A Reminder!

(Genesis 15:1) "...Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great."

How often do I disregard the wiles of the enemy, I need to be constantly reminded that all those enlisted in the army of the King of Kings and who has a general that goes by the name of "Lion-Lamb" must remain fit, alert and on the lookout for the enemy. Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. (Ephesians 6:12) “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” This text tells us that we must not be lost in the mundane cares of this life, blaming our siblings in the Lord for the difficulties they may bring upon us. Our battle goes far deeper than the surface. There is a war that rages violently and we are the target. All those who have enlisted have been singled out. Let us not lose sight of this fact! With that understanding we are then able to view the trials of life with a different perspective. It will help us deal with issues with a level of maturity as we are no longer caught off guard. Knowledge is a wonderful gift from God. Yesterday was World Aids Day and I was privileged enough to address five Companies on what it means to live with HIV. There is a lot of information on the subject and people have been warned about its dangers and so they have been told! They have received the information, what they do with it now is entirely up to them. Will they make that knowledge their own? In like manner, will we take lessons from God’s Word and with the awareness we receive from God the Holy Spirit, will we embrace it and use it to help us in time of need. Will we? We must! I have encounter HIV suffers who have heard about the dangers of HIV but never taken the virus seriously, to their damage, they are no longer with us. So it is obvious, if we have medication that will keep us alive from a deadly virus, then we must adhere to its protocol and if we don’t, well then we must not be surprised if death is prominent. The brilliance and the beauty of our position in the Lord are extremely unique. We stand enlisted in God’s army with Christ as our righteousness, please let that sink in! He has defeated the devil but now the devil rages against us so that we will look outside our covering in Christ and he does this by enticing us with the cares of life, he distracts our attention. Be alert and do not be easily diverted. We are of the family of Abram, we have been adopted into his promise; "...Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." If we are part of this family then we are entitled to our inheritance in the life to come, but we must remain faithful unto the end. In order to remain faithful we must have knowledge and make it our own and then call upon it when need. Simple enough, but we are so often distracted, I am so often distracted. We must however grow-up and begin to stand against the schemes of the devil. We would not be told to put on the armour of God if it wasn’t needed, it is needed! (Ephesians 6:13) “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” Have you ever considered why we need a shield? In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, as it is one of the biggest threat to our existence as Christians, when we walk in unbelief. It will eventually lead to disobedience and then the threat of not entering into heaven becomes a real one. We must remember that it is Christ who was the victor on Calvary’s cross. We are sanctified by Him and not by our own efforts. Because of His victory, we must walk as He walks in triumph, remembering that our conquests solely depend in Him and nothing else. Move away from this mindset and the enemy has lured us in to believing a lie. In Christ alone I stand! But I must find grace on a daily basis to be reminded of this truth, and when grace is my portion I am able to wield this shield with skill and when the fiery darts are violently fired at me I am able to stand using the shield of faith to defend myself. Christ is exalted, He is magnified and the enemy is silenced.

May our confidence remain solely upon the finished work of our magnificent Saviour, the one and only Christ Jesus our Lord, the One who is now seated at the right hand of the Father who makes intersession, day and night, for His sheep? He is the great shepherd, may we never wander so far that He is out of sight. May we have our eyes fix on Him and may we learn from Him. We love you lord Jesus; give us courage to confess you before men. As you have taught us if we confess you before men you will confess us before your Father. How I long for that day!

Signing off

Tyrone