Today’s New Covenant nugget is from Psalm 16:11
You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Jesus wants us living on ‘the path of life’… the path of life is His New Covenant path, bought and paid for with His own blood. The path of life is a pathway of blessings, joy and pleasures forevermore… it is a place of protection, provision and abundant living. The path of life may be surrounded by wilderness, but it is like an oasis pathway, filled with splendor.
As we prepare for 2021, we do not know what condition our world will be in, we do not know what viruses, what wars, what political agendas, or what personal challenges we are going to be surrounded with… but we can all face whatever we are going to face on the pathway of life!
In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
A ‘yoke’ is something that joins cattle together as they pull a wagon or a plow. What is the ‘yoke’ that joins us to Jesus? It is the New Covenant of grace that is established in His blood! The New Covenant ‘yoke’ that Jesus is talking about is a yoke that links our limited ability with the unlimited power and ability of Jesus… it is a ‘grace’ yoke that makes heavy, labor intensive, hard things light and easy!
This is what Jesus was saying, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, stressed and overwhelmed by life and I will give you rest. Connect yourself to Me through My New Covenant, established on Calvary and learn from Me, and you will find rest for your souls, for I am loving, full of grace and gentle, with the heart of a servant, for My covenant is there to make your life easy and light.”
THE YOKE OF JESUS IS HIS COVENANT WITH US THAT IS WHAT JOINS US TO HIM.
WHEN WE WALK ACCORDING TO HIS COVENANT LIFE WILL BE EASY AND LIGHT… BECAUSE JESUS HAS DONE IT ALL!
WHAT MAKES THINGS ‘HEAVY’ IN LIFE IS NOT CIRCUMSTANCES, FINANCES OR PROBLEMS… IT’S HOW WE PROCESS THINGS THAT MAKES THEM HEAVY OR LIGHT!
Proverbs 23:7 says, “As he thinks in his heart, so is he…” The Hebrew word for ‘think’ is ‘shâʻar’, ‘to split open, reason out, calculate, reckon, estimate or to process something’. As a person ‘processes’ things, so is he! When we process things according to circumstances, according to logic, according to worldly reality and according to our cultural upbringing, then we inevitably depart from the pathway of life into the dark and dangerous wilderness.
When we process things according to our New Covenant in Christ and the Word of God, we stay on the path of life and remain content, full of faith, full of joy and continue the blessed life, in spite of our surroundings… it is all in how we process things… as a man thinks in his heart, as a man processes things, so is he!
Joshua and Caleb possessed things differently from the rest… others saw the giants, the walls and the military might of Jericho and fell apart, wept all night and wanted to return to Egypt… Joshua and Caleb also saw giants, walls and a great army, but they saw what they saw in the light of the Word and in the light of God’s promise to them… Joshua and Caleb were excited and ready to receive their promise, while everybody else had nervous breakdowns!
Isn’t it amazing how some people will fall apart and how others will rise up strong facing the same circumstances? It is all in how you process things!
2 Corinthians 10:5 (AMPC) says, “We refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).”
We need to refute every argument, every reasoning and every thought process that sets itself up against the truth of our New Covenant in Christ!
INSTEAD OF THINKING, “THIS IS A GOOD DAY FOR A MIRACLE, GOD IS WORKING ALL THINGS TOGETHER FOR MY GOOD, THIS TEST IS A GREAT TESTIMONY IN THE MAKING, THIS PROBLEM IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY…” SOME PEOPLE THINK, “I AM NEVER GOING TO MAKE IT, WHY IS GOD DOING THIS TO ME, I CAN’T TAKE THIS ANY LONGER!”
THEIR PROCESSOR MAKES THINGS HARD AND HEAVY AND NEGATIVE!
PROCESSING THINGS ACCORDING TO THE WORD KEEPS US ON THE PATH OF LIFE…
Psalm 119:105 says, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to My path (of life).”
The Passion Translation says, “Truth’s shining light guides me in my choices and decisions; the revelation of your Word makes my pathway clear.”
The WORD is Jesus’ light that keeps us on His path of life! When you face things, ask… “what does the Word say about this… what has Jesus provided for me in the New Covenant? In other words, when the Dr. says that you have three months to live, what does the Word say? It says that by the stripes of Jesus you have been healed! When you are facing financial pressure and bills, the Word says, “my God shall provide your every need”. When you are facing a battle, what does the Word say? It says, “thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph! The Word is the light that keeps you on the path of life!
LET JESUS ‘SHOW’ YOU HIS PATH OF LIFE THROUGH HIS WORD AND HIS ANOINTING, A PATH OF JOY AND BLESSINGS… THEN WALK ON IT BY FAITH!
MAKE THIS CONFESSION WITH ME…
“JESUS, YOU SHOW ME YOUR PATH OF LIFE, AND I WALK ON IT BY FAITH!
I CAST MY CARES UPON YOU RIGHT NOW!
I PROCESS EVERYTHING ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD
I DO NOT SEE PROBLEMS, I SEE OPPORTUNITIES… I SEE THINGS THROUGH YOUR WORD!
I WILL NOT WALK ON A DARK HEAVY PATH! I WALK BY FAITH, I WALK BY GRACE, I WALK ON YOUR PATH OF LIGHT AND LIFE AND BLESSINGS, IN YOUR MIGHTY NAME ACCORDING TO YOUR MIGHTY COVENANT!”
In His amazing love, Nick
