Regaining What Was Lost

# 94 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 7:13,14 “So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14 Then the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath; and Israel recovered its territory from the hands of the Philistines. Also there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. 1 Sam 7:13,14) Again, this whole portion of the book of Samuel from 7:3 through the end of the chapter paints a picture of the spiritual reality of the battle between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the devil. It starts with God calling His people to repentance. This is an acknowledgment of sin against the Lord. The Lord then providing an intercessor for our sins, (Jesus) and then the ensuing spiritual battle as the devil seeks to regain the souls that have slipped from his grasp. Then the returning sinner calling on the Lord to help persevere in the faith through the encounters with the enemy. In today's text we see that the enemy was subdued during “all the days of Samuel,” Since Samuel is a type of Christ, we can say in our case that as long as we remain in Christ, the enemy will be subdued. He is on a short leash and Christ is the handler. The devil (Philistines) can only go as far as God allows. Furthermore we read that territory that had been lost to the Philistines is regained. Backsliding had cost the Israelites, but now with fresh repentance, forgiveness, and a new steadfast reliance upon the Lord, they regain the old ground. It is as the prophet Joel wrote in Joe 2:25 "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.” This is what happens to the sinner who repents, turns to Jesus, and perseveres in the faith. The Father restores the spiritual blessing that were lost, things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Need some of this in your life? Then turn to Jesus.