wrapping up confession #10:
“Not only do His Words penetrate completely and perform with precision, but they do not go out and return empty-handed. They ACCOMPLISH what God desires, and ACHIEVE the purpose for which He sent them. (Hebrews 4:12, Isaiah 55:10-12)”
I’d still been praying about whether to just move on to #11 or whether to send the other direction I felt like the Lord took me with confession #10 before we transitioned. I believe the Lord gave me the additional confirmation I was looking for this morning to go ahead and share the other part of confession #10 (from Ed Traut’s devo – at the end).
As you may recall, on other confessions He’s led us to add an additional dimension of revelation by making the application that JESUS is THE WORD made flesh. We can make that application to this confession as well. JESUS, God’s Word made flesh, did not go out and return empty-handed. HE ACCOMPLISHED what God desired and ACHIEVED the purpose for which God SENT HIM.
In the past years, God profoundly connected this revelation for me with several of Jesus’ statements, including John 17:14 (included in Ed’s devo at the end) and John 4:34:
Jesus said to them, My food (nourishment) is to do the will (pleasure) of Him Who sent Me and to ACCOMPLISH and COMPLETELY FINISH His work. John 4:34
When we first began confession #10, God brought this verse back to mind and led my thoughts in this direction as well ~ to meditate on how Jesus FULLY ACCOMPLISHED what God desired and ACHIEVED the purpose for which God sent Him – just as the Word does – because HE IS the WORD made flesh. Jesus has already accomplished and achieved what was necessary to provide the way for our salvation, our reconciliation back to intimate relationship with the Father, our healing, deliverance, provision, protection ~ our breakthrough and victory we need in every area. As we walk out the battles that stand between us and the manifestation of those victories (slaying and dispossessing the giants in the land so we can possess what God promised), we must continually remember that our steps of faith in obedience to God are to enforce the victory Jesus already promised, won for us, and made possible for us to receive by faith in Him. The same day I began to meditate on this, I knew God was confirming that He was truly taking my thoughts in this direction when I heard Jesse pray during communion, thanking God that Jesus “ACCOMPLISHED” ALL that the Father sent Him to do! (He had not read my email with confession #10 yet, so that is not what inspired this particular word/revelation to be on his mind).
The Lord also connected these thoughts to other passages:
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, WILL CONTINUE HIS WORK until it is finally FINISHED on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6
As long as we continue abiding in Jesus and His Word, God will continue accomplishing and achieving the purpose for which He sent Jesus into our lives.
Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with PATIENT ENDURANCE and STEADY and ACTIVE PERSISTENCE the appointed course of the race that is set before us,2 Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] (the “AUTHOR” of our faith – “one that takes the lead in any thing and thus affords an example, a predecessor in a matter, PIONEER”) and is also its FINISHER [bringing it to maturity and perfection] (In other words, JESUS FINISHES what He starts! As long as we abide in Him, He IS ACCOMPLISHING and ACHIEVING in our FAITH the purpose for which He was sent – therefore causing our FAITH to ACCOMPLISH and ACHIEVE its purpose). He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, ENDURED the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.3 Just think of Him Who ENDURED from sinners such GRIEVOUS OPPOSITION and BITTER HOSTILITY against Himself [reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials], SO THAT YOU MAY NOT GROW WEARY OR EXHAUSTED, LOSING HEART AND RELAXING AND FAINTING IN YOUR MINDS. Hebrews 12:1-3
This was a powerful verse to receive from the Lord as we prayed that our minds would not break and our faith would not fail. As we see at the end, this is a prescription to keep us from growing weary and exhausted, losing heart (leading to our faith failing) and fainting in our minds (leading to our minds breaking). The Lord has emphasized to us so strongly in the past 3 1/2 years that Jesus did not quit and give up when things got hard. He pressed all the way through the pain in order to pay whatever price was necessary to do the whole will of God. Thank God He did!! Think of where we would be otherwise! 
Our gratitude and love for what He’s done for us should now also cause us to be determined to do the same in return for Him. We must dig in our heels and be committed not to give up somewhere along the way in the process to accomplishing His will – no matter how hard it gets – but be determined to pay whatever price is necessary and to endure whatever we must endure to finish all He’s called us to do!
God also connected this passage back to our previous themes about the importance of fixing our eyes on Jesus, on the unseen, invisible, eternal truths. And from this, He also began to emphasize again the critical importance of our FOCUS – both:
- FOCUSING on Him and His promises, rather than what we see or feel in the natural realm... AND
- FOCUSING on what He’s called us to do and identifying and stripping away ALL that would DISTRACT and DETER us from the high call He’s given us
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As a side note, this is another one of the passages God has given us in the past years with the revelation of how it will help us combat attacks against our hearts and minds: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will GUARD YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
At times it is our desire to UNDERSTAND things we can’t yet UNDERSTAND that causes us to come to the brink of our minds breaking and faith failing. God’s antidote to this is not to quit seeking Him for UNDERSTANDING, but to make sure that as we seek Him ~ until that wisdom (understanding, knowledge, direction, instruction, etc.) that He promises to give is made known to us ~ that we resist anxiety and worry and instead allow His peace to guard our hearts and minds. This is a peace that is available for us to possess even when we don’t yet understand (a peace that transcends all understanding ~ or lack there of).
We can also connect this to: Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, (seek and submit to Him) and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
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to be continued…
