Apples and Apples and Revelation

(freshplaza.com)

Again, while praying and standing in the red-light booth at Planet Fitness, I found an analogy. This time, for revelation.

It’s really quite simple. I have an apple and I place it on the table between us. You take a picture of it from your side of the table, I take a picture of it from my side of the table. We trade phones and check out the pictures. It looks as though we’ve taken pictures of two different apples! Somehow, your picture shows a greener apple than mine. In my picture, the apple looks almost completely red. How can this be? (Not a fancy illustration or a difficult mystery to unravel, I know. God has to use simple points to ponder with me.)

 

Since it’s my apple, I pick it up and hand it to you. You examine the apple to see that, yes, it’s one apple that simply looks different from differing angles.

But, without holding the apple to see for yourself the magic of one apple displaying two different colors in appearance, you couldn’t have the revelation you needed to understand and unravel the mystery at hand.

Throughout life, there will be mysteries to unravel, many not quite this simple to solve. For understanding, we need revelation. And to know the truth of the matter, that revelation has to come from the One Who holds the answers, the owner of “the apple”. 

(pinterest.com)

‘God, I see what this mystery looks like from my human perspective, please show me how You see it.’

Is that too simple? That’s godly revelation. Perspective is everything, I’ve blogged about it many times. But, until we see things from God’s perspective, life can look to be too hard.

God doesn’t hide things from us, He hides things for us! He’ll show them to us when we’re ready to ask for the revelation. Sometimes we’re quite content to sit there with our puny human perspective, but why? There’s so much more to life! There’s so much more to every aspect of life than what first meets the eye.

“You have not, because you ask not.” – James 4:2

Ask God for revelation. He’s more than generous, 

He wants you to have the revelation.

Fruit Roll-ups

(fggam.org)

As I was praying over a dear friend this morning, God nudged my memory and I recalled having a discussion with a friend many years ago. This friend was feeling attacked by someone else we knew from church. An illustration came to mind about the precious Blood of Jesus.

This Blood is the only thing that can cleanse us from sin, it’s our “ticket to Heaven”. It provides a whole lot more for us, though. It provides for our every need. The Blood of Jesus fulfills every promise God made to us in His Word. It provides deliverance from spiritual afflictions, brings life to our spirit, gives us physical healing, protects us from the enemy and more.

Appropriating all the blessings this Blood provides is our job. Jesus did the work on the Cross that makes available the blessings of salvation, but it’s up to us to take those blessings and believe they are ours, to walk in them and to apply them to our lives.

If I buy you a brand-new car and drop the keys in your accepting hands, the car won’t do you a bit of good if you never put the key into the ignition, turn the key and drive off. You’ll still have the car, but I didn’t spend my money on a gift you refuse to use...

(choosingchia.com)

So, here’s my strange analogy. Way back when I got this revelation, Fruit Roll-ups were a new thing. Kids and adults alike seemed to love the fruity snack. Supposedly made of fruit juices (I have my doubts), they’re a sticky substance, rolled out into a flat sheet, then rolled up into a roll and packaged for convenience.

In my mind’s eye, I could see my grown friend lying on a huge, spread out Fruit Roll-up, then rolling over and over, folding the gummy, sticky substance over themselves until they were covered completely. To touch them, I’d have to poke through the Fruit Roll-up. Bizarre? Perhaps, but, the image was to illustrate that the Blood of Jesus completely covers us.  The enemy has to poke through the Blood to get to us.

Unlike the roll-up, the Blood of Jesus is strong. There’s nothing stronger. I can easily poke my finger through a roll-up. But though the enemy try repeatedly, he cannot break through the Blood of Jesus. That’s our permanent protection, promised and delivered by God, Himself.

We can feel beaten up and worn down by all the poking the enemy does to us, but he cannot get through.

When we stop spending time in God’s Word and talking with Him daily, we weaken, but the Blood of Jesus is still as strong as it was the day He poured it out for us. Even when we spend time with God, the enemy is still trying to poke through, but His Word encourages us and tells us the truth – that the enemy is lying to us, again.

We need to get it into our understanding that the enemy cannot take us out. If he could, he would have done so already. All he can do is lie to us, hoping to deceive us into believing we’re sick or oppressed or afraid or confused, etc.

Begin to praise God in the midst of your circumstance (and get back into His Word!), believe God. Then, laugh at the mess you thought you were in. God will show you your breakthrough as you praise Him, as you acknowledge His protection and promises fulfilled to you.

Complaining, whether internally or to others, about the negative garbage the enemy is throwing at you will only help it to stick to you.

(wccowboychurch.org)

Trust that bloody roll-up of Love, trust in God’s provision. He’s not a man that He should lie to you. (Numbers 23:19) He’s provided every single thing you need to live a prosperous life; to live life abundantly. That’s what He sent Jesus to do for you!

“Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus  Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." -Hebrews 13:20-21 (NKJV)