Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 17:8-9, Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.”
Goliath used a tactic that the devils love to use with us Christians. Sadly, we do much to make it easy for the devils to use these tactics against us. Which tactic you ask? The one where the devils whisper in our ears and convince us that we are unable to defeat them, overcome temptation, that we are not good enough to serve, and that we have finally committed the ultimate sin that God will not forgive us for. This is just a short list of things they whisper to us. Goliath’s used devilish wisdom in his approach of intimidating Israel and convincing them that they were not strong enough, in order to cause them to cower and be afraid. First, we must remember this one truth, the devil is a liar. Jesus said this in John 8:44, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” Not only is he a liar, but he is also an accuser of both God and man. In Revelation 12:10 we read, “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.” These whispered accusations, that he not only brings before God, as we have read in the Book of Job, chapters 1 and 2, and the Book of Zechariah 3, he uses to instill insecurity and fear in us. He uses the opinions of men to cause make us feel unworthy, and cause us to shy away and step back from speaking up for Christ. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 29:25, “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.” This fear is not always necessarily the fear of physical harm, but fear of what others will say or think about us. When we have sinned, repented, confessed it, and gotten right with the Lord; yet encounter that judgmental Christian (or two) who is/are more than happy to remind us of the moments when we did not shine so brightly for Christ. These are the tactics the devils use to keep us paralyzed in our fear. How do we break free of the grip of this fear? How do we overcome Satan’s tactics that derail us from the path God wants us to walk on, or causes us to keep from speaking the Name of Jesus? First, put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6), then the best weapon we can use to destroy the devils’ lies, and obliterate the devils’ attacks is God’s truth, as found in His Word. In John 8:31-32 we are told, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’” God has recorded for us, in His Word, the truth of His unwavering love for us, the enormity of His grace, the extent of His forgiveness, and how we can have strength and victory in Christ Jesus, even against the wiles of the devil. Saul became afraid because the Spirit was no longer upon Him. Therefore, the courage he once possessed was nonexistent as Goliath breathed his threats against him and the armies of Israel. Although the devils try this same tactic with us, we must never forget this one truth that give us a greater advantage than Saul ever had. That truth and advantage is that, as born again believers, we are sealed and indwelt by the Spirit of God (Ephesians 1:13; 1 Corinthians 6:19). Knowing this, we must believe the truth that is stated for us in 1 John 4:4, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” Regardless of what accusation the devils throw at us, or what attempts they make to demoralize us, in order to try and instill paralyzing fear in us, remember that we are God’s children, He never leaves us nor forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5), and nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:31-39).
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