Spiritual Warfare

# 91 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 7:7,8 Now when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8 So the children of Israel said to Samuel, "Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines." (1 Sam 7:7,8) I can't say it enough. Remember, the Philistines are a type of the world, our flesh, and the devil. Why is that important to remember? It's important because in the world of spiritual reality, the devil abhors repentance. There may be rejoicing in heaven over every sinner who repents, but there is gnashing of teeth in hell, and the devil does not go down without a fight. This is spiritual reality folks. And just as the Philistines “went up against Israel,” He will come up against every repentant sinner, using every tool at his disposal seeking to separate them from their new found love of God. I know. I've been there. In those early days after God graced me with the gift of repentance and subsequent salvation, the devil countered. He countered with temptation of my flesh. He countered with ridicule from the world. He countered with an indescribable darkness very much akin to depression. Many times I was ready to give up and return to my old ways. But here in Samuel we have the answer to the devils counter attacks. Remember Samuel is a “type” of Jesus here, an intercessor. And when the enemy comes against us, as he surely will, we must cling to Jesus, believing that He is ever willing to intercede on our behalf. We must pray like the Israelites prayed, " Jesus, do not cease to fight for us, that we might be saved from the hand of the devil." Purpose to hang onto Jesus no matter what. No matter how dark, He will pull you through. Persevere! Eventually the devil backs off, but one more very important word of caution. Don't let your guard down. He'll be back at other opportune times, and when he returns for battle, remember these early victories. The key to spiritual victory is to cast yourself on Jesus and persevere!