All I need to know about the future . . .

Deuteronomy 15; Psalm 102; Isaiah 42: Revelation 12

Today’s prayer asks for protection from my darkness. Odd request. I don’t know what my darkness is but do know what I am in the dark about: I don’t know what will happen to my family in the future, and I am in the dark about my own future. It seems the Lord anticipated these questions so gave me today’s devotional readings.

First, God cares about future generations. He speaks through the psalmist: “Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord.” (Psalm 102:18) This psalm tells me that He hears the prayers of the destitute that we might praise His name. He also says, “The children of (My) servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before (Me).” (Psalm 102:28)

The Bible says much about the future and how it will turn out:

Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law. (Isaiah 42:1–4)

He says, “I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations” (Isaiah 42:6) speaking of Jesus whom He will “give as a covenant for the people, alight for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon” and who will “lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known” guiding them and “turning the darkness before them into light and the rough places into level ground” with a promise to never forsake them. (Isaiah 42)

The Son showed up and initiated the new covenant, keeping this and all the promises God made through His prophets. He gives me clues for the future in these passages. One is that God will take care of the next generation. His eternal power and faithfulness will keep the many promises He makes to that end.

Two, He said He would sent His chosen One and He did. Jesus came and I need not to grow faint of be discouraged until He establishes justice in the earth — and do we need justice!

Three, He will lead me, even when all seems dark. He will not forsake me. Even the prince of darkness cannot harm me. That promise is made near the end of the New Testament:

Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” (Revelation 12:7–12, italics mine)

God says that Satan deceives the whole world and is busy accusing God’s people before Him all the time. But he is conquered, first by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for my sin, then by my testimony of faith in Christ, a faith that I am willing to die for. Because of Jesus, the darkness represented by this liar and destroyer cannot ruin me. He tries and his attempts are persistent and relentless, but he knows his time is short. He will not defeat me or other people of God, nor our children or our children’s children.

APPLY: I have a responsibility to love and obey God, to love others like He loves me. I cannot ‘save’ anyone but I can point others to the Savior who is able to rescue them from sin and death. God, protect me from the enemy who would ruin my testimony if he could, and stop me from loving You if he could. I’m so thankful that in his darkness he seems oblivious to Your great power.

 

This is war!

Genesis 35–36; Job 2; Mark 6; Romans 6

Some health issues are satanic. How do I know this? When I am fervently praying about something very important, like God being glorified in the memorial service for my sister this coming Saturday, the enemy does all sorts of things to stop those prayers. I’ve had to sort them out. Grief is normal, but it can be turned into a severe pity-party and I stop praying. Calls from family and friends are normal but the phone can ring with no purpose from the caller other than to interrupt or keep me from praying. My up/down emotions are normal too, but they can also stop prayer.

This past week, I had a four-day nosebleed and it messed with my prayer life. When that finally stopped, a spell of extreme fatigue began to the point that all I wanted to do was sleep. No cooking, cleaning, reading, none of normally enjoyable activities, nothing. I just wanted to lay on the couch and fall asleep.

Yesterday, one of our young pastors (a gift from God) preached about choices. In his message and in the music, I realized that I was using my feelings to govern my actions and choices to the point that the slightest sense of “I don’t want to” was blown out of proportion. The only option was a long nap.

I realized this was another of the enemy’s schemes. Besides that, several people told me they were praying that Christ would be honored in my sister’s memorial and that jolted me too. My energy level dramatically changed when I prayed that the liar would take a hike.

This morning, chapter 2 of Job tells of how this same enemy approached God and said Job (who passed the first test of not cursing God when his family and wealth were taken) would flunk if he was allowed to attack Job’s health.

And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.” (Job 2:3–6)

The attack on Job was far more severe than his attack on me. The point was not that I would curse God (or maybe it was) but that I would stop talking to God about His will being done, about His glory being revealed. A smaller version and much shorter story. Job eventually realized his thoughts needed altering and God restored his health and his losses. For me, as soon as I realized this was a spiritual battle, my energy came back — instantly and with joy — and I began to do my work with delight and pray with increased assurance that the Lord was listening. All I can say is WOW!

Mark 6 tells the well-known story of Jesus feeding 5000 plus with five loaves and 2 fish. The Holy Spirit immediately says to me that no matter how puny our efforts may seem to us the Lord Jesus can take our offering and make of it what is needed for the occasion. If I or any of the Christians in my sister’s family praise Him with the little that we might do or say, He can feed others with it. Again, this is a wow kind of God!

We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:9–11)

My sister loved Jesus and as these verses say, she considered herself dead to sin and alive to God. She stands before His throne complete, not that she was perfect but that He gave her His perfection. Her life was all about Jesus; in her death she wanted people to know Him. The enemy of God and of our souls does not want that to happen. The battle is on, but how can a defeated liar win over the Way, the Truth, and the Life? He cannot — and even though I have no idea what will happen, I know that Jesus defeated the liar and gives His people victory.

And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. (Revelation 12:10–11)

Running the race . . .

Last week I wrote of sin being like a dog hanging on to my pant leg hoping to bite me, trip me, or persuade me to play with him. Now that I think about it a bit more, this is what Satan does also. He wants to hurt me so I will not pray, or cause me to stumble so I will not reach God’s goals for me, or get me so preoccupied with his tricks that my spiritual life takes a nose dive. These verses are a big encouragement to kick off that dog . . .

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” (Hebrews 12:1–4)

The witnesses are those who have gone before me, enduring or surviving their trials by faith. Yet instead of focusing on the challenges, or even on the victories of these witnesses, I am to look to Jesus. The faith of others is helpful, but Jesus is my Savior, the founder and perfecter of my faith.

How did He triumph over the enemy? He refused to sin and instead “became sin for us” and died in my place. I am not a Savior who dies for others, but I can reject sin and endure whatever trials God allows in my life. If I consider or think carefully about Jesus and how He lived and died, I do not become tired or discouraged in my battle.

Considering Jesus helps me to also think about the result of His obedience, that joy set before Him. As I run my race, I need to keep my eyes on the finish line with the utmost assurance that nothing will keep me from reaching it, not even that pesky dog. He does his best, but Jesus has already taken care of his fate.

More about dogs; Chinese martyr Watchman Nee said being a Christian is like having two dogs fighting inside of Him. When asked which one was winning, he replied, “The one I feed the most.” Good advice.

^^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, I know that I must keep my mind focused on You for the ability to run well and to fight off the dogs. I need to take in Your Word and let it feed the new nature You have given me. I need to starve the old nature by putting it off and refusing to do what it wants to do. These are the desires You have put in my heart. Enable me to be fruitful and run with endurance the race set before me.