Jesus Christ is the Solution for your difficult circumstances

Where are you today? How do you feel? Perplexed? Frightened? Discouraged?

You and I live in a fallen creation. Sin and death have entered the world. Everyone is born in Adam’s likeness, with a sinful, rebellious nature. We cannot see God face-to-face. When you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, He creates you new with a nature that wants to please Him. But you still have the sin nature, which wants to rule you. The enemy of Jesus Christ becomes your enemy. Your enemy wants to steal your inheritance, destroy your witness and take others down with you. Jesus Christ knows about the danger around you. Your protection comes from remembering Who Jesus is, who you are in Him and that you are free in spite of circumstances.

Jesus Christ’s invitation in Song of Solomon 4:
8 Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions’ dens, from the mountains of the leopards.

Notice the invitation is to His betrothed.
Jesus Christ told us that He is physically going away but promised He will return for us.
John 14:
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Notice the invitation requires a response to come with Him.
When you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you gain fellowship with Him. The invitation is to focus on your relationship with Him and actively fellowship with Him. You have a choice.

Amana is the mountain from which the Abana River flows. You remember Naaman referred to that river when Elisha told him to go and wash in the Jordan River. 2 Kings 5:
11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.
The ever flowing steams from the mountain cause one to think of consistency like a covenant.
Remember the New Covenant?. Hebrews 8:
6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

Shenir was the Amorite name for Mount Herman, meaning “pointed”. This reminds us to focus.

Mt. Hermon is highest mountain reminding us of the highest goal –pleasing Jesus Christ, our Beloved Bridegroom.

Notice the invitation is to come from two predators and what they indicate about your enemy
First let’s look at the lion.
The lion’s roar can be heard for 5 miles. This reminds you the enemy can scare you with
hurtful things from the past, frighten you about your future.
The average male lion weighs 500 lb. This reminds you the enemy is bigger than you.
The lion can run 50 miles per hour. This reminds you he can attack fast, without warning.
The lion is social. This reminds you the enemy may use others in his attack and may frighten
you and about what others think of you.
The lion symbolizes your enemy’s ability to remind you of the past and to frighten you for the
future and about what others think of you.

Second, let’s look at the leopard
The leopard is built for hunting. This reminds you the enemy looks for circumstantial
opportunities.
The leopard can run up to 35 miles per hour. This reminds you he can attack fast, without
warning.
The leopard is an excellent climber, swimmer and can leap and jump long distances. This
reminds you natural obstacles are no problem for him.
The leopard often leaves prey up in the tree for days and return only when hungry! This
reminds you he can hurt you over and over. Please know I find no reference in the Bible
that your enemy can read your thoughts. But certainly, he has all of history to observe
human behavior and your personal history to learn about you.
The leopard is the most accomplished stalkers of the big cats. This reminds you he has the
ability to attack at the opportune time.
The leopard is a good agile climber and can descend from a tree headfirst. This reminds you of
his agility and his attack with teeth to bite.
The leopard symbolizes your enemy’s ability to spring at you speedily, to stalk you for
vulnerability times, and to torment and wound you over and over.

But Jesus invites you to come with Him, to focus on Him and to trust in Him. He cares and loves you unconditionally! He has power over your enemy!

Only Trust Him – John Stockton

1. Come, every soul by sin oppressed, there’s mercy with the Lord;
and He will surely give you rest, by trusting in His Word.

Refrain:
Only trust Him, only trust Him, only trust Him now.
He will save you, he will save you, He will save you now.

2. For Jesus shed His precious blood rich blessings to bestow;
plunge now into the crimson flood that washes bright as snow.
(Refrain)

3. Yes, Jesus is the truth the way that leads you into rest;
believe in Him without delay, and you are fully blest.
(Refrain)

4. Come then and join this holy band, and on to glory go,
to dwell in that celestial land where joys immortal flow.
(Refrain)

Questions for Reflection

1) What are you facing today? A lion or a leopard?

2) What are you feeling today?

3) How will looking at your circumstances through the lens of the New Covenant affect what you see?

4) How will looking at your circumstances through the lens of the New Covenant affect your focus?

5) What does your Beloved’s invitation mean to you?

6) What keeps you from responding to your Beloved’s invitation?

7) How much time did you spend today reading His Word?

8) What benefit do you see in responding to your Beloved’s invitation?

Hebrews 12:
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Let us run with patience the race He has set before us, looking unto Jesus,
Coach Patti