Yesterday I walked into a room and unexpectedly was face to face with an individual who was part of causing me and my family great hardship and difficulty… six years ago! He said my name and in that moment I felt by heart and spirit melt. My demeanor and voice tone changed. Walls of defensive protection went up. I couldn’t control it. I was thankful that the encounter lasted less than 30 seconds. Then I realized something troubling… I had not forgiven this person. That bothered me even more as I thought of Scripture.
When Cain was confronted about killing his brother Able, it is recorded God said in Genesis 4:6-7,
“Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”
We never know when we will be tempted. We never know when we will be in a spiritual fire fight. Jesus overcame 40 days of temptation from Lucifer, then it is written in Luke 4:13… “And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time…” The Adversary will wait for just the right moment to blind side us with what we don’t expect. He will wait years for us to let our guard down before he sends something our way. He will wait until our guard is down and then lob a grenade at us with intent to maim us. But Christians have been given spiritual implements to battle our already defeated foe…
Eph 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.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.
Jude 24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumblingandto present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Gal 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Jesus prayed in John 17:17… “Sanctify them in truth… Your Word is truth.” That means THE way to combat and overcome Satan’s blind side attacks is to have the mind of Christ in us… The Scripture. Read it. Meditate on it. Daily…