Today's scripture: Psalm 9:3
We think we live in turbulent times … and we do indeed. However, if you read
the Old Testament, you’ll see what turbulent times really were. David
certainly knew turbulence. Constant wars. Enemies chasing him, seeking his
death.
But he also knew God’s faithfulness. He knew he was God’s anointed king, and
even through his sin and its consequences, David was confident in God’s
ultimate protection. Time and time again, David prayed for victory over his
enemies, and time and time again, God answered his prayer.
But not always. Sometimes the enemy won.
And sometimes the enemy seems to win against us as well. How often has someone
hurt you or maligned you or tried to destroy you? The enemy wins—or at least it
appears so. We pray that he’ll stumble, yet he doesn’t.
At those times, the only thing we can do is exactly what David did: Cry out to
God and trust He’ll protect us—whether or not our enemy stumbles or turns back.
Most importantly, we can remember God is the ultimate Victor!
Showing posts with label conquering the enemy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conquering the enemy. Show all posts
Friday, March 16, 2018
Friday, February 23, 2018
It's a Battle (Psalm 7:1-7)
Today’s
scripture: Psalm 7:1-7
Okay. I’ll admit I’ve never had an adversary who has “pursued me” or attempted to “tear my soul like a lion …”
Oh, I’ve had people in my life who haven’t liked me, but generally speaking, people are usually pleasant toe me.
But I—and if you’re a Christian, you too—have an enemy. An enemy of my soul. An enemy who would like nothing more than to discourage me, “trample me,” and “lay my glory in the dust.” This enemy, one described as the “prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2), is “prowl[ing] around like a lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). He knows he’s lost the war because Jesus has already “overcome the world” (John 16:33), but he’s going to try to win a few battles.
How blessed I am to know that God is my refuge and protector—not just from earthly enemies but also from this enemy of my soul. And that enemy? He doesn’t stand a chance!
Okay. I’ll admit I’ve never had an adversary who has “pursued me” or attempted to “tear my soul like a lion …”
Oh, I’ve had people in my life who haven’t liked me, but generally speaking, people are usually pleasant toe me.
But I—and if you’re a Christian, you too—have an enemy. An enemy of my soul. An enemy who would like nothing more than to discourage me, “trample me,” and “lay my glory in the dust.” This enemy, one described as the “prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2), is “prowl[ing] around like a lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). He knows he’s lost the war because Jesus has already “overcome the world” (John 16:33), but he’s going to try to win a few battles.
How blessed I am to know that God is my refuge and protector—not just from earthly enemies but also from this enemy of my soul. And that enemy? He doesn’t stand a chance!
Monday, October 20, 2014
Fighting the Enemy (Psalm 17:10-12)
Today's
scripture: Psalm 17:10-12
King David, the author of Psalm 17, faced enemies—real enemies that wanted to see him dead. Many times through the psalms he wrote, he cried out for God's deliverance from those enemies.
We may not face human enemies, but we are certainly under attack. As Paul wrote, "We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world" (CEV, Ephesians 6:12).
The enemy of our souls, Satan himself, wants nothing more than to keep us from serving and worshipping God. He knows he's lost the war because I truly believe we can never lose our salvation, but he can keep us away from God. He can whisper words of doubt. He can make us question our faith. He can keep us stagnant, keeping us from growing as children of God.
When we find ourselves doubting or questioning, we need to go immediately to the One who loves us. We need to open our hearts to Him, sharing what's deep in our souls. He will cover us with His love and remind us that He is the Victor, and one day, He will vanquish the enemy (Revelation 20:10).
We can live in hope that God will help us fight the enemy while we're on earth, and we can rejoice in the assurance that He, one day, will conquer the enemy forever.
King David, the author of Psalm 17, faced enemies—real enemies that wanted to see him dead. Many times through the psalms he wrote, he cried out for God's deliverance from those enemies.
We may not face human enemies, but we are certainly under attack. As Paul wrote, "We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world" (CEV, Ephesians 6:12).
The enemy of our souls, Satan himself, wants nothing more than to keep us from serving and worshipping God. He knows he's lost the war because I truly believe we can never lose our salvation, but he can keep us away from God. He can whisper words of doubt. He can make us question our faith. He can keep us stagnant, keeping us from growing as children of God.
When we find ourselves doubting or questioning, we need to go immediately to the One who loves us. We need to open our hearts to Him, sharing what's deep in our souls. He will cover us with His love and remind us that He is the Victor, and one day, He will vanquish the enemy (Revelation 20:10).
We can live in hope that God will help us fight the enemy while we're on earth, and we can rejoice in the assurance that He, one day, will conquer the enemy forever.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
When Enemies Strike (Psalm 9:3)
Today's scripture: Psalm 9:3
We think we live in turbulent times … and we do indeed. However, if you read the Old Testament, you’ll see what turbulence times really were. David certainly knew turbulence. Constant wars. Enemies chasing him, seeking his death.
But he also knew God’s faithfulness. He knew he was God’s anointed king, and even through his sin and its consequences, David was confident in God’s ultimate protection. Time and time again, David prayed for victory over his enemies, and time and time again, God answered his prayer.
But not always. Sometimes, the enemy won.
And sometimes the enemy seems to win against us as well. How often has someone hurt you or maligned you or tried to destroy you? The enemy wins—or at least it appears so. We pray that he’ll stumble, yet he doesn’t.
At those times, the only thing we can do is exactly what David did: Cry out to God and trust He’ll protect us—whether or not our enemy stumbles or turns back.
Most importantly, we can remember God is the ultimate Victor!
We think we live in turbulent times … and we do indeed. However, if you read the Old Testament, you’ll see what turbulence times really were. David certainly knew turbulence. Constant wars. Enemies chasing him, seeking his death.
But he also knew God’s faithfulness. He knew he was God’s anointed king, and even through his sin and its consequences, David was confident in God’s ultimate protection. Time and time again, David prayed for victory over his enemies, and time and time again, God answered his prayer.
But not always. Sometimes, the enemy won.
And sometimes the enemy seems to win against us as well. How often has someone hurt you or maligned you or tried to destroy you? The enemy wins—or at least it appears so. We pray that he’ll stumble, yet he doesn’t.
At those times, the only thing we can do is exactly what David did: Cry out to God and trust He’ll protect us—whether or not our enemy stumbles or turns back.
Most importantly, we can remember God is the ultimate Victor!
Thursday, July 17, 2014
The Real Battle (Psalm 11:4-6)
Today's
scripture: Psalm 11:4-6
Yesterday, we talked about how we who follow Christ are in a battle, just as Paul described to the church at Ephesus (Ephesians 6:12). We ended with the reminder that we just need to trust the Lord.
God never changes. Never. He is always with us. Always.
He is, as the psalmist writes, in His temple and on His throne. He will never "slumber or sleep" (Psalm 121:4). He knows each step we take, each valley we descend, each mountaintop we conquer.
He also sees the acts of our enemies. He sees the wicked and unrighteous. He sees those who deliberately turn their backs on Him and persecute His children. While, as I wrote yesterday, the wicked seem to be winning battle after battle, one day each and every person who ever lived will stand before that throne ... no, they will kneel before that throne and confess Christ as Lord (Philippians 2:10-11).
Tragically, those who seem to be winning battles now will lose the final war, and they will be separated from the One whom they denied ... forever.
Now that I think about it, our fight shouldn't be against those who demean our faith. No. Our battle should be against a mutual enemy: the one who would love nothing more than to drag people to his own fate. We need to fight him for the souls of unbelievers.
We know who wins the war (John 16:33), and we who follow that Conqueror need to reach as many as we can to the winning side.
Yesterday, we talked about how we who follow Christ are in a battle, just as Paul described to the church at Ephesus (Ephesians 6:12). We ended with the reminder that we just need to trust the Lord.
God never changes. Never. He is always with us. Always.
He is, as the psalmist writes, in His temple and on His throne. He will never "slumber or sleep" (Psalm 121:4). He knows each step we take, each valley we descend, each mountaintop we conquer.
He also sees the acts of our enemies. He sees the wicked and unrighteous. He sees those who deliberately turn their backs on Him and persecute His children. While, as I wrote yesterday, the wicked seem to be winning battle after battle, one day each and every person who ever lived will stand before that throne ... no, they will kneel before that throne and confess Christ as Lord (Philippians 2:10-11).
Tragically, those who seem to be winning battles now will lose the final war, and they will be separated from the One whom they denied ... forever.
Now that I think about it, our fight shouldn't be against those who demean our faith. No. Our battle should be against a mutual enemy: the one who would love nothing more than to drag people to his own fate. We need to fight him for the souls of unbelievers.
We know who wins the war (John 16:33), and we who follow that Conqueror need to reach as many as we can to the winning side.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Fighting the Enemy (Psalm 57:4)
Today's
scripture: Psalm 57:4
I have been very blessed in so many ways. One way is that I've never really had any enemies. Oh, certainly, I have had people around me who haven't liked me much, but—at least to my knowledge—no one has ever come after me with sharp-sword tongues or teeth of spears and arrows.
However, there is one enemy who would love nothing more than to steal my joy and shake my faith. The "prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2) is intent on keeping God's children from fulfilling their God-given purpose. He knows he's lost the war with us, but he still wants to win as many battles as possible. He often works through the enticements of this world to take our focus off of God.
He's the "father of lies" (John 8:44), and we must "be alert" because he's wandering about like a "roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). One of the biggest lies he's telling now is that lust is good. So many people who follow Christ don't see anything wrong with pre-marital (or even extra-marital) sex. And when the enemy undermines God's commandments in one area, it makes it somehow easier for us to ignore God's other commandments.
We may not be surrounded by human enemies, but we are definitely surrounded by supernatural ones. We need to be God-focused. We need to know His word and surround ourselves with godly people. We need to seek God's will and His kingdom (Matthew 6:33). We need to dwell on those good and right things (Philippians 4:8).
Only then can we combat the lies of the enemy.
I have been very blessed in so many ways. One way is that I've never really had any enemies. Oh, certainly, I have had people around me who haven't liked me much, but—at least to my knowledge—no one has ever come after me with sharp-sword tongues or teeth of spears and arrows.
However, there is one enemy who would love nothing more than to steal my joy and shake my faith. The "prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2) is intent on keeping God's children from fulfilling their God-given purpose. He knows he's lost the war with us, but he still wants to win as many battles as possible. He often works through the enticements of this world to take our focus off of God.
He's the "father of lies" (John 8:44), and we must "be alert" because he's wandering about like a "roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). One of the biggest lies he's telling now is that lust is good. So many people who follow Christ don't see anything wrong with pre-marital (or even extra-marital) sex. And when the enemy undermines God's commandments in one area, it makes it somehow easier for us to ignore God's other commandments.
We may not be surrounded by human enemies, but we are definitely surrounded by supernatural ones. We need to be God-focused. We need to know His word and surround ourselves with godly people. We need to seek God's will and His kingdom (Matthew 6:33). We need to dwell on those good and right things (Philippians 4:8).
Only then can we combat the lies of the enemy.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
It Is Finished! (John 19:28-30)
Today's scripture: John 19:28-30
"It is finished!" These are the last words of Jesus as He hung on the cross. Three simple words with so much meaning.
It is finished ... Jesus certainly meant that His earthly life was finished. He did die. His heart did stop beating. He did take His last breath.
But His words meant more than just the completion of His on-earth ministry. "It is finished" means the end to the enemy's control. "It is finished" means the end of sin's hold on us. "It is finished" means the end of ritual sacrifice. "It is finished" means the end to mankind's being separated from God.
"It is finished" also means the beginning of new life in Christ for those who choose to follow Him. When Jesus died, He paid the ultimate price for our redemption. He was the final perfect sacrifice. We can come directly to God's throne because of these words.
These words speak triumph, and we should rejoice when we hear them. As Charles Spurgeon wrote: "The greatest note of triumph ever sounded in the ears of a startled universe was that sounded on the Cross of Christ—'It is finished!' That is the final word in the redemption of humankind."
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