A Life Worth Fighting For

“Choose life? Yes.. choosing life is sometimes the hardest thing we ever have to do because death is so easy to live under. Life is something fought for.. and His life is something He wants to give us if we only choose Him and follow after Him and His commandments. This is life and because of it, our earthly body will fall into alignment with that abundant life He promised us.”

This was my text message response last week to someone very dear to me…

Life…what is it? It’s hard to describe isn’t it? Many see life as a swirling arena of events, turbulent and twisting around them as they try to grab ahold of something solid they can plant their feet upon. Many see life as something they must master and control as though they were born inside a lions cage fighting for their very existence. Life is often painted for us by those who have found life to be too miserable to handle. Many view life as simply the hand of cards they were dealt–playing them based on the survival skills that have learned over the years.  Others see life as a living death and some imagine it to be something beyond their dreams–just beyond their grasp but never taking it into possession.

Each person, to some degree, has a life view that is based upon what others expect them to see. If a young child is told the sky is yellow, then the child will believe the sky is yellow. Another person could be handed a beautiful tray of yummy desserts but somehow they only see it as a heap of overcooked spinach. Why? Because what is perceived IS the reality of life. Many come out of the womb seeing life through the eyes of others — living life according to someone else’s wishes. Therefore they grow up making such foolishness of decisions because they are programmed to dance to the melody of other peoples tunes.

Life is boring to most. Life must have additives to taste good. Do we really understand what it is to live life? What does Noah Webster in his 1828 dictionary say about life?

The present state of existence; the time from birth to death.

Oh my! If that’s it, take me now Yahuweh! Sadly, to most of the world–even good believers in Messiah–believe this is all life really is…a state of existence. If life can be defined as a state of existence, what’s to say that death is any worse?

I am one of about 7 billion people in this world and if you ask every single person what their view of life is, you will probably get close to 7 billion different answers. I said you will probably “get close” to 7 billion answers, for there are a handful out there who really understand what life really is. Not because they have some educational degree, or they’ve been around the block a time or two, but because they have lived a life that does not exist in the timetable of tomorrow. They rest in what is called–today.

Life to these people is not a present state of existence carried over from one major event to the next, but is living in the ‘today’ that exists in between yesterday and tomorrow. Unlike most, they have found that living life today in perfect rest is only possible because of the hope of never dying. We hold onto this life because it’s the only life we have, right? Survival is built into us. Our senses are highly alert, and if they are threatened, we jump into preservation mode. How powerful we try to hold onto what could be over in an instant. This thing of living from one breath to the next, with no guarantee of a “next,” is at the core of Sha’ul’s (Paul’s) words in 1 Corinthians 15:19. “IF in this life only we have hope in Messiah…we are of all men most miserable.” If this is the case, and if these words are true, then why do so many people confess their hope in Messiah, but live their lives as though He is still dead in the grave?

Salvation — the real and lasting life — is what comes at the end of the race..not at the beginning. Messiah Yahushua was not resurrected so that we could pad our earthly, fleshly “nests” with garbage, only to watch it burn up one of these days. Why is He good enough to save our souls, but we trust in man to heal our bodies? We run to man to fix our ailments, many of which are caused by our own gluttonous lifestyles, but when man fails to heal us, we blame “God!” Somehow, we trust in “God” enough to save us, but as far as interacting in our daily lives–we can’t trust Him as far as we can throw Him! As long as we are relying on someone else to help us, any ‘trust’ we exhibit in our wonderful Creator is in all actuality, “that ol’ insurance policy” we forever hold on to and never expect to use. Trusting in the Creator comes easy when you don’t have to trust in Him for anything. As long as we have health, food, clothing, shelter, and a little entertainment…what good does it do to trust in a Father when your own hand ‘hath’ provided all of your needs?

When there is “none to help”, then the value of trust we possess for our Father is measured. You see, trust has no value until what you are trusting in comes through. Who puts their trust in failure? What value is placed on failure?

“Do not be far from Me, for distress is near; for there is none to help.” — Psalm 22:11

We have been taught that the absence of distress is the presence of Yahuweh. However, though sometimes true, it is the presence of Yahuweh WITH us, that gives us the hinds feet to climb over distress. Distress and trouble is promised us in this world. It is with Whom we walk that determines if we will overcome it or not. Only until we step back and realize that there is no human being out there that can really help us, will our distress be something we can walk through with Elohim alone. Oh yes, Elohim uses people to help us, I don’t doubt that, but when our reliance is on the created rather than the Creator, distress will always be insurmountable. When our reliance is upon man alone, truly–we are alone.

In the temptation of Messiah in the wilderness, Satan tempts the Creator of the universe with ease and luxury. According to the enemy, life can be lived free of pain, free of hunger, free of debt, and free of slavery to anyone or anything…except for the simple knee that must bow to the prince of this world. For most, the life of gratifying the flesh makes this proposition a no brainer. However, there IS a difference between the ‘abundant life’ that is promised by Messiah and the “abundant living” promised by that old serpent the Devil. Yochanan (John 10:10) clarifies this perfectly. So many fall for the deception of “false security” in this life–mistaking it for the abundant life promised by Messiah. The Devil never gives us anything. What he gives will only be stolen away again, and a life destroyed as the result of the temporal pleasure of a piece of bread in exchange for a nod of the heart signifying a pledge of allegiance to the ‘god’ of this world.

To live our earthly lives apart from the abundant life of clinging to the Master, is a destructive belief system that authorizes dualistic loyalty both to the King, and to self. There is no separation in living life on this earth in the natural and living life in the Kingdom–the joy that exists in the presence of the King. How we live out our lives on this earth is a mere shadow picture of the life we would live–if given the chance–in the Kingdom. Anyone believing they can cling to this life to milk it for all it’s worth and once that is over, somehow present their ‘spiritual identification card’ for entrance into the Kingdom of Elohim, is simply duped.

We will only be alive and remain IF we cling to Yahuweh, Elohim of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Deuteronomy 4:4 is the outcome of Deuteronomy 4:3. Remaining alive to see another day is not a reward for doing some righteous deed or good work, but an opportunity to cling to Yahuweh with a realization that to cling to and follow any other ‘god’, will result in complete destruction. We will not remain alive if we fail to cling to Yahuweh. He is a jealous Elohim–a consuming fire! Choosing life is to destroy any hints of false worship of things that the world has told us is normal to possess. We worship what we delight in possessing.

The hope of the resurrection IS choosing life. We must adhere to the One who, like Jonah, was swallowed up by death, yet the power of righteousness, blamelessness, love and joy made death so sick, that it had no choice to spit Him up–resurrecting the Redeemer–Himself swallowing death forever in His victory over it!

Your enemy is not the daily life you live now and the seemingly hopeless circumstances you face–NO–it is the sting of death! It is time to stop living our daily lives as though we were already dead. We have One who has conquered death, so why are we living as though He failed? The sun still shines and the blood is still flowing. What else have we to do than to praise our Creator for the breath He has given?

The dead cannot praise Him. What are you doing with the breath you have left in this life?

Here’s a suggestion:

Praise ye Yahuweh. Praise Elohim in his sanctuary: praise Him in the firmament of His power.

Praise Him for His mighty acts: praise Him according to His excellent greatness.

Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet: praise Him with the psaltery and harp.

Praise Him with the timbrel and dance: praise Him with stringed instruments and organs.

Praise Him upon the loud cymbals: praise Him upon the high sounding cymbals.

Let every thing that hath breath praise Yahuweh. Praise ye Yahuweh.

–Psalm 150