The Entire Gospel Message Is a Message About a Decreasing
“Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:]
Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not [think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped ] or retained, but stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being. And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross!” 2 Philippians 2:5-7 AMPC
The Entire Gospel Message Is a Message About a Decreasing
There are two kinds of decreasing:
1. There is the kind that separates us from God as being individuals who live bowed before His Throne.
2. And there is the kind that joins us to Christ, where we become His body on earth living joined together with Him, and where we ever decrease in our own strength, ability, power and self-sufficient state of living, so that He may clothe us in His Power.
This kind of decreasing leads us along a path of self-abasement (surrender), where we willingly seek to yield our lives as living sacrifices to serve Him and to display His Person and Power at work in us, and where we lay our own will, desires, passions, talents, ability and strengths down, in order to become weak in our natural man, so we may be clothed upon by His inner-Strength and Power.
Many times the journey to live a Spirit-led and a Spirit-filled life leads us through obstacles, hardships and trouble.
These are not designed to destroy us, but to break us. To bring us to the place where our strengths are being made weak in order for His Power to made manifest in us and to be seen working through us.
The natural man, by nature, is strong, independent and self-willed.
God graciously leads those whom He calls and who will follow, down a road where we are beautifully broken, to become needy of Him and of His Power, so that we may learn to rest and fully depend upon Him and that His Strength may have the opportunity to be perfected in us and displayed through us, and that by His Glory being displayed working in our lives and through us as the transforming Power operating in us – He may be glorified!
“Three times I called upon the Lord and besought [Him] about this and begged that it might depart from me; but He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and Power of Christ may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!
So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses; for when I am weak in human strength], then am I [truly] strong (able, powerful in Divine Strength),” 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 AMPC.
~ Johann van der Hoven
Johann van der Hoven has been in service of the Lord since 1991 and has hosted numerous mass revival meetings in South Africa and abroad and is a published author. He is the visionary of Fellowship of the Believers, host to “Eagle Food” Apostolic & Prophetic Seminars, and currently pioneers “Deeper Life” Revival School International, from South Africa where he resides. For more info visit www.sonsofsovereignty.com
Lovely.