This is part two of a two-part article. Find part one at this link.
Beloved, yielding to false light rather than resisting false light will tempt us to believe in a lie. The false light promises that pursuing something would be more pleasurable. And it could be, often for only a very brief moment, but the consequence is sin. We must resist temptations, seductions and false light that deceptively offer to fulfill our carnal desires. We must discern that this was not from the Lord, but from the world.
“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world” (1 John 2:16, NASB 1995).
Unless you and I learn how to resist the energy of the darkness, we will end up falling on our faces, beloved ones.
Why can life sometimes be so hard? Why do we have to repel temptation? Why do we have to resist screaming, yelling and letting out our anger? Why do we have to fend off romantic relationships that are not part of God’s plan for our life? Why do we have to battle all types of seductions from the false light? Why did God make it so tough? Because, beloved one, Father knows that in order for you and I to fully mature as His sons and daughters, we must get strong! And the way we get strong is by practicing resistance.
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How does an athlete get strong? Take a long-distance runner. They get strong because every day, they go out and run. They run farther and faster every single day, pressing through the struggle of fatigue, muscle drain and the resistance of endurance training. Think of a football player. One of the things they do is they lift weights to get big so they can perform well on the football field.
What is weight training? It is actually called resistance training because the muscle is straining against the force of the weight. As the athlete lifts the weight, it is pushing down toward the earth; gravity is pulling the weight down as the muscle is pulling up. The weight of the gravity is resisting the muscle, but as the muscle pushes past that force of resistance, the muscle is made strong.
Likewise, Father God has so ordained it in the universe. We become fully mature as sons and daughters when we learn how to execute and to put forth our spiritual muscles against the resistance of the forces of darkness. What are the forces of darkness? They are not only temptation. They may include doubt, sadness, cynicism, unbelief or possibly despair.
The forces of darkness could be so many things. We need to gain the discernment to recognize what is true light, the Spirit of God, versus what is false light, which is coming from the darkness disguised as light. We need to understand the difference between true light and false light, the light of the Holy Spirit versus the false light that the spirit of darkness is putting out. We need to learn how to resist the false light. As we learn how to press on, repelling the force of darkness, we will be made strong.
Beloved, when you get strong you will become happy from the inside.
The truth is, we can never be made happy by taking in the things outside ourselves. Every rich person always wants one more dollar. We can never become happy by ingesting the things of the world because true happiness must originate from within. It must emanate from the inside. Our soul is empowered by the Holy Spirit, and His fruit is joy. The only thing that can produce lasting happiness is when our soul is developed by the Spirit of God—so we become internally strong. And the fruits of becoming internally strong are peace, joy and contentment.
Beloved, God will continue to bring us through times of trial, practicing resistance, fighting darkness, battling unbelief, struggling with despair, overcoming temptation and resisting the false light. We resist and press on. We keep putting one foot in front of the other toward God, in God, even though at times we feel nothing. Eventually it happens, we get a breakthrough and get released from having to keep pushing through the resistance. We are in a new place of freedom. God lets us stay in that new place of freedom for a while, but before long, He will bring us into a new time of resistance, a new season of having to walk through something. The cycle repeats: resistance, spiritual warfare and then being released into a new platform of freedom where you can breathe and relax, which God then allows you to enjoy.
With each victory, we are transformed to a level in God where we have never been. But God will not let us stay there forever. It will always be a cycle, practicing resistance and then being released, spiritual warfare and then being released. This is why Jesus said seven times in Revelation 2 and 3, “The one who overcomes” will inherit these things.
Beloved, God has a special plan for your life. Keep resisting!
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Rabbi Kirt Schneider hosts the impactful television program “Discovering The Jewish Jesus,” which is available in more than 200 million homes in the United States and nearly 200 nations worldwide. In 2021 he began broadcasting on radio and now airs across America. Rabbi Schneider imparts revelation of Jesus’ Jewish heritage and His fulfillment of Messianic prophecy. Questions of how the Old and New Testaments tie together and how Yeshua completes the unfolding plan of The Almighty Yahweh are answered with exceptional clarity. www.discoveringthejewishjesus.com/about-2/rabbi-schneider/
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