BIBLE PASSAGE:
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls
around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
(1 Peter 5:8)
MEDITATION:
If you have ever felt you are in a vicious circle of sin,
repentance, sin, repentance, sin, repentance, etc, then
this devotional should be one of interest for you.
If we visualize the back of Satan’s head,
it can mean one of two things:
1. He is leaving us.
2. He is leading us.
However, if we visualize the back of God’s head,
it can mean only one thing:
1. He is leading us.
Why does it mean He is leading us? Because He has promised He will
never leave those who belong to Him. Regardless of the depth of despair
we might be feeling, He is there. If we are on an emotional mountain top,
He is there. When our sadness feels overwhelming He is there.
How do we know He is there during the bad times? We know, because
we discover that we are able to cope with something we thought would
devastate us. What seems trivial to some people, can be overwhelming
to others. We are all different and God knows that, so He tailors His
presence and His help to each individual need.
How comforting is that? That is the mercy and grace of
the God we worship and have committed our lives to serving.
Look at His promises:
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD
your God will be with you wherever you go.”
(Joshua 1:9)
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be
content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
(Hebrews 13:5)
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you;
He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid;
do not be discouraged.”
(Deuteronomy 31:8)
Those who know Your name trust in You, for You,
Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.
(Psalm 9:10)
If, however, we fail to feel His presence, He has not moved
from us, but we have moved from Him. He doesn’t forsake
us, but we can forsake Him.
Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding
will rebuke you. Consider then and realize how evil
and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord
your God and have no awe of me,” declares the Lord,
the Lord Almighty.
(Jeremiah 2:19)
When we look at God’s command to the church in Ephesus,
it speaks to us as well. When God saves us, He wants us to
become a light to the world; a light that will speak of His
loving kindness, mercy, and grace.
However, we can suffer the removal of the light He has given us
when we forsake the love we first had of Him. We have read that
God will never forsake us, so whenever we feel He has forsaken
us, it is because we have forsaken Him.
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are
the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right
hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. I
know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance.
I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you
have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and
have found them false. You have persevered and have
endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you
had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and
do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come
to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have
this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans,
which I also hate. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the
Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will
give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise
of God.
(Revelation 2:1-7)
From these verses, we can see how God observes the good things
we do, but at the same time, He does not ignore the things we do
that are not pleasing to Him. So, what does He do when we have
forsaken Him? Like any good father who loves His child would
do, He will discipline us so we will return to our first love of Him.
His discipline may cause us to feel that He has forsaken us, but we
need to remember His promise is to never forsake us, so we should
accept the fact that His discipline, no matter how painful it may feel
at the time, is an expression of His love, and it is for our good.
My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do
not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines
those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.
(Proverbs 3:11-12)
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.
Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness
and peace for those who have been trained by it.
(Hebrews 12:11)
Think of the frustrations we feel when we struggle to overcome some
sin in our life that keeps recurring, even when we think that we have
overcome it. From just a few scriptures, we have seen how closely God
observes our lives, and He knows our desire to overcome any nagging
sins that keep us chained and separated from our fellowship with Him.
At the same time, He knows what we need in order to claim victory
over the sin, and He ‘goes into action’ to help us with our struggles.
He shows His love for us and His omnipotence in strengthening our
weaknesses, so we can have victory and return to our first love of Him.
ACTION:
How do you handle your battles with Satan? Are you continually
frustrated that you cannot have a lasting victory over some
temptation (and sin) that never seems to go away permanently?
Remember that God has promised His availability, and go to
Him with your concerns. He is omnipotent and we are not! He
knows Satan’s schemes better than we do, and He knows how
to defeat his efforts to create a gap in our relationship with the
Lord that can destroy our fellowship with Him.
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your promise to never
leave or forsake those who belong to You. You know the
sins that I struggle with, and You know how to provide
victory over those sins. Forgive me for ignoring Your
presence and availability to help me with my weaknesses.
Today, I am asking You to give me victory over the sins
that have plagued me for way too long. Rekindle the light
You have given me to share with others, so I will tell how
I struggled with sin, but then I called on You to help, and
I finally started having victory over the sins that had me
chained and separated from the love and presence of God.”
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