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2002-01-01

Good Morning Fellow Believers,

In yesterday’s message, I was led to further explain the comparison between the future one has when lost verses that when one is redeemed. In today’s message, I am led compare the present life of these two groups with help from EPH 2 and other Scriptures the Holy Spirit dictates. I am surrounded by people in my life who are being targeted by Satan for pain, sorrow, loss, and any form of misery he can deliver. The difference between how these people respond to this spiritual warfare is a great lesson for us. Peter and I are also in the crosshairs of Satan’s weapon sights right now. We are no different than anyone else.

People who are under Satan’s power are spiritually dead, sinful, and disobedient [EPH 2: 1]. An example is a person I know who is clearly suffering from depression and whose behavior has become aberrant because of it. This person was offered the opportunity to get both medical help and spiritual counseling, and because of Satan’s stronghold on him, he has refused it. His behavior is getting worse all the time, and he leaves behind him a trail of failed relationships. This person is considered a foreigner to God, not part of His chosen people [EPH 2: 12]. The sad part of this whole situation is that it could be quickly changed if he would stop rejecting God and would accept the help that has been offered to him. But, it is God’s choice through the Holy Spirit as to who is going to come to faith and who will not. All we can do is to pray for the lost person and for the lives of others whom his behavior impacts.

Those of you who read my last devotion series on covenants know that we are blessed to be participants in the Covenant of Grace with our Lord. A covenant is a two-way promise, in this case sealed with the blood Jesus shed on the cross for us [1 COR 11: 25], in which each partner agrees to certain promises with the other. We agree to be obedient and faithful to God. He agrees to provide for, protect, bless, and correct us-in other words, to grace our lives with His presence in them. What He commands us to do was initiated by Him out of his love for us, given to us when we surely didn’t deserve it, and is in our best interests leading toward life-giving eternal joy and fellowship with Him. It’s a “no-brainer” to a person with faith which is the better choice, spiritual death and destruction or everlasting life with the Father in heaven. 1 COR 2: 14 explains why the lost can’t see this. “Whoever does not have the Spirit cannot receive the gifts that come from God’s Spirit. Such a person really does not understand them; they are foolishness to him, because their value can only be judged on a spiritual basis.” Participation in this covenant is the only way to eternal life.

One other issue that comes up with the lost when they are under Satan’s power is that of hopelessness. EPH 2: 12 tells us that they live without hope and without God. I’ve often referred to how a lost person responds to the death of a loved one. The grieving is seemingly never-ending. God has not given the person who knowingly rejects Him the peace that comes from knowing that all His children who go through physical death are brought to Him in heaven, given bodies that are immortal [1 COR 15: 42-49], and live in proximity to the Father surrounded by the warmth of His love for eternity. They can’t conceive that physical death is a temporary separation from our loved ones, and that we will be reunited with them in this place so wonderful that human perception allows only a glimpse of the glory that awaits us there [IS 55: 8-9; RO 8: 18].

We who believe and have repented are saved by grace and are headed for eternity with Jesus Christ [EPH 2: 5] in the heavenly world. We are raised to rule with Christ in that wonderful place for eternity [EPH 2: 6]. With Christ’s death on the cross, the sin that separated us from God in the past is forgiven and we are brought close to God [EPH 2: 13]. Artificial barriers erected by people, such as that between a Jew and a Gentile, are broken down forever [EPH 2: 16]. Believers are permanent citizens of heaven and members of God’s family [EPH 2: 19]. We are part of God’s Temple erected upon a foundation of prophets and apostles in which Christ is the Cornerstone. We live with God in His house just as the members of a family do, loved, cared for, and given fulfillment [EPH 2: 22; JN 14: 2; PS 48: 9].

Since there is a subset of the lost people in this world who have the potential to listen to the truth and accept it, we are called upon by our Savior Jesus Christ in MT 28: 19-20 (The Great Commission) to: “Go then, to all peoples everywhere and make them My disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age.” For us to do this, we must move from spiritual milk to spiritual meat, maturing in our understanding and trusting obedience to God’s word. Christ has expectations for us just as He did for His disciples when He called them to be “fishers of men” in MT 4: 19. They are expectations that we are designed by God to meet. To do this, we must imitate Christ’s actions, especially as they are described in MT 14: 22-23 and MK 1: 35. If we will confess our sin, present ourselves to God with our spiritual vessels emptied of human agendas, and ask for the Holy Spirit to fill us, He will. Our present life, despite Satan’s attempts to the contrary can be filled with God’s love, peace, and grace. Satan will be defeated!

PRAYER: O Lord, this morning You lead me to PS 48: 1-2, 9-10, & 14. It is clear that You want us to see that shining city on a hill which is Your bliss and will be ours. “The Lord is great and is to be highly praised in the city of our God, on His sacred hill. Zion, the mountain of God, is high and beautiful; the city of the great King brings joy to all the world…Inside Your Temple, O God, we think of Your constant love. You are praised by people everywhere, and Your fame extends over all the earth. You rule with justice…This is our God forever and ever; He will lead us for all time to come.” Your joy is to bring as many people to eternal life as possible, and You have invited us to join You in this work guided by the Holy Spirit. We accept this invitation and praise You for Your greatness, love, and compassion. We ask You, Dearest Abba, to give us the right words to say to those who are still lost, words that will bring them to where the Holy Spirit can transform them into believers. We would be honored to help expand Your family and territory. We praise You for sanctifying us and for giving us the same power that You used to raise Christ from death to life to fend off Satan’s arrows [EPH 1: 18-20]. We humbly confess our sins and ask You to fill us with the Holy Spirit today and every day. We pledge to obey the new commandment given us by Christ in JN 13: 33-34 to love one another as He loves us. Becoming mature disciples using the talents You gave us to serve You is a priority in our lives. We bring before Your altar our adoration, worship, trust, obedience, diligence, loyalty, honor, glory, praise, and thanksgiving. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.

God leads me to write about grace, mercy, and peace tomorrow. I am reminded of what a fabulous gift faith is when I see friends facing adversity who have it. God, alone, is the Giver of this gift, and we should never take it for granted. Satan can never hope to come out ahead when the full power behind deep-seated faith is our defense. Just as Goliath could never overcome young David despite his huge size and superior armament, Satan can never overcome us when we meet his arrows with God-given faith. Our Lord loves us so much that His gift can impact every aspect of our lives. We need to seek Him out and spend time meditating upon this wonderful example of God’s love for us. Peter and I send you our love too.

Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn

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