LUKE 20 (PART 1): THE ROPE OF HOPE

Luke 19 ended with the people hanging on...
to
every
word
that
Jesus
said!

So its no surprise
that Satan stepped in
to cut the umbilical cord!

Right at the beginning
of Luke Chapter 20,
we see the leading priests,
the elders and the Pharisees
questioning Jesus’s authority!

Isn’t it like Satan
to try to cut the rope, 
the Word of God -
our only hope!

This reminds me of what happened,
in Luke Chapter 4, 
when the Holy Spirit led Jesus
out into the wilderness -
to be tempted by Satan!

Satan began
by questioning Jesus’s identity,
and then he offered
Jesus an opportunity
that all of humanity
could never resist -
the authority to be a king - 
to have a worldly kingdom,
and all the riches and glory
that go with it!

Jesus addressed two
of the three temptations
that Satan presented
by declaring, "It is written."

Honestly,
"temptation" is really just
manipulated appeals
to the desires of the human flesh
which can be triggered by us, or Satan.

The tit for tat,
the one for one -
the "tempting option" vs. the "Word of God" 
was finally broken
when Jesus stood on
the sovereignty of God.

Jesus said,
“You shall not put the Lord your God to the test”  
and this, my friend,
is when the tempting stopped.

This is when Satan left,
and this is when
the angels came in to minister to Him,
with encouraging acts of healing and love.

​The Word of God
is our rope of hope,
it truly is
the Highway that leads to Heaven.

The Word of God
is our refuge, our strong tower
and our salvation; and His citizens 
are protected under His badge of honor.

The Word of God
is the sword
that divides the spirit from the soul,
and the joints from the marrow!

The Word of God
is the river of life,
He makes streams appear,
when there are none.

The Word of God
is the anointing oil
that we put into our lamps, 
and it shines so bright
that it lights up our paths,
and it should never be placed
under a basket.

The Word of God
is sovereign.
 
And to those who believe
that Jesus came
to be their living sacrifice;
to lay upon the Altar of God
and have his flesh ripped open, 
to pour out His blood
so that we could live
in the afterlife -
you have the authority
to declare that you are blessed,
despite the earthly circumstances
that you are dealing with.

Do not let Satan win!
Do not question
the sovereign God!
Do not stand against Him!
If you do,
I promise you this -
you will lose your grip!

The Rope of Hope
is the umbilical cord to God -
and if you do not stay attached to it,
you will lose your nourishment
and experience death.

They prideful leaders said,
“By what authority do you get to preach?”
“Who gave you the right to teach these men?”

Oh My God,
I don’t even know how Jesus could stand them!

This should be the place
where Jesus says,
“I will spit you out of my mouth!”

Instead of answering them,
Jesus said,
“Did John’s authority
to baptize men
come from heaven, 
or was it merely human?”

What a great response!
Let their hearts figure it out!

After some consideration
the men realized
they were damned no matter what!

They spoke amongst themselves and said,
“If we say it was from heaven,
he will ask why we didn’t believe John,
and if we say it was human
the people will stone us
because they are convinced
John was a prophet.”

So they chose to say,
“We don’t know.”
Their faith in God was lukewarm.

Jesus responded,
“Then I won’t tell you
by what authority I do these things,”
and he proceeded ministering
to the people who would listen to Him.

My hope is that you have decided,
for yourself,
to choose a side - hot or cold!
Because the Lord has endured
a terrible baptism,
and He is dividing His wheat from the chaff.

I tell you this,
get ready for war,
because it is coming!

I have heard the Roar,
the Lion of Judah is ready to move,
but His Father is holding him back.

“Not Yet”
is what I hear,
“There are still hearts repenting;
there are still hearts turning back.”

Go back and read my poem,
“Faith, Can You Hear Me?”
It’s on my blog,
“Breaking Strongholds.”

The Lord says,
“Do not let go of
My rope!
Hold on tight to
My Word!
Strengthen your wrists,
wrap your fingers around My Hand!
The Gavel of Justice is coming down!

“The blood you have poured out
from your children, 
and among your brethren
through all kinds of human oppression
is crying out from the land!”

“How dare you think
this is democrat or republican!
Those are labels created by man.
There is only one Sovereign God,
and His Name is “I AM”

It is time to decide. 
Do you trust in yourself,
or do you trust in God?

The Lord says,
“Do not lay down your garments,
I do not care for them.
I walk across them, and trample them!
I am looking for hearts who are rooted in love,
not of the world, but in who I am.
These are the ones that I call MY sons.