Yoked or free

C

Cturtle

@Fish Catcher Jim made this statement on another thread and the Holy Spirit impressed upon me to add some Scriptures to it.
*****When any one accepts this battle of the flesh as a thorn or something that will always be such a big battle until the Lord delivers one from this life - well they are putting back on the yoke of bondage that the Blood Of Christ destroyed....Sad part is that it does not even fit any more but there are those who will carry the thing around day after day belieiving there is no other way****

This brings to mind a few Scriptures...Matthew 11:28-30 which says for us to come to Him All who are weary and heavy burdened and He will give us rest (Hebrews 4:11). Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me for I am gentle and meek in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light(1 John 5:3)

1 John 5:3
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome

Hebrews 4:11
Let us therefore be dilligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience

Galatians 5:1
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ (the Anointed one) hath made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Isaiah 10:27
And it shall come to pass in that day the his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing

1 John 2:27
But the anointing (special endowment or enduing with the Holy Spirit) which you have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him.

John 15:4-5
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye except ye abide in Me. I am the vine and you are the branches: he that abideth in Me, and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit for without Me you can do nothing.

John 14:10,12
Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The Words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father Who dwells within Me does the works....Most assuredly, I say to you he who believes in Me the works that I do he will do Also, and greater works than these he will do because I go to my Father.

John 17:21, 16-17
That they all may be one, as You Father are in Me and I in You..that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify (set apart) them by Your truth. Your Word is truth


2 Corinthians 12:9
And He said unto me, My grace (God's overwhelming desire to treat you and me as if sin never happened) is sufficient (to be enough, to be possessed of unfailing strength) for thee: for My strength (dunamis- power, ability) is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the Power (dunamis, which is God's power....force, ability) of Christ (the anointing) may rest (abide with or to fix a tent or habitation on) upon me.

God was not saying that Paul had to keep ahold of the thorn...but that He already had the power (given to Him by God) to cast that demon out. To say that we have a thorn that was put there by God to keep us humble or to teach us something is contrary to His Word and His Character, for the Bible says that God cannot and does not tempt people James 1:13-14).

Blessings of grace and peace be yours in abundance
 
What an uplifting post! All so blessedly true. (y)

I would perhaps suggest something regarding this part, however:

Cturtle said:
God was not saying that Paul had to keep ahold of the thorn...but that He already had the power (given to Him by God) to cast that demon out. To say that we have a thorn that was put there by God to keep us humble or to teach us something is contrary to His Word and His Character, for the Bible says that God cannot and does not tempt people James 1:13-14).
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"For if I shall desire to boast, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth; but I forbear, lest any one should think as to me above what he sees me to be, or whatever he may hear of me. And that I might not be exalted by the exceeding greatness of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn for the flesh, a messenger of Satan that he might buffet me, that I might not be exalted. For this I thrice besought the Lord that it might depart from me. And he said to me, My grace suffices thee; for my power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather boast in my weaknesses, that the power of the Christ may dwell upon me. Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in insults, in necessities, in persecutions, in straits, for Christ: for when I am weak, then I am powerful." - 2 Corinthians 12:6-10

We see from the scripture here that Paul retained the thorn, even though he prayed three times for it to be removed. He was left with that weakness, and through it he learned the sufficiency of the Lord's grace. If we feel the buffeting of the enemy, the right reaction is to turn to the Lord for grace to bear it, and we get power when we feel our weakness according to nature. We don't try to meet these things in our own strength - in fact, we think nothing of our own strength. Paul took pleasure in not being strong, in being the object of insults, in being put upon, in being persecuted, in being in difficult situations in his pathway - there were all opportunities to prove and learn the strong arm of the Lord.

Regarding the prayer, here we see imperfectly in Paul what was perfectly exemplified in the Lord Jesus in Gethsemane: "Father, if thou wilt remove this cup from me: -- but then, not my will, but thine be done." (Luke 22:42) He only prayed once and accepted the answer, Paul prayed three times before he would accept it.
 
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pancakes said:
So its okay to ask god for grace T help us bear the burden...and continue to believe the best.
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Actually the Bible says to give God our burdens and cares, mt 11:28-30. We were not created to bear any burdens. That is the job of Jesus our intercessor, and High Priest (Romans 8:26-27, 34; 11:2; Hebrews 4: 14-16; 9:15).

God never told Paul to bear anything, He said that His grace was sufficient. In other words His power that He has given us is sufficient enough or able enough to cast out the demon that was tormenting him. Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:28 -29 said that he had care, which also translates to worry or anxiety. That was his thorn in the flesh.

2 Corinthians 11:28 kjv with strongs definitions in parentheses....Besides those things that are without (with the exception of) that which cometh upon me daily, the care (greek word - merimna..which translates to anxiety...through the idea of distraction...which points to mk 4:18-19) of all the churches. In other words he allowed himself to be anxious in regards to false or religious doctrines to corrupt the gospel that he preached to these people. The false doctrines cause the people to back away from the Gospel of Jesus, and turn back to worshipping idols or back to the jewish ways of adhering to the law as their form of salvation. Which makes what Jesus did of no effect.

The isv says in 2 Corinthians 12:7 (this is Paul talking) To keep me from becoming conceited because of the exceptional nature of these revelations a thorn (mk 4:18-19) (something to pay attention to) was given to me and placed in my body. It was satan's messenger to keep tormenting me so that i would not become conceited.

Here is the same verse in the king james with strongs definitions added in parentheses......And lest (in order) I should be exalted above measure (to lift oneself up, to carry one's self haughtily) through the abundance of revelations there was given (brought forth) to me a thorn (mk 4:18-19) in the flesh (human nature, the earthly nature of man apart from divine influence and therefore prone to sin and oposed to God...Greek word is sarx) the messenger of satan to buffet (chastize, or torment...and fear has torment) me lest i should be exalted above measure (to lift oneself up). See in ch 11 vs 3 Paul says that he feared and that is what opened the door to the torment.

In vs 9 in the easy English it says but He (God) said to me I myself will help you and I will make you strong. I am everything that you need. When you are weak, then I will be powerful in you. Then I will show more completely how powerful I Myself am. So, i (Paul) am very happy to speak about how weak i am. When i am weak (in the flesh or submissive to God's ways) then Christ (The Anointing) power stays over me.

If we look in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 Paul talks about the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly and that we have to cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience to Christ (the anointing). So Paul already had the answer of how to deal with this.

I pray this makes sense. This is what God gave me when i was studying it a few days ago. Blessings
 
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