The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"Content and Confidence"
Our spiritual enemies cannot remove the content of God's promised provision to born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ whereby "His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness." Thus, they seek to damage our confidence in His provision and our possession of "the unsearchable riches of Christ" (II Peter 1:3; Ephesians 3:8).
"The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17).
By "live," Scripture means that we are spiritually alive in Christ by faith, and also that we seek to avail ourselves of our Lord's promised enabling of His life. "We... live through Him" (I John 4:9). Our enemies well know this truth, perhaps better than do we ourselves. They seek to discourage our trust in the promises and presence of God. Such unbelief results in skirmish defeats despite our union with the Christ whose triumph has already assured the ultimate fulfillment of God's purposes. We can lose battles despite our Savior already having won the war. Discouragement places us in a gravely and unnecessarily weakened spiritual condition, requiring that we look to the Lord Jesus and thereby "lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees" (Hebrews 12:2; 12).
Our confidence in God flows concurrently with how well we know Him and His truth. Indeed, we trust someone to the degree we know them. Realizing we live in a battle zone wherein enemies ever seek to thwart our faith provides motivation to avail ourselves of the gifts God has given to keep our heart empowered by His encouragement. "Fight the good fight of faith" commanded the Apostle Paul (I Timothy 6:12). Our foes will be all too successful if we fail to realize their incessant attempt to discourage us, and far more, if we fail to remember and affirm the promise of "all things that pertain to life and godliness" we possess in Christ.
I like to think of this in terms of getting our spiritual dander up. "Someone is trying to discourage me, someone I cannot fight myself. However, Someone else seeks to encourage me, Someone far greater than my foes. He has won the war, and can lead me in this battle as the Captain of my salvation, and as the indwelling power whereby 'we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us' " (Romans 8:37). Realizing the nature of the conflict - "the good fight of faith" - goes far in our seeking to fight accordingly as as we realize that discouragement involves not only our flesh, but also enemies ever seeking to dampen our confidence in Him. "There are many adversaries" (I Corinthians 16:9).
We must smell the smoke, as it were, of the spiritual battlefield on which we live. Enemies cannot win the war they have already lost. They cannot take from us our salvation or "the unsearchable riches of Christ" whereby God equips us for all things. Our content is secure. However, our confidence may wax and wane, depending on how we look to our Lord and His Word as the life and light of our lives. Again, our foes well know this. They fight accordingly. We must therefore fight affirmatively, "looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith," and finding in Him the far more than adequate means to align our confidence with His content.
"We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints."
(Ephesians 6:12-18)
Weekly Memory Verse
That which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
(Luke 16:15)
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