Picture Who YOU Will Be
10/29/2004
Sometime read Mark 13—what Jesus says is the nature of the chaos and confusion, accusation, hatred, violence, betrayal, and all that kind of stuff. Jesus describes in amazingly graphic terms how difficult things should be, can be, and will be, for those that are his followers.
In a situation like that, people who might have been deemed quiet or perhaps even weak, will shine like the stars in the universe. People that consider themselves strong will fall like a house of cards, just collapse under the first hot breath of flame that comes their way. Anything that is built on a charade is not going to last. You can’t sustain that which is just for show, that which is done just to impress, or for the ulterior motives of having fun, having companions, believing the right thing, or being part of something. Anything that has self-motive at the basis of it, like “my personal happiness,” will collapse under a supernatural weight of testing that is off the scale in defying the willpower of a human being.
That little bit of chafing on Jeremiah's wrists—how did he take that? How would you take that—strapped up in a cage without food or water, with ropes cutting into your wrists? Would you stay focused? Would you continue to be God’s person regardless of the pain that’s shooting up your arms? With lightning bolts of pain, nerve endings screaming for release, being stretched, and the weight of your body hanging on your wrists, would you continue to stay focused on what God wants you to do and who God wants you to be? Or is your mind going to wander off to what you could have if you only compromised a little?
What Jeremiah is encountering is just a small prophetic statement of what Jesus said was waiting for true Believers. You’ve got to be able to picture yourself in situations just like that. You yourself, in situations like that—who are you going to be? Forget about the group dynamics of “All for one and one for all!” What if it's just you in that cage? Who exactly are you going to be? I don’t mean some hero, but I mean humble of heart, absolutely given over to God, sincere, and pure as the driven snow. You belong to God no matter what, end of story. Nothing else matters, no matter how much your arms and wrists are screaming and the threats are flying. The accusations and the twisted remarks, and the things you’ve said and done are being twisted and used against you. They’re threatening people you love and twisting that. That’s just the nature of how satan does his work: everything is twisted and contorted. It starts almost sounding logical to give in to the pain, to defend yourself, to defend your honor and defend the honor of others. Compromise begins to almost sound logical when satan is doing his best work.
So, when you see little things like that in life or in a video, make sure it isn’t just some story, some fairytale out there, but that you’re actually willing to pay that price for what you Believe, even if nobody else is there. “Though none go with me, still I will follow” has to be everybody’s heart, out of sincerity and humility, not out of heroism.
