Thought for the Week - 7th June
Pastor Gareth WatkinsEphesians 6: 10-13
We are precious to God. When we are saved, His goodness and love is poured out making us new in His eyes. We are taken out of the pits of sin, and our eyes are opened to what is good. When we lived in the pits, most of us would have been of little interest to Satan, we are not much of a threat when we are consumed by ourselves. It is when we belong to Christ that he takes more notice.
Christ encountered satan, as did the disciples, and so too do we; it comes with the territory! Paul speaks of fighting the good fight as soldiers enduring hardship and engaged in warfare. James instructs us to resist the devil and he will flee. True Christianity is a fight, battles come and we must choose sides.
We don’t hear much preaching on the spiritual battle in the Christian walk, it is not as palatable as peace, love, and blessings. These things are indeed richly poured out to us, but the attack of the enemy on all that is good in our lives is very real. We must ensure we can stand against the wiles of the satan and protect the good that has been entrusted to us.
Some Christians feel that these things are not for them. They are perhaps of the opinion that the dark and murky places of the spiritual, affect those whose lives are far removed from their own by comparison. This is not so and is a dangerous position to take. A soul won for the kingdom, useful to God for His works, and gaining good ground over evil in this world is indeed a target for attack. Satan roams the Earth seeking to destroy anything that is good.
Attacks come in many forms. Firstly, we need to see these for what they are, an attempt to distance us from God and lead us to a spiritual death. Then we must remain strong in our faith, put on the armour of God, and stand firm in the battle. We will not win if we run, hide, or fight in our own strength. We must remain steadfast in Christ whose strength will withstand all that comes against us. We also need to keep ourselves right with God, when we yield a little in another direction, we open ourselves up to defeat.
Christ has the victory over us, the battle is already won, but it is only when we stand with Him that the enemy cannot prevail. If you find yourself waning and exhausted in the battle – Don’t give up, take up the armour of the Almighty God, and stand firm in the victory that Christ has over your life.
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