Every child of God must treasure his/her life, because life is precious and was given to us for a purpose. We suffer and perish when we are unaware of this and end up shipwrecked on the shores of ignorance that has blurred our view and our thinking. It is reassuring to know that we are not mere accidents in God’s majestic plan, but products designed for definite impact. At the creation, God told Adam and Eve after blessing them: “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” (Genesis 1:28) All the verbs are action words; ‘be fruitful,’ ‘increase,’ ‘fill’ and ‘subdue.’
Adam and Eve were at the epicentre of God’s activities. Until they listened to the lie of the devil, “You will not surely die,” and ate of the fruit and were kicked out of the Garden; it was like paradise on earth for them. Everything was at their disposal, thereafter they had to work the land. “Cursed is the land because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it.” (Genesis 3:17b) Sadly, from that time on, they were on their own. Yet even before they left the garden, God provided them with skin clothing which was more appropriate compared to the leaves they had covered their nakedness with. “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” (Genesis 3:21)
After the flood when God punished the people for their wickedness because “every inclination of the thought of [their] heart was only evil all the time.” (Genesis 6:5), God had a change of heart and promised never to repeat the way he dealt with his creation. “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.” (Genesis 8:21)
When Satan deceived the couple, it was to foil God’s plan for humanity and mar his relationship with his Creator, by driving a wedge between them.Satan, a fallen angel, is described by our Lord Jesus as someone who has come “to steal and kill and destroy.” (John 10:10) His three-fold mission is evil, negative and destructive. He and his demons are waging an all-out war on God’s creation. He tried hard to frustrate the coming of a Saviour who would deliver humanity from sin but failed. And now he is loose. “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (2 Peter 5:7)
Left to Satan we would have all been dead. The multiple temptations we face every day are intended to distract us from our goal so that he will throw us out of focus and off guard. Most people are not mindful of his motives and easily fall prey. It is time we say ‘no’ to the evil one and not swallow his bait – ‘hook, line and sinker.’ Satan is after our ruin, we must therefore not give him neither a foothold nor a toe-hold..
He is shrewd, cunning and deceptive and would go to any length to dupe you, to have you spend your time lusting and having fun, indulging in things that would precipitate your death. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 14:12) The idea is to make you uncomfortable before your Maker. He will constantly make you come short and inadequate before God.His battlefield is our minds. What do you easily give in to? Is the devil working on your senses to get you to disobey God? Remember, Satan is a defeated foe. Jesus crushed his head on the cross and gave us victory over him.
We may not be Satan’s match but our Lord has given us wisdom and power to see behind his every move, to stand our ground not by our own strength but by his Spirit. Because of Jesus’ finished work on the cross, we have hope, even where it looks as if our chances are dim.
Jesus came to seek and to save those that were lost (Luke 19:10), to save us from being taken advantage of.We must begin to behave like conquerors and more than conquerors or else Jesus would have come in vain. “No in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37) Hidden in Jesus, he becomes our shield and we are far from reach. Let us put our whole trust in him. How very willing are you? Jesus loves each and every one of us and he wants us to come to the knowledge of the truth. “Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)
Dear Reader, you may have tried everything in your power to free yourself from the clutches of the evil one and have not made any headway; it is because you are doing it in your own strength. Hand it over to Jesus. “For the battle is not yours but God’s.” (2 Chronicles 20:15) Ours is the victory.
God has forgiven us all our sins – past, present and future. “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” (Hebrews 10:17) At the cross Jesus declared that the battle was over – “It is finished!” Probably you have been weakened by sin and you see yourself as a victim. Well, it is not over until it is over. In this New Year do not just take the punches lying down; it is time that you put up a fight with God’s whole armour. “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” (Ephesians 6:10) Use the Bible - that double-edged sword - that he has put in your hand for your defence.
Today make a commitment to be right with God and be ready to serve him. The battle has already been won.
