want us to worry. He wants us to trust Him with
everything. He is our vindicator and we are victorious through Him. 1
Corinthians 15: 57 reveals, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ!”
This past year I
have had a HUGE battle with anxiety…even to the point of not feeling as if I would
ever be set free from it and that I would always deal with it. Through this
struggle I had forgotten who Jesus is and who I am IN HIM. Lately the Lord has
been really put on my heart to look to Him as the WARRIOR HE IS and the WARRIOR
I am because of HIM IN ME. Yes, I am human and I am tempted constantly to worry
because my mind wonders about millions of “WHAT IF’S”. BUT GOD is slowly
changing my mindset. I am starting to see Jesus more and more in His Victorious
state. When I have these weak moments I do my best to look at the end of the
story. JESUS ON HIS WHITE HORSE COMING IN VICTORY! HE is a WARRIOR and HE LIVES IN ME. If you know
Him and HE LIVES IN YOU…YOU ARE A WARRIOR TOO! Let’s do our best to tap into the
WARRIOR side of ourselves instead of the wimpy “worrier” side. JESUS WILL HELP
US…HE IS FAITHFUL AND TRUE!
TIFFANY
