Adversity

Zec 3:1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.

Adversity has different definitions. Basically they all mean the same thing. It means; "To resist or push against." Bodybuilders use resistance to get strong and sculpt their bodies to a point where they will compete against other bodybuilders. Judges will judge their bodies as they do poses and show off their muscular bodies. The way these bodybuilders get their muscles built up is with resistance. When they work out with weights, the weights they use are resisting them. This causes them to have to push against the resistance. The pushing against the resistance is what makes muscles stronger, thus defining the muscles.

We all face trials on a daily basis. Satan stands to resist us, as stated in the scripture above. We must push against this resistance in order to build our muscles to make them strong. There are few days that I do not feel the urge to "smack someone," "yell at someone," etc. . . It's an ongoing battle that all of us go through. This is like a workout for the big resistance that will come against us.

I used to work out with weights a lot. I remember how it works very well. You do your workout with light weights to get repetitions in. This builds muscle and stamina. Once every two weeks or so, I would test my strength to see how much I had improved. I always knew if my workouts were successful or not. If I could lift more than before, they were successful. If not, then I failed in becoming stronger. I tried working out with heavier weights and doing less repetitions. It didn't work out. It's the repetitions that make the muscles stronger. In other words, our daily trials that we face make us stronger spiritually, but only if we overcome them.

I could get on a weight bench, lift the weight off the hooks and let them fall and not try to lift them. This seems to happen to a lot of us in our daily walk. Something comes against us and we refuse to lift the weights. We let the weights hit us in the chest and give up. This in turn causes us to grow weak. Then when the big test comes we fail, because we are not strong enough to lift the heavy weights.

Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Our accuser is going to be cast down. There is nothing he can do to save himself. When he comes against us, we must cast him off and let our spiritual muscles grow stronger. What I didn't mention above is that before we start working out with weights we must first "warm up". We stretch and do some moves that gets our muscles loose and ready to work. In the spiritual body our warm up is prayer. If we do not warm up we are likely to pull a muscle and even risk serious injury when we do our workout. We also have what's called a "spotter." The job of the spotter is to remove the weights if we are unable to lift them. Who is your spotter? There is only one spotter that can truly lift the weights when they get too heavy for us.

Let us pray always so that we can always be warmed up and ready to lift the weights that come our way. This is the only way to warm up in the spirit. Glory to God for giving us a workout to make us stronger. We can overcome by the strength that we gain through Jesus Christ.

Act 4:10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

Act 4:11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

We see according to the scriptures that there is no other way. If there is no other way, there is no other way to warm up for spiritual weightlifting.

Prayer

Father God, we know that you love us and give us strength. Help us to realize that we must do the workouts to get stronger spiritually. Help us to lift the weights when they are too heavy for us. Help us to help others to realize the truth of your Word. Let all things be done according to your will, Father. In Jesus precious and mighty name, AMEN!!!