[Mic 7:8 NASB] 8 Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; Though I dwell in darkness, the LORD is a light for me.
Even in darkness the Lord’s light shines bright. Even in times of spiritual attack and warfare God is in control. Even when death comes our God is about life. Our God is mighty. Bottom line. No argument. Satan is under our feet and we follow the name above all names.
Make no mistake. The enemy of God - the Liar - is real and is ready to pounce on us with his subtle and not-so-subtle little lies concerning the nature of our God as well as attacking us at the core of our identity.
[1Pe 5:8-9 NASB] 8 Be of sober [spirit,] be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in [your] faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.
We - even when we are oppressed - are not defeated. Just read the end of the book. We win! Do not let that truth get lost in the fray of war.
[2Co 4:7-10 NASB] 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; 8 [we are] afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
What that tells me is that God wastes nothing. Not even our wounds. Not even our defeats. Not even our times of confusion. From God’s perspective, we see even the chaos of spiritual warfare with victory in mind. We have the choice. We can either see ourselves as victims or we can see ourselves as victors. What does Father God see when He sees us? He gives us grace to endure and sees us through the eyes of grace!
[Jas 4:6-7 NASB] 6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore [it] says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE." 7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Simple ways I use to resist the devil:
• Worship
• Proclaiming God’s Word to my own soul
• Sharing my burdens with others
• Prayer
• Reminding myself of who and Whose I am
• Reminding myself that God reigns - over everything
• Reminding myself that God wastes nothing
[1Jo 4:1-4 NASB] 1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the [spirit] of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. 4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
God is either in control or He is not. We need to settle that issue and allow Him to reign over our lives and over our circumstances. Again, He wastes nothing!
[Psa 45:6 NASB] 6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
[Psa 47:8 NASB] 8 God reigns over the nations, God sits on His holy throne.
If you get nothing else from today’s teaching, get that: Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world! That is Christ in you - the very hope of glory! Believe it and receive it and walk like you believe it today!
Dennis Jernigan
To listen to this teaching by Dennis Jernigan, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/you-reign-over-me/