2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
Today, I am led to share what the Spirit has to say about one more important fact about our position in Christ. But first, let me remind you of the first five: 1) We were selected by God [EPH 1: 4, RO 8: 14-16]; 2) He saved us, and because we were redeemed, Satan no longer has the power of death over us [EPH 1: 7; JN 3: 16; RO 3: 24-25; HE 2: 14]; 3) We were saved by the Holy Spirit [EPH 1: 13; EPH 4: 30; COL 1: 15; JN 16:8, 13, & 15; PHIL 1: 6]; 4) We have a special God-assigned place with Jesus Christ [EPH 2: 6, 8-10; RO 8: 29]; 5) We are secure, and artificial human barriers have been broken down between us [EPH 2: 18-19; EPH 3: 6; JN 14: 6; GA 2: 19-21]. It is important here that I give you all these Scripture citations, so you will know without a doubt that this is God’s message and not coming from my assertions. Now, let’s look at the sixth fact that should make all of us confident that no matter what arrows Satan sends us, we can and will be victorious in Christ over Him, if we endure in our faith.
6) We are in a position of strength. EPH 3: 16, “I [Paul] ask God from the wealth of His glory to give you power through His Spirit to be strong in your inner selves.” If we are truly living “in Christ,” then sin is not our habit. How things got to be this way is through the spiritual power that God gives each believer when he is faithful. RO 12: 2 gives us some insight into this mechanism. “Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by the renewal of your mind.” This is a supernatural power which God has that He chooses to share with each believer out of His love and compassion for us. Since Satan’s favorite place to attack us is our minds, that’s the part of us that God really strengthens against the devil. According to RO 6: 11, we become “dead to sin and living in fellowship with God through Christ Jesus.” This doesn’t mean we will never sin again; but it does mean that we have the choice whether we sin. If one is living “in Christ,” he chooses not to sin.
Sadly, there is debate within the church about what the devil can do to a Christian [or Messianic Jew]. When this kind of debate goes far enough, the devil loves it and it leads to division in the church. God has made it very clear just how much power He has given us through both Christ and Paul. Christ’s words in MT 5: 9-11 demonstrate this, “Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them! Happy are you when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of evil lies against you because you are My followers. Be happy and glad, for a great reward is kept for you in heaven. This is how the prophets who lived before you were persecuted.” Remember no one gains the Kingdom without faith in Christ and obedience to Him. God knows that we are capable of that. Just to give us some comfort, God inspired Paul to say in 1 COR 10: 13, “Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps His promise, and He will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, He will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out.” The example of Job, who never even had the chance to know about Christ during his lifetime but endured in his faith, stands out as proof of this God-given power. A person doesn’t even have to hold prestige and material wealth-the human standards for importance-to be given this power. All one has to do is to endure in faith! Satan couldn’t defeat Job and he can’t defeat any very trusting, obedient believer.
I have often cited 1 COR 2: 14 which explains why people who do not have the Spirit can’t understand God’s teaching through the Spirit and think it is foolishness. The fact that we have this power because we are indwelt by the Spirit is no reason to boast. RO 12: 3 gives us God’s will on how we should approach it. “And because of God’s gracious gift to me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you should. Instead, be modest in your thinking, and judge yourself according to the amount of faith that God has given you.” It is not immodest to take comfort in the power to defeat Satan that God has given us, nor is it wrong for us to invoke that power forcefully when Satan mounts an attack against us. The main issue is staying very in line with the Scriptures at all times. Just As David had supernatural power against Goliath, the giant, so will we. We are members of the same team-God’s team! Think about this: JN 14: 12-14, [Christ speaking] “I am telling you the truth: whoever believes in Me will do what I do-yes, he will do even greater things, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask for in My name, so that the Father’s glory will be shown through the Son. If you ask Me for anything in My name, I will do it.” Dear Ones, God has equipped us well for the battles ahead. Keeping our faith is a one-way path to God’s blessings and protection against our foes.
PRAYER: O Lord, You have taught us by Christ’s example and that of other people of faith in the Scriptures, that no matter how much posturing and attacking that Satan does, he can and will be defeated. Our place in all of this is to trust in Your word and faithfully obey Your commands. JN 14: 21 has told us just how important this is. “Whoever accepts My commandments and obey them is the one who loves Me. My Father will love whoever loves Me; I too will love him and reveal Myself to him.” You have shown us the importance of “guarding the treasure entrusted,” meaning holding the Gospel as cherished and not altering it in any way-just as Paul wrote to his young protégé, Timothy, in 2 TIM 1: 13-14. Today, we stand before You as sinners who want to eradicate sin from our lives and who acknowledge the great power that You have so graciously given us to defeat Satan in his dirty work. You have accepted us even though we were once Your enemies. Your compassion extends to going to all the trouble to enable us to work through the challenges to our faith, so that we can one day be sufficiently perfected to answer the call of the last trumpet to a meeting with Christ in the air [1 THESS 4 ;13-16]. We understand that any doctrine we live by must be based on Your word and not on our own experience. Our experience when we obey You allows us to know You better and to affirm Your teaching. We know that our position with Christ doesn’t insure that our practice of the faith will match up. However, we pledge to get rid of human agendas in our lives and to make Your agenda our first priority. We offer You deepest thanks and praise for Who You are and what You do for us. Such comfort comes from PS 145: 20 for us, “The Lord watches over all who love Him.” We feel Your presence and offer up our lives as living sacrifices of service, pleasing and acceptable to You. In Christ’s holy name, we pray. Amen.
The Spirit leads me to write tomorrow about a series of citations that show us the enemy will eventually be destroyed, even though this has not yet happened. I hope you are able to see God’s love all over every one of the citations in this message. He knows that our faith sometimes waivers, particularly when Satan’s attacks are especially brutal. But, He has also fashioned us to be able to endure and has offered us enormous encouragement by revealing our position in Christ. He loves us enough to want us to be strong and courageous in our faith, even to the point of martyrdom, if that is to be. He has promised us protection from spiritual death, and what greater gift can anyone ever give us? That’s God’s agape love [unconditional love] which is a real force in the life of every believer. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn