Symptoms of the Second Yoke

UV 876/10,000 Symptoms of the Second Yoke Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; Isaiah 58 v 9 Conceit conceives deceit. If we are conceited and proud, we are inclined or oriented to be deceived by the master deceiver-satan. We will speak in vain and not be accustomed to speak the truth in a spirit of love. Satan has put a heavy yoke on us- the burden of ploughing through life with sin. The Lord has lifted the yoke off our necks and shoulders so that we are no longer weighed down with the burden of guilt about the past and anxiety about the future. He has given us in place of that heavy yoke, the light yoke. The latter yoke is like the nutrient rich nucleus of an egg- the yoke. This is the seed of the gospel that grows like a seed organically from within us. The first yoke produces guilt, the second yoke produces hope of eternal life and consequent joy. Having been the recipients of mercy and compassion, we should not be an agent of satan in accusing others with our pointed finger. Rather we should learn to forgive more easily and not harbour feelings of lust and pride. We must not speak in vain but we should measure every word we speak such that it builds up the faith, hope and strength of other around us. Our speech should be salted with grace. The Lord is sensitive to even our body language- are we pointing fingers at others after having been forgiven of much sin? Every promise of God has certain conditions in the manner in which a covenant is written. We need to keep our side of the sacred agreement or covenant. This uni-verse specifies that we should strive to live a righteous life implied in the words, “take away ..the yoke.” We should avoid accusing, condemning or judging others. Our speech should be edifying or encouraging to others, not hurtful or proud or conceited. When we conform to these conditions the Lord sets out in His Word, He will answer us when we call. When we cry out to Him in our moments of distress, He will appear to us and say, “ Here I Am.” He will sometimes hear us even before we ask or pray. He will answer us while we are still speaking or praying. Sometimes, He hears us in due time or His own time. Prateep V Philip