Verse of the day: Judges 7:22, When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the LORD set every man’s sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the army fled to Beth Acacia, toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath.
There is a simple unpleasant fact that all of us need to acknowledge. Whether we are Christian, or not, we will all go through periods of suffering at some point in our life. The difference being that we, as God’s children, have Jesus to lean on during those times. Israel suffered at the hands of the Midianites, and now Gideon and his army initiate the battle cry against them, upon God’s leading. Note who is fighting the battle at the outset. It says, “The Lord set every man’s sword against his companion.” Yes, the Lord is the one who smites the Midianites as the battle begins. In Romans 8, the Apostle Paul addresses the issue of suffering. He reminds us in verse 18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” In other words, when we consider what awaits us when we are finally with the Lord, suffering here for a short while does not compare. 1 Peter 1:6 and 5:10 also remind us that suffering is only for a short time, but those times are more precious than gold. They are more precious because they teach us much about who the Lord is in our lives and what He can do when we stay our eyes on Him during those times. It is during our times of suffering that we learn to be more like Jesus (Romans 8:28-29) and have the greatest opportunity to gain heavenly reward. Gideon was called by God to face an enemy that was far greater than he was, but it was God who would strike the first blow against Israel’s enemies. So it is with us when we encounter those times of oppression and suffering at the hands of our enemies. Romans 8:31 & 37 remind us, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” 37 “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” When we suffer, we often and immediately begin to think that we are suffering because of something we did wrong, which may not be the case at all. The demons try to use those times to convince us that God does not really love us. Yet, the Word of God reminds us in Romans 8:35, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” Romans 8:38-39 further reminds us, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The fact of the matter is that God’s love is unwavering, and He will stand and fight for us when Satan and his demons launch their attacks against us. God reminded Israel, and we can hold on to this promise as well in Christ, in Isaiah 54:17, “‘No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me,’ says the LORD.” The greatest battles we will encounter and the greatest enemy we will face are of the spiritual realm. Ephesians 6:12 clearly confirms this, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Be assured that when the enemy strikes, the Lord has already set the boundaries. We know this from Job 1:12 and Job 2:6. When suffering comes, God has already set up our defense and stands ready to strike the first blow against our enemies. This is why we must be obedient in doing two things. First, when our suffering comes because of someone else’s evil actions against us, we must forgive and return good for evil, allowing God to take vengeance (Romans 12:9-21; Ephesians 4:32). Secondly, we must submit and draw near to God, so that He will draw near to us, causing the enemy to flee (James 4:7-8). Suffering will always come; however, Jesus is always with us, and that is where we find our comfort and victory.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
No comments:
Post a Comment