A Crown of Thorns (Part II) (June 2020)
We saw in our last newsletter that the coronavirus got its name from its resemblance of a crown (a corona). The Bible talks a lot about the different crowns in Scripture that the Lord has for us. His crowns for us are glorious. He does not place the crown of the coronavirus upon people. He is good, and “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). Jesus said, “The thief (the devil) cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). We understand that Jesus is our Redeemer. He took our place in the Garden of Gethsemane with the extreme emotional stress, the mockery, the beating, the crucifixion, and hell, so that we could resist what satan tries to put upon us in this world. Jesus desires us to lay hold of abundant life. Jesus wore a crown of thorns, so that we could wear the glorious crowns that He has for us. Amen!
The devil wants us to wear a crown of thorns. The thorns placed upon Jesus had long, poisonous spikes that had been plaited and pressed down on Jesus’ head. This crown caused physical and emotional pain. Satan wants us to have physical and emotional pain, as well. Why should we allow this to come to us, when Jesus has already bore this for us? The demons want us to believe that we don’t deserve the blessings of the Lord; that we are doomed; that we are hopeless; and that we are failures. He desires to bring torment, worry, depression, fear, anxiety, etc. to our minds. This is emotional pain, and this can cause physical sickness. Again, Jesus bore that for all people. Of course, only those who have accepted Jesus as Lord have the benefits of Christ’s redemption. When negative thoughts come to us, we need to deal with them right away. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 4:27, “Neither give place to the devil.” Oftentimes, God’s children allow the devil to bring thoughts that causes us to feel defeated, depressed, worried, tormented, fearful, and anxious. That is giving place to the devil. It is one thing for satan to bring thoughts to us, but it is another thing to allow those thoughts to stay. “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2). We must choose to think God’s thoughts (the Word). The devil will bring his destructive thoughts to our mind, but we must resist him in Jesus’ name (James 4:7). If I receive the negative thoughts, I will begin to believe them. Our belief will allow that thought to come to pass. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:” (Prov. 23:7).
So, what do we do when the enemy tries to crown us with thorns? We have seen that we are to resist the devil; demand him to go from us, in Jesus’ name. Second Corinthians 10:4&5 says, “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (natural weapons), but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;)” The weapons of the Word and the Name of Jesus will pull down thoughts that are attempting to take hold of our thinking. “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” We have a choice. We can choose to believe the negative thoughts that satan brings, or we can cast them down in Jesus’ name and declare the Word. What will we do? Will we disregard what Jesus did when He bore the crown of thorns, or will we allow the Lord to crown us as His royal children? Philippians 4:7 Amp., “And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace], which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].” Notice: it is peace that guards us, not torment.