In a time not so long ago, I prayed to our Father and said, “Abba, I have done all that I can – I have tried to be a better man – I have tried to reach those around me – I have tried. If You need anything from me, You will have to provide – I have nothing left.”

The Holy Spirit answered and said, “Now I can use you.”

With the answer came an understanding of God and peace. It is not I, but all Jesus is in me and all I am in Jesus, that will do the things that the Holy Spirit has testified to me. At that I gave all, everything, back to God (it was His already). God then made me a steward of all that I had returned to Him. Every moment God gives to me what is His that is required for that moment. Every day every blessing is new and there is a reason to be thankful. God is my Father and I am His Son by the blood of Jesus Christ. All that is mine is not mine but His, it is all in my Father’s house.

Someone once asked Jesus if it was lawful to pay taxes. Jesus said, “Show me the tax money. Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21). What is it that bares the image and inscription of God? Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image” (Genesis 1:26). These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens” (Revelation 3:7). “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name” (Revelation 3:12).

Abraham, while he was called Abram, went to battle to free Lot and returning from the battle he was met by Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God. Abram gave to the king of Salem a tenth of the spoils of the battle (Genesis 14:14-20). Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils (Hebrews 7:4). We are in a battle to take back the children of God. The spoils of the spiritual battle are the children of God. What we take back is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such there is no law (those are what existed before law); for Christ is the end of the law for everyone that believes (Romans 10:4), but those things begin with God and Jesus is their manifestation.

God is God and I am not, but I am His Son and I bare His image and His inscription. What do I give to God? All of me. The Father gave to Jesus all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). He is my authority and the authority I serve. Jesus said, “Do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matthew 23:10-11). Jesus lived that statement. Jesus in us, dwelling in our heart, lives that statement. We must bow down to Jesus as our Lord and King and surrender ourselves to Him. That is how we get on the right side of the spiritual battle. Jesus will take back what the enemy took from us – Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (Galatians 3:13) – Jesus Christ gets back for us love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

© 2004 Tim D. Coulter Sr.