Run,  Walk,  Stand

 

Isaiah 40:31.  But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

 

I think we all have heard this well known Scripture preached or taught at one time or another, but it is worth looking at again.

First of all waiting is not idly setting around,  No, waiting is an active verb, like a waiter or waitress waiting on tables.

 

It also means to remain in a constant state of readiness, confident in your expectation.   Waiting is also the working out of hope.  Or you might say it like this , waiting is the working out of our expectation, confident in our hope unto the end.  We should all have this confident expectancy in our walk with the Lord.

 

One of the definitions of  mount up  is to rise up,  another definition is to recover or restore.

So you might say it like this, if you are confidently expecting God to move on your behalf, you shall rise up, or be restored.  Then, and only then,  you shall run and not be weary you shall walk but not faint,  or as one translation says you shall never tire.     I like that.

Running is also an indication that you are in a race, and we are.

 

Hebrews 12:1-2. Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,  looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 

1Cor. 9:24. Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.

 

We are in a race to the finish, but we know that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith.

It is our responsibility to run it in such a way that we will obtain it.  However we are not left alone, we have help. We have the Lord Jesus Christ who is our high priest and we have the Holy Spirit who leads us and guides us into all truth. We should take great comfort in this that we have not been left alone, regardless of how we may feel. Our Lord Jesus also told us that He would never leave us or forsake us.  The deck is stacked in our favor. We just need to remember that fact and keep on acting as if it were true, because it most assuredly is.

 

New Jerusalem Bible

Philippians 1:6.  I am quite confident that the One who began a good work in you will go

on completing it until the Day of Jesus Christ comes.

 

I love this! He started the work and He is the one who is going to keep on completing it until the day of Jesus. 

 

Ro.8:31. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

 

37-39. Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

Why don’t we line up with God and say like Paul did, If God is for me who can

be against me.    

And in all things I am more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus. 

 

Mt.14:25-31. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.

And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!'' And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid. And Peter answered Him and said,  Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water. So He said, "Come.'' And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?''

 

In this passage of scripture Jesus walked on the water.  You might say well,  He was

the son of God.  This is true, but what do you think you are if you are in Christ Jesus.

Jesus was the first born of many brethren.   The first born implies there was more to come.    Praise God,  I am one of them!!!    Peter wasn’t even born again at that time,

nobody was.  Jesus bid him come.  Peter stepped out and walked on the water but what he was really walking on was, the Word of God.  Water is not going to hold you up.

But the Word of God never fails.   However Peter failed when He took his eyes off Jesus words and looked at the circumstances.  He saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and began to sink.

He stopped walking on the Word Jesus had given him, and was at that point really walking on the water, you will notice the outcome, he began sinking. It was God's Word holding him up, not H2O.

 

Really, how could the circumstances of the storm  have prevented him from walking on water?  They couldn’t have.  It is impossible to walk on water in the natural.  The man was walking on fluid.  The Word of God is what was holding him up, until he let fear in.  If he had not let fear in he would have kept on walking.  Don’t be too hard on Peter, until you have walked on the water yourself.   Gods Word is what is holding us up, let’s keep our eyes on the Word of God, and that alone,  then we shall walk but not faint, or fail. 

 

Remember Peter had the Word to stand on. Jesus bid him come.  If  Peter had not had that Word, he would have never walked on the water at all,  so lets make sure when we step out of the boat, that we do it on the Word of God. Then we can have the confidence that it takes to do the job that we are called to do. 

 

Rom:8:1: There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

2. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

 

This is another part of the walk, walking in the spirit.  When we are born again, our spirit takes on the life and nature of God, and we have got to learn to let that inner man of the heart dominate our outer man.

When we do this, we won’t fulfill the lusts of the flesh.  We fulfill the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, then we defeat the law of sin and death.

 

1Cor:15:55-58: O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?''

The sting of death is sin, and the strength 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 labor is not in vain in the Lord.

 

1Co.15:1. Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,

 

1Co.16:13-14. Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.

Let all that you do be done with love.

And Finally,

 

Ephesians 6:13. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

 

Keep on standing, regardless of the circumstances,  remember, Jesus said I will never leave  you or forsake you.

 

If you want to know for sure that you are a child of God then I would like to invite you to earnestly pray this prayer.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. Your word says, “…and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”   (Jn.6:37),   So I know You won’t cast me out, but You take me in, And I thank you for it.  You said in your Word,   "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.''     (Ro. 10:13).

I am calling on Your name,  So I know You have saved me now, You also said, “…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.”     (Ro.10:9,10).

I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He was raised from the dead for my justification. And I confess Him now as my Lord, Because Your Word says, “… with the heart one believes to righteousness…” and I do believe with my heart, I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21),

And I am saved!            Thank You, Lord!

I can now truthfully say,  I see myself as a born again child of God!

 

                                                             Glory to God!!!!          Amen.