2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
The Lord has brought me to a series of citations which I'm led to share that deal with how to be a real servant in the face of spiritual warfare waged by the devil and his followers. This type of "combat intelligence" is the most useful kind to impact our day to day lives and service to God. We ask the question: How can we best serve God in the face of spiritual warfare? How blessed we are that we are given a great model in Jesus Christ to begin answering it! Through the citations I give about Him, please focus more on His attitude than on the miracles he performed, because it is His attitude that gives Him the real power to be such a wonderful Servant for the Father. LK 13: 10-17 tells the story of Christ's healing of a woman who was possessed by an evil spirit which kept her sick for 18 years; she was bent over and couldn't straighten up. Christ was teaching in the synagogue when He encountered her there. When He saw her, He placed His hands on her and said, "Woman, you are free of your sickness!" Immediately, she was able to stand straight, and she praised God. What followed next reveals the attitude of a servant that Christ had.
An official of the synagogue was angry that Jesus had healed the woman on the Sabbath. In (14), he spoke up and said, "There are six days in which we should work; so come during those day and be healed, but not on the Sabbath!" LK 13: 15-17, "The Lord answered him, 'You hypocrites! Any one of you would untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and take it out to give it water on the Sabbath. Now here is this descendant of Abraham whom Satan has kept in bonds for eighteen years; should she not be released on the Sabbath?' His answer made His enemies ashamed of themselves, while the people rejoiced over all the wonderful things that He did." Had the Great Physician refused to heal this woman, it would have been like going to a doctor today on Saturday when you were suffering and be told, "I don't work on Saturday. You'll just have to suffer until my office opens at 10 AM Monday!" That's hardly the attitude of a servant, is it? This woman was not a hypochondriac demanding healing when it wasn't needed. She was simply there at the synagogue to worship the Lord. A crucial part of this story that shouldn't be missed is Christ's power over an evil spirit that had working its malevolence in this woman's body for 18 years. That should remind us that when we are bonded to Christ, we are given the same power to fight evil spirits [EPH 1: 18-20]. The very legalistic attitudes that some Jews have is because the adversary has deceived them into believing that ritual and form is more important than the content of God's teaching. We must go back to the basics found in JN 13: 33-34, "And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. If you have love for one another, then everyone will know that you are My disciples."
Christ's attitude of servanthood is revealed in part of Peter's speech in AC 10: 38, "You know about Jesus of Nazareth and how God poured out on Him the Holy Spirit and power. He went everywhere doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, for God was with Him." Can you get a sense of connection, "koininea" here? It shouldn't be missed, this supernatural bond that exists between believers, God, and other believers. If the power of the devil couldn't be broken, healing wouldn't be possible. That goes for physical, emotional, and spiritual healing, all of which is made possible through the power God gives us through Christ. PHIL 4: 13, "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me." What we learned about the devil in REV 12: 12 is an important reminder of the power that can used against him. "And so be glad, you heavens and all of you who live there! But how terrible for the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, and he is filled with rage, because he knows that he has only a little time left." God is supreme and superior by far to the devil. He limits what the devil can do and for how long. He empowers His children with the Holy Spirit, so they can understand His word, believe in His Son, be obedient to Him, and show the devil Who's really the Boss!
We must remember that the mind is the adversary's primary target, but he also attacks the body. Medical researchers will tell us that patients with faith who believe they are in God's hands and are willing to participate in their care toward recovery have the best chance of enjoying a full recovery. Those who allow the devil to lie to them, telling them that their situation is helpless, have much less chance to recover. Those who refuse to follow their doctor's orders because they think they know best, have been deceived into that attitude by Satan. We must remember that the King is coming-our Kinsman Redeemer-who rightly sits at the right side of God and rules all having conquered sin and death [PS 110: 1; REV 19: 11-16].
PRAYER: O Lord, You gave the Psalmist words that build our faith and help us to realize that we, with His help, will prevail over the adversary. PS 110: 1-3, "The Lord said to my Lord, the King, 'Sit here at My right side until I put Your enemies under Your feet.' From Zion the Lord will extend Your royal power. 'Rule over Your enemies,' He says. On the day You fight Your enemies, Your people will volunteer. Like the dew of early morning Your young men will come to You on the sacred hills." Dearest Abba, You gave us You Son to die on the cross for us after showing us what being a true and humble servant means. We are so grateful to You for His example, and we pledge to follow it. You have repeatedly said that we can defeat Satan in His name, that You have given us the power to endure through our battles with him and go on to victory. Yes, Dear Father, we believe you! Yes, Dear Father, we will serve You and battle Satan as far as You command us to do this! You show us how this is possible in PS 110: 4-7. "The Lord made a solemn promise and will not take it back: 'You [Christ] will be a priest forever in the line of succession to Melchizedek [HE 5: 6, 6: 20; 7:17 & 21]. The Lord is at Your right side; when He becomes angry, He will defeat kings. He will pass judgment on the nations and fill the battlefield with corpses; He will defeat kings all over the earth. The King will drink for the stream by the road, and strengthened, He will stand victorious." Because we believe in the Son, we yield the leadership of our lives over to Him. That puts us on the winning side. Praise to You, O Lord, that Satan can and will be defeated! In Christ's name, amen.
Tomorrow, we will look at some citations that serve as "combat intelligence" about how we can be God's approved servants. These have some practical ways that we can recognize Satan's attempts to foil God's work and our lives and take effective action against them. Each day that I write these messages to you, God is building and strengthening my own faith. Frankly, I have never seen such an increase in Satan's activity in my own life as has been going during this year's Lent season. That is why I personally am so grateful that God keeps leading me to these citations, so that in the face of the adversary's misdeeds, I won't lose sight of the fact that enduring in faith puts each of us on the winning side. That faith-building knowledge is a great blessing at this time and a reminder that God gives this kind of love to anyone who loves Him. So, I close this message with RO 8: 28, which should never be forgotten. "We know that in all things god works for good with those who love Him, those whom He has called according to His purpose." God loves you, and so do Peter and I.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn