AUGUST 20, 20921 CAC LIVING WATER DEVOTIONAL : TOPIC – DON’T GIVE YOUR ARCHENEMY ACCESS
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Friday, August 20, 2021
DON’T GIVE YOUR ARCHENEMY ACCESS
Read: Ezekiel 39:23-29
Ezekiel 39:23-29 And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword.
According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them.
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name;
After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid.
When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations;
Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.
Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.
MEMORISE:
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
EXPOSITION
We normally quote this striking Bible passage by answering the question ourselves with the assurance that if God is for us, no one can be against us. This truth is obvious as proven in the Bible. On the other way round, what if we turn the question? If God is not for us, what? The straight forward answer is that if God is not for us, many wicked people can be successfully against us. It is when God is for us that our enemies cannot find any opening to operate in our lives. This is another proven truth in the Bible.
Both the good, bad and the ugly sides of Bible characters were divinely recorded for our admonition, so that we would not fall into their mistakes (1 Cor. 10:6.11). Whenever the Israelites maintained their relationship with God by hearkening to His voice, no one among their powerful enemies could stand against them (Deut. 7:24; 11:25; 23:9). Like these people, if we maintain our relationship with God, hearkening to His voice, no wicked one can stand against us, because we are the Israel of God (Gal. 6:16). All true believers in Christ are the lsrael of God (Gal. 3:29). With God on our side, the devil is a failure.
God loves Israel, but He hates sin in them. Satan knows this fact and always did everything at his disposal to put them into sin, to open doors for their enemies to operate (Ezek. 39:23-24). It was not the joy of God for the Israelites to be exiled. They went into captivity for ther iniquity. You begin to give room to your enemies to operate in your life when you begin to wallow in sin. If someone curses and denounces you, God can nullify it (Num. 23:8). But if God curses and denounces you, who can nullify it? Be careful the way you live your life. Do not open the way for your archenenmy, Satan, to gain access to your life (Eph. 4:27).
PRAYER POINTS
1. Father, have mercy on me for my past careless living that opened the way for the enemy to have field day in my life.
2. Father, give me capacity to live my life above sin and reproach.
3. O Lord, put an end to demonic operations in our local churches through our careless living.
EXTRA READING FOR TODAY: Psalm 51:12 – 56:10; Romans 11:18 – 12:3