I warn you now, I am not the person to call in an emergency or crisis or pressure situation. I am the freeze-type, who needs a moment first to collect myself and my thoughts before I start to figure out what I need to do. I do not like nasty surprises, and I like my ducks in a neat row.
Needless to say, after the Lord gave me the initial Word about Power Code Living (“Yzelle, I have given you a power code. If you are Heart-strong, Mind-strong, Body-strong and Spirit-strong, you will be able to overcome anything that comes your way”), I first had to get my head around it for myself, before trying to reverse-engineer it into something I can recognise and label in my own life. I also asked the Lord to show it to me in the Bible. If I am going to understand it, I need to see it in the Bible. Not that I doubt God, but I have learned over the years to first turn to the Bible for confirmation before just leaning on my own understanding or revelation.
After a while, I received the answer to my prayer, in 2 Timothy 2:11-13 [NLT]:
“11 This is a trustworthy saying: If we die with him, we will also live with him. (Heart-Strong)
12 If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. (Mind-Strong)
If we deny him, he will deny us. (Body-Strong)
13 If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.” (Spirit-Strong)
Reading it the first time round, it might come across as a bit harsh. I think Paul was a man who did not have time to waste words, and can come across as judgmental or finger-pointy, but on reading these verses a few times over, I started to see the point the Lord wanted me to understand. Let me share with you what I understood about it:
If we die with him, we will also live with him. [v.11].
How does God want me then to live with Him? Initially I wondered if God meant martyrdom, but I realized it was not that dramatic. Heart-Strong is about dealing with the past, and with everything that is going on with me in community with others. It is about “my place in the sun.” The Bible has hundreds of Scriptures about the heart: dealing with our personal lives, experiences, relationships, culture, family, etc. Our identity and belonging are God the Father’s territory. He is our Creator, the One with the Masterplan of our lives, and the map of how to overcome our past hurts and embrace life, relationships and community here on earth. Everything that has anything to do with our identity, our birth, life, family, relationships, etc., is Father-territory. We get our identity from Him, the One who planned us, gave us life and purpose, a hope and a future. When our past doesn’t push us all over the place anymore, we can live with Him. When our hearts are not limited or bound by our past anymore, we can fully embrace living with God as our Father.
If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. [v.12].
We will all agree that reigning is Jesus-territory. There is only One King Who is worthy to reign, and that is our Lord Jesus Christ [Revelation 4 & 5]. He is on the throne, and He is the One Who can demonstrate what to do when the enemy comes against His Authority. But it is not just naming and claiming. In a Kingdom, there is protocol. Being part of the Kingdom of God here on earth requires unconditional obedience. A Kingdom is not a democracy. As the King demands, we do. No one demonstrated enduring hardship more precisely than Jesus. He endured much hardship, growing up and as a working carpenter, travelling crisscross over the country and sleeping rough, to make sure He would be able to physically and mentally endure all that was to come, and die at the precise right time, and not an hour or minute before what was expected of Him. God the Father synced Passover with the Israelites year after year for centuries, and Jesus had to fulfil it exactly to the hour and the minute to be the perfect sacrifice for us. When the enemy breaks down our minds, we are not able to fully obey or fulfil our calling of reigning with Christ. More than ever before, we are facing a relentless, targeted assault from the enemy to destroy our minds, our thoughts and our peace in every possible way so that we cannot fulfil our purpose, and end up living a life of futility. 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us that everything that stands up against the authority of Jesus must be brought to obedience to Jesus. It might not be easy, but it is not impossible. Jesus did not leave us without examples, strategies or ways and means to overcome and live Mind-Strong.
If we deny him, he will deny us. [v.12].
Those who know me personally will know my first reaction about Body-Strong was one of “not another health & wellness program” … But God reminded me about what I learned at the Lighthouse. For one, the fight for bodily acceptance is real. Two, to make peace with ourselves, our limitations, our weakness and inabilities, our consequences, and to make Jesus the centre of it all. For example, being homeless removes denial completely. There is no hiding or blame-shifting one’s circumstances. The beauty of it is when Jesus is welcomed into it. When we submit every weakness, every wrong thing in our lives to Him, He will testify to it when confronted about it. Some things cannot be overcome by willpower alone. In any area of our lives that we deny Him entry or access, the enemy will demand in court that Jesus deny us before the Father, and there will be no rest from the attacks of the enemy. Bring every little thing before Him, so that nothing is in darkness. Remove the enemy’s hold on our lives by bringing Jesus into every weakness, no matter what it is. With Jesus, there is no shame, only Light that defies darkness. Jesus wants our partnership in our healing journey.
If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is. [v.13].
The Holy Spirit is the One that empowers us to live as Jesus expects us and God the Father planned for us. That is His territory. He is our partner in everything, and the One Who will walk with us, guide us, equip us and help us, whatever the journey before us. He will always testify to Jesus and the Father [John 15:26 AMP]. We never have to walk alone. We never have to deal with anything in our lives alone. Even when we are weak, struggling with our faith, battling spiritual giants that keep coming, we are not alone. He is our Trainer, our Armour Bearer, our Eyes and Ears, Strategist and Helper. He is the One that removes the arrows from our backs; He is the One that prays when we are out of words, energy and motivation. Even when we are unfaithful, He is faithful, because that is Who He is. Getting to know Him, and walking with Him, is what makes us Spirit-Strong. Do like I did and take time to chew on this. See how this fits into your life and ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of where each point of your power code is revealed in your life. Build an arsenal of examples that will give you something to hold onto when you go through challenges. Power Code Living is a testimony of your life as much as of mine, given to us so that we will overcome and not be overcome by our ancient enemy.