"The jealousy of Ephraim
shall depart, the hostility of Judah shall be cut off, Ephraim shall not be
jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not be hostile toward Ephraim. But they shall
swoop down on the backs of the Philistines in the west, and together they will
plunder the people of the east" (Isaiah 11:13-14).
Our battle is not against
flesh and blood; it's against the spiritual forces of wickedness that come to
divide us and destroy us, to dishonor Your name and defile Your creation
(Ephesians 6:12). So You continually call us to humble ourselves in Your sight
and let You open our eyes to see everything in us that is not yet like You
(Psalm 139:22-23).
You want us to be willing
to let You draw up and out the hostilities and hurts, the jealousies and pride,
the selfishness and resentment that the enemy of our souls constantly uses to
keep us wounded and bound. With all our attention on our hurts and focused on
fighting our chains, we are no threat to his purposes and become trophies of his
arrogant rebellion against You, while being willing participants in our own
destruction.
But if we humble ourselves
before You, then You will lift us up (James 4:10). If we submit ourselves to You
and resist the devil, then he will flee (James 4:7). Then we can get our eyes
off of ourselves and our self-pity, and lift them up to You, our strength and
help (Psalm 121:1). Then we can arise as one, forgiving each other and fighting
for one another, as You send us forth into the battle for the hearts and souls
of the nations (Psalm 110:3; Matthew 24:14).
Lord, give us this spirit
of humility, this spirit of repentance, that we can turn our eyes off of
ourselves and the enemy behind our sinful actions and back to You. "But as for
me, I will look to the Lord. I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God
will hear me" (Micah 7:6). Hear me, O God, and help me hear You, as I try to
willingly choose to humble myself in trusting surrender to You alone. Then let
my God arise and my enemies be scattered (Psalm 68:1-35). In Jesus' name I pray,
Amen.
Be encouraged today! In
the Love of Jesus, Tommy
Hays
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my CD series on Spiritual Warfare, Fighting the Good Fight of the Faith,
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