GENTLE KING

Mark 3:27

No one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.

Christ Jesus, mighty warrior, just and gentle king, close friend, eternal God, all in all, everything and more, who and what we need even when we are not aware of our need, you are our wisdom, peace, life, help, strength, health, wealth, rest, righteousness, justification, joy, hope, light, brother, master, deliverer, rock, breath, salvation, tower, shield, refuge, protector, defense, pride, boast, comfort, teacher, boss, partner, pal, father, mother, love, hero, guide, instructor, counselor, prince, our Maker and Lord. You command the sun to rise each morning and to set every night. Your voice shakes the earth and sky. You call each of the numberless stars by name. You ordained that the seas should toss their waves upon the shore. You knew us before we were born. You formed us in the womb. You rescued us from our enemies who were stronger than we. Thank you. We would be nothing without you. We would be lost without you. We would be undone without you. We would be wandering without you. We would be wretched without you. We would be dead without you.
Jesus, you are the one who has shown great vigor, courage, and aggressiveness. The Kingdom of Heaven presses ahead forcefully by the power of your endless life, and the forceful lay hold of it. You are the King crowned to rule over all, a chosen one among many princes, a warrior exalted above the rest, the strongest of the strong, mightiest of the mighty, feared above the most fearful, and raised upon the shields of the most courageous ones. You are King above all kings, and thus no other shall rule over us. No foe shall defeat us, with you on our side.
We are in a battle, never forget it. We have a crown to gain and a fight to win. We need a king. We need a leader. We need a protector. We need a helper. We are helpless against the enemy, without a sword and a shield. We need to arm ourselves against the foe. We need to raise up a banner, an emblem, a standard, an unmistakable sign of our position against the wicked. We need to take a stand and stand our ground. We need to be strong and not quit. We need to be fierce and not back down. We need to be bold and not be afraid. We need strength; more strength than is in ourselves. We must draw strength from our union with the Lord Jesus. We must rely on his might, his strength, and always remember his victory over the enemy. We must ever be vigilant and not give up the fight. We cannot afford to lose this battle. This battle is the fight for our soul, and for the souls of others. If we lose faith, we have nothing. If we have faith, we have everything we need to win. By faith we cannot be defeated--no matter what. Through his confidence in God, Jesus defeated satan's power and rose as the first man to be victorious over death. This is what faith in God can do.
Faith in God found Daniel sound asleep in a den of lions. He rose refreshed in the morning, unharmed by claw or tooth. Daniel was a warrior, a prayer warrior. He trusted in his God. He had a relationship with his God. He knew that his God was the one who made the lion, and therefore he had nothing to fear. Our warfare is not fought with man's weaponry, but in God's arsenal of weapons do we trust. This is a spiritual battle and we are spiritual warriors. The only battle we must fight is the fight of faith. Doubt is our worst enemy. This is a war of words. The battle is in our mind and heart. Words of doubt and fear attack our faith. Once we learn that resting in God's word and putting our trust in him is all we must do, then the battle is over. The battle is over before it's begun. It's not over until it's over, and when we stand in faith it is over; that is, the outcome is settled. When our trust is in the Lord, then the battle is the Lord's, and he's never lost a battle.
The word of God is our sword. Daniel had the word in his heart, and he was triumphant over all his foes. Though he knew death was the punishment for praying, yet he prayed, willing to pay the consequences. In trusting God to deliver him from his enemies, Daniel was able to win the battle. Daniel was tried, tested, tormented, unloved, despised, and envied; but the Lord was with him! God came through for him, and all of Daniel's foes were destroyed. When you know your God is mightier than any foe, you will not doubt in the face of seeming defeat. You will still have confidence and trust in God.
This is a wrestling match. Not like those on television, which are phony. This is for real. The war for your soul is more important than any other war ever fought, because the outcome determines the eternal destiny of your soul. The physical wars waged in this world stem from spiritual wars which rage in the human heart. Thoughts of lust, greed, envy, and hate spill over into the world as wars in the home, on the job, among friends, and among nations. Bullets can at most destroy the body, but lies can destroy the soul forever. We are wrestling, not against men or against the devices of men, but against the dark powers residing in the invisible, spiritual realm.
We are fighting against demons and demonic forces which have deluded people. We are fighting against all the lies which have been taught and passed down through the generations, which enslave men and blind them from the truth. We are in constant conflict with the philosophies and goals of the world. We are in constant conflict with the world system which reigns over nations and peoples. We wrestle, too, against the desires which war in our flesh. Our flesh is often our worst enemy. Our flesh will never want to submit to God's authority. Our flesh is always in rebellion against God's will. Our flesh has no faith. It cannot believe in anything other than what it feels, touches, tastes, and sees. Our flesh is full of selfish, foolish, and deadly desires. Only by the power of a supernatural God can the flesh be conquered. This is why we all need Jesus. Otherwise, we would all be lost.
Rom 6:9-11
We know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin {once and for all} but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
In our heart, in our spirit, we have the Spirit of God. As believers in Jesus, born again of the Spirit, we have the capacity to overcome the world. Our flesh is redeemed, but it is not yet glorified. Our flesh has a price on it, like the old outlaws of the Wild West, for our flesh is lawless and dangerous. The price is death. But the price was paid by the blood of Christ. With his death, he purchased our life. Our flesh is no longer our own property. Our bodies have become God's property. The price for the iniquities of our flesh has been paid in full. The flesh is still subject to death and decay, but it will be glorified and resurrected one day. Until that day, the struggle against our flesh is constant. It will never go away as long as we live in these bodies. But with the God of the universe residing inside our bodies, we rule over the flesh through his Spirit. In fact, God considers our flesh as dead already, because our flesh died when Christ was crucified. We have won the war against the sinful desires of the flesh, for although the flesh is not yet perfected, it is covered under the covenant of redemption. Since our bodies are God's property, his Spirit can make our bodies his home. The Spirit gives us power to overcome the world. We have all we need in the gift of redemption to live as children of God. This is all ours through trusting in Christ.
How does the enemy wage war against us? What tactics does he employ to defeat us? The warfare starts first in our heart, through thoughts which enter our mind. The lust of the flesh is generated by our innermost self. We had to make the decision to lust, before our body followed suit and lusted. The body will always want to lust, but the mind of Christ overcomes the body, and we have the mind of Christ. We have chosen to put on the mind of Christ. We have the mind of Christ working in our life the moment we decide to follow the word of God and give it first place in our heart. God's word declares that Christ is greater than anything in the world. We have the mind of Christ, by believing that he is stronger than our flesh. We made the decision to trust Christ over all and became willing to let him rule in us, and so the flesh is defeated, for the Lord never loses a fight.
We do not need to fear the forces of the flesh, any more than we should fear the devil and his power. We have a Spirit in us, who is the only Spirit with all power. The devil has some power, and our bodies have some power, but God has all power. Through him, we can overcome and conquer anything this world holds. There is nothing too hard for the Lord, and since he is on our side, there is nothing which can defeat us. We need only to be willing, and have the desire to let his word rule in us. We must renew our mind with the word of God. Once our mind is renewed to think like God would have us think, then our faith will grow, and as our faith grows, we will experience the power of Christ in our life. Then we will come to rely on him fully in every situation, and the victory shall always be ours.
Those who know their God will do exploits, and we need only to know our God. Our God is longing for us to come to him for help. He is a shield for us. It is when we fear and doubt, that we lose our victory. It is when we believe the lies of the enemy, that we resist God's power to help us. This is why we must put on the whole armor of God. Christ Jesus and his word are all we need, and the moment we know this, we are guaranteed success. Why should we listen to our flesh and the lies of satan, when we can have victory all the time over everything which tries to draw us away from Jesus?
Ps 139:21-22
Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.
Truly the Lord, much stronger in might than man, even vastly stronger than any of our enemies, has bound the weaker one and removed the devil from our life. The Lord is a victorious God of war! He has equipped us with all the armor necessary to pull down the strongholds of the enemy. We hate the flesh, the devil, and the wicked ways of the world, because a new and different Spirit is within us. Jesus proved his hatred of the enemy, when he stripped him of all his power, crushed his skull, and arose victorious from the grave. We are not going to side in with the Lord's enemies. We are going to side in with him against all his enemies. We are on the Lord's side.
At the name of Jesus we bow our knee and confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord! He is Lord of Heaven, Lord of hell, Lord of earth, sky, and sea, Lord of things visible and invisible, all mighty, all powerful, to the eternities of eternity. He reigns supreme in our life, and he has broken the power satan had over us. The Lord is a loving, yet powerful, God over all creation. All the work of justification and salvation is finished, and we have been given the power to bind all the enemy's work. The enemy's power is shattered, and the true light now shines. Nothing hinders the light! Rejoice, you angels! Rejoice, you who have been redeemed!