THE TENSION

I remember when I first got the baptism of the Spirit and hearing the Lords voice.  He asked me one night to find what I considered to be one of the driest bits of scripture I could find in the bible and to write a teaching on it.  So I dutifully did that and ending up finding the most amazing insight in the scripture I chose at that time about “balance”.  This still resonates with me and in recent weeks the Lord has been putting on my heart, in my circumstances and in my readings the idea of tension (balance).  This idea of tension and balance comes through in so many areas of the word and our life and the managing of it is fundamental to our walk.

The tension the Lord has been teaching me recently is the tension between being totally surrendered to Him knowing he is doing the work versus the idea of knowing that I have to step out and do works.  He has brought me to a wonderful peace in this place of tension that I have never experienced before in my life and walk with Him.

I have always pushed into the things He has given me to do and felt good about it but within me there has always been some of me in that pushing.  Now I am understanding that when we are really one with Him it is all Him and when I step out he will complete the work.  Unless he builds the house then what I do is wood, hay and stubble.

 

Colossians 1:16

For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities.

17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.

18 Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.

19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

 

He does it.  If I am in His will He will supply all I need and he will complete it.

If I am in my will doing things in my strength then why is He needed and are we really in kingdom work?

He is everything and I am surrendered to that.

 

James 2:22

Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect.

So here we have the tension in that Abraham in this verse had to do works to achieve what was required.

The tension is that when we do works do we fully understand that He is doing it.  This is how we become fully conquerors in the territory and kingdom.

We have probably all experienced the tension of the flesh where we think we are something, that we are doing it. We need to know it is all Him.

He went to the cross to do it for us as our flesh is weak.

 

Ecclesiastes 9:1

For I considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before them.

God does it. It is in His hands.  When we are righteous, blameless in our calling and chosen then we walk in faith knowing He does it.

These steps are captured in

Revelation 17:14

“These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”

Called chosen and faithful. All are required.  We understand He is Lord and King and he is doing it but we must step out.

The tension is in knowing He does it but we are still required to step out in our calling or it won’t be completed with us. He will still complete what he wants to complete but we may miss our role in this completion because although we know the Lord does it we didn’t move in faith.

He wants to partner with us in this so we are one with Him. He wants to take us to a place of peace.  But peace doesn’t mean no action.

 

Romans 9:15

For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”

16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.

17 For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.”

He does it but He wants to use us.  Can you step out knowing the King of kings wills it that we should be who we are meant to be?

Ecclesiastes 6:10

Whatever one is, he has been named already.

 

Abraham Genesis Chapter 17

Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90 and in all our understanding of the natural they were beyond the age of having children.

Abraham couldn’t do it, he had reached his end and in fact had tried in His own strength to overcome the issue with a previous son. But at the end of His strength God could do the impossible.

Abraham however had to be a man of faith. God had told Him he would have a son (Sarah doubted) and he stood in faith. God needed the faith this standing from Abraham.

The Tension in being told that God will do it and we believe and then stepping out and doing it but knowing He is the one doing it no matter how wonderful we may look.  His is the glory.

When something goes well when we have stepped out in faith do we attribute it to Him in our hearts or do we think actually I did that.

The strength joy and peace is in truly knowing it is Him. In this place of knowing when you step out He is there you can be an over comer no matter what.  You just KNOW who is KING.

Unless he builds the house then it is on sand.

 

The Cross and the Cost

Luke 14:27

“And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

28 “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it–

29 “lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,

30 “saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

31 “Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?

32 “Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.

33 “So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

34 “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavour, how shall it be seasoned?

35 “It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

 

This ties in with the cost I have to pay for the walk of faith I take. I accept I have a cost to pay and I acknowledge it today. Lord let me have the right heart. Let me remember what you are telling me in these verses.

 

The tension

I surrender all as you did on the cross. I have counted the cost and are prepared.

I know all that is written about me will be achieved when I truly am in this position.

I know I can step out in faith because you have done the work.

Let me balance the tension of you building the house along with me stepping out in faith so as to give you me to work with so I can finish the work you have given me to do.

 

BUILD MY HOUSE