Subtitle:
Being On the Winning Team
Psalm 35:1-4, 9-18 (By David) O LORD,
attack those who attack me. Fight against those who fight against me. Use your shields, {both} small and large.
Arise to help me. Hold your spear to
block the way of those who pursue me. Say to my soul, “I am your savior.” Let
those who seek my life be put to shame and disgraced. Let those who plan my
downfall be turned back in confusion. … My
soul will find joy in the LORD and
be joyful about his salvation. All my bones will say, “O LORD, who can compare with you? You
rescue the weak person from the one who is too strong for him and weak and
needy people from the one who robs them.” Malicious people bring charges
against me. They ask me things I know nothing about. I am devastated because
they pay me back with evil instead of good. But when they were sick, I wore
sackcloth. I humbled myself with fasting. When my prayer returned unanswered, I
walked around as if I were mourning for my friend or my brother. I was bent
over as if I were mourning for my mother. Yet, when I stumbled, they rejoiced
and gathered together. They gathered together against me. Unknown attackers
tore me apart without stopping. With crude and abusive mockers, they grit their
teeth at me. O Lord, how long will you look on? Rescue me from their attacks. (God’s Word, Copyright
1995 by God’s Word to the Nations
Bible Society, www.godsword.org)
GOD IS OUR SHIELD! He
takes the blows that were meant for us. He is stuck with arrows and darts of
the enemy, hit with the sword, beaten on by those stronger than we are and
through it all He defends us. He fights for us! He blocks the attackers and
engages in the battle so we can escape. Our God rescues us from those who hate
us because of him.
We are in a spiritual
battle against the followers of Satan. They hate us, because their master
Satan hates God and anyone who follows Him. At times it may seem that we are
being defeated but the reality is it is only Satan’s smoke as he goes down in
defeat. Satan’s army is like that of many terrorist groups; misguided, cruel,
arrogant, self-absorbed, and full of hate and vengeance. They hate the truth
because it exposes the lies that they have been taught from their youth. Satan
has convinced them to believe in lies, lies that many nations have listened to
and followed for centuries, lies that some in America also believe, lies that
convince them that they can buy their way into heaven by performing specific
deeds, living a particular way, eating certain foods, dressing in a particular
style or following certain rituals. These lie believers come in various shapes,
and cultural forms, and don’t always believe the same lies, but they have one
thing in common – THEY HATE THE TRUTH!
The followers of
Satan are truth deniers! Truth exposes their short-comings, their
insecurities, their failed logic, their deep-seated evil thoughts and desires.
Truth will humble them, so they muster up hatred and fight against truth lest
they might be considered weak in the eyes of others. They especially hate God
because God’s truth brings humility. They embrace Satan’s (truth) which is a
lie, because it gives them the false sense of power and control. They consider
humility and mercy as weakness and resist grace because of pride. Because of
sin they have an internal hatred of everything that is pleasing to God. (As followers
of Jesus we were at one time controlled by Satan and sin and stood in
opposition to God, but by the power of God we were brought to a place of
humility and surrender to the grace and mercy of God and received forgiveness
of sins and the promise of eternal life.)
We don’t stand a
chance in the crosshairs of Satan’s weapons, but our loving Lord steps into
the path and takes the hit. He rescues the humbled, protects and defends the
helpless, He gives life those who call on Him. He is my shield and my defender.
He frees me from the entrapments of Satan and blesses me with eternal gifts.
Our BOLD Outreach
promise is this: God’s Word will deliver those who hear it and who by faith
call out to Him for mercy. God has already taken the punishment for our sin
upon Himself and has struck Satan with a fatal blow. When Satan, in his attempt
to destroy God (by having Jesus die on the cross), gave His best shot using the
religious leaders and Roman authorities to carry out his work, seceded in his
ill-fated plan. The power of death, the hold that Satan may have claimed on
God’s creation was destroyed, and with that, Satan’s power was rendered
ineffective. Satan is still selling a lie. He has been defeated, yet continues
to convince people that He still has the power to fulfil their selfish desires
and ambitions.
Evil still exists in
the world, but for believers in Christ its effect is only a temporary
condition, because eternal life with Jesus Christ waits all who believe in Him
as their Savior. This is fitting place
to end this reflection and a timely place as we approach the end of Lent and
the beginning of the Passion Week. It is also March madness and I know who will
be the victorious ones. The winning team is – TEAM JESUS.
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