Speaker: Dwight Mason

Theme: Living Life to the Fullest

Read: Matthew 6:5-13

Think: Have you noticed during the times that you get serious about your faith and following Christ that things get a little crazy? Sometimes it’s beyond crazy – life gets hard, trouble comes, roadblocks surface, temptations increase, schedules go awry, tempers flare, etc. etc. etc. And we’re surprised and aren’t quite sure what to do. So we give up. And the enemy of our soul smiles. Mission accomplished.

Every time we begin to move forward in our walk with Christ we can count on Satan rearing his ugly head… After all we know his job is to steal, kill and destroy. If he can steal our joy, kill our faith and destroy our effectiveness for Christ he’s done what he set out to do in the life of a Christian. Pastor Dwight Mason shared a message about Satan’s weapons against us – lies and fear.  This is how he derails us and keep us busy doing anything but reaching the spiritual goals we’ve set out to accomplish.

 But we are not victims and powerless. We have the ability to fight back!  First we can be proactive in the spiritual battle. We read in the Lord’s Prayer: “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” Matthew 6:7-9 (NCV) So we begin by praying! Ask God to protect and guard us before the situation even can come to pass.

Second, we can’t be caught off guard – but we have to be prepared!  “Remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT). Know that success or victory is ours through Christ… So don’t allow the option of failure or of turning tail because it’s too difficult.  The bible says, ^“…the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials” (2 Peter 2:8).

The spiritual battle begins before the attack takes place. As followers of Christ we have the resources of the Almighty to rely upon. But first we must ask His protection, and then trust in Him that the only outcome is success.

Do: As you pray today and during the days ahead, be sure to ask God’s protections of temptation and evil. And as you seek Him each day feel the strength you receive to deal with whatever the evil one might have in store as you pursue living for Jesus with all you’ve got!

Pray: God, I ask that You would keep me from temptation, that You would be my deliverer from whatever Satan has to throw my way to cause me to stumble in my walk with You. I want to move forward with You Jesus, and grow and serve You… So I seek You today and ask that for your help. I thank you that through your power I will see victory and bring honor to You. Amen.

The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church.