2002-11-07
Good Morning Faithful Readers,
Today, I have the privilege of sharing some wonderful verses that allow us to see how God intervenes while we are battling in spiritual warfare. It’s been awhile since I cited EPH 6:12, and it would be appropriate here, so we can keep the bigger picture in mind as to who is really at the bottom of all the suffering we must endure. “For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age.” One more “big picture” citation that will add vital perspective is COL 3: 3-4, “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Your real life is Christ and when He appears, then you too will appear with Him and share in His glory.” None of this would have been possible without Christ’s death on the cross and our willingness to repent and have faith in Him. That is the gift of our salvation.
David’s knowledge of our awesome God was a tremendous gift to him and to us. PS 27: 3-4, 8, “Even if a whole army surrounds me, I will not be afraid; even if enemies attack me, I will still trust God. I have asked the Lord for one thing; one thing only do I want: to live in the Lord’s house all my life, to marvel there at His goodness, and to ask for His guidance…When You said, ‘Come worship me,’ I answered, ‘I will come, Lord.’” David knew the Lord well enough to know that His message was consistent and that He is always a trustworthy Covenant Partner. We can rely on the same thing. Just as King Jehoshaphat in 2 CH 20: 1-23 knew that he and his Judean army could rely on God to protect them during their battle with the Edomites, David and any person of faith knows that when we obey God’s commands, He will grant us the same protection when we are in harm’s way. David knew he was on God’s winning side in the fierce battle he had to face. His enemies were the Philistines, but behind their activity were the real enemies, Satan and his evil ones-unseen and malevolent.
God spoke through Isaiah to the Jews of his time who were being so disobedient in a very special way in IS 58: 9-12. The message is very applicable to us today. “When you pray, I will answer you. When you call to Me, I will respond. If you put an end to oppression, to every gesture of contempt, and to every evil word; if you give good to the hungry and satisfy those who are in need, then the darkness around you will turn to the brightness of noon. And I will always guide you and satisfy you with good things. I will keep you strong and well. You will be like a garden that has plenty of water, like a spring of water that never goes dry. Your people will rebuild what has long been in ruins, building again on the old foundations. You will be known as the people who rebuilt the walls, who restored the ruined houses.” Today, it might not be the buildings of Israel but the ruins of broken marriages, damaged relationships, values that have strayed from God’s teaching, and nations on the brink of war that can be averted. We rebuild and restore our spiritual selves through faith and acknowledgement of the gift of our salvation. We must remember that God invited us to accept this gift and gave His only Son on the cross, so we could. All believers are faced with joining God in His work of thwarting the devil’s agenda, but God loves His children enough to have equipped us for victory in Christ’s name.
All believers, whether Jewish or Gentile in origin, are part of God’s chosen home on earth, Israel, in the spiritual sense [RO 11: 16-24]. So when the Psalms use the term “Israel,” we must remember this message is for all believers. PS 115; 1, 9, & 11, “To You alone, O Lord, to You alone, and not to us, must glory be given because of Your constant love and faithfulness…Trust in the Lord, you people of Israel. He helps you and protects you…Trust in the Lord, all you that worship Him. He helps and protects you.” God is not offering an exclusive invitation when He asks us to come to faith and to live lives “in Christ.” He invites everyone. Those who refuse this invitation are on the road to sure spiritual death. Those who accept it will toil in spiritual warfare while on earth, but will share in His glory-glory so much greater than this present toil for eternity.
God addresses the issue of the fright we experience before and amidst our spiritual battles. This kind of panic and anxiety can get in the way of our hearing God’s commands and obeying them in His perfect time and way. God knows this, so He gives us messages like we find in IS 41: 10, 13. “Do not be afraid-I am with you! I will make you strong and help you. I will protect you and save you…I am the Lord your God; I strengthen you and tell you, ‘Do not be afraid; I will help you.’” God knows Satan is attacking us fiercely, and it’s hard to be listening when we are so frightened. That’s why He repeats this same message so many times, even shouts it from the mountain tops, if necessary. He doesn’t want us to miss it. When we face major illnesses like cancer, experience the loss of loved ones, see our careers destroyed by lack of ethics in the workplace, God wants us to stand firm and not be afraid. We are to remember that He is there fighting with us 24/7! Take consolation in that and have faith. Our salvation is not wasted, if we endure in faithful obedience to Him.
PRAYER: O Lord, the Psalmist in PS 63: 6-8 reminds us of Your presence as we wage spiritual warfare. “As I lie in bed, I remember You; All night long, I think of You, because You have always been my Help. In the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. I cling to You and Your hand keeps me safe.” Your response to us when we pray this marvelous acknowledgement of Your mighty and comforting hand is found in IS 35: 3, “Courage! Take heart! God is here.” HE 11: 1 tells us that, “Faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.” We cannot see You right now, nor can we see Satan and his evil angels. But, we can have faith that You are there protecting us and that Your power given to us is stronger than that of Satan and his followers. Our courage of faith is borne out of the knowledge that You have given us that You are always truthful, faithful to Your covenant with us, compassionate, and ready to guide us to victory in Christ. Today and tomorrow, we are spending time looking at Scriptures that show how You interact with us to bring about that victory. You are amazing, the way that Your provide us with opportunity to mature spiritually and become sanctified, while Your work against the adversary is being done. There has never been such righteousness as Yours before, nor will there ever be again. You are loving, sovereign and supreme. The Psalmist in PS 106: 1-2 leaves us with a question to ponder, one worth our time. “Praise to the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, because He is good; His love is eternal. Who can tell all the great things He has done? Who can praise Him enough?” You deserve all the praise and thanks we can give forever. We come before You today to humbly confess our sins and to offer You our adoration, worship, diligence, loyalty, glory, honor, trust, obedience, thanks, and praise. In Christ’s holy name, we pray. Amen.
The story on God’s intervention in our spiritual warfare is not complete. I’m led to continue discussing it tomorrow. In the meanwhile, consider why God has made this great sacrifice of His Son, gifted us with the Holy Spirit, constantly makes His presence known to us in our lives, offers us guidance and direction in our battles, corrects our course when we stray off His course, and offers us consolation when we are hurting and in grief. That not so mysterious something is His amazing love for each of us. Such aggravation we cause Him when we don’t listen to Him, think we have a better idea than He does, turn to Him in anger when things don’t go our way, and complain about our circumstances! He loves us so much that instead of giving up on us when we do these things, He provides us with His loving words, the opportunity to communicate with Him through prayer, His very own Spirit to dwell within us so we can understand, and the lessons that arise out of the circumstances of our lives. We must do the rest. We must listen, stop complaining, study His word, pray, and look for those lessons to learn from the Master. When we do, He blesses us abundantly with the peace that goes beyond human understanding and the hope of life eternal in joy and fellowship with Him. For what more could we ask? Peter and I send our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn