A harmless man is not a good man. A good man is a very dangerous man who has that under voluntary control.
~Jordan Peterson
O LORD, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O LORD, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy. God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran…. Selah … His splendor covered the heavens, and the earth was full of His praise. His brightness was like the light; rays flashed from His hand; and there He veiled His power. Before Him went pestilence, and plague followed at His heels. He stood and measured the earth; He looked and shook the nations; then the eternal mountains were scattered; the everlasting hills sank low. His were the everlasting ways.
~ from Habakkuk 3
Oh beloved, it is true.
One of the problems in our lives, is not that we are weak. The problem is that we are strong – even powerful – beyond our imagination.
But, in our fallen state, even those of us who’ve been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Those of us who have repented of our sins, and realized our need for a Saviour from the penalties and payments of those sins – have not yet realized that there is more saving that must happen.
Said more simply: We absolutely need to be saved from our sins. And Jesus has done this through His mighty work on the cross, His death, and through His triumphant resurrection. But, there is more saving to be done…
What??
Yeah.
We need to be saved from our sins. But, just as importantly we need to be saved from the manufacturing center of those sins. We need to be saved from ourselves.
Can we see it?
This is where meekness comes in. Meekness is one of the most misunderstood words, and is often twisted by those who have an agenda. The world, and the prince of this fallen world, would have us believe that Jesus was ‘meek and mild.’ Jesus was some skinny, and quiet momma’s boy, who quietly walked through the world on his way to get squished by His heavenly Father.
Not.
Even the etymology of Jesus’ Name is packed with power. Jesus is a derivative of the name: Joshua. And Joshua’s root meaning is: YHWH is Salvation. And further, Jewish understanding of the name, Joshua, included a rich insight into the warrior, Joshua, commander of The Armies of The Living G_d!
Further, they knew this same Joshua did not get his training from boastful combat. Joshua trained in the most interesting way: He sat in the near Presence of The L_RD for many years on end. Check out Exodus chapters 33-34. Be prepared for the power in those passages though. You will definitely find that Joshua – Yeshua – Jesus was not named for some weak guy. He was named after the very disciple of Moses.
And, what seems most clear from a clear reading of the history of the Hebrews is that Joshua was one of the best military leaders in the history of the world. Joshua’s tactics are STILL studied in war colleges around the world. And, they likely influenced other greats like Sun Tzu, Alexander The Great, and Cyrus The Great.
The secret that Joshua had? Utter, complete, radical, unrelenting trust in the very G_d that he had come to know, face-to-face, in the wilderness of Qadesh. He had learned power from the Source of Power Himself. And, he had a humble, meek man in Moses who modeled this approach in front of Joshua for decades.
Catch this. Joshua rarely needed to speak. Joshua did no grand-standing. And, Joshua walked in invincibility for years, taking on seven nations, and thirty some people groups – conquering every one of them for The L_RD.
By the way, don’t miss this either. Joshua started taking names and kicking armies out in his 60s or 70s. Yet he fought with the strength of a young man. He finished his career at the age of 110, and fell asleep among the greatest of those who have ever walked the earth.
Our Jesus walked the same way. Quietly. Confidently. Utterly convinced of His unbreakable relationship to the The Father. Each syllable that he uttered has shattered the schemes of would-be usurpers across the ages. Jesus, like his namesake, Joshua, was so confident in His mission, that he wiped out the stratias and legions of demons with one command: IT. IS. FINISHED.
Beloved, you are this. You are mighty beyond belief. Walk in quiet confidence in your unbreakable union with G_d in Christ Jesus, through the sealing of The Holy Spirit. You (and this fool of a writer) have no need to boast and yell and self-promote.
Tonight is your night. Walk in quiet confidence. Stay in the Presence of G_d. Move at His beckoning. And, in all of this, conquer the world.
Meekness is our full power, purposefully placed in God’s control.
~Makala Barnabas Doulos
