Here's How You Can—
CONQUER EVERY OBSTACLE!
Every Christian must have what it takes to bring the power of God
into fruitful, effective, uncaged use! You know Old Testament heroes
had it. You know Christians of old had it. Well, YOU CAN HAVE IT,
TOO! HERE'S HOW!
Joshua and Caleb were willing to take to the field and battle it out
with the fierce, giant inhabitants of the promised land. Even though
towering giants stood between them and possession of the land, they did
not cower in fear.
Where did they get such courage?
Years later that same land was invaded and threatened by a huge host of
Philistines. But the stripling youth, David, challenged, fought and
killed the most fearsome warrior of the day. And the Philistine armies
fled back across the border.
Why? Where did David get such all-conquering power?
Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, Samuel and the other prophets, were
able to repel invading armies, close the very mouths of lions, put out
furious fires that threatened to burn them alive, and escape what
seemed to be imminent death time after time. They found the strength to
overcome their every weakness. Some of them nearly single-handedly put
huge foreign armies to flight.
How did they do it?
The BIG Picture
The basic reason they succeeded, and you have often failed, may be
quite simple—once you see it clearly. All these men had the dig
picture, and BELIEVED in it! They saw the Kingdom of God. They had
vision and proper perspective. They responded valiantly and moved
forward to secure the kingdom.
All these men had deep and abiding belief, and through it dutifully
served their God and nation. They knew the kingdom God had promised
Israel was real and worth any effort or price. They had the big picture
and so they did everything possible to establish the kingdom.
However—if you have not seen the big picture and the reality of
the Kingdom of God, that may explain why you have not overcome problems
and have found yourself coming up short.
Disobedience and Disaster
Now let's look at the other side of the picture.
Whenever Israelites jailed to believe God, lost sight of the goal and
disobeyed, they began to die like so many bugs. They died because they
rebellious-Iy stiffened their necks. They set their wills to a wrong
end. They lost sight of the big picture. They started in pursuit of
their own goal. The kingdom was forgotten.
Some of them died naturally. But usually their deaths were gruesome and
frightful. They died swollen, suffering, screaming because of venomous
snake bites.
They died in battle gasping out their last breath through bubbles of
their own blood. They suffocated under the crushing, juice-spurting
weight of the earth as it swallowed them in earthquakes.
God provided a physical kingdom for Israel so they could have the happy
safety, satisfaction, and success for which they had so feverishly
longed during their slavery in Egypt. God promised them every physical
blessing if only they would move to the land He had chosen and accept
His government. All they needed to do was believe God and see the
reality of the plan He was working out in their behalf. Joshua and
Caleb saw the plan in reality. They comprehended it. They really
believed it!
Those Israelites who believed God, were able to overcome all of the
obstacles and trials which beset them during that 40 years of miserable
wandering on the Sinai Peninsula. They moved steadily toward the goal.
Nothing stopped them! Continuously they looked toward the promises
which had been given them. Nothing took their eyes from the kingdom.
And so they won! They were rewarded!
They received and had the power to make the trip and obtain their
inheritance simply because they believed in the kingdom God had
promised.
Promise of Power
When you and I come to realize the plan of God—when we see the
Kingdom, then we, too, can make it! Look what Paul says in Romans 1:16,
"... the gospel ... is the power of God unto salvation to every one
that believeth."
Christ's entire ministry was centered around and concerned with
preaching the gospel. He said we must believe this good news (Mark
1:15)). Let's apprehend how awesomely powerful is belief in this Gospel.
The Gospel, as you know, is the good news of the Kingdom which God soon
is going to set up. Those who believe in this Kingdom are going to be
saved! But we must give due credit to the promise. We must have an
utmost mental persuasion that the goal is there and can be reached. The
plan of God must become red reality to us! We must view the Kingdom as
if it already were! We must know that we know about the Kingdom of God.
We must be caught up in the pursuit of the Kingdom.
You and I must come to yearn, crave, long for, yes, burn and ache for the Kingdom!
The goal—the Kingdom—must become the very reason for our existence!
As we see the grand magnificence of it our very being will be changed.
We will become motivated with the accomplishment of God's plan. We will
be entirely enthusiastic about doing the Work of God.
We can't do this without believing it.
Bigness of Belief
The word "believe" is a big, strong word. It means to have faith,
conviction, confidence, trust, to be persuaded, to be certain! In
defining the Greek word which is translated "belief," the staid
Thayer's Lexicon uses such pithy and impressive phrases as this:
"Holy fervor born of faith and conjoined with it.
"Conviction that God exists and is the Creator and Ruler of all things,
the Provider and Bestower of eternal salvation through Christ.
"Strong and welcome conviction.
"Conviction and trust to which a man is impelled by a certain inner and higher prerogative."
Maybe you haven't yet seen and comprehended and realized the depths to which the faith of God plumbs!
Faith and belief are not little words that nibble weakly on the edge of
hazy notion or fantasy. They are not concerned with
superficial opinion. They
arc not acquainted with dainty sentiment. They have no double meaning
or supposition. They leave no room for theory or mere impression.
Faith and belief in the Kingdom encompass all that mind, intelligence,
thought can muster and contain or explain about this most important
concept.
These words crash thunderously, un-stoppably to the very root-tips of all thought concerning the promises of God.
They unabashedly, unequivocally gather all reason and purpose
concerning certainty, reliability and positive persuasion and they
simply must result in action!
When you say, "I believe the Gospel of the Kingdom" you go to the very
heart and core, the very bottom of the reason for being. Belief is of
God and has the very certainty of "I Am that I Am!"
Faith leaves no room for equivocation, vacillation, variance or doubt.
Faith is the substance of things not yet seen.
Faith already sees God as He is.
Faith will force us to respond as Christ did!—as God does!—as growing Gods are expected to!
Be Like Christ!
In the book of Philippians, the apostle Paul perfectly describes the attitude which we must have:
"So by whatever appeal there is in our relation to Christ, by whatever
incentive there is in love, by whatever participation there is in the
Spirit, whatever affection and sympathy, make me perfectly happy by
living in harmony, with the same attitude of love, with the same
feeling and purpose. Do not act for selfish ends or from vanity, but
modestly treat one another as your superiors. Do not take account of
your own interests, but of the interests of others as well. Have the
same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he possessed the nature of
God, he did not grasp at equality with God, but laid it aside to take
on the nature of a slave and become like other men. When he had assumed
human form, he still further humbled himself and carried his obedience
so far as to die, and to die upon the cross. That is why God has so
greatly exalted him and given him the name above all others, so that in
the name of Jesus everyone should kneel, in heaven and on earth and in
the underworld, and everyone should acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord,
and thus glorify God the Father. . . . For it is God who in his
goodwill is at work in your hearts, inspiring your will and YOUR
ACTION. . . .
"Brothers, I do not consider that I have captured it yet, only,
forgetting what is behind me, and straining toward what lies ahead, I
am pressing toward the goal, for the prize to which God through Christ
Jesus calls us upward. Let as many of us therefore as are mature have
this attitude. If you have any different attitude, God will make this
clear to you. Only we must live up to what we have already attained.
"Follow my example, brothers, all of you, and notice those who follow
the pattern we have set you. For there are many who live, as I have
often told you, and tell you now with tears, like enemies of the cross
of Christ. They are doomed to destruction: Their appetites are their
god; they glory in their shame; they are absorbed in earthly matters.
But the commonwealth to which we belong is in heaven, and from it we
are eagerly awaiting the coming of a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He
will make our poor bodies over to resemble his glorious body, by
exerting the power he has to subject everything to himself" (Philip.
2:1-11, 13; 3:13-21—Goodspeed Translation).
Christ demonstrated and proved His great love for humanity when He
willingly left the very throne of God and His high position in order to
become a mere man. He was willing to die—and because He was
willing to die—He was again made very God. He returned to the
Kingdom, which He so easily left because mankind needed a help. He saw
the big picture. He saw that in the end all mankind could be in the
Kingdom. All of us who repent and believe in the Gospel can be kings
and priests with Him as very God.
He took the opportunity to preach the Gospel to the world in order that
all of suffering humanity could have the peace and security which
Godship provides.
Help Others
You and I have the sound mind of God and can view the whole panorama of
human history and the world today just like Jesus Christ. We can see
the importance of saving humanity. We can see the good that will come
out of the salvation which God extends. We can see the love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control
that men can benefit from if they will only follow Jesus.
If we have the big picture we will want all men to participate in this
indescribably magnificent wonderfulness. But we must see the end of the
matter. We must know that it really can happen. We must realize that it
will happen.
Understand that we are not just to obtain something for ourselves. We
have been drafted to help and teach others. We are engaged in the
working out of God's plan. We have the same goal as Christ. We think
like Christ. We want to give all goodness to all mankind.
Read John 14:12-28; 16:7-11 to see what Christ had to say about this.
Forget yourself! The point is, we must become thoroughly involved in
the work that Christ has started! We have been given an understanding
of what the truth is. We know what the end of the matter is. We know
that the Kingdom is the really important thing. Like Caleb, Joshua,
Gideon, David, and all the prophets, we must do all possible to finish
the work of Christ and assist in setting up His Kingdom.
In the letter to the Colossians Paul says, "If, then, you have been
raised to life with Christ, set your hearts on the things that are
where Christ is, above, seated at God's right hand. For you have died,
and your life now lies hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is
our true life, shall make his appearance, then you also will appear
glorified with him.
"So treat as dead your physical nature, as far as immorality, impurity,
passion, evil desire, and greed are concerned; for it is really
idolatry. It is on account of these things that God's anger is coming.
And you once practiced them as others do, when you lived that
old earthly life. But now you
TOO MUST PUT THEM ALL ASIDE" (Col. 3:1-8—Goodspeed translation).
Christ's Power
Christ had the power to subdue His human nature and do the will of God
because He saw the big picture. It was real to Him and lie died in
order that it could be real for us. When we comprehend the reality then
we will be motivated, just as Christ was, to do all that needs doing.
We will be able to subdue our nature. We will be able to overcome the
lusts of our flesh. We will be able to give our bodies and our lives
that the rest of humanity may have the benefit of God's Kingdom.
Out of necessity we will be willing to suffer, to resist the sin in our
natural inclinations. Yes, our senses will become wearied; we'll crave
things which we ought not. We will be pained, even outraged, in one way
or another. But we can ride over the natural inclinations to give up,
to quit, to forsake the job which we have been given to do.
Do you see the vision? Do you grasp the Big Picture? This is how you
can have the power to conquer every obstacle in the Christian path.
This is the way you can really believe, and see the reality of the
coming Kingdom of God.
Just like dauntless Joshua and Caleb who did not fear the hulking
giants in the promised land. Just like David and the other mighty and
valiant men of old who faced grave and deadly dangers without flinching
and without despairing and losing hope or courage. Just like Jesus
Christ who gave His all, in the face of the most paralyzing dangers and
persecution, to bring this Big Picture—the goal of the Kingdom of
God —to each one of us.
You too can overcome every tendency to slide into sin and cave in to
your weaknesses. This is the way you can receive real spiritual power
through the Holy Spirit of God to resist the flesh and
bring it into subjection. Trials and problems, difficulties which used
to overpower you and lead you as a cringing slave into sin, will no
longer hold you fast in darkest captivity to the flesh.
Remember this lesson of the Bible and the wonderful examples recorded
there for you. Keep these examples uppermost in your mind. Like these
men of old—dedicate your being to doing all you
personally can to bring SOON the Kingdom of God
to the earth! Let Jesus Christ live His life fully, wonderfully, in
you. Get the big picture!
We have the Spirit of God to empower us IF we have the big picture. We
will bring our bodies and minds into captivity and make them do what
needs doing. If the Kingdom is actually real to us, if God is true and
the reward as great as we say we believe, we will be motivated as
Christ was and then we cannot fail—we will win!
Reprint from the June-July 1966 Good News Magazine by Clint Zimmerman
