the snares of death confronted me (vv. 4-5).
But G.o.d delivered David, who reveals the amazing answer: "Because he delighted in me" (v. 19).
Can we say, "G.o.d delights in me?" He does, and He is ready to show us that. Do we need help getting free from the claws of the devil? Does l.u.s.t sicken yet entice and control us? Is our trial putting more and more pressure on our mind? Are our emotions on constant edge? Do we feel that we are becoming weaker spiritually instead of stronger? G.o.d delights in you! You are the reason He sent His Son to die. His love is everlasting. The enemy of our souls has limited power. He is no match for Jesus. About G.o.d"s love, Billy Graham said, Young people talk a lot about love. Most of their songs are about love. "The supreme happiness of life," Victor Hugo said long ago, "is the conviction that we are loved." "Love is the first requirement for mental health," declared Sigmund Freud. The Bible teaches that "G.o.d is love" and that G.o.d loves you. To realize that is of paramount importance. Nothing else matters so much. And loving you, G.o.d has wonderful plans for your life. Who else could plan and guide your life so well?7 John Newton wrote, "If the Lord be with us, we have no cause of fear. His eye is upon us, His arm over us, His ear to our prayer-His grace sufficient, His promise unchangeable."8 Years ago, Mark and Huldah Buntain felt that G.o.d was asking them to go to Calcutta, India. They had been in the city and had seen the devastation that the devil can bring to millions of people. The poverty, the sickness, and the misery in Calcutta were-and still are-beyond description. Mark was a successful evangelist from Canada, and he didn"t have to go to the other side of the world to find a successful career. But the tug in Mark and Hul-dah"s hearts would not go away. So they, with their baby, Bonnie, went to Calcutta and began their work with a one-year commitment. One year turned into two, two turned into three, and then they knew this was to be a lifelong ministry.
As the years went by, the mission station grew. The now dynamic church was reaching hundreds with the gospel. Mark and Huldah started other churches and helped find national pastors for these congregations. They began a daily feeding program for women and children. All of these endeavors demonstrated the love of G.o.d to thousands.
Then Mark"s health began to fail. He was exhausted. His nerves were on edge, and daily he fought a mental battle. The enemy, who had controlled that city for centuries, was not going to let Mark destroy his work. Satan wanted to see the total ruin and downfall of the Buntains" work in Calcutta. Mark hit bottom emotionally, and out of his depression he said to Huldah, "G.o.d has forsaken me."
Mark left Calcutta and sought help in another part of India. After months of trying to get well, he realized that these people had no answers for him. He left the hospital and went to "Childers Lodge," a retreat center in the mountains of India. While walking on the grounds one day, another missionary introduced himself to Mark. He said, "Mark, many of us have been praying for you. We heard of the difficulty you"re going through." Mark didn"t want to talk to anyone and turned from the man and walked away. The man called after Mark, "Mark, I"ve been where you are!"
With those few words, Mark knew that this man would have some answers. He turned around, and for several days the man was able to counsel and encourage him. Moreover, hundreds of people were praying for Mark. Mark"s nightmare began to end. For the first time in months, he started feeling stronger and once again sensed G.o.d"s loving presence. The depression was over. He returned to Calcutta with a new understanding of both the enemies" attack and G.o.d"s power to heal and protect.
Wiser and stronger now, Mark and Huldah pressed on with their work in Calcutta. Mark turned from the defense to the offense, and over the next two decades G.o.d helped them build the congregation to several thousand people. In addition, about fifty other churches were started around the city. A system of Christian schools was started and grew to ten thousand students. A multi-story hospital was built that daily provided care for hundreds of the needy people. The daily feeding lines grew to more than twenty thousand women and children. Numerous other ministries began in that city. Truly, what the devil wanted to destroy, G.o.d protected. After Mark died, Huldah continued the work in Calcutta, which flourishes to this day.
The devil will seek to weaken our faith and make us discouraged. We may be ready to give up on family members or even marriage. Temptations might seem too big to handle. Perhaps our problems have been with us for years. But we can hold on and be a.s.sured of G.o.d"s help because He delights in us.
The Battle Is Almost Over.
SATAN KNOWS THAT THE greatest ent.i.ty that can counter his plan and strategies is the church of Jesus Christ. Once the church is removed from the earth, Satan will have tremendous liberty to quickly organize the nations of the world for the great battle called Armageddon. In his book Angels, Billy Graham writes, Lucifer, our archenemy, controls one of the most powerful and well-oiled war machines in the universe. He controls princ.i.p.alities, powers and dominions. Every nation, city, village and individual has felt the hot breath of his evil power. He is already gathering the nations of the world for the last great battle in the war against Christ-Armageddon.9 Even though Satan is certain that he will ultimately win, his days are numbered. G.o.d has an angel who will seize the devil at the end of the war of Armageddon and bind him for a thousand years (Rev. 20:1-3). When the thousand years are over, Satan will be temporarily released and once again try to marshal the nations against a holy G.o.d and His people. This attempt will be Satan"s last. He will be thrown into the "lake of burning sulfur .... and will be tormented day and night for ever and ever" (Rev. 20:10).
The battle of Armageddon could be very near, and if that is the case, our personal battle with the devil is almost over. Christians are on the winning side. We have a relationship with G.o.d whereby we have discernment and an awareness of G.o.d"s power and protection.
Feeling Surrounded.
ELISHA WAS ONCE IN a situation that looked hopeless. He and his a.s.sistant were in the city of Dothan, and the king of Aram wanted him captured. The king sent horses and chariots and a strong force of soldiers to surround the city and find Elisha. Overnight the troops gathered, and in the morning Elisha"s servant saw the forces on the hilltops. He panicked and ran to his master.
"Oh, my lord, what will we do?"
"Don"t be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."
And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant"s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (2 Kings 6:16-17).
G.o.d had also surrounded the city. Aram"s forces were no match for these invisible forces. G.o.d had sent his "chariots of fire," full of angels. The Puritan preacher Increase Mather wrote in Angelographia, Angels both good and bad have a greater influence on this world than men are generally aware of. We ought to admire the grace of G.o.d toward us sinful creatures in that He hath appointed His holy angels to guard us against the mischiefs of wicked spirits who are always intending our hurt both to our bodies and our souls.10 We may feel surrounded at times by the enemy of the soul. David Wilkerson said, The devil is not merely some cosmic jester or jokester, plotting and playing tricks on us just to make things difficult for us. His demonic spirits are not just imps who go around making life miserable. No-Satan"s purpose is much more serious than that!... His one goal is to raze us, cut us down and leave nothing more than a memory.11 The enemy desires to ruin every Christian and every Bible-believing church. But G.o.d has an army that can remove the enemies" troops in a moment. This army is ready to respond at G.o.d"s beck and call. G.o.d"s holy angels are poised and prepared to defend and protect us. Elisha"s prayer for his servant is for us as well: "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see."
The Grams family had endured a sleepless night full of fear on that fateful July 28. They felt very much alone, thousands of miles from their home in the United States. Molotov c.o.c.ktails were thrown into the part of town where they lived. Machine guns and bombs went off throughout the night. The smell of smoke crept into their house from flames nearby. Shops, banks, and galleries were blown apart within yards of their home. Through the night they wondered whether they would survive.
Finally the night was over, and calm came to the community.
Almost two months later, Betty Jane Grams received a letter from a friend. She couldn"t believe her eyes. The letter said, "I couldn"t sleep last night. I kept seeing your faces and realized G.o.d wanted me to pray. So that"s how I spent the night." The letter was written on July 28. The Grams family were once again reminded that G.o.d knew exactly where they were and what they were going through.12 In his book Angels, Billy Graham tells of a similar occasion.
It was a tragic night in the Chinese city. Bandits had surrounded the mission compound sheltering hundreds of women and children. On the previous night the missionary, Miss Monsen, had been put to bed with a bad attack of malaria, and now the tempter hara.s.sed with questions: "What will you do when the looters come here? When firing begins on this compound, what about those promises you have been trusting?" Miss Monsen prayed, "Lord, I have been teaching these young people all these years that Thy promises are true, and if they fail now, my mouth shall be forever closed; I must go home."
Throughout the next night she was up, ministering to frightened refugees, encouraging them to pray and to trust G.o.d to deliver them. Though fearful things happened all around, the bandits left the mission compound untouched.
In the morning, people from three different neighborhood families asked Miss Monsen, "Who were those four people, three sitting and one standing, quietly watching from the top of your house all night long?" When she told them that no one had been on the housetop, they refused to believe her, saying, "We saw them with our own eyes!" She then told them that G.o.d still sent angels to guard His children in their hour of danger.13 Staying Close to G.o.d.
WE MUST ALWAYS REMEMBER that "those who are with us are more than those who are with them." The enemy will attack us, attempt to discourage us, tempt us, and accuse us. Even though he is a "roaring lion" looking for someone to devour, we are not to walk in fear or to live a life on the defense. We can walk in confidence and go on the offense. We have more than enough protection, and we have tremendous power in the Lord to defeat the enemy. The key is staying close to G.o.d.
When we stay close to Him, we have this promise: "Submit yourselves, then, to G.o.d. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to G.o.d and he will come near to you" (James 4:7-8).
This is an a.s.surance of great victory in spiritual warfare. We cannot defeat the devil or his demons in our own power. We cannot wash away the sins of our past or present. We cannot gain G.o.d"s favor by doing good things. James is saying, "If you want victory over the devil, you must submit your life to G.o.d through His Son, Jesus Christ. There is no other way to win-if you want to overcome your guilt, bad habits, temptation, or the attack of Satan"s invisible forces-you must submit and come near to G.o.d."
This formula might seem too easy. But that points up an amazing truth about the love of G.o.d. Many people-even theologians-have tried to make G.o.d"s ways complicated, but G.o.d has made his plan of salvation and protection easy to understand. We simply have to give in to Him.
You might say, "How do I submit to G.o.d?" The answer is simply this: Go to Him in prayer. Say, "G.o.d, I submit to you. I give my life to Jesus Christ. I believe that he died for me and rose from the dead. Help me live my life for your glory." G.o.d is with you right now. Whether you are in your home, on a park bench, in your car, in a prison cell-or even in a place where you know you should not be-He is ready to hear your prayer.
Decide to resist the devil. This means, decide to say no to his temptations. With the strength that G.o.d gives, you can decide to withstand and even oppose Satan"s attack. You cannot do this in your own strength, but you can with the help of G.o.d. When the devil begins to tempt or accuse you, simply say; "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus" or, "I resist you and your temptations in Jesus" name." Then decide to not do what the devil is tempting you to do.
Years ago, I was going through a time where I knew the enemy was doing all he could to discourage me and slow me down from doing the will of G.o.d.14 Even though I held steady, the battle seemed to intensify and I couldn"t find relief. One day I began meditating on the goodness of G.o.d, and I decided to write the devil a letter letting him know that I would resist him, no matter what he threw at me. This letter brought great victory to me- and perhaps it will to you.
To the Devil:.
You have called me weak-but the Word of G.o.d has said, "I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
You have said I can"t possibly make a difference because I am only one-but the Bible teaches that G.o.d often uses one to shake the world.
You have said that preaching is foolish-but G.o.d says that by the foolishness of preaching G.o.d will change lives.
You have said that the Gospel of Jesus Christ isn"t powerful enough to change people, but the Word says that the Gospel is the power of Almighty G.o.d for the salvation of everyone.
You have accused me, condemned me, tempted me and tried to discourage me.
But G.o.d tells me in His Word that: I am holy - 1 Pet. 2:9.
I have no blemish - Col 1:12,22
I have no condemnation - Rom. 8:1,31-39
I am a child of G.o.d - Jn 1:12, Rom. 8:16,17
I have the power of G.o.d within me - Eph. 1:19
I am blessed - Eph. 1:13
I am gifted - Eph. 4:17, 1 Pet 4:10
I am loved of G.o.d - Jer. 31:3, Jn. 3:16.
And by the way, I have decided to walk with my G.o.d of love and mercy, and to trust Him for all of my earthly life.
You have notice, that for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
Very Sincerely, Another reconciled-blood washed child of G.o.d!
Signature.
The letter was my way of resisting Satan"s attack of discouragement. We all can do the same: "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
"Come near to G.o.d and he will come near to you." What James is saying here is not difficult to understand. G.o.d is ready to respond to any attempt on our part to come near to Him. We can pray in the yard. We can cry out to G.o.d when driving a car. We can quietly worship Jesus in our workplace. We can draw near to G.o.d anytime day or night. And when we draw near to G.o.d, our enemies will scatter. "May G.o.d arise, may his enemies be scattered" (Ps. 68:1). No matter where we are in life, we can decide to draw near to G.o.d.
Corrie ten Boom said, "There are two great forces at work in the world today: the unlimited power of G.o.d and the limited power of Satan."13 Even though we might be in the battle of a lifetime, the hills and valleys around us are full of G.o.ds "chariots of fire." The enemies of our souls have been defeated, their abilities have been greatly limited, and the Battle has been won.
NOTES.
Chapter One-The Enemy of Our Souls.
1. David Wilkerson, "You Are Precious to Him," Times Square Church Pulpit Series (Lindale, TX: World Challenge, n.d.), 3.
2. C. S. Lewis, Screwtape Letters (reprint, New York: Simon & Schuster/Touchstone Books, 1996), 15.
3. J. I. Packer, G.o.d"s Words: Studies of Key Bible Themes (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1981), 85-86.
4. Helmut Thielicke, "But Man Fell on Earth," Christianity Today, 4 March 1977, 15: adapted from a sermon collection, "How the World Began."
5. Mike Taliaferro, The Lion Never Sleeps (Woburn, MA: Disciple-ship Publications International, 1996), 40.
6. Lewis, Screwtape Letters, 37-38.
7. Edythe Draper, Draper"s Book of Quotations for the Christian World (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1992), 543.
8. Merrill F. Unger, Demons in the World Today (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1971), 10.
9. Ed Murphy, The Handbook for Spiritual Warfare (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1992), 20.
10. Billy Graham, Angels: G.o.d"s Secret Agents (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1975), 96.
11. J. Dwight Pentecost, Your Adversary the Devil (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973), 272.
12. C. Fred d.i.c.kason, Angels: Elect and Evil (Chicago: Moody Press, 1975), 70.
13. C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (reprint, New York: Simon & Schuster/Touchstone, 1996), 109.
14. Graham, Angels, 98-99.
15. Draper, Draper"s Book of Quotations, 150.
16. Ibid., 104.
Chapter Two-Unmasking the Evil One.
1. This experience happened to Wayde I. Goodall while he was the pastor of a church in Auburn, Washington.
2. Billy Graham, Angels: G.o.d"s Secret Agents (Dallas: Word Books, 1975), 105.
3. Edythe Draper, Draper"s Book of Quotations for the Christian World (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1992), 543.
4. Ibid., 149.
5. Ibid., 148.
6. Ibid., 150.
7. Helmut Thielicke, "But Man Fell on Earth," Christianity Todaij, 4 March 1977, 16.
8. Adapted from an article by Rich Wilkerson, Enrichment Journal (Fall 1995), 84.
9. Draper, Draper"s Book of Quotations, 149.
10. C. S. Lewis, Perelandra (New York: Macmillan, 1944).
11. Paradise Lost, Book II, Line 44: quoted in Draper, Draper"s Book of Quotations, 147.
12. William Barclay, The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians, The Daily Study Bible (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1976), 99.
13. Draper, Draper"s Book of Quotations, 148.
14. Whittaker Chambers, "The Devil," Life, 2 February 1948, 84-85.
15. George Sweeting, Great Quotes and Ill.u.s.trations (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1985), 92.