Friday, January 16, 2015
Pastor Mike reminded us recently that our main adversary, the devil, is not omniscient. That is, Satan never knows what is in our hearts and minds; only God knows that. However, the devil can easily see what things give us trouble in our personal lives, and he’ll employ all his evil tactics in order to concentrate his attack on our areas of weakness. I was reading with interest recently about a lion’s hunting habits. Most people believe that they study carefully and then pick out the weakest and most feeble member of the herd they will attack later. Not so! They mostly attack those who are the closest to them, usually those who stray from the rest of the herd. They also have success in hunting because they know how to hide in the tall grass or how to make the different groups of animals think that they have no interest whatsoever in them. It is no wonder, then, that the bible tells us in 1 Peter 5:8: “Be sober, be vigilant: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” So much for those who think he will only attack the supposedly weak in the faith. Other victims of the devil are those who don’t realize he is nearby waiting for his chance. It is amazing to me how many people there are who think that Satan doesn’t exist and is just the product of someone’s imagination.
I repeat, although the devil does not know your thoughts, he can hear what you say, knows what you like to do on a regular basis, and can easily see when you are discouraged. It is at that point, when you have strayed from God and have wandered close to where he is, that he will attack you. Discouraged Christians are Satan’s biggest targets.
Dear Child of God, if you are discouraged today, it is clearly because you have stopped focusing on Christ and have fixed your sight on something or someone else. Remember the account in the 14th Chapter when Peter almost walked on water? Do you remember when it was that he started sinking? It was when he took his eyes off of Jesus. Colossians 3:1 NLT gives us this simple but valuable advice: “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ,set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand in the place of honor and power.” Would a bully try to hurt you if you had someone much bigger and stronger than he standing by your side? Neither will the devil attack you if he can see that Jesus is at your side. No wonder David could say in Psalm 23 that he feared no evil. He knew that the Lord was with him, and that same Lord is with you too. Don’t dwell too much on the things and cares of this life. If they are a cause of trouble to you, ask the Lord to help you with them; He won’t let you down. Above all things, keep your eyes on Christ.
Memory verses for the week (Psalm 103:13-14) “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.”
