For the love of Christ impels us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on behalf. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God says:
What motivates you? Why do you do the things you do? What is it that impels you? What gives you joy? What do you dream about doing?
My apostle Paul came to one conclusion, for he had experienced it, the love of Christ impelled him. It fueled and motivated every moment of his life. He was fascinated by My love for him as manifested in Christ Jesus and it made him call all the trials he had in bringing the good news of My love to others momentary light afflictions. No matter how hard the devil tried to beat and derail him, he kept right on pressing through and going forward to his high calling in Christ. He refused to give up or to ever blame me for the beatings, stoning, imprisonment, shipwrecks and impasses the evil god of this world put in his way. When he hit an impasse, he took the overpass and came out with the victory of saving multitudes of people for the Kingdom. Instead of getting bitter he became more and more grateful that I had thought him worthy to take My message of grace and salvation, healing and light, to a world trapped in darkness and to suffer so much persecution and adversity for the sake of My Name. He saw himself as a commander of My army to fight the battles on earth. He fought the good fight of faith to finish his race as a winner.
Are you giving up to easily? Have a given you a dream that you have set aside because you met with opposition, setbacks, disappointments, and impasses? Then you need to learn from Paul and from David how to take an overpass over the impasse.
In describing what I had done for him in my great love, Paul wrote, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.’ 1 Timothy 1:12-17.
To Paul in his heart My love never grew old or cold. It burned brightly in his heart no matter what hurdle came in his way. He counseled Timothy, “For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh (fan into flame) the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:6-7. Paul’s main focus in life was the love I lavished on him in Jesus and how to make others know the love he had found in Him so they could also experience the joy he had in his heart. He prayed “that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-18. He called Me the God of all comfort and shared with you that, “I am filled with comfort; I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction.” 2 Corinthians 7:4. Paul had learned the secret of being content in every circumstance he found himself in. Why? His heart was full of Me and therefore he was filled with My love. And love gives you joy all the day.
Paul knew where he had come from, that he had persecuted My Son in the members of His body on earth, and it gave him fresh awe and love of Me each time he saw how far I had taken him from where he had begun. David pondered on the same, remember? When I told him that I would build him a house, he sat still before Me and considered where he had come from and where he was at that moment, from the youngest son of his father watching his few sheep in the fields of Bethlehem to leading a nation and sitting upon a royal throne as the greatest king Israel would ever have. And then I told him I would establish his throne forever. What did he say? “Then David the king went in and sat before the Lord, and he said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far? And yet this was insignificant in Your eyes, O Lord God, for You have spoken also of the house of Your servant concerning the distant future. And this is the custom of man, O Lord God. Again what more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O Lord God! For the sake of Your word, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness to let Your servant know. For this reason You are great, O Lord God; for there is none like You, and there is no God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. And what one nation on the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people and to make a name for Himself, and to do a great thing for You and awesome things for Your land, before Your people whom You have redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, from nations and their gods? For You have established for Yourself Your people Israel as Your own people forever, and You, O Lord, have become their God. Now therefore, O Lord God, the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house, confirm it forever, and do as You have spoken, that Your name may be magnified forever, by saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel’; and may the house of Your servant David be established before You. For You, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made a revelation to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house’; therefore Your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to You. Now, O Lord God, You are God, and Your words are truth, and You have promised this good thing to Your servant. Now therefore, may it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You. For You, O Lord God, have spoken; and with Your blessing may the house of Your servant be blessed forever.” 2 Samuel 7:18-29.
And I kept My promise to David. Do you remember what the angel Gabriel told Mary? “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Luke 1:30-33. The LORD God will give Him the throne of His father David. Yes, I watch over My Word to perform it. And Jesus is My Word made flesh to bring all My promises into manifestation in your life.
David also hit impasses in his life. Goliath looked formidable and put the army of Israel in fear, but David pressed forward and did not let what looked like certain defeat get him off his path to protect Israel and the Covenant. Despite My anointing and promise to David he would be king, it seemed it had not been really ordained by Me when Saul tried for thirteen years to kill him. David had to run for his life, but he never blamed me and he kept himself in My love by never voicing anger or ill will towards Saul, and he never questioned Me about the call I gave him to be king. A few times he could have taken vengeance and killed Saul but he refused to touch the one whom I had once anointed. He waited for Me to bring about what I had promised him but he never lost his confidence in Me. And later he faced many battles to keep enemy armies from taking the land I had given My people Israel. He never questioned Me about the attacks, instead he consulted Me for the strategy to obtain victory. Even in Ziklag before he was the king commanding the armies of Israel he asked Me what to do and did it. And he had an astounding victory in what looked like certain defeat. When he ran into an impasse, he looked to Me to find the overpass. And he always did.
Refuse to give up. If I spoke something in your spirit keep on going. Refuse to be derailed. If you freeze up every time the devil comes against you, then you will stay frozen the rest of your life. But I put a fire on you, the fire of the Holy Spirit! The fire of Love! And love never fails. If you think you have run into disappointments, setbacks and impasses and you have given up hope of seeing My Word come to pass, I would like you to read about Paul’s impasses in 2 Corinthians 11.
Paul showed you a little bit of what he faced each day but kept on pressing forward to the goal: “Are they servants of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern? If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. In the ethnarch under Aretas the king was guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me, and I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and so escaped his hands.” 2 Corinthians 11:23-33. And remember what he later wrote? That he had learned to be content in any circumstance, that he was overflowing with joy, and that nothing moved him. He knew Me in whom he had believed and that I would deliver him from them all. And I did.
Think about these things next time you want to quit and re-evaluate. Be like David, be like Paul, be like Mary, be like Elizabeth, be like Daniel, be like Abraham, but above all, be like Jesus who overcome all opposition of sinners. And guess who is in you? And I have given you Him that you might live your life through Him. He is yours and all He has is yours. And all I have is His. The owner of all should never give up because in this world the devil throws some dust up before you. Stand until it goes down. If he closes a door, find the open window, or better yet, just bind him and take the keys away, Jesus already did so it is an easy fight of faith. Remember? Jesus told John in his vision of Jesus in glory on the island of Patmos, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” Revelation 1:17-18.
I love you. When you hit an impasse, look to Me to show you the overpass and live as an overcomer for that is who you are in Christ. So what motivates you? That question is really for you to evaluate your motives, because I already know the answer for I see your heart. My Word goes straight there to reveal the thoughts and intentions of your heart.