Winter 1996
Thine is the Power
Donna Wall

"There is a way which seems right to a man, but
its end is the way of death" Prov 14:12 NASV.

Man living by his own will, attempting to control the direction of his life, will ultimately be led to death. His only "strength" comes from the illusion that his mind feeds back to him. He cannot control his circumstances, rather they control him.

The curse upon this world is that all things are programmed for eventual death and destruction. But there is an escape. The way was planned, lived, and wrought out upon the cross, by God Himself through His only Son, Jesus.

Jesus was both God and man. He emptied Himself of Deity and accepted the physical limitations of man and endured the things which a man must face. Yet He was perfectly obedient, and one by one, conquered and overcame each "enemy." He rejected the temptation to exercise His own will and submitted everything to the will of His Father. As a result, the power of the Spirit of God in Him trounced each enemy that would come against Him.

The final test came at Gethsemane. Jesus sweat as it were, drops of blood in the struggle He faced, understanding all His Father had purposed for Him to do, knowing what the cost would be to Him; becoming sin in our stead.

In drinking the cup of our sin, Jesus faced the removal of His Father's Spirit from that of His own, which would result in a broken fellowship. But He also knew the promises His Father had made to Him in David's Psalms.

"What man is he that liveth, and shall not see
death? Shall he deliver his soul from the hand
of the grave" Psalm 89:48.

"For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell;
neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to
see corruption" Psalm 16:10.

When Jesus willingly came forward to His enemies and placed Himself in their hands, He knew the wrathful pain and death He would endure as sin-bearer in our place. But He also understood that He was in the safety of His Father's will.

"The Name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous
runneth into it and is safe" Prov 18:10.

Kept safely within the strong tower of the Divine Will, upon the cross, the last enemy was pierced through and defeated. Death has been destroyed and a way of escape has been made.

Now, others have been called to follow, and follow we will. The Spirit that indwelt Him now indwells those who are His. These admit to the truth that our own ways are already defeated, and that His way is the only one that will take us through enemy after enemy, and finally past the inevitable jaws of death itself - right into His Kingdom.

"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive ... For He must reign
till He hath put all enemies under His feet.
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is
death" I Cor 15:22,25-26.

"Even though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death I fear no evil; for Thou art
with me" Psalm 23:4a NASV.

Death, we do not fear you, for Jesus our Saviour, our Lord is leading us past you. He said He would not leave us stranded in this world. He is coming for us, and is leading us out. And we will live and reign with Him - forever and ever!

But before we leave, we also are to submit to the workings of His Spirit and as we obey Him, tell others about Him and the way of escape. We cannot do this apart from His power within. As a result, there is a great in-gathering, a people being made ready, looking unto Him.