Romans 7:18 (NIV) I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. v.24-25 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
2 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV) His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who has called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) “Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
A decade ago, my husband and I used to do the nighttime security at a large inner city church. The building was five stories high plus a basement. There were what we referred to as towers in the four corners of the building. Our apartment was on the fourth and fifth floors of one tower. The north tower
was still in need of renovation at that time. Doug and I each armed with very heavy flashlights, pepper spray, and our cell phones would divide and conquer in order to check every nook and cranny of the building within a reasonable amount of time.
On one particular night, I was checking the north tower rooms. I opened the door only to have a falcon fly at my face. Two falcons managed to make their way through a small opening into the room. They obviously did not want my company, and in all honesty, I didn’t want theirs either. I scrambled,
slammed the door and yelped for help. Brave man that he was, Doug hurried to my side of the building and opened the door. I provided ‘back up’. I was right behind Doug; I mean really right behind him… maybe an inch behind him. In that moment, I was hankering to be as close to my husband as I could get.
However, he kept me secure by telling me to wait outside the room. He crossed over and opened the windows wide for the troublesome birds to leave before they could get their claws on us.
Sometimes the enemy of our souls catches us off guard. He sneaks through some unguarded opening, swoops down with temptation, tries to peck at our brains and digs his talons into our dreams. Then, if he manages to get us to behave like part of his flock, he laughs and leaves us with a nasty mess. Have
you ever been there? The apostle Paul and I have. The only way I know of to avoid falling prey to him is by staying very close to the one he dreads, my Jesus. However, Jesus has not always allowed me to be close to Him.
Just as my husband had me wait outside the door, Jesus did not allow me to be with Him as He walked my path of passion. He alone bore my sin and went to the cross, even though it should have been my responsibility. He knew it was absolutely more than I could handle, so He conquered death, hell and the
grave for me. Then He rose to the right hand of the Father. Jesus did all that to free me from sin.
Now He wants me to stay with Him. He goes before me, all the while holding me as close as I will allow Him too. It is a wonderful truth that our Lord fills us with His Holy Spirit and intercedes from the throne for us. He permeates our hearts with elation through fellowship; and the joy of the Lord is our strength.
The Lord sustains and protects us from the onslaught of the enemy if we so desire. Hey, as for myself, I prefer not to have my brains pecked out or my God-inspired dreams torn to shreds. Therefore, I am hankering for an even deeper devotion to Jesus. We cannot be victorious against the enemy of our soul
on our own; but when we are yoked together with Jesus, we can plow straight through the dirt and grow strong and fruitful.
2 Samuel 22:36 (NASB) “Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation, and Thy help makes me great.”