Friday, 08 November 2024
“For many will come in My name [misusing it, and appropriating the strength of the name which belongs to Me], saying, ‘I am the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed),’ and they will mislead many”- Matthew 24:5 AMP
When I listened to this teaching, I was reminded of a brilliant movie inspired by true events called, Valkyrie. When Hitler was spreading his propaganda and destruction during World War, some of his trusted leaders were growing a conscious and plotted for his demise. There was a military law in place called Valkyrie where the reserve army, during a coup or when the leadership was taken out for any reason, would take over until order was restored. The conspirators realized that they didn’t have the capability to defeat Hitler head-on, so they devised a brilliant plan to use Hitler’s army to take control of the country.
The plan was to assassinate Hitler (with a bomb) and when he was dead, the general of the reserve army would invoke Valkyrie and arrest the “conspirators” and execute them. The trick was, that the general would be working with the real conspirators and order the army to kill the generals and other high-ranking officials who were loyal to Hitler by labeling them as the conspirators. It was a brilliant plan, and it would have worked if they were actually successful in killing Hitler who, unfortunately, survived the bomb blast. The army took control of the country and almost killed the wrong conspirators but were stopped by Hitler. Valkyrie was designed to stop foreign infiltration and wasn’t designed to combat an internal enemy.
In Christianity, we all believe Christ is the Messiah and have given our lives to serve and worship Him. We know that the enemy is at work in the world, and us as Christ’s ambassadors, our objective and mandate is to deliver the world from his demonic control. We are ready and willing to fight the enemy because we know he is external, and as a result, our guard is always up when dealing with the world. Unfortunately, we get caught off guard when our enemy is actually internal and comes from among us. Like in Valkyrie, we expect our adversaries to come from outside and not from within our ranks. The Bible tells us that, many will come in Jesus’ name, and because they call out His name, some fall for their schemes. This is why Apostle Paul commissioned Timothy to clean house and expose those who are planning mayhem and confusion within the church. These are the ones who’ve mimicked our camouflage and are secretly spreading a wrong doctrine.
“For GOD is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” – Philippians 2:13 NLT. This is one scripture that removed all the anxiety that used to weigh me down. What this means is that GOD is always at work in me to make sure I ALWAYS do what pleases Him. Not only does He give me the enablement to do what pleases Him, but He always gives me the desires and power to accomplish it. As Christians, we must stop flocking to “men of GOD” who promise to share their “revelations” of what we need to do to please GOD while flexing and abusing us. We must rest in the grace that has accomplished all things on our behalf. Grace is a divine gift, that does not require anything from us, the grace Jesus paid the price for. So when I’m surrendered and walking with Him I’m automatically walking in His perfect plan for my life. I’m not walking in the accepted or permissible will but I’m actually walking in the PERFECT will of GOD for my life. All I need to do is just come to Him with a contrite and teachable heart, and GOD will take over.
“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves” – Matthew 7:15 NLT. “Anything worth having doesn’t come easy” is a saying that makes people believe that to truly receive or enjoy blessings, you must sweat, labor, and bleed for them. This is why some feel they must labor to truly be in right standing with GOD. This is what Paul was cautioning against when he said, if we had to work for it then we would boast about the results. But because it was a gift from GOD, none can boast.
“and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from GOD on the basis of faith” – Philippians 3:9 NIV. Righteousness that comes from my own works is filthy rags before GOD, but that which comes through faith is life and godly and it pleases GOD.
Grace is a divine gift, that does not require anything from us, the grace Jesus paid the price for. So when I’m surrendered and walking with Him I’m automatically walking in His perfect plan for my life.
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