Believer’s unwillingness or ignorance to engage the enemy in spiritual combat or warfare doesn’t change anything about the enemy’s assaults and pursuit after him. It doesn’t change the truth that he ought to fight (Zachariah 10:5) as one who has been called to strive (a) to enter in through the straight gate: (b) to fight against the lusts of the flesh warring against the soul, you have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin: (c) to fight the good fight of faith by laying hold or pursuing after eternal life, knowing that he is made partaker of Christ, if he hold the beginning of his confidence steadfast unto the end; while it is said, today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swore he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

To avoid deviation from the narrow way, and to keep winning the battle for the straight gate to the end, the believer must keep himself in self-emptiness, – die to himself and to the world, die to any past success and achievement as Apostle says, not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Note: nothing is done until everything commanded is done. Even then, we are instructed by the Lord to admit and confess to our unprofitable – frailty in the light of our human incapability (so likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, we are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. Luke 17:7-10) to fulfill his pleasure or to engage for him except that his spirit is mightily at work in us. Colossians 1:29

As a believer, you are called to engage and fight because you are born into it (Revelation 12:17), being enlisted in a spiritual warfare, – the battle for truth and the soul of man. God have your back, you’d rather be on the offensive than to stay on the defensive, though we must learn the art of spiritual warfare from both ways, – to take the battle to the enemy’s gate (Isaiah 28:6), and to resist him whenever he comes to you, – resist the devil, and he will flee from you. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against powers, principalities, rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places. Note: the fellowship of the spirit deepens when we increasingly submit ourselves to the love and things of the spirit (Colossians 1:8), – when the enemy sees or perceives us as threats and terrors in the invisible world (Acts 17:6) because we are not among the cowards to stay on the defensive side of the battle (2 Tim.1:7. Rev 21:8), for to engage the enemy is the only way to practically experience – that you may know the exceeding greatness of his power towards us which believed. Ephesians 1:19. Note: those who will not dare anything for God will not have or see God’s power in their comfort zone – therefore they that were scattered abroad (as the result of Steven’s death and Saul’s torments and massacre of the brethren) went everywhere preaching the word.Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spoke, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city. Acts 8: 4-8.

There is no absence of difficulty or effort in Zion – woe unto them that are at ease in Zion. Amos 6:1. In all our spiritual labor, there is profit (present and eternal) of unique revelations, and comfort of God, not because of any wisdom we have than any living as Daniel will say. Heb. 6:10. Rev. 2:3. Therefore, let none make provision for the flesh to glory in that which profits nothing, but to lay aside every pride of life and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save the souls, – to work with all the heart, as unto the Lord, and not unto men, while it is day, for the night is coming, when no one can work again.

Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. (1 Cor. 3:18), – if any man thinks he really knows something, he has not yet learned it as he ought to know it ( 1 Cor. 8:2), – If any man thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Galatians 6:3. Thus we see that self-emptiness is required, not only in our work for God as one whose sufficiency is of him, also in our walk as not to be wise in our own eyes, much more in his dealings with us, by acknowledging him in all our ways, and in our dealings with others, to keep company with the self-abasing, and not like the proud Adonijah in nature (mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. 1 Kings 1:5. Romans 12:16), if we truly seek to be blessed in our relationship with God.

Whatever God sent or allowed to happen to us are controlled by him. Job 23:10. God’s comfort in trials and sufferings is proportional according our troubles (2 Corinthians 1:5) with the assurance that none shall be tempted to the point of murmuring or denying God if they will patiently submit to him until patience can have his perfect work in them, that they may be entire, lacking nothing. Note: let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus….there can be no increasing fullness of God’s spirit in us if there’s no self-emptiness, for the diminishing of one gives room or space for the rising or increasing of the other. Self-emptiness is a command, an exercise and discipline of thoughts and actions.

You must pray without ceasing for power to discipline and keep yourself in self-emptiness. The extent of your brokenness determines the level of gauging or measuring of the fullness of his Spirit in you (Eph.5:18): but not until you decrease to decrease, and be base in your own sight (then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, how glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovers himself! And David said unto Michal, It was before the Lord, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel: therefore will I play before the Lord. And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honor. 2 Samuel 6: 20-22), can Christ be increased to manifest his fullness in you.

Apostle Paul once had an erroneous and false evaluation of himself by the equation of his sufferings and contradictions of sinners in his life and ministry to measure and positioned himself in the ministry above others before God (are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool, I am more; in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. 2 Cor.11:23) who  harshly sent an unfriendly situation to  correct and to show his disproval of his apostle self-commendation and approval (for not he that commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends. 2 Cor.10:18) of himself in order to keep and save him from falling into the error and condemnation of Satan (and lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. 2 Cor.12:7-10) because the fruit of our obedience and submission to the gospel of Christ is designed to help others who are going through similar situation, not to boast in anything, except on the cross, or to see themselves as superhuman, but to prepare others after us who shall soon be going through the same suffering (s) for righteousness sake, though the weight of our burdens and yokes to bear might not be the same, yet the same afflictions are accomplished by the faithful brethren in all the world.

In the light of the spiritual gifts to function in the body of Christ (for I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teaches, on teaching.Or he that exhorts, on exhortation: he that gives, let him do it with simplicity; he that rules, with diligence; he that shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Rom. 12:3-8.), self emptiness should be put to play because it only comes down to the mercy of God, the will and purpose of his Spirit who is dividing to every man severally as he will (1 Cor.12:7-11), that we should profitably work in readiness for the accountability which is expected of us as whom much has been committed.

What do you have that you have not received? Self-emptiness is required in view of those gifts, considering that you have nothing to boast or brag about as far as they are concerned – shall the axe boast itself against him that hews therewith? Or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shakes it? As if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood. Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. Isaiah 10:15-16.

The deepest we know God, clearly we can see our vileness, unworthiness, powerlessness, insufficiencies, but yet our completeness in him, bringing or enabling us, not only to self-emptiness as the true character of them that have seen, known and have been with God, but also to self-purging and cleansing from all the filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Is the fruit of God’s spirit not meekness and humility? God is meek and humble (Zachariah 9:9); otherwise, he couldn’t have demean himself (a) to put on the nature of flesh and blood in order to die and to save us: worst, to put on the nature of a servant in obedient, even unto the obedient on the cross, with no beauty that we should desire him. Note: self-emptiness is indeed to be spiritually minded, freed from self worth, self praise, self esteem, self centeredness, self importance and whatsoever has to do with man’s ego. It is the pursuit after God’s pleasure and not mine, the pursuit after his glory and not mine, the pursuit after his praise and not mine, the pursuit and ensuring after his interest in others life and not mine, the pursuit after his will and not mine, and embracing his thoughts to forsake mine which comes from the deceitful and wicked heart of mortal being: abiding and walking in his ways, and not mine.

If there is anything that God was so much impressed about Moses life, it was his inner humility, meekness – modesty and graciousness. Unlike many who are not called, but are seeking for great things for themselves in the world today,  Moses, though was called, perceived and expressed himself unqualified and unworthy for the great Exodus work from Egypt to the Promised Land, but God has shown mercy to empower and qualify him for the work. Unlike many pastors today who are fighting, deforming and devouring one another, how much had Moses wished that all Israelis men could be God’s prophets so that the will and work of God be easier for everyone to comprehend and do? Unlike Prophet Jonah, who by his pride and selfishness waited anxiously for the destruction of the people of Nineveh, and will not be comforted because God spared them, how much had Moses protested and implored God to remove his name from the book of life, if he was not able to bargain for their pardon? As heirs together of the kingdom, believer is commanded to submit to one another in the fear of God, not to lord it over one another – you are all brethren. The young as well as the elder should submit one to another for God resist the proud. This is self-emptiness in view of your relationship with one another in the body of Christ, or better say, in the kingdom of God…let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Philippians 2:3.

In French language and among the French people, there is what they called ‘vide grenier’, meaning, an outdoor market where people sell things in an unbelievable take away price – old or new from the back of their cars or in an open market or garage sale. Vide in English means to empty, which means they are trying to clean up their homes from the unused items – new or old, and to be left with necessary goods.

We see a good example of selfless and sacrificial giving from the rich early church believers to the poor among them as they that have houses, lands and other goods voluntarily sold them and gave the money to the apostles, who in turn made distribution to everyman according to their needs. Unlike the rich fool whose soul was untimely taken away from him for his hoarding scheme (and he said unto them, take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesses. And he spoke a parable unto them, saying, the ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: and he thought within himself, saying, what shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, this will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. Luke 12:15-21), there is no better way to describe the spirit of self-emptiness in terms of sharing, distributing and providing for the necessity of saints – to lay down our lives for the brethren against excessive acquisition of goods for the use and benefits of those who are in real need – give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knows not what evil shall be upon the earth. Ecclesiastes 11:2. Note: self-emptiness comprises, not only the instruction not to be proud, but also the ability to have your ears opens to the cry of the poor around or beside you (Prov. 21:13), – to be considerate and open-handed or liberal, make the less-fortunate happy as you would have to be happy – by the way, it’s not about you, but about Christ. Did not Christ empty himself for you to be made heir of God and co heir with him?