Much Ado About Nothing
Posted by Dion Todd January 1st, 2023 2,570 Views 0 Comments
Much Ado About Nothing from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.
Jesus Christ pulled the veil back on the spirit realm and revealed the hidden kingdom of darkness and hordes of demons that live inside of people they call their "houses." What entitled fiends. They are like squatters that move in, act as if they own the place, and began bossing others around.
(Matthew 12:43–45 NKJV) “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first...”
You end up with a person of conflict, who wants to do something good but instead does something bad. We are not alone in that. The great Apostle Paul who wrote much of the New Testament, felt the same way:
(Romans 7:18–20 NASB) For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
The "sin" dwelling in Paul seemed to have a will of its own and wanted him to do evil. Paul even found himself doing things he didn't want to, only because something inside him did. Sound familiar? I used to smoke, and in the end, I hated it even while doing it. Yet, I continued to smoke until the Lord delivered me from it.
It's not even necessarily a demon. Our old sinful nature and fleshly desires can be pretty strong, but if you find the temptation overwhelming and you are driven to sin, it could very well be. Lust is a common one. Envy is another. Self-pity is one of the most difficult enemies because it acts like your friend. It is not. It will separate you from those trying to help and paint them as your enemy. Spirits don't like being evicted from their house.
Billy Graham once told a story about an Eskimo that had two dogs he had trained to fight on his command. One dog was black, and the other was white. He would visit the local village on Saturday and take bets on the outcome. The black dog would win one Saturday and the white dog the next, but the Eskimo always won the bet. When asked to explain, he said, "I feed one dog and starve the other. The one I feed always wins because he's stronger."
It's a pretty mean story if you are like me and love dogs, but my point is that what you feed in your life will grow stronger, and what you starve will weaken. The enemy doesn't need you to become an axe murderer to fulfill his will in your life. His goal is to stop you from doing what God wants at every level. A neutralized, weak, powerless, ineffective Christian that occasionally even does the evil he doesn't want to do, and never supports what God is doing is an excellent catch for him. He may not get his soul, but he renders him useless to God one day at a time, and that's enough.
(Matthew 6:24 NKJV) “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Jesus said you can't serve two masters, for you will love one and hate the other. You can't serve God and money. That is interesting how those two can conflict, being One's a deity, and the other is a material possession. Yet, Jesus said that you would have to choose between serving God, or money.
Why? Because God will ask you to give some of it away, to support the growth of His kingdom, and you will have to make a choice. Do you want your church to have lights and your pastor food to eat? If so, support them. Relax. He does it to every one of His children. He has had the conversation with me, with the Corinthians, and Galatians, and He will have it with you.
If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? (1 Corinthians 9:11). Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:14). Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches (Galatians 6:6).
Martin Luther said that when satan cannot suppress the gospel by force, he tries to accomplish his purpose by striking the ministers of the Gospel with poverty. When the evangelist can't afford a bus ticket, mission accomplished. The spread of the Gospel is shutdown.
Jesus uses the phrase "You cannot serve God and money" to connect the next topic with a "Therefore." A mentor of mine used to say, 'When you see a "therefore," you should see what it is there for.'
(Matthew 6:25 NKJV) “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Therefore means "for that reason, with that being so, as a result of." If you combine those thoughts, it means: "You cannot serve God and money, so do not worry about..." It links right back to verse 24 above, "You cannot serve two masters," and reveals that worrying about your material needs will come if you choose money instead of God.
Worry is low-grade fear, and a sign that you are trusting in something other than Jesus, and that it may fail you. Example: Money. Anxiety is like being in a boat on a stormy sea, tossed to and fro by the waves. You become unsure, uncertain of your decisions. Your mind becomes white-noise. Remember, what you feed in your mind will grow, and what you starve will die. It's time to break the cycle.
(Philippians 4:6–7 NKJV) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
No one can serve two masters, for you will love one and hate the other. If you choose God, you will have peace which surpasses all understanding, and this peace will guard your heart and mind. It is interesting that Jesus began His discourse on worry and anxiety with a choice between God and money. Then He continues on:
(Matthew 6:26–27 NKJV) Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
(Matthew 6:28–30 NKJV) “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
(Matthew 6:31–34 NKJV) “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Here is a bit of advice: Do what the Lord asks you today, and don't worry about tomorrow. Put the Kingdom of God first, and the things we worry about will automatically be taken care of. You cannot serve two masters, for you will love one and hate the other. You cannot serve God and money. What you feed in your mind will grow, and what you starve will die.
You can pray this with me if you like:
Prayer: Heavenly Father, please speak to me in a way that I understand and help me get in tune with what You are doing on the Earth today. Make what is important to You important to me! I choose You today. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!