Rabbi Schneider - Exercising Your Will
The challenge that you and I have is to believe that God is good regardless of what we're facing and that He's doing something good in it, and the key to breakthrough is not running from what we're facing but rather looking to God in what we're facing, asking Him what is it that He's wanting us to receive in the situation. Facing the storm and the headwinds head-on rather than letting the enemy take us out of facing the truth by seducing us with pleasure, which is what I talked about last week. I'm not going to go back and review. Or the enemy causes us to run from where we're at by causing us, listen now, or deceiving us into running from our pain. No pain, no gain.
We have to face the truth, and there are so many challenges that are being presented to us that need to be confronted, conquered, and faced rather than running from. If we run from difficulty our whole life, we'll never get strong, and you won't get happy and have breakthrough until you get strong. And so, we're talking about thinking supernaturally. What happens to us, my beloved friend, is that when we face a challenge in our life - and a lot of it is just mental, I mean it's just, everyone is in their own world because everyone lives in their own mental space. And the enemy is continually trying to put his picture in our mind. The enemy is a spirit, and he's continually trying to inject thoughts of fear, thoughts of worry, and thoughts of unbelief into our brain, just like he did Yeshua in the wilderness. He's able to project a thought realm. He's able to project a spiritual construct of thought into our mind.
And if we don't recognize what's going on and learn how to cut him off and say "no" to him, we're going to spend our whole life trapped in fear, doubt, and unbelief. Shame, accusation, hatred. So you and I, rather than running from these thoughts when they come into our mind or running from our challenges, instead we need to understand what's going on, put our shield up, stay grounded, and stay in connection with Hashem, in connection with God to receive from Him what He wants to deposit into us in the middle of our situation. So when we have a thought of fear, rather than running from the thought of fear by going to do something, "Oh, I think I'll go do this, oh, I think I'll go eat that. Oh, I think I'll go watch TV. Oh, I think I'll call my friend. Oh, I think I'll get on the computer".
Without even realizing, we're running from our fears and anxiety. Rather than distracting ourselves with busyness, which is what Satan wants us to do, we need to instead face the fears and the anxieties and the challenges head-on in the Lord and go through them. But the enemy doesn't want us to go through them. He doesn't want us to face the Lord in the middle of our situations and get breakthrough. So what he tries to do is to take us out of being grounded in God's power by either seducing us with a thought of pleasure so that we run from staying where we're at, grounded and moving through in the Lord, we run, to go get something to eat, or to be busy, or to reach out to a friend or to get on our computers. He either seduces us that way or he makes us think that, you know, do this, and you'll escape the pain. He motivates us either for the desire for pleasure or he motivates us by a seduction and deception that we can escape the pain. But as I said last time I spoke on this topic, we can't escape the pain by running because wherever you go, there you are.
I encourage you to get last time's broadcast on this subject. You see, what the Lord wants us to apprehend and to grab a hold of is this. If we're going to experience His power and grace on this earth in this present life, we have to stop looking for God there and we need to instead look for Him here. In other words, many of us are running like a mouse on a little wheel that's trying and trying and trying to get somewhere. But no matter how hard the mouse pedals, the wheels just keep spinning, a hamster or a mouse on a wheel. Many of us are living life like that because the enemy keeps on telling us when you get there, you'll feel peace. And so we're constantly running around, staying busy, trying to get there. But once again, it never works because wherever you go, there you are.
So rather than looking for the Lord there, we need to be grounded and look for the Lord here. And rather than thinking we're going to experience God's presence then, we need to be grounded and realize, if we're going to experience His presence, we must experience Him now. It's not then and there. It's here and now. Many of us are constantly abandoning ship, thinking that if we go someplace else, if we can get there, if this happens, then; if I get promoted, then; if I get married, then; if I have a baby, then; if I get a new house, then; if I remodel my kitchen, then. We're always thinking it's good to be then. But once again it's the same problem: wherever you go, there you are. If we're going to walk in the power of God, it's got to be in the here and the now. We've got to break off the mindset of the then and the there.
Now, it is true, beloved, the reward, our full reward is not in this world, that we're going to one day see Jesus face to face. That is for sure. And when that happens, the veil is going to be completely removed and we're going to be exactly like He is. That's a truth. But on the other side of the equation, it's also true that Jesus said in the Scripture through His Apostle, "As He was in this world as Yeshua was in the world, so also now are we". And so God wants us to have that mindset-the mindset of Jesus. Jesus was always conscious of the Father.
So to think supernaturally, we need to stop trying to escape our pain, stop running to pleasure, and instead try to find the Lord right where we're at here and now praying to Him continuously from our soul, "Father, God, let me receive from you everything that I should be receiving from you right now. There's a reason that I'm experiencing what I'm experiencing right now. There's something that you wanted to posit in me. There's something you want me to learn. I'm not going to run. I'm going to keep working to stay connected to you so I can receive everything that I can only receive from you by going through right what I'm going through now".
Thinking supernaturally. It gives a different spin on things. Because when we think like that and we have confidence in God's goodness, confidence in His sovereignty, confidence in His banner of love over your life, individually, specifically, and personally, that all things are working together for good to you, to be conformed to the image of God's Son, and you're being brought into a deeper experience of his reality. When you approach life like that, then you know that every trial that you're encountering is actually working for your good, and you could embrace it. And again, this is why James said, "Count it all joy when you encounter various trials that come to you for the testing of your faith. The perseverance and character will be developed in you and that you'll end up complete, lacking nothing".
You see, the goal is to see Jesus. And Jesus is found in the depths not in the shallows. Yeshua is found in the depths, not in the shallows. And going through difficulties bring us into the depths. This is why Paul said in the book of 2 Corinthians, he said, "I'd have you know, brethren, that I am burdened excessively beyond strength, so that I despair even of life". He said, But these challenges are happening to me that I learned to trust in God that raises the dead rather than in trusting in myself. Did you hear what I just said? Paul said he was going through so many challenges and struggles, that life was so hard for him that he made it like, "Oh, man, I gotta face this another day". But then he rejoiced, he said, "But there's a purpose in this. I'm going through all these challenges that are too big for me to face on my own because God is teaching me to trust in Him that raises the dead rather than myself".
So Paul was able to write to us to embrace our challenges. Because in our weakness, Paul said, His power is being perfected. So you and I need to wake up every day. We don't know we're going to be faced with every day. But we should face every day with joy, knowing that as we move through each day with God, we're being brought deeper into the depths, into a deeper experience of knowing Him in us, Yeshua in us more fully. And the more fully, beloved one, that you know Him in you, the more content, the more fulfilled, and the more happy you will be. So we need to break the cycle of fear and start thinking in the supernatural light of God's Spirit and His word.
Remember I said the enemy is always trying to project thoughts into our minds of worry, fear, anxiety, temptation, deception, negativity, hostility, all the things that the enemy represents. You and I need to recognize we have a choice. You have a will. That's why you're created in God's image. This what makes you, beloved one, unique because you have a will. You can choose to accept the enemy's thought, or you can choose to reject it, and believe that God is good, God loves you, God has a purpose for your life. Jesus commanded us not to be afraid and not to worry. That e dwell on that which is good and lovely and of good report. You and I have a choice every single day about what thoughts we're going to focus on. At any given time, I am being given a choice as to what I'm going to allow my mind to take a hold of.
Are my going to allow my mind to take a hold of a thought of accusation against somebody? Or am I going to reject that thought, and instead choose to have mercy and love and grace for that person? You see, it's always a choice. Am I gonna allow the enemy to choose to make me worry or fear or am I going to reject that and instead, say, "No, God, I believe that you're sovereign, that you love me, that You reign over my life, and I'm going to have joy. I'm going to be confident. I'm going to rejoice in you. I'm going to be happy. I'm going to show my faith in you Father, that I believe in you above everything. And I know in doing this, Father, this will make you happy". It's all about exercising our will. It's all about exercising our will. The light of thinking supernaturally. Know that you're in a battle.
That's what the Scripture says. "Our fight is not against flesh and blood". We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities of spiritual wickedness. So you have to get wise and you have to wake yourself up and put all this negativity off. You're in a battle. You have to wake up and stand off and break it off you and say, "I'm going to believe you're good, God. I'm going to believe you're sovereign, God. I'm going to be a person that's encouraged. I'm going to be a person that's walking in your light. I'm going to walk in the light of Hashem. I'm going to walk in the light, Father, of your word. I'm gonna believe Jesus. I'm gonna believe He is who He said He is. That all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him. And I'm gonna believe His word when He told me: Do not be afraid". Jesus said, once again, "In this world you shall have trouble. But be of good cheer..."
So my question to you, dear friend, dear brother and sister, will you choose to allow the difficulties of life to suppress you and depress you and discourage you and make you sad and make you anxious? Will you live in defeat? Or will you take a hold of the light of Hashem? Will you take a hold of the light of His Word, and resist those types of thoughts, and instead, stand on Jesus and walk on water with Him? You see, you can walk on water, and I can walk on water every single day by choosing our thoughts rightly. Let me say it again. You can walk on water every single day by choosing to dwell in God's light, in His thoughts, in the truth of His Word.
And so how are you going to approach your life? Will you declare war right now on defeatism? How can you live in defeatism when the Bible says that you've been raised with Christ and are seated with Him in the heavenly places? How can you walk in defeat when the Bible says God is causing all things to work together for your good to conform you to the image of His Son? How can we walk in defeat when Jesus said, "My peace I give unto you"? How can we settle for defeat when Jesus said, My joy I give to you? How can we walk in defeat when the Bible says, Greater is He that's in us than He does in the world? How can we settle for defeat where the Bible says, Neither height or depth, breadth or width or any created thing can separate us from the love of God but know in everything we are more than conquerors and we continually triumph, that we're triumphant in life? So how can we settle for defeat unless the enemy has broken our faith and broken our back with unbelief?
I speak power and light and life to you right now. I released the truth of Father God and Yeshua into your soul right now and into your mind through His word. Father, I ask You to release right now a spirit of wisdom and revelation into your people. I asked You, Father God, to strengthen us all by the power that raised Your Son, Yeshua of Nazareth, from the dead. Father, we come into alignment and into agreement with You right now. And we repent, Father, of thinking thoughts of sickness, being bound up Father God in grief. Father, we release ourselves now to trust You.
Do you know what the worst and most grievous sin, beloved one, is that you and I commit? We won't open up our heart to trust in God's love. It's the most dangerous foul sin in the universe. It is the most dangerous sin in all of creation, that you and I will not open up our hearts fully to trust in Hashem's love, to trust in the Creator's love for us. You see, because if we don't open up our heart to trust in His love, we seal ourselves off of His salvation. In order to receive Him fully, we must let go of our fears, let go of our grief, let go of our bitterness, let go of our accusation, let go of our doubt.
We must let go of all that to entrust ourselves to Him, to surrender ourselves to Him, to open up and let Him in, to let go of the past, and to fully surrender to trust in His love. To not do that seals our fate in death and isolation. So I encourage you now and I declare over you now a new faith and a new courage and a new confidence in the light of God's word to open up your heart to Him and trust Him completely, regardless of what you're going through or what is going on in your life. He is bigger than at all. He's even bigger than your faithlessness. Because when you're faithless, beloved, He remains faithful to His own. He remains faithful to you.
So, Father, we celebrate your goodness today. We worship you today. We thank you, thank you, thank you, Father God, today. What can we say, Father God? We love you and we endeavor to fully live in the light of trusting in your love from this day forward.