Our paragraph topic is: (Opposition foretold) Part 5.
Christ now begins to tell his disciples how they are to act when they are delivered up. A prisoner of war will only give his name rank and serial number to the enemy and the disciples are given instructions as to how they are to respond. For they will be brought before governors and kings. They will testify for the sake of Christ. They will be questioned about the new doctrine they preach. And the spiritual demons will want to devour them like sheep. Christ, however tells them, "Do not be anxious how or what you are to speak."
Do not be anxious, he tells them. Do not allow yourself to fear. Do not let your heart be overwhelmed with anticipation. Do not let your mind race with thoughts of what will happen. These are the things that Christ wants to prepare his disciples for. He wants them to practise mental training. He wants them to still themselves spiritually so that they have a defense against the enemy that they will face. For the battle is for the souls of men and the soul is reached through the heart and the mind. So they must be prepared. They must be ready. They must know what to expect.
Anxiety opens the door to fear. Fear is the gateway to speculation of what will happen in the next minute, the next hour, the next day, and the future. And fear will give the enemy the advantage to destroy the faith implanted in the disciples by Christ. Christ has spent time preparing his disciples for the coming battle. He has spent time showing them the results of faith. He has questioned their faith in order to strengthen it for the battle ahead. He has demonstrated to them what faith looks like and what it can do. Now it's time for them to exercise that faith in the battle that they will face before the evil governors and kings of the land.
So Christ is warning them to keep the door to anxiety closed. He is showing them the tricks that the enemy will use. And he is giving them weapons that they will use to defeat the enemy. They are the disciples of Christ. They have the spirit of Christ within them. They are prepared for battle.
Can we say the same today? Do we allow anxiety to control our lives? Do we open the door to spiritual evil allowing it to bring forth fear into our lives? How can we fight the spirit of anxiety? How can we control the entrance of fear into our lives? Sometimes just repeating the words of Christ begins to help us keep the door closed. He said, do not be anxious. So we can tell ourselves to not get anxious, over, and over, and over again, as a means of bringing calm into our lives and our situations. We can breath and listen to our hearts so that they do not become gateways to fear. A calm heart is a clam mind, and a calm mind fixed on Christ is a steel door that the devil cannot penetrate. So let us put on the armor of Christ and keep him before us as we face our trials and tribulations daily. Will you close the door to anxiety and stop fear from entering your life??
Christ now begins to tell his disciples how they are to act when they are delivered up. A prisoner of war will only give his name rank and serial number to the enemy and the disciples are given instructions as to how they are to respond. For they will be brought before governors and kings. They will testify for the sake of Christ. They will be questioned about the new doctrine they preach. And the spiritual demons will want to devour them like sheep. Christ, however tells them, "Do not be anxious how or what you are to speak."
Do not be anxious, he tells them. Do not allow yourself to fear. Do not let your heart be overwhelmed with anticipation. Do not let your mind race with thoughts of what will happen. These are the things that Christ wants to prepare his disciples for. He wants them to practise mental training. He wants them to still themselves spiritually so that they have a defense against the enemy that they will face. For the battle is for the souls of men and the soul is reached through the heart and the mind. So they must be prepared. They must be ready. They must know what to expect.
Anxiety opens the door to fear. Fear is the gateway to speculation of what will happen in the next minute, the next hour, the next day, and the future. And fear will give the enemy the advantage to destroy the faith implanted in the disciples by Christ. Christ has spent time preparing his disciples for the coming battle. He has spent time showing them the results of faith. He has questioned their faith in order to strengthen it for the battle ahead. He has demonstrated to them what faith looks like and what it can do. Now it's time for them to exercise that faith in the battle that they will face before the evil governors and kings of the land.
So Christ is warning them to keep the door to anxiety closed. He is showing them the tricks that the enemy will use. And he is giving them weapons that they will use to defeat the enemy. They are the disciples of Christ. They have the spirit of Christ within them. They are prepared for battle.
Can we say the same today? Do we allow anxiety to control our lives? Do we open the door to spiritual evil allowing it to bring forth fear into our lives? How can we fight the spirit of anxiety? How can we control the entrance of fear into our lives? Sometimes just repeating the words of Christ begins to help us keep the door closed. He said, do not be anxious. So we can tell ourselves to not get anxious, over, and over, and over again, as a means of bringing calm into our lives and our situations. We can breath and listen to our hearts so that they do not become gateways to fear. A calm heart is a clam mind, and a calm mind fixed on Christ is a steel door that the devil cannot penetrate. So let us put on the armor of Christ and keep him before us as we face our trials and tribulations daily. Will you close the door to anxiety and stop fear from entering your life??
