Know Your Foe - Part 2

 

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

—Ephesians 6:11

If we truly want to know our foe, we need to recognize the tools, or the weapons, our foe uses against us. In various places, the Bible speaks of the enemies of the faithful: those who carry the traits of the evil one himself and use his weaponry.

In Psalm 141:9 David prays for the Lord to:

…keep me from the snares they have laid for me, from the traps set by evildoers.

Psalm 91:3 mentions the “fowler’s snare.” Knowing us as he does, the enemy lures us through our own nature into the places where he has set these traps.

Over time, the enemy sometimes builds footholds into our lives. Largely, he invades and sets up these footholds into our lives without our even realizing what he has done.

Imagine a steep hill, impossible to climb, and compare it to a strong Christian. Then, imagine that a strong Christian allows the evil one to step again and again up that hill. At first, the evil one only sets toeholds. Then, he deepens those toeholds until they become footholds. Next, he refines those footholds until he has built a stairway that gives him all too ready an access to us.

In Ephesians 4:27, the Apostle Paul gives us this warning:

Do not give the devil a foothold.

Paul’s advice rings very true. For once the footholds have been formed, we will have a very difficult time tearing them down.

The evil one also has a collection of masks that he uses to trick us. 2 Corinthians 11:14 tells us that:

Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

Imagine the trickery Satan can pull off by pretending to speak and act as God’s true ambassador. In order to fight against this weapon, we must discern the false from the true. Do you know your Lord well enough to tell His voice from that of the enemy? Like the wolf in the story of “Red Riding Hood,” Satan would swallow chalk and wear a disguise to trick us.

Finally, we read in Ephesians 6:16:

Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

This weapon, the forerunner of modern ammunition, carries not only the sharp wounding power, but it also carries the destructive force of fire to consume and utterly destroy. What do we have to do to remain safe from this devastation? God provides us with a shield of faith that will allow us to trust Him for our protection.

Several times in the New Testament, we are given instruction to “be alert.” We can only stand against all the traps, footholds, disguises, and flaming arrows of the enemy by staying conscious of his designs against us and by continually employing the weapons with which God provides us.

I love to pray the text of the hymn, “Soldiers of Christ, Arise”: ¹

Soldiers of Christ, arise,
and put your armor on,
Strong in the strength which God supplies
through his eternal Son.
Strong in the Lord of Hosts,
and in his mighty pow’r,
Who in the strength of Jesus trusts
is more than conqueror.

Stand then in his great might,
with all his strength endued;
But take, to arm you for the fight,
the panoply of god.
Leave no unguarded place,
no weakness of the soul;
Take ev’ry virtue, ev’ry grace,
and fortify the whole.

To keep your armor bright,
attend with constant care;
Still walking in your Captain’s sight,
and watching unto prayer.
From strength to strength go on;
wrestle and fight and pray;
Tread all the pow’rs of darkness down,
and win the well-fought day.

______________________

1 Wesley, Charles. “Soldiers of Christ, Arise.” Hymn in the Public Domain.

 

 

Know Your Foe - Part 1

 

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.

—Ephesians 6:12 NKJV

Do you sense the battle against us? Do you wish to win over the forces of our enemy, Satan? Do you know for what to watch? How to recognize him? How to fight against him? So many Christians have been lulled to sleep and do not even sense the battle, let alone experience the weariness of it.

Scripture has much to say about enemies. Most often, those “flesh and blood” enemies we see don’t pose the problem. Instead, it is the power behind them that poses danger. How can we recognize this powerful enemy? Consider what the Bible tells us.

In Ephesians 6:10-18, we read about the ways of this enemy, as well as God’s provision for the battles against Satan. First of all, we know that Satan studies us, knows us, and plots against us. He delights to find weaknesses in us and to scheme up ways to traps us.

And, in 1 Peter 5:8, we read that he prowls about looking for people to devour. He is wily and clever. He sets snares and watches for us like a fierce and hungry lion.

Puritan theologian, Matthew Henry says this about our enemy: ¹

We have to do with a subtle enemy, an enemy who uses wiles and stratagems. He has a thousand ways of beguiling unstable souls: hence he is called a serpent for subtlety, an old serpent, experienced in the art and trade of tempting … The devil is a spirit, a wicked spirit; and our danger is the greater from our enemies because they are unseen, and assault us ere we are aware of them.

How do we hope to win, or even to stand, against so terrifying and strong an enemy? In the same passage of Ephesians 6:10-18, we see the answer from the Apostle Paul, who knew something about the battle waged against us.

God has supplied for us his strong armor. From head to foot, we can know God’s covering. We have no strength in ourselves to match up against this foe. But, God has told us He wants us to stand strong against this enemy. God gives us offensive and defensive weapons with which to fight. The armor consists of the following key elements:

• the belt of truth
  
  
• the breastplate of righteousness
  
  
• the shoes of the gospel of peace
  
  
• the shield of faith
  
  
• the helmet of salvation
  
  
• the sword of the Spirit, which is the written Word of God.
  
  
• praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
  
  

We must put on this armor that God has supplied. We must bathe every action we take in fervent prayer. We must recognize that God desires to keep us safe by guarding us against Satan’s attacks.

Our Lord loves it when we come to Him and admit our weakness, even our cowardice before so terrifying a foe. He thrills to see us rely wholly on his all-sufficiency. No power in heaven or earth can quench the power of our Lord of Hosts, and He is with us. Take courage from this verse found in Psalm 46:7:

The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge.

______________________

1 Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Commentary. McLean, VA: MacDonald Publishing Company, 1985. Vol. VI, pp. 718-719.

 

 

Old and Flourishing

 

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in their old age, they will stay fresh and green.

—Psalm 92:12-14

Our culture has numerous ways of casting a different view of old age than the Psalmist did in the Scripture verse at the beginning of this blog post. Today, when choosing people for important work in the marketplace or church, more likely than not, the younger person gets the nod.

When even the older people view retirement, instead of hoping for a useful and productive time in their lives, they far too often gravitate toward filling their lives full-to-overflowing with “the good life”—the country club, the golf course, the garden, visits with family and friends, or a pleasureful season of constant cruises and perpetual vacations.

When we look into what the Bible has to say about this matter, we see that God used very old people to accomplish some of His most important work. For example:

• Abraham and Sarah, nearing 100 years of age, became parents of a son who would become a key individual in the birth line of the Messiah.
  
  
• King David wrote Psalms from the perspective of old age.
  
  
• Moses carried out his most impressive assignment after the age of 80.
  
  

After Moses had endured the Israelites’ wandering in the desert for forty years, he penned Psalm 90, which in verse 17, he asked God to “establish the work of our hands.” Even then, Moses didn’t “go into retirement” and quit. He asked God for something new to accomplish. He had seen what appeared as futile drifting by his people, and he wanted to warn them that life is short, and God had work for them to do.

When we study the young mind of Moses in the Book of Exodus, we quickly learn that, although God prepared him to some degree for the work ahead of him, God wanted a mature, seasoned man who had experienced the sad disappointments of life. These disappointments had prepared Moses for the task of leading an entire nation to a new home.

By that time, Moses felt inadequate! He had gone from self-assured at forty (see Exodus 2:11-14) to this humble, cautious man, whom God could use at eighty (see Exodus 3). Then, close to 40 years later, he penned Psalm 90, in which he was asking God to establish his, and the Israelites’ work for them!

When we feel as though God can no longer use us at 65, or 75, or 95, we need to take a look at His servants in Scripture. Read Psalm 71, a Psalm, probably by David, about old age. In verses 17 and 18, David prays:

Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.

Certainly, we can say that God used Moses in the very manner that Moses’ prayer had requested. In like manner—whether we are young, or middle aged, or old—God wants to use us, as well. Moses, the great intercessor for his people, shows us that even when physical limitations may persist and may hamper our efforts, God can do great things through our prayers.

 

 

Don't Believe It!

 

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

—Judges 6:12

How many times in Scripture has God proven that He makes the most out of the weakest people? Think of the virgin teen, Mary of Nazareth. Consider Sarah, Abraham’s wife at 90 years old. Remember Moses at age 80. Think about Ruth, a foreign barren widow. Ponder the life of David, a shepherd boy. In the lives of each one, God has elevated these individuals to places of significance in His Kingdom.

As yet another example, I would like to zoom in on the Bible character, Gideon. In those long ago days when Gideon lived, the Israelites had once again cried out to God because of the oppression of the Midianites.

One day, Gideon, the son of a farmer, was threshing wheat in a winepress for his father. He did this in order to hide the wheat from the enemy. As he worked, Gideon was visited by the angel of the Lord, who addressed Gideon as a mighty warrior! Gideon’s response definitely spoke of his lack of faith because, as recorded in Judges 6:13-15, Gideon replied:

“If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?” ... The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel.” Gideon responded, “How can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

Has anyone ever called you a trooper, or a prayer warrior, or some other name you know couldn’t possibly define you? Your first thought might be: “Prove it! Show me in what way you can say that about me!”

Gideon just would not believe that God could do through him what God had asked. Gideon asked for signs, which God graciously gave him. But, as we see in Judges 6:27, even when Gideon obeyed God:

Because he was afraid of his family and the men of the town, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.

The story takes even more twists and turns. But, once Gideon had called all his men together, God whittled the army down even more. God did this so that His power might be seen in the outcome of this attack.

We see in Judges 7:12 that even against the Midianites with the Amalekites—who came “… thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore …”—with Gideon’s small army of 300, God proved His power and defeated the enemy.

In dramatic terms, this narrative from Scripture teaches us that God loves to use the weak to do His greatest work. If we come to God with fear, with very little to offer, in weakness and need, but with a willing spirit, He can use us for mighty things.

In 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, the Apostle Paul expounds on the lesson:

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

If we desire for God to use us, let us please take heart. When we feel weak, God can use His strength in us. When we feel inadequate, God will make us adequate to anything to which He calls us. Believe it! We can’t, but He can.

 

 

Overwhelmed

 

“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

—Matthew 26:38

Looking in several dictionaries, I discovered that, traditionally, writers have used the words “whelmed” and “overwhelmed” interchangeably. It doesn’t surprise me that these words began as nautical terms. They describe a boat caught in the precarious position of filling with water, even capsizing. In the Bible, references to seafaring-related activities are nearly as popular as agricultural illustrations.

Many of you will recall the words found in the hymn, The Solid Rock, written by Edward Mote. ¹

His oath, His covenant, His blood
support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

Refrain: On Christ the solid rock, I stand;
              all other ground is sinking sand;
              all other ground is sinking sand.

The idea for those words in that hymn come from Psalm 61:2:

When my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

As I read Psalm 65:3, I was struck by the use of the same word when David described the sense of overpowering sadness he felt over sin:

When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions.

In both cases, the one involving extreme emotional need and the one involving deep sin, we need that Rock that is higher than the extremity of our sinking position. Only Jesus can restore our equilibrium.

In his expositional commentary on the Psalms, the late Dr. James Montgomery Boice shares the following story from the life of Charles Haddon Spurgeon: ²

Ships often ran upon the rocks off the coast of England, and mariners were cast in the water and drowned. At times, the mariners would find themselves struggling at the base of high cliffs, knowing they would be safe if they could only get up the steep slippery face of the rocks. But they could not. At one place, according to Spurgeon, a man who lived at the top of one of these cliffs carved stone steps into the rock face so wrecked mariners could climb up. And when the steps became badly worn and impassable over time, someone else added stanchions and a chain railing to help the struggling survivors.

In like manner, God has provided us with the way to overcome our weaknesses through the Rock of Christ. In our times of need, the Holy Spirit will lead us to Christ, so we can call out to Him for help.

Again, as I read the verse in Mark 9:15, I came upon this word “overwhelmed.” Here the word is used to describe the throngs of people who met Jesus when He and His disciples came down the mountain from the Transfiguration.

As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

What an amazing way to be overwhelmed! Perhaps we need to exchange our sense of overwhelming need with the sense of His overwhelming wonder. When we meditate on God’s wonder-full provision for us in Christ, we realize that, in the drowning circumstances of our lives, Jesus can truly supply everything we need.

______________________

1 Mote, Edward. “The Solid Rock.” A hymn in the Public Domain.

2 Boice, James Montgomery. Psalms: An Expositional Commentary – Volume 2. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1998. p. 504.