Daily Devotional - 8/25/15 (10/25/09)

Prayer Focus - Enemies


Day 4
Pray for:
One person who was mean to you when you were a child
One person who has given you a lot of trouble recently
One person from your family (immediate or extended) that has given you trouble
One person from work or a social circle that has given you trouble



Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs
Your ability to offer complete forgiveness from your heart
Your ability to let go of the hurts and move on whether they will ever apologize or not



Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear and grant me the strength to obey.



Psalms 55



"Listen to my prayer , O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught at the voice of the enemy, at the stares of the wicked; for they bring down suffering upon me and revile me in their anger" (vs. 1 - 3)


The voice of the enemy. What a disturbing thought. Satan does speaks to us, often in our thoughts. Random strange thoughts that we wonder about and think "Where did that come from". Ideas that we know are not good for us. Temptations. Satan prowls like a roaring lion (I Peter 5:8-9) and we are definitely in a spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:10-18). We forget so easily about this and then we are easy victims for the evil forces that surround us. We think that our thoughts are just our thoughts, and so why shouldn't we indulge them. Why should we be so strict with ourselves, we reason.  No one knows what I am thinking about so what will it matter?  What will be the consequences?  What will this one thought do?

 But this is where all sin starts. It starts with just a thought indulged, a small desire, that over time grows and grows. James 1: 13 - 15 states, "When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."

Satan plants a little thought like - "I never do anything right" - in our heads and then we begin to dwell on it. Soon we are angry and frustrated. This eventually becomes depression and negativity. We stop functioning properly and become completely inward focused. Satan has won, all from that little thought. Or how about - my husband/wife doesn't act like he/she loves me. We take that thought which might run through our head and begin to dwell on it. Soon, our husbands/wives are the worst individuals alive and we are so upset that we respond very negatively towards them as well. And it gets worse from there.

We have to recognize that there is an enemy and it is not another human being. I repeat Ephesians 6: 12 ("For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms") almost daily so that I will remember that I am not fighting my husband, my children, my students, or even myself.  I am fighting a spiritual enemy.  There is more to this world than we can see.  We have to remember that the next time someone is being mean to us or there is an irritating situation at work or at home.  It is Satan trying to get at us and he will use whatever will work best.  He knows what pushes our buttons.  So since we know that we will hear his voice, that this is a definite reality, then we need to take every thought captive (II Cor. 10:3-5).  This is where the battle starts.  The victory in our lives will be won day by day here.  We must take our thoughts captive, and then we need to take the next step - "Call on God".



"But I call to God and the Lord saves me. Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and He hears my voice. He ransoms me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me." (vs. 16 -18)


We are in a spiritual battle, and although we are called to be spiritual warriors, we cannot win this struggle by ourselves. We are no match for Satan and we should not even try to battle him alone. We need God to win the battle. We need God's word and we need an active prayer life. We need to be calling out to God continuously - morning, noon, and night. God will hear us, but we have to call out to Him. We need to plead with Him. He will ransom us from this spiritual battle when we pray. His armies are much greater than Satan's.

 There is a story in II Kings about Elisha and his servant that always encourages me.  The town that Elisha was staying in was surrounded by the troops of the king of Aram.  It appeared hopeless when seen with human eyes and Elisha's servant was terrified.  Elisha comforted him and told him not to be afraid because the warriors of God were more numerous that the troops of Aram.  Then he prayed for the servant's eyes to be opened.  When the servant looked again to the hills, he saw them full of horses and chariots of fire.  The troops of Aram were then miraculously over come.  When I look at this story and the many others in the Old Testament, I realize that God is bigger than all of the struggles I face.  I just do not always look in a spiritual way for the victories. (II Kings 6:8-23)  I must go to God, and cling to God to win the battle.


"Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall...But as for me, I trust in You." (vs. 22, 23b)

Finally, let us cast our worries on the Lord because He does care for us and He will sustain us. He will never let the righteous fall. Let us be righteous, and let us choose God. Let us be able to say like the psalmist, "Despite what is going on around me and even if no one else is willing to follow You anymore, God, I trust in You!  I will follow."




Prayer for the Day



Dear Lord,


We hear the voice of the enemy and often we don't recognize that it is an enemy at all.  Help us to discern our thoughts and help us to take every thought captive. We know that what we dwell on impacts our lives and our actions. We want to dwell on what is wholesome, good, and lovely. Let us direct our thoughts to whatever is honorable and right. Guard our hearts and our minds and help us to turn continually to You for the help and the strength that we need to stand firm in this spiritual battle. Make us into mighty warriors, Father, because we know that that is what You desire for us. We desire it as well.  You desire the victory for us and for others. Help us to be part of the solution. We are casting our cares onto You and turning to You. We know that You will ransom us and we will do our part as well. You are great. You are our God.


In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT


1. Do I recognize that Satan can feed me thoughts? Am I taking captive every thought and striving to dwell on what is good?

2. What thoughts from Satan am I especially prone to grab hold of and dwell on? What thoughts and verses can I use to counteract them?

3. Am I praying morning, noon, and night? What can I do to remind myself to pray more and especially at these three times? Where do I pray best? When have I felt most connected to God in prayer? How can I duplicate these times?

4. What cares do I need to cast on God in prayer? What verses can I memorize and meditate on that will remind me how much God does care for me?

5. Am I committed to trusting God no matter what happens? What would make me hesitate in my trust in God? What has made me turn back/look back in the past, even if it was just in my heart?