Coming to 'nothingness' of self

Hebrew 11:6 (NKJV): But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

What does the word 'faith' means here? As I was doing my study, the Lord began to show me what it means, i.e. 'coming to nothingness of self/flesh'. It's about being in total reliance on Him (& not on our flesh or self-effort). It means when we 'come to nothingness of self/flesh', we allow ourselves to die to our own ability to 'achieve' our desires/goals. Instead, we look to His ability working in us (& through us). Paul put it aptly in Galatians 2:20 when he said, 'I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.'

How about the words 'please Him' here? It is 'euaresteo' in Greek, from the word 'euarestos' which means 'fully agreeable'. So, Hebrews 11:6a can be understood this way: "But without coming to nothingness of self/flesh, it is impossible to be fully agreeable with Him." Being 'fully agreeable with Him' is to be 'in harmony with Him', or 'flowing with His will' for you, thus, allowing Him to bear fruit through you (in His way).

Let's look at the life of Moses now. For the first 40 years in his life, the Bible says he was 'learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians ('picture' of the world), and was mighty in words (eloquence in speech) and deeds'. But when he tried to 'deliver' the Israelites by his own hand (own way & effort), things went awry, and he had to flee to the land of Midian. Nothing significant seemed to happen after that, and it seemed like he has lost everything, including his God-given destiny!

And by the time God appeared to him 40 years on, he had nothing but a rod in his hand (Exodus 4:2), and even then, God asked him to cast it down on the ground! (Exodus 4:3) He had come to 'nothingness' of himself by then, and he even lost his eloquence of speech (Exodus 4:10), and just before that, he also said, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" (Exodus 3:11) You see, when he thought he had 'nothing left in him' anymore, that's when God thinks he's ready! God then said, "I AM WHO I AM"! He wanted Moses to know that 'HE IS', and He is able if he would let Him be!

When you come to a realization that 'you cannot by your own strength', that's when He can!

Beloved, maybe things have not seemed good for you recently, but because He is in you (& will never leave you nor forsake you), all things will work for good to you! (Romans 8:28) And of course you don't have to go through the 40 years Moses went through. But will you let go of your way & let Him have His way? Will you also let your 'seed' die & be buried? (like Moses cast his rod on the ground) And when the Lord begins to 'water' your seed, that's when it'll germinate, sprout, and bear fruit! Notice the 'rod' was never the same again when Moses was asked to pick it up. This 'seed' (or 'rod' in Moses' case) is a 'picture' of your calling & destiny in life. And the rest, of course, was history! Moses went on to fulfill his God-given destiny, by His leading & grace. Praise the Lord! And God can do likewise for yours too! Amen.

The 'new' has replaced the 'old'

1 Samuel 1:24-25 (NKJV): 'Now when Hannah had weaned Samuel, she took him up with her, with three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child was young. Then they slaughtered a bull, and brought the child to Eli (the priest).' 

Samuel's ministry began with a sacrifice. It's a ministry full of the cross. The slaughtered bull is a 'picture' of Jesus being sacrificed on the cross, while the flour (to make bread) and the wine are 'pictures' of Jesus' body broken and blood shed on the cross. So, his ministry then was a 'picture' of the New Covenant that was to come!

If you read 1 Samuel chapters 1, 2 & 3, you'll see 'pictures' of how the New Covenant replaces the Old Covenant. Samuel represents the 'new' while Eli's sons (Hophni and Phinehas) represent the 'old'.

Let's look at the difference between Samuel and Eli's sons first. 'Samuel' means 'heard of God' in Hebrew, and he was born of Hannah, which means 'find grace/favor'. Today, as a believer in the New Covenant, you have also 'found grace/favor' because you are in Christ. And while Samuel continued to grow in stature, and in favor of God and men (1 Samuel 2:26), and while he continued ministering before the Lord (1 Samuel 2:18), Eli's sons continued to live in their corrupted ways (1 Samuel 2:12). By the way, 'Hophni' (Chophniy) comes from the word ‘fist’ in Hebrew, while 'Phinehas' comes from two Hebrew words, i.e. ‘peh’ meaning ‘mouth’; and ‘nachash’ meaning ‘serpent'. So, ‘Phinehas’ means ‘mouth of serpent' or 'mouth of judgment'. Theirs was a ministry of condemnation and punishment. But the good news is in the New Covenant (which is also called covenant of grace), Jesus has already carried all your judgment (or condemnation) on the cross, and there's therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1).

1 Samuel 2:34-35 then says, 'Now this shall be a sign to you (Eli) that will come upon your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas, in one day they shall die, both of them. Then I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. I will build him a sure house, and He shall walk before My anointed (Messiah) forever.' People of God, the 'new' has replaced the 'old', and the Bible says this 'new' has made the 'old' obsolete (Hebrews 8:13). 

Let's now look at the contrast between the nature of these two ministries. An Old Covenant ministry is a ministry that 'hits', 'whacks', 'judges', and 'condemns' the 'sheep', whereas a New Covenant ministry is a ministry that keeps feeding and unveiling Jesus in all His loveliness and perfection of His work on the cross. In fact, when Jesus restored Simon Peter back to ministry, He said to him, "Feed My sheep." (see John 21:17) He never said, "Hit My sheep." In short, a New Covenant ministry is a ministry full of the revelation of Jesus at the cross. Never get yourself 'mixed up' between the two.

This change of covenant has already happened on the cross some 2,000 years ago. The cross has indeed made all the difference! So friends, it's important to know & understand which covenant (or ministry) you are in as a believer today.

Those who are in Christ have also His Life!

Luke 24:1-3 (NKJV): Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they (the women who came from Galilee) and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

And as the women were still greatly perplexed, two men stood by them in shining garments and said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (see Luke 24:4-5)

JESUS IS ALIVE!

People of God, know that He can 'resurrect' any ‘dead’ area of your life as well! Maybe it's a ‘lost’ dream, or a ‘dead’ dream, a dream you 'used to believe' (or have received). Or maybe it's something you have long given up hope of, even though you knew it was God who has begun it, given it, or spoken to you about it. 

Take heart, my friend. In Christ, there's always hope! Because He is alive, everything 'dead’ in your life can be made 'alive' again through Him. You see, He is not just the way, and the truth, but He is also the LIFE! (see John 14:6) In John 11:25-26, Jesus Himself said, “I AM the resurrection and the life”, and He went on to say, “Whoever lives and believes in Me (i.e. in Christ) shall never die.” Will you take Him at His Word? The Bible says heaven and earth will pass away, but His Word will still remain (Matthew 24:35). In John 11:25-26, Jesus was actually responding to Martha, Lazarus' sister. Lazarus was already dead 4 days by then, his body rotting, and there was already a stench. But even in the most impossible situation, and just as everyone has already 'given up hope' of seeing Lazarus alive again, Jesus did the 'unthinkable' and called out, “Lazarus, come forth!” 

And then in 1 Samuel chapters 1 & 2, Hannah’s ‘dead’ womb was ‘resurrected’ & ‘made alive’ again when she cried out to the Lord. The Lord did hear her cry, 'touched' her womb, and later on, Samuel was born! In fact, the name ‘Samuel’ means ‘Heard by God'. Hannah has indeed found grace in God! The name ‘Hannah’ in Hebrew actually means ‘find grace’ or ‘find favor’. The Bible then says Hannah 'rejoiced in God’s salvation’ (1 Samuel 2:1) because her 'dead' (womb) has become 'alive' and borne 'fruit'! The word ‘salvation’ here is translated in Hebrew as ‘Yeshuwah’, which means ‘Jesus’. Praise the Lord! Everything Jesus touched became 'alive' again, because HE IS the LIFE! And not only that, Hannah went on to give birth to 5 more children after that! Glory be to God! Jesus truly is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think of (Ephesians 3:20). Amen!

Friends, do you see it now? Everything Jesus touched became ‘alive’ again! In the Old and in the New Testament alike. And those who are in Christ have also HIS LIFE! It's the same for you today! He is indeed the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Believing, you'll receive.