That's My Story and I'm Sticking to It

We talk a lot about the fact that God operates according to principals that He has instituted, to counteract the principals of the corrupt system that Satan instituted.  Hopefully it is bringing clarity to your purpose as a believer and the how to of walking it out.  Knowing we not only have a role individually in God’s plan but we are part of His corporate plan “the Church” to carry out His will on the earth, keeps us focused on truth and our mission, and keeps us from getting bogged down in the world.

America has strayed far from the model that I believe was God inspired.  But God’s original intent was for the branches of government and the judicial system to mirror God’s justice system and how we are to operate here as representatives of the kingdom of God.  Isaiah 33:22 gives us some insight, it says “The Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King, He will save us.  (The 3 branches of U.S. government, Judicial, Legislative, Executive) 

So here is what that looks like practically.  In the court system, you have the Judge who arbitrates and decides matters, the prosecuting attorney who brings accusation of your crime, the defense attorney who is your advocate, witnesses for the accuser and witnesses for the defense who speak on your behalf.  Then often there is a jury of 12 who hears and weighs the testimony to make a determination for or against the defendant.  The whole process is called a trial.  (Hopefully you can already see where this is going)

So let’s say the believer is faced with an accusation.  Let’s say we find ourselves in the midst of sin, or we receive a diagnosis of illness or a bad report in our life. (i.e. Job loss, whatever) That would be equivalent to being arrested by the police.  At that point most people know the rule of thumb is, “don’t talk to anyone, don’t admit anything, don’t say one word till your attorney is present".  These instructions will serve us well when dealing with one of the above situations.  When “catastrophe” strikes, we should guard our mouths and not let one admission of defeat or guilt come out of our mouth.  We should run to God’s word to find wisdom for the moment.  After one’s attorney (Christ is our advocate) arrives they talk privately with their client and develop a strategy to prove the client's innocence.

Now I want to stop here and make sure we are of one mindset before I go on because this is key.  If you have trusted in Christ as your substitute for your sin, YOU ARE INNOCENT.  No matter what the crime, even if you committed it, YOU ARE INNOCENT.  The believer is declared NOT guilty the moment he trusts in Christ to save Him.  That innocence can never be revoked!  GOT IT?  Ok, so throughout this whole trial, no matter who is deposing you (who is listening to your testimony) your testimony never changes, you are innocent.  Whether it’s some behavior, or sickness, or whatever the trial, your accuser is waiting to hear you break down on the witness stand and admit that you deserve this, you brought this on, and God is not going to deliver you.  But God’s Word says; Hold fast your confession of faith! (Heb 10:23)  What is our confession?  "I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, I am innocent"! That is your story, you are sticking to it, and don’t ever let it change! 

Now the devil is our accuser (the prosecuting attorney) and his job is to wear us down till we admit guilt.  Once we admit guilt, we allow unbelief in Christ’s accomplishment to set in.  We begin to look at our behavior, our weakness, and we wrongly accept the accusations that are thrown at us.  When that doubt and condemnation comes at you, see the devil grilling you on the witness stand.  Go to the Word and find the promises that belong to you, that are proof of who you are and proof that God has promised to deliver you from EVERY affliction.  That is the testimony that your attorney has instructed you to give, those are the pat answers that you cling to  no matter what the devil throws at you.  No matter what evidence you see that attorney pull out of his hat, no matter how surprised you are at what he has found out, your story does not change! 

Now in any trial there are witnesses that speak on our behalf to help bolster our case.  The Holy Spirit is our witness.  The Bible says that He testifies that we are sons and daughters of God.  (Rom 8:16)  That testimony alone makes it an open and shut case.  The Holy Spirit is the expert, surprise witness that the prosecutor cannot refute.  All the evidence was piling up, but at the last minute, this witness tore it all to shreds.  Maybe you have been given a report from the doctor and you see evidence that agrees with what he is telling you.  Maybe you have a wayward child and all the evidence says they will never change.  Maybe you are days away from losing your house, or car or just lost your job.  Is your marriage hopeless, are you already divorced and you can’t imagine any miracle being able to fix the horrible mess?  Hold fast to your confession, don’t change your story, don’t break down on the witness stand.  That expert witness is on His way, don’t you dare throw in the towel!