This war is already won!

 

Today the devotional reading coincides with my experiences this week. Monday I prayed a long time about vital requests from others. That night the enemy hit me with a terrible dream that made me feel abandoned and lost. The next day God blessed me with a gift (more below) and that night I was hit again with a bad dream. These prayers are being answered and the enemy does not like it. We are also making plans that will affect our lives and Satan does not seem happy about that either. In other words, this week has been filled with spiritual warfare coupled with the calm assurance that God is in control. We tell of trusting Him to those around us. Satan isn’t happy with that either. Because of  this, I’m personalizing some of the reading. It fits with my thoughts and makes my heart rest, even in this battle.

The spies sent by Joshua into the promised land were helped by Rahab. She hid them from her countrymen who would have killed them. Her reason? She said:

“I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.” (Joshua 2:8–11)

This week, while filled with ups and downs, God gifted me with a glimpse of Satan’s schemes. While I did not see the terror and faintness that has fallen on all the forces of evil, I did understand that these evil spirits see in God’s praying people the incredible way that God uses prayer to conquer their schemes and bring victories that cause His people to declare, “Only God” as the reason.

Knowing this means I can meet my spiritual enemies without that crippling fear and trembling that hit me after that first dream. Satan is already defeated and this gives me confidence that God has not only heard and will answer my prayers, but also the devil’s efforts to stop them will not work.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, (Jesus) himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2:14–15)

This slavery is not only the fear of death, but fear that God isn’t listening, that prayer is a waste of time, that I don’t know if my prayers are meaningful at all or just a bunch of I-wants. Jesus has ruined the plans of the evil one. He has “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them” (Colossians 2:15) and He boldly declared:

Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. (John 12:31–32)

Jesus came to “destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8) meaning not only his power to draw me into doubt and sin, but to ruin lives with all sorts of wicked schemes. Jesus will win because He has already won the greatest battle.

This is a fact; sin is a conquered foe and so is Satan. This fact and faith in it gives me the power to be dead to sin and victorious over temptation. I can march around cities, see the walls fall flat, and conquer all battles. He does that when I trust Him, not myself or anything else.

PRAY: Lord, I sense the importance of my prayers this week and the value of the decisions that face us. You alone are in charge. The enemy keeps sticking his lies into the mix and You continue to shut the door on all bait that he dangles in front of us. Oh how thankful I am for You and Your goodness.

NOTE: And the gift mentioned above? Remember the story of pink tulips. First read it here. Every week, my hubby meets with other men to study God’s Word and pray. One of those men reads my devotional posts and after he read that one, he told his wife about it. This week, he handed my husband a gift — from his wife to me. My hubby teared up. When he handed it to me, I sat down and sobbed. Not only is this unexpected and beautiful, it came to me just as I was trying to recover from that dream that made me feel hopelessly abandoned and unloved. God knew and Rosa and Phil, you listened. Your timing was perfect. I want to say thank you now and hopefully later, offering a big hug. This amazing gift looks wonderful on my front door and blesses me each time I think about it. Google even says: “The pink tulip is a symbol for caring and good wishes. It's perfect for a gift!”

I’m also reminds that TULIP has a meaning in Christianity as seen by Calvinists:

Total depravity
Unconditional election
Limited atonement
Irresistible grace
Perseverance of the saints

This makes your generosity and thoughtfulness even more special. Thank you, thank you, thank you!