Mark 2 records the account of Jesus healing the man from “the sick of the palsy”. Friends of the sick man carried him on his bed to Jesus for healing. When they arrived at the home where Jesus was preaching, they could not get near Him for the crowds. They decided to remove some of the roof and let him down into the house that way. Jesus saw their faith and spoke to the sick man, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee,” Mark 2:5. Some of the scribes in attendance began to reason among themselves, questioning Jesus’ words and authority. Jesus perceived their reasoning and addressed it, declaring His power and authority. He healed the sick man and instructed him to arise, take up his bed and return to his house.
Have you ever walked the tightrope of reasoning when presented with circumstances beyond your comprehension? Of course, we all have. Man cannot live on the tightrope indefinitely, he has to come down. When I come down, do I walk in the flesh, or the spirit?…(Romans 8:1). My flesh man will question and try to work things out according to sense knowledge, the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. The problem here is that my reasoning, (my understanding), can take me down many avenues that will only fill me with fear or frustration, building potential possibilities of events, in my mind, that become strongholds in my believing that are not of God. I may begin to question God and judge Him for not intervening and changing events. I become guilty of treason against God and His authority. I set myself up in a position of thinking I know better than Him, instead of trusting Him with my life. I displaced God’s peace in my heart from eating from the wrong tree. I should have heeded the warning signs when my peace, (that is, God’s peace), was disturbed. Anxiety, fear and confusion are not of God. We all know whose ground that belongs to: the enemy. He can only disturb my heart when I give him a foothold. He gained access by my fleshly reasoning, (what if…..?), which took me away from trusting God and consulting His Son, the Tree of Life.
When I come down from the tightrope of reasoning and walk in the spirit, progress on my spiritual journey results. I do not have to understand everything that the Lord permits in my life at every given moment, but I do need His peace. I have to bow my understanding to the Lord and trust Him to work things out for me. He is faithful! I have to surrender the strongholds of my wrong believing for the return of God’s peace. It’s O.K. not to understand everything. I was never meant to know everything, God created me to know Him….and in learning to trust Him I begin to know Him more! Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, WHICH PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” My Heavenly Father is glorified when His enabling strength and peace is manifest in me during, not after, the storms and trials of life. A peace-ruled heart is a heart at rest in the Lord in any circumstances, but it is always a choice “to LET the peace of God rule my heart.” This is the position God seeks to bring us to, to rest in His love and trust Him. He is able…let it be written across my heart and mind.
If I believe in my heart the words of Proverbs 3:5-7, they will create God’s seal there for His peace in any trial. They are a miraculous “gatekeeper”. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, AND DO NOT LEAN TO YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and depart from evil.”
Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice…” John 10:27. He never accused us of not hearing, the problem arises when we do not do what He says. That is the thorny issue. We need to apply what He says in the word of God to our lives. Luke 6:46, Jesus said, “Why call me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” Jesus continues to expound the parable of 2 men, (Luke 6:47-49). One man builds his house upon the foundation of the rock and when storms arose, his house stood firm. But when a man hears, but chooses not to obey, Jesus likened him to a man that built his house upon the sand. When the storms came, his house had no foundation and it fell.
Revelation 22:14 declares and encourages us, “Blessed are they that DO his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates of the city.” May I not just be a “hearer” of God’s words, but a “do-er” of them. God has provided a Royal Exchange in His supreme love for me: He invites me to surrender the strongholds of my wrong believing and reasoning, and step in to the safety of His keeping hand. Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run in to it and are safe.”
STEP INTO THE SECURITY OF HIS TOWER.
