An equal YOKE that CHOKES

An equal YOKE that CHOKES

You can be equally YOKED with God, but afterwards gets CHOKED with the ruins of indiscretion and smokes of foolishness.

You may have come unto the Lord for rest from heavy laden, and end up in great distress from un-surrendered labors.

The pathway to rest in God is NOT only being yoked with Christ, BUT also learning of Him; this two sided obligation for them that must follow Him, is without option of choice or selective preference.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Mathew 11:29-30

The promise of finding rest for your soul CANNOT be realized until these two prerequisite conditions are fully met: being Yoked with Him, and ever Learning of Him.

Few days ago, in a retrospective discussion with a brother about some recent negative and consequential experiences we share, and the unutterable question of “Why should God allow them to happen?” especially to us His servants, who are giving in all to serve Him diligently –supposedly.

As we contemplate this thought, the Holy Spirit, being readily present, spurred us up to a certain reality, speaking through brother Hyacinth, He said: “Though we are yoked with Christ on a mission with God, but many times we run conflicting to the YOKE and its guiding principles; seeking to run on our own tracks in the name of the Lord, thereby ending up CHOKING up ourselves with the consequences of insubordination, we then put the blame on God or Satan”.

Yet, in the spirit of religion, we evade taking responsibilities for our actions and pass off everything as God’s or Satan’s, whereas; neither God nor Satan is answerable for our idiocies.

What invalidates our spiritual authority, devastates our experience, delays our blessings, and as a result weakens our dominance over nature and Satan is un-surrendered works of our Flesh and its collaboration with sin. The devil “Collaborates” with you to destroy you; he secures your agreement to intercept your blessing, and tucks your Contribution to ruin your destiny through the gateway opened up for him in your Flesh.

Afterwards, the Holy Spirit further pointed my heart to a scripture verse “A person’s own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the LORD.” Proverbs 19:3

O Lord, have mercy on us!

A yoke is a wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plough or cart that they are to pull. Now, imagine two animals tied together to plough a field, obviously one animal is usually stronger than the other, then think of the weaker animal going a different direction while the yoke is one –apparently it is a choke slam; an attempt on suicide. That’s a perfect befitting imagery, each time our flesh leads us contrary to Christ’s biddings –we are choke crashed,

The figurative use of “yoke” in the sense of “servitude” is intensely obvious. Jesus inference of “My yoke” in Mathew 11:29 mean “the service of God as I teach it”, suggesting to us that, we cannot afford an alternative vision or nurture a different ambition in our service to God. Also it also means that there must also be harmony of inclination, direction, and purpose. It is written, “Can two walk together except they agree?” Amos 3:3

Recently, I am coming to terms with some choking fallings, failings, and afflictions in my life. I am first and foremost looking less to Satan and demonic activities as the cause of most of them, and am now looking inwards for footholds in my life serving as spring balls for these afflictions, “Whoever digs a pit may fall into it; whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.” Eccl 10:8

Someone wrote, “You cannot conquer a devil you continuously grant access into your life”, and if you do not “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature” Colossian 3:5, those very things will “Put you to death” sooner or later. Spiritual warfare in the new covenant is ALL about waging war against the FLESH and its agents rather than against the Devil and his demons. We are charged to declare and wage war on the Flesh and its members. It is a self-focused and self-directed warfare.

Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give no opportunity to him]. Ephesians 4:27

That is to say, give Satan no room to choke up your life. Do not allow him to ground your progress or shatter you focus in God, and ultimately, give no cause to Satan to accuse you before God; hindering your breakthrough.

A ground yielded to Satan in enough to ruin a life. A foothold of lying and deceit will ruin decades of integrity. A moment of pleasure in sexual vices will destroy many years of trust and fidelity. Sensuality, lust, lies, anger, rage, bad feeling toward others, curses and slander, and foulmouthed abuse and shameful utterances will crash, crush, and quench the spirit, destroy every spiritual investment, and retard your progress and stability in God.

Many afflictions and sufferings we experience as believers in Christ are avoidable if we will collaborate with the Holy Spirit’s workings in our lives, and completely surrender our labors and every works of the flesh to His dealings.

Nevertheless, Praise and glory to God, who delivers us ALWAYS from all afflictions and for His mercies we are not consumed by many troubles. Psalm 34:19. He is faithful and makes for us ways of escape, until we are complete in obedience and are made perfect in Him.

I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship. Romans 12:1

Our responsibility in spiritual warfare as outlined in scripture is to worship God by presenting the flesh as a living and daily sacrifice to God, so that, His blessed and glorious YOKE in our lives will no longer be a CHOKE in our experiences.

Selah!

#divinerealities
Alapa HyacinthIyanuoluwa FeranmiGabriel Femi-EmmanuelRegha JuliusEkemini Toyin Emmanuel