Judges, Chapter 6, Verse 9-10
9 I
rescued you from the power of Egypt and all your oppressors. I drove them out
before you and gave you their land. 10 And I said to
you: I, the LORD, am your God; you shall
not fear the gods of the Amorites
in whose land you are dwelling. But you did not listen to me.
Sometimes people lose hope when
they enter a strange land. John McCain highlights in his book Character is
Destiny[1] the hopefulness of John Winthrop who
left the security of his native country to face the dangers of an unknown world
to create and shape the character of a new civilization in America. Is there
still hope in this country He helped found? Only if we have hope!
John was a puritan and followed
the idea that they are to be in the world but not of the world. They should not
love earthly pleasures but neither should they shun the blessings of God. To be
humble and grateful and give hope to others, by being faithful and encouraging
in their own society. John believed men should strive to build a shining city
on the hill by putting ones duty to God and community before one’s own personal
desires and to never despair.
He wrote and preached the sermon,
“Model of Christian
Charity” to give hope to others. He led always by example and never, never
gave up hope.
Aids in
Battle [2] The Devil and his cohorts as a siege force
Beloved brothers and sisters, we must strive with all our strength to
repel the enemy of our souls, with full attention and vigilance, as he rages
and aims his darts against every part of us that can be assaulted and wounded.
This is what the Apostle Peter, in his epistle, warns.
·
“Be sober, be watchful.
Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to
devour” (1 Pt 5: 8).
·
He and his forces circle
around each of us and watches. When weaknesses are found, the siege forces
break through them and then penetrate to the inside.
·
The enemy presents to the
eyes seductive images and easy pleasures, so he can destroy chastity through
the sense of sight.
·
He tempts the ears with
seductive music, so that by hearing these sweet sounds, the soul relaxes its
guard and loses strength.
·
He provokes the tongue by
rebukes.
·
He instigates the hand to
do evil through exasperating wrong.
·
He presents the lure of
dishonest gains.
·
He promises earthly
honors so that he can deprive us of heavenly ones.
·
He makes a show of false
things, so that he can steal away the true ones. And when he can’t deceive
through stealth, he threatens explicitly and openly, holding out the fear of violent persecution to vanquish
God’s servants.
·
For these reasons,
beloved brothers and sisters, the mind ought to stand arrayed and armed against
all the Devil’s deceiving snares and open threats, as ever-ready to repel as
the foe is ever ready to attack.
Daily Devotions/Prayers
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