For the past few days, “arm of flesh” has repeatedly been brought to my mind, with the thought that we can’t put our confidence in the things of man; that we can’t rely on our own resources or the resources of this world to resolve our problems or meet our needs. I wasn’t really that familiar with the scripture references, but the Lord’s message was very clear when I finally looked them up and truly understood what He was saying. And as always, it’s a perfectly timed message of great encouragement for challenging situations now facing several men and women in the ministry; and probably will be for others as well.

Philippians 3:3 says For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— And 2 Chronicles 32:7-8 says “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said. And the contrast between the consequences of our choices to either put our trust in our own strength, ability, understanding, wisdom and the ways of this world, or those of GOD ALMIGHTY is very clearly spelled out in Jeremiah 17, particularly verses 5-13, which says:
5 This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD.
6 He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.
7 “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.
8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
10 “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.”
11 Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay is the man who gains riches by unjust means. When his life is half gone, they will desert him, and in the end he will prove to be a fool.
12 A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary.
13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of living water.

As men and women standing for marriage restoration and seeking the peace, power and promises of our Lord and Savior, we can not afford to rely on our own understanding, ability or resources, because they will ALWAYS fail us and lead us away from all that Jesus Christ came to give us. We can’t rely on the world’s systems of provision and justice either, because they too will fail us and quite often in our times of greatest need. So we simply have to trust God to meet every need AND to justify and vindicate us as His Word promises. It truly breaks my heart when a man or woman is unable to understand that the only way we can ever have all that we want and desire comes through TRUSTING God and DOING what His Word teaches us to DO. As Jesus Himself taught us about The Wise and Foolish Builders (Matthew 7:24-29), putting His words into practice is the ONLY protection we have against the storms and trials of this world. And when we don’t, our homes will come down with a great crash!

Just look at some of the awesome promises we have when we put our confidence in Jesus Christ and DO what He teaches instead of relying on the “arm of flesh!”

So the key to having all that we want is to truly believe in the name of the Son of God, Jesus Christ! And to BELIEVE in the name of Jesus means to FOLLOW Him! John 10:4 says When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. And in John 10:27, Jesus said My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. But when we are afraid and filled with pride; thinking that we have to rely on our own understanding, wisdom, strength and ability, and the ways of this world, we are NOT LISTENING TO JESUS, and we are NOT following Him. And I’ve yet to witness a serious breakthrough, much less a marriage restoration, in the life of any man or woman who is relying on the arm of flesh and the ways of this world instead of the power and promise of God Almighty and His never failing Word. And just as our loving Father is ALWAYS so faithful to do, He provided amazing confirmation of the same message He gave me through today’s message from Glenn Jackson, which I strongly urge everyone now struggling with giving up the need to control and manage things that you can’t possibly control or manage to read online at this link.

Therefore, learning to forsake our natural tendency to rely on our own flesh and anything any other human does or doesn’t do, and learning to put our hope and confidence in Jesus Christ and the sacrifice he made for our deliverance and salvation and the power of His resurrection is one of the most important things for all Christians to learn. And that’s really ALL we have to rely on as we stand on the authority of the name of Jesus for the miracle of the full and complete restoration of our marriages and families. But when we put our confidence in Jesus, we will NEVER be disappointed. Yet, when we put our confidence in the arm of flesh or ANYTHING that can be accomplished by any human being or human system, we will most assuredly be disappointed. So take this powerful message to heart and put it into practice and just wait to see how blessed and encouraged you’ll be!

Posted Saturday, May 10th, 2008 at 8:59 am in Seeds Of Faith.