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But we refused to listen to them for a single moment. We wanted to preserve the truth of the Good News for you. – Galatians 2:5

 

Paul was determined never to yield to anything opposed to the truth of the Gospel. He wrote to the Ephesians, “Do not give the devil a foothold” (Ephesians 4:27 NIV).

The duty of the Christian parent, pastor, or leader is to “be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Similarly, the Lord warned Isaiah about the need for alertness, saying,

“Put a watchman on the city wall to shout out what he sees. Tell him to sound the alert when he sees chariots drawn by horses and warriors mounted on donkeys and camels” (Isaiah 21:6-7).

Satan seeks to weasel his way into our churches and families through our slack oversight, our tolerance of his encroachment, and our yielding to his advances. Even when the great apostle Peter was being swayed by the hypocrisy of the Judaizers, Paul stood boldly against him, saying, “I had to oppose him publicly, speaking strongly against what he was doing, for it was very wrong” (Galatians 2:11).

The enemy hates your liberty in Christ and does his best to put you back under the “yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1 KJV). Don’t give in to anything that is not in the truth of the Gospel. Stand your ground against the devil, and “he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

2020-12-31T10:53:23-07:00

Then David’s throne will be established by love. From that throne a faithful king will reign, one who always does what is just and right. – Isaiah 16:5

Just as Satan was cast like lightning out of heaven, he is being cast out of his earthly kingdom by the power of Jesus. As Isaiah says, “The oppressor will come to an end, and destruction will cease; the aggressor will vanish from the land” (Isaiah 16:4 NIV). Isaiah further prophesied that in love a throne would be established, that in faithfulness a man from the house of David would sit on that throne, judging with justice and righteousness (v. 5).

Thank God for the power of love over hatred! “For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son. . . .”(John 3:16). The love of God was manifested to this world the moment Jesus stepped into it. Everywhere He went, the oppressor’s kingdom came to an end. Jesus cast out devils from all those bound by them, “for God was with him” (Acts 10:38). Paul states that Jesus “died for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live” (Galatians 1:4).

In your darkest oppression, there is One whom God has sent to rescue you. He is the King on the throne of David. Let Him wrap His arms of love around you and protect, deliver, and rescue you from the oppressor.

2020-09-14T00:00:00-06:00
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