The Vision by Rick Joyner
I
Courage EPISODE 38
Then the eagle interjected, "Courage is a demonstration of faith. The Lord never promised that His way would be easy, but He has assured us that it would be worth it. The courage of those who fought from the level of Salvation moved the angels of heaven to esteem what God has brought about in fallen men. The faithful warriors took their wounds in the terrible onslaught, while only beholding darkness and a seeming defeat of the truth, just as our Lord did on His cross.
Nevertheless, they did not quit, and they did not retreat." I was again starting to regret that I had not remained on the level of Salvation and fought with those other brave souls. Again, understanding my thoughts, the eagle interupted them.
"By climbing the mountain, you were demonstrating faith and wisdom, too. Your faith freed many souls so they could come to the mountain for salvation. You received some wounds, as the warriors on the level of Salvation did, but your authority in the kingdom has come more from acts of faith than from suffering. Because you have been faithful in a few things, you will now be given the great honor of going back to suffer, that you may be made a ruler over many more.
"But remember that we all work together for the same purposes regardless of whether we are building or suffering.
If you go higher, many more souls will fill these rooms, to the great joy of heaven. You have now been called to climb and to build, but if you are faithful in this you will later be given the honor of suffering."
I then turned and looked at the dark and foreboding door over which was written, "The Judgment Seat of Christ." Just as warmth and peace had flooded my soul each time I looked at the great treasures of salvation, fear and insecurity gripped me when I looked at this door. Now it seemed that everything in me wanted to stay in this room, and nothing in me wanted to go through that door.
Again, the eagle answered my thoughts:
"Before you enter the door to any great truth, you will have these same feelings. You even felt them when you entered into this room filled with the treasures of salvation.
These fears are the result of the fall. They are the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The knowledge from that tree made us all insecure and self-centered. The knowledge of good and evil makes the true knowledge of God seem fearsome, when in fact every truth from God leads to an even greater peace and security. Even the judgments of God are to be desired, because all of His ways are perfect."
By now I had experienced enough to know that what seems right is usually the least fruitful path, and is often the road to failure. Throughout my journey, the path of greatest risk was the path that led to the greatest reward. Even so, each time it seemed that more was at stake. Therefore, making the choice to go higher became more difficult each time. I started to sympathize with those who would stop at some point in their sojourn and refuse to go on, even though I knew more than ever that this was a mistake. The only true security came from continually moving forward into th realms that required more faith, which meant more depenc ence on the Lord.
"Yes, it takes more faith to walk in the higher realms of the Spirit," the eagle added. "The Lord gave us the map to His kingdom when He said, 'If you seek to save your life you will lose it, but it you will lose your life for My sake you will find it.' These words alone can keep you on the path to the top of the mountain and lead you to victory in the great battle ahead. They will also help you stand before the judgment seat of Christ."