Today's Unshackled Echo was previously published on
March 24, 2015.
You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.
Hebrews 12:4
Jesus, completely God and completely man, had a wrestling match with Himself in the Garden of Gethsemane. The part of Him that was all man felt the fear about what was soon to happen to Him. He wanted to find another way. He wanted to escape the cross. The anxiety, anguish and sorrow overwhelmed Him to the point that He felt like He was dying (Matthew 26). His Spirit, all God, knew that the plan and will of the Father was the only way. He wrestled with and defeated the temptation to do His own will (the will of the man part) instead of the Father's will. He settled the argument with surrender. "Not My will but Yours be done."
Jesus stood up after that time of prayer ready to face all that would come, starting in the next few minutes. He would be betrayed. Every friend who ever promised to have His back and ride with Him to hell and back ran away and deserted Him. One of His best friends would deny even knowing Him. He would be lied about, misquoted, and framed in a horrible farce of a trial. He would be beaten, mocked and crucified. Let the pain begin with a kiss, Jesus was ready. Why? because He resisted the will of His natural/fleshly self and surrendered to the will of the Father.
It wasn't easy. In fact, this battle took so much out of Him that the stress caused blood vessels to burst, and Jesus sweated drops of blood. We can't do this. We're not capable. The author of Hebrews knew this to the point that even with the length of time it would take to deliver a letter he didn't fear writing that none of them had resisted sin and the flesh to the point of sweating blood. We just can't. We, on our own, will cave long before that point. But the Spirit that settled things at Gethsemane lives in us, and He is able to give us the power and strength to line our will up with God's. Once the will is surrendered, the battle is over, no matter what comes.
Abba, thank You for making it possible to walk with You. Thank You for giving us the power to surrender and the strength to obey, because without the added aspect of Your Spirit, I go running from the idea of Gethsemane in my life. Not only can I not resist to the point that Jesus did, the sweating of blood, I can't even go to the garden to try. Thank You for Your love for me. You are good. Amen.
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