“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11)
Time waits on no one! Time is not an obstacle that is too great for evil influences to accomplish their dirty work. Time is not something the forces of evil have to rush or in some way speed up the effects of their influences. Patience is one of the evil one’s strongest weapons. In fact, error works so gradually that no one generation may even be aware of its destructive destiny.
So … how do we conquer this great enemy of ours? It might even be asked if it is possible at all. The answer is a resounding YES! YES it is possible … but we must understand we will NOT be able to do this on our own!
We can only overcome the efforts of our adversary to capture our soul for eternity by looking to Jesus and His Lordship.
We can be victorious if we choose to use the very same weaponry that Jesus used in His own battle with Satan. In Matthew 4 we read of Christ being tempted by the devil in the wilderness.
You remember the story don’t you …?
- Each time Satan placed before the Lord the opportunity to sin … Jesus Christ gave the same essential answer, “IT IS WRITTEN …”
- This is where we can find the source, strength and ability to overcome the evil one!
- We can learn of Satan’s ways … ploys … devices … methods by reading/studying and meditating on the wonders of His Word (2 Corinthians 2:11) (Psalm 19:7-14) (Romans 11:3) (Psalm119:9-16).
His Word … this Book is still just as true … just as perfect … just as able … still just as powerful and able to save our souls (James 1: 21-25)!
You see … the Lordship of Jesus Christ in each of our lives individually/collectively offers untold blessings both in this life … and in the life to come (John 14:15; 1 John 5:1-5)!
We do not have to live in fear of the devil, but we must always be sober-minded, ever vigilant with the knowledge that he exists and that he has our spiritual destruction as his ultimate goal!
We … yes … each one of us can be “more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).
The future of the church throughout the world and right where you might worship is going to depend upon the discerning discipleship that each one of you exhibits (2 Timothy 2:15, 16; 1 Peter 5:1-4)!
Truth is under assault! This assault is more sophisticated and more diverse than it has been in the past, as our enemy continues to hone his skills (1 Peter 5:8, 9)! The currents of error run deep and at various speeds, but they are running, and as the expression goes, “let the buyer beware.”
This is a time for the “redeemed of the Lord to say so!” (Psalm 107:2). It’s time to choose! We can either surrender to those swift currents or oppose them.
Never forget the story of how Jesus handled temptation because the temptations for each of us will present themselves daily.
Bill Fairchild, Jr.
P.S. How are you doing on your daily Bible reading?
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