None of These Things Move Me

And now, you see, I am going to Jerusalem, bound by the [Holy] Spirit and obligated and compelled by the [convictions of my own] spirit, not knowing what will befall me there— Except that the Holy Spirit clearly and emphatically affirms to me in city after city that imprisonment and suffering await me. But none of these things move me; neither do I esteem my life dear to myself, if only I may f inish my course with joy and the ministry which I have obtained from [which was entrusted to me by] the Lord Jesus, faithfully to attest to the good news (Gospel) of God’s grace (His unmerited favor, spiritual blessing, and mercy). Acts 20:22-24 Amplified Bible Classic Edition

There will be times in all of our lives when we have to make the statement that Paul made: None of these things move me. The devil will give us his best shot. He will whisper things in your ear, telling you that you will not make it. He will whisper that God’s Word will not work this time. He will say all kinds of things to intimidate and to scare you.

But none of those things move me. It is hard to move a believer off the Word of God. It is even harder when that believer knows who he is and what belongs to him. He is like a tree planted by the rivers of water. That individual is always prospering. That individual is always bearing fruit because of where he is planted. We must stay “planted” into the Word of God. When you are rooted and grounded in the things of God, you are not easily moved or distracted by what the enemy is doing in your life. He may be attempting to wreak havoc in your life, but you know that it is temporary. You know it is a matter of time before you walk out your victory in Christ. The devil may huff and puff, but He can’t blow your house down. Your house has a firm foundation. Your house has been built on a rock. Trouble may come your way, but it will come to pass you by. You are in the secret place. The angels are encamped around you. They are defending you and preserving you. No weapon formed against you will prosper. The weapon may form, but it will not prosper. The promises of God is what keeps us anchored. We will not fall if we are leaning on God. We can be like Paul and say: But none of those things move me.

Greatness = Servitude

When the other ten heard of this conversation, they lost their tempers with James and John. Jesus got them together to settle things down. “You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around,” he said, “and when people get a little power how quickly it goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not to be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for many who are held hostage.”

Mark 10:41-45 The Message

Two of Jesus’ disciples requested to sit on His right and left side when He established His kingdom here on earth. They wanted the position of greatness. Jesus eventually gave them a key to greatness. He told them that if they wanted to be great, they must first be willing to serve. Jesus even gave Himself as an example when He told the disciples that He did not come to be served; He came to serve. God has a purpose and a plan for all of our lives. Regardless of how big the plan is, it is not self-serving. The plan is not to elevate you. You may be elevated in the eyes of the people, but the plan is ultimately to help people. It was the will of God for David to be king. Samuel anointed him to be king when he was a teenager. 2 Samuel 5:12 says:

So David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted His kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.

David was established as king, not because God wanted him to be a “big shot.” David was established as king for the sake of the people. His becoming king was the will of God, but it was for the people. Your business is ultimately to be a blessing. Your ability to cook. Your ability to teach. Whatever your talents and giftings are, they are to be a blessing to humanity. Remember John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

God loved us so much that He gave us Jesus. Jesus was treated like a king (and rightfully so, He is the King of kings), and yet He came to serve the people. God sent His best, and His best came to serve. We should follow His example. We have been sent into this world, equipped with gifts and talents that will be a blessing to humanity. Don’t keep them to yourself. Don’t be selfish. The world is waiting on the manifestation of the sons of God. The world is waiting on you!

Adaptability

One skill that we must all learn is the ability to adapt. Circumstances can change on us. Many times, they change unexpectedly. When these things happen, we must learn to adapt. Paul gave us an example in Philippians 4:11-13 Amplified Classic:

Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am.

I know how to be abased and live humbly in straitened circumstances, and I know also how to enjoy plenty and live in abundance. I have learned in any and all circumstances the secret of facing every situation, whether well-fed or going hungry, having a sufficiency and enough to spare or going without and being in want.

I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].

Paul gives us the answer to walking out the skill of adaptability: He could do all things through Christ who strengthened or empowered him. The Greater One on the inside of us enables us to face any and everything that comes our way. Paul said that he knew abundance and scarcity. He knew how to handle hunger as well as being well-fed. Paul was able to adapt to whatever came his way because of Christ’s sufficiency. When you read about the life and ministry of Paul, you see that he survived so many things. He was shipwrecked. He was stoned. He had been beaten many times. One time they snuck him out of the city by lowering him in a basket. He endured so much, but he was able to do so because of his ability to adapt.

Jesus had to adapt as well. Jesus came down from heaven to live among men. He stripped Himself of the attributes that made Him God and lived on the earth as a man (see Philippians 2 Amp. Classic). The Bible tells us that Jesus experienced hunger. He experienced what it felt like to get tired. He would get thirsty. He experienced things that He never experienced when He was in heaven. He felt pain. He felt betrayal. He was criticized and lied on. Through all these things, He adapted. He learned how to deal with the human experience, and He still overcame. The devil was never able to stop Him. We live in victory because of His victory.

God expects us to win. Things may not always go our way, but we can adapt. We can maneuver and strategize. We can lean on the leadership and wisdom of the Holy Spirit. We can be like Paul; we can be ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into us.

We are a Different Breed

We are peculiar people.

You know as Christians, we are a different breed. The Bible says that we are, “the light of the world.” We are “the salt of the earth” We are a city set on a hill that cannot be hid. (Matthew 5:13-14). We talk differently. We act differently. Jeus said in John 3: 31 Amp.Class,

He Who comes from above (heaven) is [far] above all [others]; he who comes from the earth belongs to the earth, and talks the language of earth [his words are from an earthly standpoint]. He Who comes from heaven is [far] above all others [far superior to all others in prominence and in excellence].

We approach our problems differently from the way the world handles them. We have been born from above. We don’t act like the people of the earth. We are citizens of the state (commonwealth, homeland) which is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). We don’t complain. We don’t make excuses. We know who we are and what belongs to us (at least we should). Christians speak to their mountains and expect them to go into the sea (Mark 11:23). The believer is to call those things be not as though they were because we are imitators of God (Romans 4:17; Ephesians 5:1). We are in a spiritual battle that requires spiritual weapons. II Corinthians 10:3-6 The Message tells us that:

The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.

Notice that the world is unprincipled. It has very few morals and values. The world is under the power and influence of the evil one. He is our enemy, and he is the one that we use these weapons on. Our weapons include the Word of God. The Blood of Jesus. The Name of Jesus. The Holy Spirit. The whole armor of God. I could go on and on. God did not have armor made for us. He gave us His armor. He gave us His Word. He gave us the same items that He uses, the only difference is that He knows how to use all His arsenal. We are getting there. As we continue to be doers of the word, we will become more skillful in the things of God. We will experience more victories. We will walk out this life as more than conquerors the way God always intended for us to be.