Take care, brethren, that there not be in
any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.
–Hebrews 3:12
Problems are common to mankind. Jesus
Himself, having the body of a man, living in a man's world, and relating to
others, makes an obvious statement, "In the world you have trouble."
Yes, problems do exist. However, we must remain mindful that problems can never
become our primary focus.
In Matthew 17:1-9, the writer relates to us
that Jesus took with Him to the high mountain Peter, James, and John. When
Moses and Elijah appeared, Peter exclaimed, "I will build three
tabernacles!" Of course it made sense to Peter to build one for each of the
three, for Moses represented the law, Elijah the prophets, and Jesus grace and
the new covenant. Peter made the mistake of equating the three. Immediately a
cloud overshadowed them and the voice proclaimed, "This is My beloved Son,
with whom I am well pleased; hear Him!" The disciples fell on their faces,
Jesus touched them, the cloud departed, and only Jesus remained.
The highest part of a man's being is his
heart,made only for one to occupy, that one being Jesus! If Moses and Elijah
were not allowed to tabernacle on an equal plane on the mountain with Jesus,
then should He have to share space in our hearts with our failures, our past,
our mates, our children, other church members, sickness, or our financial
situation? Many suffer from a crowded mountaintop; too many things occupy the
place that only Christ is to possess. He
is, in fact, King of the mountain, and once we give anything equal standing
with Christ, no matter how good it appears or how great was its value in the
past, a cloud will immediately overshadow our spirits. We will sense defeat,
anger, frustration, and fear. The enemy will whisper that in order to get rid
of the cloud, we must focus on all those things that bring the cloud; they must
be resolved. However, the Holy Spirit whispers the opposite: Forget what
brought the cloud, focus anew on Christ, and light and life will return. Not
until we fall to our faces, yielding to the voice proclaiming, "This is my
Son," will the cloud and our spirits lift.
- Mike Wells
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