Wednesday, May 25, 2022

FACING THE ADVERSARY

1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.


There’s a story about a seven-year-old boy that kept getting bullied on his way to school by another boy taking his milk money. The bully threatened that if he didn’t hand it over, he would give him a knuckle sandwich. This would occur every morning but the seven-year-old was too ashamed to admit it to anyone, and too afraid of the knuckle sandwich to stand up to him. He just kept giving the bully what he demanded.

One day he finally decided to stand up to the bully. He refused to hand over his milk money and the bully socked him in the eye, but he laughed at him, then he tore into that bully like a windmill in a tornado and beat the snot out of that boy. He realized that what he was afraid of wasn’t really as bad as he had imagined.

This reminds me of a video I saw one time where this bully comes to pick a fight with a boy that he knew would not fight back. He punched the boy in the face and started dancing around like he was Smokin’ Joe Frazier, trying to impress the other kids standing around. The victim watched him for a second, then picked that boy up at the waist and literally body slammed him to the ground and walked away. When the bully was able to get up, he limped off with an injured ankle. This same victim asked his father to buy him a set of weights and he started working out so he could defend himself against bullies. He stopped being a victim… and became a victor.đź’Ş

Matthew 10:28 (NKJV) Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Satan is the adversary of God. Since his fall from heaven (Isa. 14:12-15; Luke 10:18; Rev. 12:7-8), he has opposed God's plan to establish His kingdom on earth. He deceived Eve, ushering sin into the world. Later, he opposed Jesus' authority and tempted Him to misuse His power as God's Son. But Jesus crushed Satan under His feet, bruising His heel. Now, Satan is the Christian's adversary, but we have an Advocate, Jesus Christ the Righteous.

Luke 10:19 (NKJV) Behold, (Jesus said) I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

In Christ, we are overcomers. In Him, we are more than conquerors. God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than we can stand. He will always make a way of escape, so that no weapon formed against us shall prosper, and nothing above or beneath will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

James 4:7 (NKJV) Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Thanks be to God,
who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.

To God be the glory.
Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove đź•Š