Rejoice of God's Election

Isaiah 26:3 “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee.”

Our struggles are on the inside.  Without our eyes fixed on him, we'll respond in the wrong way.  A disciple is a disciplined follower.  We have a moment by moment decision to will and to do of our good pleasure of the flesh or his good pleasure of the spirit.  God did not call us to be a dead sacrifice, rather he called us to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto him, which is our reasonable act of worship. A disciplined follower is one who follows actively, intentionally and deliberately with all his heart.  God didn't call us to be casual Christians... casual Christians are casualties.  For the law of the spirit of life in Christ hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Our heart must be connected with his heart.  Jesus said to the Pharisees, "in vain do they worship me because their heart is far from me."  Left to our own devices, we will self destruct.  The emphasis on self leads to destruction.  The doctrine of self is the devil's doctrine of stealing and killing our fellowship, our atonement (at one-ment) with God, ultimately leading to destruction. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers (of darkness,) against spiritual wickedness from on high.  The spiritual battle is the battle for men's hearts, souls, and minds.  We cannot win the battle alone.  God called us to fellowship one with another...  he called us to a band of brothers, putting on the full armor of God so that we may be able to stand in the evil day and having done all to stand.

The world is a dangerous place.  Did we in our own selves confide, our battle would be loosing, were not the right man on our side, the man of God's own choosing.  To confront danger, we must look to Jesus and the power of his might. The world's way and the god of self will self destruct.  However, the true God is still in control.  Man's vain attempts for self-control and for the control of this world will come to naught.  The issue is not whether we are on man's side, rather the issue is whether we're on God's side.  My weakness is made perfect in thy strength. God has called us for such a time as this not to deliver the message but to be the message.  Ye are our epistles, written not in tablets of stone, not with ink, but in the fleshly tables of the heart. 

We need not be disappointed because of the results of man's elections.  Rather we should rejoice because we are the results of God's election.  With God, you're always among the majority.  Man's futile attempts at self-government and self-aggrandizement will come to naught.  Not my will but thine be done. The struggle is not about the secular fleeting politics of this world.  Rather it's about the everlasting politics of eternity...  for our citizenship (Greek word “politea”) is in heaven.  Therefore put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to withstand in this present evil day.  God did not call us to be violent protestors against the evils of this world.  He did not call us to defeat the world.  Rather, He called us to be advocates for the prince of peace... God has committed unto  us the ministry of reconciliation.  Reconciliation means to make peace by bringing back together that which has been separated, thereby making peace.  Abraham Lincoln said that the best way to defeat the enemy is to make your enemy your friend. 

Therefore, ye are ambassadors for Christ.  An ambassador is the highest ranking government official sent by his sovereign from his homeland to a foreign country to represent his homeland.  This world is not my home, I'm just a-passing  through, my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.  As ambassadors for Christ from our heavenly homeland, we pray ye in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. The battle is the Lord's not ours.  But thanks be unto God who always giveth us the victory in Christ Jesus and maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place. (1 Corinthians 15:57)

God has given us his gift of the Holy Spirit.  The gift of the spirit is his God given ability, his potential power.    Now that we have received the gift, Men and brethren, what shall we do?  Our responsibility is our response to his ability... this is our response-ability.  For it is God which worketh in you to will and to do of His good pleasure as we align our will with his will, our hearts with his heart, our good pleasure with his good pleasure.  Not my will, but thine be done.

Thou will keep him in perfect peace...  Therefore, Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6

Your Brother in Christ, Michael