Jesus is Our Anchor

Scriptural Foundation:

John 14:20 – New King James Version (NKJV)

I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.

John 14:20 – The Passion Translation (TPT)

I won’t speak with you much longer, for the ruler of this dark world is coming. But he has no power over me, for he has nothing to use against me.

John 14:20 – Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)

I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.]

Ephesians 6:12 – New King James Version (NKJV)

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Reflection:  

There is an individual in my life that has been like an achilles’ heel*(2 Corinthians 12:7).  You know that person or situation that grates on your soul. That no matter how you feel like you have grown in your love walk that person says or does something or you fall back into the same situation. It is like watching the same syndicated sitcom of your life called ‘Get a Rise Out of Your Flesh’.  We all have those struggles. Thank God for Jesus! 

Right before Jesus was imprisoned, He said something that continues to tumble around in my spirit every time I reach the end of myself with challenging people or situations – Jesus said “He has nothing in Me.”  God so loved the world that He sent is only Son to save us. 

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. – John 1:14(NKJV)

When Jesus said that he (the devil) had nothing in Him, I think He meant that He didn’t have any practices(works) of the flesh for the enemy could attach himself to.  This included fear. In the New King James version, the phrase ‘fear not’ appears eleven times and ‘do not be afraid’ forty-eight times. One of my most favorite ‘fear not’ citing was the words Jesus spoke to Jairus, let’s look at it in the Passion translation:

 And before he had finished speaking, people arrived from Jairus’ house and pushed through the crowd to give Jairus the news: “There’s no need to trouble the master any longer—your daughter has died.”But Jesus refused to listen to what they were told and said to the Jewish official, “Don’t yield to fear. All you need to do is to keep on believing.” So they left for his home, but Jesus didn’t allow anyone to go with them except Peter and the two brothers, Jacob and John. – Mark 5:35-37

When Jesus walked the earth, He was fully man, and the Holy Spirit was with Him.  When we were born again, we became a new creation in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17) yet kept our fleshly nature. Jesus was tempted in all ways, as we are, but did not sin.  The Word lists out for us the works of the flesh:

Now the doings (practices) of the flesh are clear (obvious): they are immorality, impurity, indecency, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions (dissensions), party spirit (factions, sects with peculiar opinions, heresies), envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. – Galatians 5:19-21 (AMPC)

Fear and the works of the flesh have the same effect in our lives. It chokes out the Word and makes the blessings of God unfruitful.

Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. – Mark 4:18-19 (NKJV)

So, what is the antidote to our flesh sitcom? It is to catch ourselves, STOP talking, and put things in an eternal perspective. Is the attack that we are facing internal (works of the flesh) or external (people/situations)? Our responses should always be in love, if it is not, these thorns will run rampant and choke out the Word in our hearts. If we have something in us that is not from God, it must be prayed on, some behaviors repented, and actions changed to get back in sync with the harmony of heaven, love.       

* Wikipedia defines an achilles’ heel as a weakness in spite of overall strength, which can lead to downfall.

Seeking Revelation:

Grab your notebook:

• Do you love yourself (Romans 13:8-10)?  Do you think you deserve to be loved? Have you truly accepted God unconditional love?
• Is there a person or situation that seems to be on repeat? Like a never-ending wilderness season in your life?
• Seek the Lord as to what are your triggers.  Is it feelings of hopelessness and despair? Control or pride? Fear of loss? Or all the above?
• When you find yourself in the same mind space, pause, get quiet, and pray.  The devil cannot hear your thoughts, but he can certainly sense the shift in the Spirit when you block out what distracts you from what is truly important . . .that is reaching, the soul(s) in the situation.