“So
Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek.
Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in
my hand.” (Ex. 17:9). “For You have girded me with strength for
battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.” (Psalm 18:39).
Hey
Gang: I have adopted Jonathon Cahn into my hillbilly family because he
talks and writes with language and illustrations that this hillbilly can
understand. In this month’s devotional he wrote the following opening to
a devotional he titled “The Blotted Enemy”: “Fight your spiritual battles as
if they are defeated already. Lay the groundwork covered in prayer before
even stepping on the battlefield”.
To
that, my dear sainted Grandma would add, “Stay prayed up to date for there
are times when you do not have time to set up your altar and go to the Lord in
prayer.” In my work with out-of-control teenagers I found that to be
oh, so, very true!
Cahn
titled his teaching “The Blotted-Out Enemy” based on Exodus 17. The first
battle that Israel ever fought was against the Amalekites or Amalek. I
have read the story many times and used the illustration of Aaron and Hur
holding up the arms of Moses during the day of fighting. As long as his
arms were up the Israeli’s prevailed but, when they sagged, the Amalekites
prevailed. There is a barn full of messages with illustrations from my
life that I could share but will save them for another day. I suspect
each of you might also have stories of those times when your guard was down,
and Satan gained an upper hand.
Then
God says, “I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under
heaven” (vs.14). But notice in yet!
Question?
If the enemy of Israel, the Amalekites, are blotted out, how can God keep
fighting them, or how can God’s people keep warring against them, if they are
already blotted out? Think about that for a moment or two? There is
a very important- not so hidden truth - ingrained in these verses.
Satan
is a defeated enemy of God and all of God’s people but, has he thrown in the
towel and retreated into the shadows? In no way! Even in the wilderness,
we are told, after failing to convince Jesus that he had a better plan for Him,
we read Satan slinked away, awaiting a more opportune time to return and “bug
Him” (Luke 4:13).
In
other words, God fights a blotted-out enemy - and so do we. The key to
living a victorious life is to understand that we are in constant warfare with
a defeated enemy!
I read
an article recently that stated that the number one seller on the book list,
the Bible, is, in most cases, the least read. In the same article, the
author, after doing some serious research, discovered there is a growing
discouragement and anxiety growing among many who proclaim that are believers
in Yeshua. He also discovered that there is a correlation between those
who are discouraged and filled with anxiety and their time invested in their
prayer closet and time in the Word.
Soooo,
Does that not compute? If you eat one meal at McDonald’s a week, how long
will your body survive? The point Jonathon is pounding: “The old sin
doesn’t look defeated, yet Messiah finished the battle on the cross. Remember
His words, “It is Finished?” The enemy is blotted out!
You will win the fight, and you have to fight a defeated enemy. Win the
battle that is already won. Fight the fought battle in His
strength. You live on the winning side. On the cross, it is already
blotted out! Keep in mind that -at the
name of Jesus, Satan must flee!
Blessings,
Gramps
No comments:
Post a Comment