2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
We must address ourselves to a very basic question: Should we fear Satan? It might seem like the answer is easy, but when we are suffering loss, ill, or in horrific pain, the fleshly outer self, which is dying but still present in us, screams for us to cower back in fear. It is only through the inner spiritual self that we see God's perspective on this question. I would like to share something from my personal experience which illustrates this issue as it happened in my life. I was raised in a home where there was tremendous intellectual competition and criticism. Children are not born with self-confidence; it must be learned. The problem is that one begins life being totally dependent on the adults around us. Our first memories are of being too small to reach things that capture our attention, too young to be allowed to do things we want to do, and often not allowed to make decisions we want to make. If one was brought up when I was in the late 40's and early 50's, it was common for our parents to take the attitude, children should be seen but not heard. We were not individuals entitled to our own feelings. As a matter of fact feelings really weren't important, especially those of a child. I grant you that the pendulum swung too far in the opposite direction in the sixties when children were allowed to practically rule the roost, but I'm speaking here of my own experience. The net result of all of this was that I grew up with feelings of worthlessness. No matter how well I did, it was never good enough.
I could have remained angry with my parents for this as I was in my 20's, but thankfully we gain some wisdom (albeit from the "college of hard knocks") as we get older. My father passed away when I was still in my early 20's, but my mother is still with us at the age of almost 89. We've talked a lot about this after I became an adult and have come to a better understanding between us about it. It wasn't until I was in my early 30's that I began to look at what kind of homes my parents were raised in and realized that they were raising my brothers and I in the only way they knew how. They themselves had been raised the same way and were impacted by the parenting practices that were prevalent at that time. This was not a reason to be angry with them, but to feel sorry for them that they didn't know the happiness that can come from having true faith and practicing it could bring. What I didn't know through my childhood is that a loving Lord was watching over me and that He had a long-term plan for my life. My response to the feelings of worthlessness that I had was to be afraid of everything, to feel defeated and unable to accomplish what was expected of me. That kind of hopelessness is the outgrowth of the absence of faith in one's life. It is the kind that people feel in response to Satan's arrows when they are unaware of God's power to equip them for the reality of spiritual warfare. A friend of mine who is a nurse/paramedic, speaks often of the enormous contrast between the reactions of survivors at the loss of a loved one of people who have faith and people who don't. The issue central to this reaction is whether or not the survivor is equipped with faith.
Paul speaks of being kept from becoming puffed up with pride because of the wonderful things he saw by being given a painful physical ailment. He describes this ailment as "acting as Satan's messenger to beat me and keep me from being proud," in 2 COR 12: 7. 2 COR 12: 8-9, "Three times I prayed to the Lord about this and asked Him to take it away. But His answer was, 'My grace is sufficient, for My power is strongest when you are weak.' I am most happy, then to be proud of my weaknesses, in order to feel the protection of Christ's power over me." I can't tell you how comforting this reminder is to me, as I deal with painful arthritis in my toes which dogs my every step. Look at the difference in the perspective this wonderful passage gives me over what I would have thought had I not been given faith by my Abba Who loves me. We must ask ourselves as we look over our own lives: Would I have listened to God if He had not brought me to brokenness? We can take some real comfort in knowing what we learn in RO 8: 28, "We know that in all things God works for good with those who love Him, those whom He has called according to His purpose." Add to those words JER 29: 11-13 spoken by God through Jeremiah, "I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for. Then you will call to Me. You will come and pray to Me, and I will answer You. You will seek Me, and you will find Me, because you will seek Me with all your heart." Satan likes to catch us off guard. We will never be off guard if we are willing to stay connected to the Lord through prayer and daily study of His word. Instead, we can fend off Satan's arrows with the knowledge that repentance followed by faith leads to salvation and eternal life. We also must remember that we have a High Priest in heaven who is there eager to plead for us when we seek our Father out, and that our Father listens to every prayer we offer according to His will and in Christ's name [HE 8: 1-2; 1 JN 5: 14-15].
PRAYER: O Lord, how comforted we are to know that when we are obedient to You and seek You out, we will find You. While our lives on earth are not easy thanks to Satan's attempts to separate us from You, You have demonstrated through the Scriptures and our personal experience that we are equipped by You to have victory in Your Son's name over the adversary, no matter how much pain or suffering he causes. The words of PS 68: 1-4 are more than a song of national triumph for Israel at the time the Ark of the Covenant is returned from Philistine captivity. They are words for all of us to remember in our lives. "God rises up and scatters His enemies. Those who hate Him run away in defeat. As smoke is blown away, so He drives them off; as wax melts in front of the fire, so do the wicked perish in God's presence. But the righteous are glad and rejoice in His presence; they are happy and shout for joy. Sing to God, sing praises to His name; prepare a way for Him Who rides on the clouds. His name is Lord-be glad in His presence." Paul told us in RO 8: 18 that "what we suffer at this present time cannot be compared at all with the glory that is going to be revealed to us." We are given a glimpse of this glory coming in REV 19: 11-16 with John's vision of the rider on a white horse. We stand before You today imperfect and buffeted by Satan's challenges to our faith. But Dearest Abba, we are resolved to trusting and obeying You and comforted in knowing that through Christ, You are with us. We believe in the hope You have given us, and stand firm in our desire to put our own personal suffering in the perspective You have given us through the Scriptures. We confess our sin and ask You to fill us with the Holy Spirit. We offer You our adoration, worship, loyalty, diligence, trust, obedience, glory, honor, praise, and utmost thanksgiving for being the holy, loving, guiding, and wonderful Presence in our lives that You are. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen
In tomorrow's message, I am led to begin discussing a character profile of the enemy that we are given as "combat intelligence" in the Scriptures. I'm still compiling that list of facts about Satan and hope you might be doing the same as this series unfolds. I stand amazed at how much information the Lord gives us, and what a measure of His love for us this careful preparation for spiritual warfare from Him really is. He deserves nothing less from us than eternal worship, adoration, and praise. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn