A favorite tactic of the enemy is to push us a little off base until we lose our balance. Then he can move in against us because he has us on the defensive; he has us defending a lifetime of dedication.
We must assuredly move out of the place where we are defending the dedication we have given to God; we need to move far beyond that point to the place where we do not regret, with self-pity, the sacrifices we have given unto the Lord.
This is important. When a “Judas” comes forth, he is usually someone who regrets the price he has paid to follow Christ. When he finally realizes that his own goals are not compatible with what God has for him, he is resentful.
It is very natural for a disciple to ask, “We have left all to follow You; now what are we going to have? Who is going to look after us now? Who will take care of us in our old age? What is our security?”
The Lord answers, “Anyone who has left all of these things for My sake and that of the gospel will receive a hundredfold in this present time and eternal life in the age to come” (Matthew 19:27–29). In times of stress, when the enemy is pressing and we are on the defensive, it is difficult for us to evaluate things honestly. We reflect, “I thought it was going to be different.”
You must have the drive to occupy until He comes (Luke 19:13). You say, “I am going to be a disciple, not only for a six-day war, but for as long as it takes. If I have to reach up and make the sun stand still, I will. If I have to look forward to resurrection life so that I can continue to stand here and fight, I will. I’m going to fight it through because my dedication is not limited.” This determined attitude must be in your heart. The enemy may come and ask, “Is it worth it? Look at how many years you have been serving God. What about the prophecies over your life that are not yet fulfilled?” Tell him, “I’m going to stomp on you! I am believing that God will do what He first promised me.”
When people become unhappy with the walk in the Spirit and they complain, “We believed; we were sure; now what are we going to get out of this?” their focus is very self-centered. The work of the cross that God is doing in us is not to convince us that He will do something for us. The work of the cross is done because God is going to do something special through us. We have to die a lot before the rest of the world can be blessed a lot. There must be a deep working of God in our spirit before the “greater works” will be done, with the Lord being glorified and His name uplifted to the ends of the earth. Does this sound too idealistic? It must be our goal. If He is not the Lord, and we are not ready to live for Him wholeheartedly, to see Him glorified and magnified in the entire Kingdom of God, then we have missed God’s purpose.
When we stop to count the cost, we are in trouble because we cannot pay it. We only make it when we refuse to count the cost. No doubt you have heard about the man who was considering buying a luxurious and expensive car. When he asked the salesman, “How many miles per gallon can I get with this car?” the salesman replied, “If you have to ask that question, you can’t afford it.” Similarly, if you have to count the cost of your dedication to the Lord, you are in trouble.
You will have to realize that you have signed a blank contract. All of the details and the cost will be filled in later. If a car salesman asks his customers to sign a blank contract, and then adds several hundred dollars to the price he has quoted, he will eventually be caught and sent to prison. It may not seem fair for God to use those same tactics of filling in the price after you have signed a blank agreement; but how are you going to sue Him? He’s the Judge. And He is very explicit about His requirements: “If you want to be My disciple, you will have to leave all to follow Me.”
First of all, we had better define His terms. By “all” does He really mean “all”? The parables in Matthew 13:44–46 will explain this. “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.” Notice that he did this with joy. When he found the treasure hidden in the field, it was so delightful to him that he did not count the cost. With joy he sold all that he had and bought the field, because the field contained the treasure. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”
We find it true at this present time (and it will probably be even more true in the days to come) that many people do not see the value of this walk in the Spirit; they do not see the treasure. They say, “We prefer the traditional forms of Christianity. That old wine is better and less expensive. This new wine is too expensive. Usually the wine that has been aged is the most expensive of all, but here it is the new wine that costs; it costs us everything.” They may not realize that it could cost them more than everything. They will “burst” because of it, if they are not flexible.
Let me tell you something about that old wine. It does not make you “high” anymore. It does not even relax you. What about the new wine? It makes you fight principalities and satanic powers. It puts a dedication in your spirit that makes you say, “I’m going to do the will of God with all of my heart.”
Is that new wine expensive? Oh yes, it is very expensive. It also contains some sediment; it is still settling. Because it has not been thoroughly aged, we do not know what it will do—whether we will be blessed by it, or whether it will be bitter when we drink it. We have no idea what this new wine—this fresh expression of a Word from God—is going to do. We do know, however, that it will cost us everything.
If you feel that you cannot pay the price, you can walk away sorrowfully, as the rich young ruler did when the Lord told him, “Give all that you have to the poor; then come and follow Me.” Jesus was offering that rich man the bargain of the century. Who was he? What was his name? We don’t know. Cry for him a little, as Jesus probably did. The Scripture says that He loved him (Mark 10:21). That young man could have been another John, another James, or another Peter. Perhaps he would have replaced Judas.
But he could not afford to be in the apostolic company. The other disciples had left all to follow the Lord, but this unnamed man felt that the price was too great; and so he went away sorrowfully. If it makes you sad to pay the price, you have already lost the transaction. If you try to bargain with God and make a deal for a lesser price, you have already lost the treasure.
How much do you have? That is what it will take. It will take all. Lay it on the line. The man who found the treasure in the field sold everything he had. With joy in his heart he paid the price. What a contrast to Judas! Christ was being taken to Pilate when Judas walked into the Temple and said, “I’ve betrayed innocent blood.” Have you ever wondered what it sounded like when Judas took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them on the floor of the Temple? What was it like when one who had started out to serve the Lord turned back because he did not want to pay the price; instead he was reaching out for what he could get. As Judas heard those thirty pieces of silver falling on the Temple floor, no doubt the realization came to him, “I could have continued as an apostle of the Lord. I could have served Him; but I backed off.” He did not have the revelation of the Lord that is required. There is a little of Judas in every heart. We see it in Peter when he asked, “What are we going to have therefore?”
If you do not see the treasure hidden in the field, if it is not real to you, then you are like those who probably said, “That man paid too much for the field. The price was too dear.” Unless you have revelation, you too will back off at some point. Pray that everyone who becomes a part of God’s end-time remnant will have a clear revelation of Christ and of His Lordship. Without that revelation it is doubtful whether they will remain and go on with us. The time may come when they evaluate the price and say, “This costs too much.”
When the rich young ruler asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life, Jesus replied, “You know what you are supposed to do. Keep the commandments”; and He named some of them. The ruler answered, “I have kept all of these from my youth up.” He was a man who had walked with great integrity. He wanted to serve God with all of his heart. But one thing was missing: he did not have the revelation of the treasure hidden in the field. He had not found that one pearl of great price.
In the crisis hours of your life, you will either stand or fall according to your evaluation of the revelation of Christ to you. What does His Lordship mean to you? Can you lay all before Him and say, “Here it is, Lord. I’ll serve You with all my heart. I’m ready to do anything You tell me to do.”
We remember the prophecies of Anna and Simeon when Jesus was presented as a baby in the Temple. We read in Luke 2:34–35: And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed—and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
When the Lord Jesus Christ begins to come forth now in this day of the Parousia, it will again be for the fall and rise of many, and it will again be opposed. Remember this in the future months when you see dire things happening. As they happen, some will say, “Oh, I didn’t bargain for this. I’ve had enough; I don’t want to go through any more.” If you are not prepared to go the whole way, then perhaps this is a good time to leave. The day that you declare you do not want to go on because you have had enough of God’s dealings is also the day that you have declared how far you will go. Determine that you will be one of those who follow the Lamb and love not their lives unto death. This is the key: Will God be enough for you?
Can you rejoice in your dedication as Abraham did? He had prepared his sacrifices, but the Lord was a little slow in sending the fire, and so the vultures were hovering around the open carcasses. They could smell that something was dying. The demons are like vultures; you can sense them circling overhead every time someone is going through the work of the cross. Have you been dying a little lately? Look up; the vulture demons are there, trying to prevent your becoming that living sacrifice, wholly acceptable to Him. That doesn’t matter. Shoo them off, as Abraham did. Do not allow the devil to take away what you give to God. It is yours to lay at His feet. Then it is up to the Lord. If He does not want it, or if He wants to delay taking it, that is up to Him.
Perhaps you laid something at the feet of the Lord a long time ago, and now you find that He has not even bothered to pick it up. Would you have done less if you had known this when you gave it to Him? Would you have deprived Him of your all? Or would you have given it to Him anyway? Would you say, like Paul, “I know whom I have believed and I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day” (II Timothy 1:12).
Even if I were to fail God and He was ready to judge me, I would stand before Him, weeping and thanking Him for the privilege of having tried. I would thank Him for the privilege of having been in the race. I would say, “Thank You, Lord. I’m sorry I failed You, but I still give You praise that I was able to try.”
Who can understand the hunger after God that we see in the man who bought the field containing the treasure. With joy he sold everything he had and bought the field. That was a business transaction, but isn’t our dedication almost like a business transaction too? Stop and think of what you are and what you have to give, the sum total of it, and then think of what the Lord is and what He means to you. Can you do less than give all to Him? Can you hold anything back?
When we think of the sin of Ananias and Sapphira, we might feel that they held back money which could have helped the Body of Christ. If that had been the issue, Peter would have said, “You were cheating the poor”; but he did not. He said, “You have lied to the Holy Spirit.” The money was for Christ. The poor were identified with Christ. Inasmuch as they did it unto the least of them, they did it unto the Lord.
What kind of a price do you think you will have to pay? What do you have that is so precious that you want to hold back on it? Have you ever stopped to think about that? What do you really have? What makes you so special that you have to pamper yourself instead of choosing to become a disciple? What is it that makes you hold back? Do you say, “But I’m afraid; I must have security. I have all of these needs.” Don’t you know that He promised to meet all of your needs if you “seek first the Kingdom”? Then seek first the Kingdom! These other things will be added to you.
Reaching that plane of discipleship, however, is not easy. It is not something that we can lightly say and easily do. God must help us with it. Discipleship, like everything else, is progressive. The first step is our willingness to be willing. God honors that, knowing that ultimately we will lay all before Him. In the meantime, we struggle to do so, praying, “Help me with it, Lord. As much as I know how, I am ready. I am willing to be willing.”