But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. Acts 20:24.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
When you know how loved you are in Heaven—a whole family of saints are waiting to welcome you and myriads of angels rejoicing over you—you will fear nothing. You are already known here in My Kingdom and there is a place for you already in the hearts of all here. You are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses who know you already.
“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.” Hebrews 12:1-2.
When you come to know and believe in the love I have for you and how close the heavenly Kingdom is in each of you who believe, life becomes one sweet continuum that death does not really interrupt, just takes you to higher level of My presence. Absent from your body you are present with Me in glory. And you enter into the Kingdom which is a place of beauty, majesty, splendor, and goodness beyond all you can ask or imagine. It is the place of perfect love.
“You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels in festal gathering, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.” Hebrews 12:22-24.
And today’s Life Lesson on what to do when Satan attacks is simply “Let Nothing Move You.” Once you are firmly rooted and grounded in Christ and know the love I have for you as manifested in Him and in the Kingdom I have prepared for you, when Satan throws his fiery darts at you and causes various trials to arise, you will say with My servant Paul (to whom I had shown My heavenly Kingdom), “But none of these things move me.” Acts 20:24.
I have called you out of darkness into My own marvelous light and in My light you see light. 1 Peter 2:9-10; Psalm 36:9. And as you continue to walk with Me and the saints in light, where I have qualified you to be, “the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day.” Proverbs 4:18.
Once you have no fear of death and have come to know Me for who I am, Satan cannot move you from your prize no matter what he throws at you. You have stability in your times for I am your everlasting rock. “The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. And He will be the stability of your times, a wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is his treasure.” Isaiah 33:5-6.
I had given My servant Paul glimpses into My Kingdom, and I did the same for My beloved John. And this made them care little what Satan did in their lives or whether men wanted to put them to death for preaching the Gospel. They knew in life or death they were Mine and were with Me and where they were going was far better than where they had been.
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.” Philippians 1:21-26. But finally there came the time he longed for and he wrote to his disciple Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8. Knowing Me, he had his eyes not only on this life but also on the Kingdom, the time when he would be with Me forever and knowing Me even as he was known. “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:12-13. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Romans 8:18.
My prophet Daniel knew Me and I opened to him views of My heavenly Kingdom and of the ascension back to My throne of Christ. I showed him the timetable for the coming of the Messiah and of His sufferings and death, I also showed him the endtimes and the rewards of those who would persevere with Me. And nothing could sidetrack him away from Me. You see him loyal to Me and My Word from the day you first meet him in the Book of Daniel as a captive carried off to Babylon, refusing even to break My dietary laws, which could have ended in his being put to death, to being fearless of being thrown in a den of hungry lions since the only way he could escape it was to cease praying to and worshipping Me. Life or death he knew he was with Me and he wanted to please Me in all his actions whether he lived or died. I promised him that he would rise again. Daniel 12:12.
When things come against you, and they will in this life, Jesus told you that, but He also told you to take courage for He is with you and in you and He has overcome the world. And in Him you can do the same. He has made you righteous. “The righteous will be for an eternal memory. He will not fear evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is upheld, he will not fear.” Psalm 112:7-8. “In righteousness you will be established; you will be far from oppression, for you will not fear; and from terror, for it will not come near you. If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me. Whoever assails you will fall because of you.” Isaiah 54:14-15.
If you are standing in faith you will not be moved. Unless your faith is strong you will not be strong. For it all comes down again to knowing and abiding in My Word. You are only going to acquire faith by hearing and hearing My Word, and particularly My Word about Jesus Christ.
“This Book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
But it goes beyond the Word to hearing the heart of the One who spoke the Word and to know My love for you that surpasses understanding. It is then you are aware of the life that is life indeed that no eye has seen or ear heard or as it even the heart of mortal man, but you have the gift of the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you to that vision which one day will be your reality. Face to face. And that makes life simply without end so death no longer has any sting for you.
“Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.” Hebrews 2:14-15.
“But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:54-58.
When whether you live or die so long as you are with Me makes no difference to you so that you can simply laugh at the devil and rebuke him without fear, it is then you have truly come to know Me and entered My rest and become like Me, unshakeable, “Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us!” He who sits in the heavens laughs, the LORD scoffs at them.” Psalm 2:1-4.
“And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.” Revelation 12:11.
When you would rather step into a fiery furnace then bow your knee to an idol, it is then I come down and walk you through the flames unharmed. For if you bow to Satan and surrender to his tactics, you will burn. But if you refuse to do so right in the face of death, you will never burn. I have a place all prepared for you filled with delights at My right hand forever, and everyone there knows you well and is looking forward to your joining the festivities that never stop in that sacred place of love and light once you have overcome. You will count it all joy for what lays before you when you reach perfect eternal day.
“But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39.
I love you. I will NEVER leave you or forsake you and I am asking you to do the same for Me.
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. For I am the LORD your God.” Isaiah 43:1-3.