For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. Hebrews 12:3
Jesus had to face opposition, denial, and betrayal by those around Him. However, He did not allow others’ bad or unjust behavior to change His mind, emotions, or will about what God had called Him to do. When the enemy tried to tempt Jesus, His trust in the Lord was greater than any pressure that the enemy exerted on Him. His relationship with His Father was secure, and He did not need to prove to the enemy that He is God’s Son!
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. Hebrews 12:2
Jesus set the example on how to fight the spiritual battles. Peter, His disciple, loved Him so much that he did not want to see Jesus to go to the cross. While it would have been easy to give in to Peter’s kind words, Jesus saw them for what they were. He knew that the enemy was using Peter, at that time, to try and derail Jesus from God’s purpose. On the other hand, the Pharisees were jealous of His popularity and tried to falsely accuse Him, so they could eliminate Him. Jesus was not intimidated nor offended by them. He kept doing what the Father had shown Him to do.
Jesus’ vision about God’s purpose anchored Him in the will of God and nothing was able to move Him. He was confident in His relationship to the Father. He also had an accurate understanding and expectation of the people around Him. Those two facts along with the absence of insecurities, selfish motives, and hidden agenda, allowed Jesus not to get baited by the enemy. He was not puffed up by people’s flattery nor was He discouraged or offended by their criticism of Him. That was Jesus’ method in fighting His spiritual battles!
In one form or another, the spiritual battles are about our relationship with the Lord! Jesus fought the spiritual battles by remaining close to the Lord, and He continued to trust God with the process. Do you tend to get weary, discouraged, offended, or hurt? Do you allow others to shake your resolve? When was the last time that you recognized that you are in a spiritual battle? Do you see when the enemy uses people to get to you?
While Jesus was meek, gentle, and humble, He was unshakable, strong, and courageous! He was able to move forward in God’s plan with joy because He knew what was waiting for Him and for us on the other side of the cross! Take some time to quietly sit with the Lord and let Him define the present situation for you.
