THE
PLACE OF VICTORY
He went a little farther and fell on
His face, and prayed, saying, “O MY Father, if it is possible, let this cup
pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39
If
you want to experience victory in any conflict and tough decision facing you,
consider how Jesus fought and won his battles. Before He got to the cross, the
crucial, pivotal battle of His life was fought in Gethsemane, where he and the
Father wrestled through what lay ahead. For Jesus, it was overwhelming to
realize the weight of sin He would bear and the spiritual separation from the
Father He would experience. In His special place of prayer, He got alone on His
face before the Father and cried out to Him. When Jesus left that garden, He
walked out a winner. He would still drink the cup of suffering and separation,
but He knew that, in the end, He would triumph over it.
Jesus'
example reveals that the key to winning life's battles is being on our knees,
on our face before the Father, alone with Him and wrestle in spirit until we
know and surrender to His will. Our own wisdom or even godly counsel will not
bring us the victory. If we don't wrestle things out alone with the Lord till
you hear His voice, you will never be sure you're doing the right thing.
We
must all develop the habit of spending time alone with God to discern and
submit to His will when we face challenges or come to major decisions which
have significant consequences. If after we have won the battle on our knees,
can we win it on our feet? When we seek and fully surrender to the will of God
in such situations, you place the consequences of our decision into the hands
of an all knowing, all-loving, all-powerful God who holds the past, present,
and future in His hands.
Prayer: Declare victory over all your
challenges in Jesus' name.
Scriptural Reading: Matthew 26:36-46
