No Longer Identified By Sin

689 Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Sa 22:43 Then I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth; I trod them like dirt in the streets, And I spread them out. This is one of the Bible's favorite ways to describe the annihilation of an enemy. Pulverized into the finest dust to be trampled underfoot or cast to the four winds. A total loss of identity. This is meant to be a picture for us of the utter defeat by Jesus of the devil and his demons and all their workings, namely sin. In 1Jo 3:5-10 we read, “ And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. (Jesus, the sinless Son of God, was manifested, (came to this earth in the incarnation) for the sole purpose of carrying our sins away as the four winds carry away dust.) With the work of Jesus, sin is going to have an identity problem. 6 Whoever abides in Him (in Jesus) does not sin. (Is no longer identified by sin!) Whoever sins (keeps their old identity) has neither seen Him nor known Him. (Since they are not connected to Jesus by faith, they are still identified by their sin.) 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. (Our works testify as to who we are following, the devil, or Jesus. By the way the chief identifying work is love of brother 1 Jn 3:10) This dust problem has been with us from the beginning but, “ For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Jesus came to destroy sin! The word destroy is interesting. It means to “break up,” or “to beat to pieces” And the dust analogy of David fits the work of Jesus to a tee! 9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, (does not have sin clinging to him, is not identified by his sin) for His seed remains in him; (therefore we are identified by the Seed that is in us namely Jesus!) 10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. As children of God, we still sin, but we are no longer identified by our sin, because Jesus pulverized it on the cross, and though we pick up particles of sin in our daily living, we remove it daily through confession, contrition, and absolution as promised in the Word of God. 1Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

It's Not Like He Doesn't Try To Reach Us

688 Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Sa 22:42 They looked, but there was none to save; Even to the LORD, but He did not answer them.” Wow! What a chilling thought. The enemies of David were up against it and in a last ditch effort they even called out to the Lord to save them, but He did not answer them. Kind of makes you wonder, “is there a point of no return?” Can we reach a point of rejecting God, that He stops His ears to our pleas? I think it best that we let Him answer that question. He alone knows our heart. But to call on the Lord in emergency situations without repentance or an intent to follow Him is empty and He sees right through it. It's not that He hasn't tried to reach us. Listen to Prov 1:20-33, “Wisdom calls aloud outside; She raises her voice in the open squares. 21 She cries out in the chief concourses, At the openings of the gates in the city She speaks her words: (God's wisdom calls to us everywhere!) 22 "How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, And fools hate knowledge. 23 Turn at my rebuke; (Don't just receive God's rebuke, TURN because of it!) Surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you. 24 Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, 25 Because you disdained all my counsel, And would have none of my rebuke, (It's not like God hasn't been trying!) 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, 27 When your terror comes like a storm, And your destruction comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you. 28 "Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. 29 Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the LORD, (We have a choice!) 30 They would have none of my counsel And despised my every rebuke. (Every attempt to turn us toward Him) 31 Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, And be filled to the full with their own fancies. 32 For the turning away of the simple will slay them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them; (That's a lot of bad news, now hear the good in v33, “ But WHOEVER listens to me will dwell safely, And will be secure, without fear of evil."Stop wondering if God hears you. He just asks that WE LISTEN to HIM! He will do the rest! And the proof of our listening is found in our turning.! There are two types of people in this world, those who turn toward God and those who don't. Maybe God is calling you to turn today! 2Co 6:2b says, “ behold, now is the day of salvation.

Like A Snarling Bobcat

687 Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Sa 22:40 For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose against me. 41 You have also given me the necks of my enemies, So that I destroyed those who hated me. I saw a video clip on Facebook the other day that showed two guys coming upon a bobcat that was caught in a trap. One of the guys filmed what happened next as the other guy sought to set the bobcat free. The guy used a forked limb from a tree to pin the bobcat to the ground by it's neck. The problem was, the bobcat didn't want anything to do with being pinned to the ground and kept breaking free. It was a very dicey situation as the bobcat clawed and snarled at his would be emancipator. Finally the guy was able to maintain his grip on the stick and pin the bobcat long enough to be able to open the trap and set the bobcat free! Happy ending for the bobcat, not such a happy ending for the enemies of David!David's enemies, like that bobcat continually sought to rise up against him, but eventually with the help of God he was able to pin them down at the neck where they became immobilized, unable to rise up against him and do him any harm. They were subdued. Joshua used this same imagery in Jos 10:24 So it was, when they brought out those kings to Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the captains of the men of war who went with him, "Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings." And they drew near and put their feet on their necks. 25 Then Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, for thus the LORD will do to all your enemies against whom you fight." David and Joshua battled very real kings and we battle very real sin. The Lord promises to do what He did for David and Joshua...give you the neck of those sins that keep rising up against you. God will help you subdue them! But the key is you must fight! You must have the courage to go after your sins like those guys went after that bobcat. Oh it won't be easy, that bobcat kept trying to rise up against these guys and do them harm, but in the end through patient endurance they gained the upper hand! Persevere in your battle with sin and see the Lord give you the neck of your enemy!

Battling Besetting Sins Part 5

685- Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Sa 22:38 "I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them; Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed. 39 And I have destroyed them and wounded them, So that they could not rise; They have fallen under my feet. We've been talking about overcoming besetting sins. We read here that David “did not turn back,” he didn't give up! That is key in our struggles with besetting sins. There are times when we are sailing along with apparent victory and suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, we fall again. I don't think there is anything more spiritually disheartening than these relapses. The devil is more than willing to use these setbacks to convince us to give up the struggle. I know it's wearisome, but I beg you, keep fighting! Finish the race! Fight to the finish! Persevere! The Lord is on your side and His desire is for you to endure! The Apostle Paul endured all sorts of hardships and besetting sins, ( Ro 7:19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.) But he persevered, believing, “And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom.” (2 Ti 4:18) The Psalmist also believed it and wrote in Ps 121:7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. 8 The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore. 1Co 10:13 reminds each one of us that the way to victory over temptation involves endurance! “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear (endure) it. I pray that you are able with the Lord's help to persevere and overcome your besetting sins, but if you mess up, allow the Holy Spirit to convict you of those sins, let Him bring forth holy tears of contrition as you experience godly sorrow over them, and the peace and joy that comes from knowing you are forgiven! Ps 126:5 says, “ Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy.” Cling to that promise and keep fighting!

Battling Besetting Sins Part 4

685- Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Sa 22:38 "I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them; Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed. 39 And I have destroyed them and wounded them, So that they could not rise; They have fallen under my feet. We have been talking about getting victory over besetting sins. God gives us the power for victory but we must also cooperate with Him as David did. We must pursue them and not turn back until we get the victory. Keys to victory that we have discussed so far are confessing those specific sins, and repenting of them. Repentance is in reality an offensive weapon as with the help of God, you turn on your enemy seeking to live in accordance with the Word of God! Last time we added a couple of more keys. Memorizing Scripture, and becoming an active part of a Bible believing congregation. Today, let's talk about the weapon of prayer. Jesus reminded us of this weapon as He was wielding it in the Garden of Gethsemane. He said in Mt 26:41 "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Ain't that the truth!) Our spirit says, “I don't want to do this sin against God!” But our flesh is weak and often gives in to the temptation!) He also gave His church the gift of what we call the Lord's Prayer. In that prayer we specifically ask for help in dealing with our temptations to sin: Mt 6:13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. In this brief petition we are reminded that succumbing to temptation is living in the wrong kingdom. Our kingdom, the kingdom of God is the true kingdom, and we can tap into the power of that kingdom to overcome the devil and our besetting sins. I remember when I quit smoking. One of the tools that helped me was simply repeating the Lord's prayer every time I was tempted to light up. Sometimes I had to repeat it many times, but eventually it took my mind off the temptation and put it where it needed to be! So pray my brothers and sisters, and don't worry about the repetitive nature of the Lord's Prayer. These are words Jesus Himself gave us to pray. It's all part of the persistent asking, seeking, and knocking, that will help give you the victory over your besetting sins.

Battling Besetting Sins Part 3

685- Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Sa 22:38 "I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them; Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed. 39 And I have destroyed them and wounded them, So that they could not rise; They have fallen under my feet. We have been talking about getting victory over besetting sins. God gives us the power for victory but we must also cooperate with Him as David did. We must pursue them and not turn back until we get the victory. Keys to victory that we have discussed so far are confessing those specific sins, and repenting of them. Repentance is that 180 degree turnaround that turns “going with the flow of the world” into a desire to live in accordance with the Word of God! In repentance, you turn and meet the enemy head on! It is very helpful in this battle to not only read Scripture, but memorize it! Ps 119:11 says, “ Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!” And in Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. This verse adds still another dimension to the fight. Paul is not addressing an individual here, he is addressing a church. Let the word of Christ dwell in your congregation! Use that word then to teach and admonish one another! So it is important that you find a Bible believing church and that this church is one that gets involved in mutual teaching of the wisdom of God and a church that is open to mutual admonishment. I know this can be difficult because it opens up our often secret lives to others! But it is a major part of going on the offensive against our besetting sins. And don't forget the great promise connected to Jas 5:16, “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” While 1 JN 1:9 reminds us that there is forgiveness from God when we confess our sins to Him, this verse in James reminds us that there is HEALING in confessing our sins to others!

Battling Besetting Sins Part 2

684- Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Sa 22:38 "I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them; Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed. 39 And I have destroyed them and wounded them, So that they could not rise; They have fallen under my feet. Last time we talked about battling besetting sins. God has the power to deliver us from our enemies, but we like David must cooperate with Him. David pursued and he didn't turn back. In other words he went on the offensive against his enemies and kept at it, he didn't turn back. We mentioned the first step in our battle against besetting sins is to confess them. Stop excusing them and like David confess that you have sinned against God! Be specific, don't generalize! Moses said in Le 5:5 'And it shall be, when he is guilty in any of these matters, that he shall confess that he has sinned in that thing;” “That thing,” speaks of being specific! Sincere confession wipes the slate clean, but unless we go on the offensive, it won't be long and that besetting sin will be back! Our next weapon is repentance. This is the starting point of pursuit of the enemy. Repentance is a 180 degree turnaround of the mind, and instead of going with the flow of sin, we turn back against it with a whole new mindset. Repentance is the desire to say, “I'm done doing it the worlds way, from now on I will seek to do it God's way!” Ro 12:2 puts it this way: “ And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” The will of God is perfect and contrary to the will of the world and you will find the will of God in the pages of Scripture. Mind renewal in your battle against sin is vital and it is accomplished by the work of the Holy Spirit as you spend time in God's word. Read it, believe it, and seek to put it into practice in your daily living. Anytime you pursue the things of God, you, like David, go on the offense against sin. Father, give me that heart that desires godly pursuit in my life.