Things are different. Things are changing. The Lord is taking greater control over our lives and He is doing it for a reason: He is going to be the Lord through us. His Lordship is taking over our hearts.
We must realize that things are changing rapidly now. The Lord really means business. He is not playing, and we don’t need to play either. Several years ago I went to a meeting at someone’s house and during the meeting a brother said, “It’s easy to walk with God. Anyone can do it.” Well, he never tried it. That’s the reason he thought it was easy. You can be religious and do what you want to do, no requirements, but when you get ready to really walk with God you will find that you always have to cross your nature and your will. God doesn’t think like we do, so He works to change our thinker. That can create difficulties.
I’ve noticed one thing about human nature. It doesn’t like to change. I went to the doctor this morning and there was a line to the receptionist all the way out the door. I wondered what was going on. I found out after a long wait. They were changing to some electronic system of keeping patient records, which meant changes for everybody. This was new for the receptionists, too, so it was taking time for each one. You should have heard the people grumbling and complaining. Things were changing and they didn’t like it because it was interrupting their convenience. God has a way of doing that, too.
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.
That is a tough one. Wait until you try that one. With your human mind, it is impossible. You can’t think like Jesus Christ. So a great change has to take place in you.
Philippians 2:6-7 NAS Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not
regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 But emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the
likeness of men.
God doesn’t require anything of us that He doesn’t do Himself. He says, “You are going to humble yourself to His Lordship.” So what does Jesus do? He becomes a man and humbles Himself to God.
Philippians 2:8-9 NAS And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself
by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God also highly exalted Him…
Now, you cannot exalt yourself but as you die out to self, automatically there is an exaltation that comes from God. You want to rise up? Think about the hot air balloons. My pastor brought a message on that one time. You throw out the sandbags and the balloon begins to rise. As you begin to empty out self, ascension automatically begins to take place.
Philippians 2:9-11 NAS Therefore God also highly exalted Him, and bestowed on
Him the name which is above every name,
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven,
and on earth, and under the earth,
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory
of God the Father.
He is the Lord and He has many rivalries. Have you ever wondered why it was so easy for those Israelites in the Old Testament to turn away from the Lord and to Baal, Asherah, and to the high places? That is human nature. Get out there in the world somewhere, pick an individual, start talking about the Lord and see how much interest he shows. It doesn’t work; they don’t want to hear it. Human nature doesn’t want to know the Lord. Human nature is human nature regardless of whose name is on it. It doesn’t want to know the Lord, and it doesn’t want to be subject to His Lordship. This is one of the ways the Lord is dealing with us. We are learning how to be subject to His Lordship.
Many years ago when I used to smoke, it became apparent to me that the addiction to nicotine was a lord over me. This had to stop. All of us at some time have allowed something to have control over us, to be a lord over us in place of Him. Many times it is something in your life that you are not even aware of, something that controls you in your soul life - your way of thinking, your emotions, or some habit. Many things can take the place of His Lordship. So the Lord is going to destroy the high places of idolatry – Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. II Corinthians 10:5. We are setting our hearts for Him to be our only Lord. O Lord our God, other lords besides Thee have had dominion over us: but by Thee only will we make mention of Thy name. Isaiah 26:13.
Copyright © 2007 by Henry DuBose