As we follow Him there may be times when it seems as though nothing is happening, at least nothing in the physical realm. Our fight is not in the physical realm but in the spiritual. He is the one who leads and guides us from strength to strength and from faith to faith. Whether we have our marching orders and are being fully employed by the Lord or if we are in a place of quiet and still – at all times our role is to abide in Him for He is our life source, our way, our desire. When we choose not to abide in Him, we may feel listless and without purpose. His communion with us may feel hindered when we focus on the world’s distractions and those diversions that help us zone out from life’s stresses and disappointments, when all the while we have the power and authority of overcoming as we abide in Him. The more we know Him the less will we seek to zone out from those challenges and circumstances before us that we were made in Him to overcome.
Beloved, I have much to share with you. You think that you are at a dry place, a place of quiet with no activity. But I tell you are at a crucial place for I am teaching you to press into Me, to abide in Me. Without this you cannot stand, hear Me, or know the way. This is a time of quiet to sit before Me, not inactivity in the spirit.
- “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5
- “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Ephesians 6:11-19