Are you arguing your case with God?

Die to His will and purpose for your life daily, rather than die at the end having served no daily purpose.

Isaiah 43:26 ESV
Put me in remembrance; let us argue together; set forth your case, that you may be proved right.

How many of us are bold enough to set forth our case before God? Counting up His promises and taking them to Him saying,  “Lord you promised it,  you said it. Prove the truth of your word in my life.”

How many of us would argue and wrestle with the messenger over our salvation?  Claiming our faith as being counted as righteousness through His promises and offering the supporting evidence of our actions that prove our faithfulness.

How many of us will be proved right,  even in the face of the evidence of the great accuser, that enemy of the children of God? Having surrendered our lives to stand firmly on the foundation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and having taken up our cross and followed in the footsteps of our great teacher,  Lord,  and master.

How many of us are struggling just to remember Him in our daily walk? Where is your victory call? Where is your strength? Are we only relying upon ourselves instead of relying upon the Lord?

Have we forgotten His promises and His power under the tyranny and oppression of this life of comfort and prosperity and social peace? While or very souls are being torn away from God and cast into the pit?

Are we selling away our souls for the physical comforts and pleasures of this world doing so little real battle against the unseen evils of this world? Are we comfortable in our mud puts with the pigs, happy to share in the slop instead of returning to our father’s house?

Yes,  we are a horribly lost generation. We have given away or birthright for a bowl of soup, for a nicer car, for a bigger house, for a bigger TV to hang on our wall like a trophy. And how much of this do we do for the glory of God? How much of this draws us closer to Him versus how much of it distracts us from glorifying and honoring the the Lord?

Who really is the Lord of my life today when I look at where my money and my time is spent? How much evidence can I claim as honoring the Lord versus how much much evidence is being built up to prove my belief false, to prove my claims and words empty, to prove my faith dead, to prove me guilty as charged?

If we have not been remembering, let’s tie the Word of God around our necks as a reminder,  let’s yoke ourselves to the teachings of Jesus Christ and hold ourselves accountable to the Word of God. Let’s meditate on the scriptures and learn and understand how they need to be applied to our lives as a living testimony of our faithfulness to God because of our grattitude for His great mercy and grace.

If we have not been in communication with God, let’s begin praying transparently and honestly and humbly to God about those things in our lives that are not honoring Him that we want to see overcome by His strength and power. Let’s begin grabbing hold of His promises and wrestling with these unseen messengers and demanding they fulfill our Father’s will. Demanding fulfillment of their purpose as warring angel armies by crushing these unseen enemies that come against our Father’s will.

Let’s demand that these unseen messengers who serve our Heavenly Father to submit to our His will and put forth the great fight of cleansing this, the very dwelling place for the Holy Spirit of God inside of us. Let’s wrestle with these spiritual servants of our Almighty Father God and demand in the name of Jesus Christ that we see the fulfillment of His promises and the destruction of His enemies that attack us or who attempt to set up strongholds in our lives. Let’s grab them by the ankle and not let go until it is so, or until they give up their name so that we can call out in the name of Christ for the Lord to discipline and rebuke them as He sees fit.

Let’s seize hold of the victory, take confidence in our salvation, and shine with the living testimony of a life lived in victory over sin and death. And as tried,  tested,  and proven children of the King, let’s take hold off these promises of the Lord, and boldly come before Him expecting their fulfillment.

We are not meant to live in defeat,  but in victory, friends.

What area of your life needs to experience victory right now,  friend?

What inside of you need to be healed and redeemed?

What area of your life needs to be changed so that it honors and glorifies the Lord?

There are promises in the Word of God,  but we have to seize them,  we have to remember Christ,  we have to remember His promises, we have to remember who we are through Christ – and we have to seize the victory that is already won for us.

We have to claim our inheritance boldly and no longer submit to powers and enemies and unseen agents of the enemy who can come into the Holy of Holies only to give an account, not to attack. We as children of God with the Holy Spirit living in us have every right to expect these enemies to be held accountable, to be rebuked by the Lord according to His will, because we are His beloved children.

We have to set forth our case.

We have to look to the Lord when He asks,  “Harold,  do you love me?” and when that accuser brings forth the pile of evidence against us, when the memory of our shortcomings are so clear and present to our consciousness, we must humbly respond, “I love you,  Lord.” Even while we are reminded that our lives were once lived feeding His sheep with the poison of a life example of sin and wickedness and death.

And when He asks me the second time, “Harold,  do you love me?” and my heart breaks,  knowing that He died on the cross for me. Knowing that I fell so short in living a life of honoring Him,  that I fell so short daily in loving and serving others, knowing that even when I tried to feed His sheep, I failed miserably under my own weakness. I find myself broken to the point of complete humility over my own weakness, and in a plea for the shame and guilt to be washed away,  I answer,  “Yes,  Lord,  I love you.” Hoping above all hopes that my words are true,  not knowing if my actions and shortcomings betray the wickedness and hardness of my heart or if my flesh is just at battle within me – but beginning to understand that my tears are witness to my heart.

And He asks the third time,  “Harold, do you live me?” And I see the light of Hope in His eyes. I see that there is no condemnation in His eyes towards me,  I see that He loves even me,  and I am crushed under the weight of His love and mercy and grace,  while at the same time lifted up by His glory. And I say,  “Lord,  you and only you know my heart. Yes,  I love you. We are your bride. We are here for our wedding. Oh,  how we have missed you. Oh,  how we have longed for you. It is so good to be in your tender arms.”

So where am I today,  friends?

I am broken,  I am imperfect,  I feel like I am battling for my very life at times,  friends.

But the victory is won. It is finished.

Pick up the white flag and surrender.

Die to His will and purpose for your life daily, rather than die at the end having served no daily purpose.