Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 NIV
The enemy’s lies, his attempts to divide and conquer, and his efforts to set up permanent barriers between us and God must be thwarted.
It is written:
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7 NIV
Though these two easily understood scriptures contain few words, they speak volumes.
As Christians we face these attacks daily. When we sin, the enemy is quick to whisper these lies:
- You cannot be forgiven.
- Be ashamed.
- Drown in guilt.
- The Lord will no longer help you.
- You can’t seek the Lord after this one!
All of these are designed to isolate us in darkness and keep us away from our Lord.
We must avoid these traps and not allow these lies to cause barriers between us and God. We must resist the enemy, remaining alert to these attempts of his, so that we can see them and avoid them.
There are many biblical stories showing the best way to avoid these barriers and move forward in our efforts to seek out and sit at the feet of our Lord.
As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” Luke 8:42-48 NIV
We see here a woman who simply would not be denied a chance to touch our Lord. While the enemy reveled in her disease and suffering, the crowd made it nearly impossible for her to get to Jesus. Surely she endured various bumps and bruises while navigating the multitudes around Jesus, yet she remained steadfast in her faith and desire to come to Jesus. Surely, a lesson for us all!
There is one place we can go to be sure we remain safe, alert, and resistant to the enemy. A clue resides in this word from David in Psalm 91.
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. Psalm 91:1-4 NIV
The Lord will protect us from Satan’s attempts to snare us and destroy us- if we remain in him. He will cover us with his feathers, and beneath his wing we will find refuge. We must remain in him.
If we remain beneath his wing, the enemy will be forced to come through him to get to us! We know the Lord will never allow that to happen, as the enemy is no match for HIM!
Remain alert, and don’t believe the enemy’s lies. Reach for our Lord’s cloak today, for whatever ailment you are faced with.
Praise our Lord and love one another, to him be all the glory!
Barnabas
Special thanks for this guest submission by Barnabas.