Today's Bible readings are Genesis 44:1-45:28, Matthew 14:13-36, Psalm 18:37-50, & Proverbs 4:11-13
Psalm 18:37-38
37 I chased my enemies and caught them; I did not stop until they were conquered. 38 I struck them down so they could not get up; they fell beneath my feet.
What a picture of a warrior in pursuit of those that are out to take his life. I see a fierce soldier determined to finally have freedom over the ones that have been railing & thrashing for so long. There is that moment when a warrior knows that now is the opportunity to finish the work. No more just holding my ground. Today is the day to eliminate them once & for all.
This was common in the days of war. An enemy would come out & draw up their lines. Sometimes they would ambush in the night. Other times they would attack at an unsuspected time. But this time the man of God finally got the upper hand. His enemy was running. This time was different. He had a killer instinct kick in that said, "Finish him." The man of God had put up with the assaults long enough & had realized the only way it was going to end was to conquer them with force.
This is a vivid picture of what needs to happen in our lives. There are many things that the enemy will use to beat us down. We often just let him do his thing. We find a little freedom from the things & settle for it, only to see it return at a later date. It's like the guy who is addicted to porn. He has times where he doesn't view it but then it grabs him out of nowhere. It is like the person who has had a drinking problem that finds moments of sobriety only to return to drinking for no apparent reason. Another example is the woman who manages her emotions for a season & then the meltdowns return. This leaves us in such frustration.
I want you to here from the Lord this morning--"It is time to conquer these enemies once & for all".
David saw the value in pursue what had been pursuing him. He understood that he could never live in peace with these enemies of his. They had to be destroyed.
I struck them down so they could not get up;
There are many things that people try to live with & manage. For instance:
- Anger issues
- Depression
- Worry
- Addictions
- Fear/resentments
- Sexual issues
- Past hurts/insecurities
There is no hope in living in peace with any of these things or other things like them. They will always ravage & plunder you if they are allowed to remain. They don't want to be your friend, they want to rule you. They want to destroy you. We must persistently strive to overcome them so they lose all power of us. Regardless of popular opinion you can have TOTAL VICTORY over these in Christ!
I know this to be true. I use to be a addicted to drugs & anything else that could make me feel good. I pumped myself full of anything & everything to help me like myself. When it started to produce problems in my life I realized something needed t change.
I began to try to find help. I was taught that it would always be a part of me. I was told that I would always be an addict. I bought into that idea for a bit. I had no hope of conquering the addiction, only trying to find a way to live free from it. It only left me struggling again.
Then I got saved. I got filled with the Holy Spirit. I began to realize that I had power to conquer all things in this life. I began to exercise the power that was in me by faith. I began to break ties with those old things instead of live in peace with them. I MADE WAR!!!
I decided that there was something better that Christ had to offer me. I made up my mind to desire His plans for me. It was then that I set out to destroy the things that had been part of my past for as long as I could remember. Thanks be to God for the freedom that I have found. I have conquered my enemies. I can say with absolute confidence--THEY WILL NEVER A PLACE IN MY LIFE AGAIN!
I challenge you today to make war against the things that have made war against you. Purpose in your heart that you will not just settle for a season of rest form these things. You can have total freedom & total victory in Christ. Don't wait for them to show their ugly face again before yo do something about it. You now what they are. Put them on notice right now. Declare war! No more living with blinders on. Don't wait for them to attack you, attack them!
Remember your weapons:
- Belt of truth
- Helmet of salvation
- Breastplate of righteousness
- Shoe of the gospel of peace
- Shield of faith
- Sword of the Spirit
- Lance of prayer
2 comments:
This has me roaring and ready to fight! ! I will be writing down the weapons and taking them everywhere I go! !!! Thank u God for always being here even though I do not deserve it!
The Armor of God. This is what we are studying at our men's small group, Men of S.T.E.E.L. on Wednesday nights. This is a call out to ALL men to come join us in this study from 7:00 to 8:00 PM in the Life Center classroom. Ladies, encourage your men to attend!
How does the godly man or woman prepare to live each day as a follower of Jesus Christ? By paying close attention to keeping their sword sharp(Ephesians 6:17) and by praying "on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests(Ephesians 6:18). God's Word and prayer are the Christians two greatest weapons against evil.
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