Psalm 119:92-93
“If your law had not been my delight,
I would have
perished in my affliction.
I will never forget your precepts,
for by them you
have given me life.”
In this life we will have trouble. We will face difficult
challenges which try our faith. We will have wicked people who are out to
destroy us, some of whom will do whatever it takes to bring us down, to get us
to give up, or to get us to shut up.
If we are not grounded in the word of God, and if the word
of God is not our delight, and if we are just casual about the Scriptures, or
if we are neglectful of the Scriptures, and if we are not walking in obedience
to them, chances are pretty good that when we are tested and tried that we will
succumb to the affliction (suffering, difficulty), and we will allow it to overtake
us.
Nonetheless, if the Scriptures are our delight, and if we are
walking in obedience to our Lord’s commands, and if we are following him in his
ways and in his truth, when trials come our way to test our faith, we should be
able to stand the test and remain faithful to God’s word.
We ought to be able to refute Satan’s lies with the truth
using the full armor of God which our Lord has given us to fight off Satan’s
evil schemes against us. And, this means getting out that sword of the Spirit
and using it against Satan’s lies and his false accusations by proclaiming out
loud the truth.
For we are in a spiritual battle, and the battle is a fight
for men’s souls (all people’s souls). And, the more we speak the truth, and the
more we expose the lies of the enemy and his evil tactics, the more the enemy
is going to be outraged against us and is going to come after us. But this just
means we are doing something right, otherwise he would leave us alone.
For, the word of God is what gives life to us, but not just
the Scriptures, but God himself, and Jesus Christ, God the Son, who is the
Word. Because of what Jesus did for us on that cross, we can have life in him
and eternal life with God. We can be delivered from our slavery (addiction) to
sin and now live holy lives, pleasing to God, empowered by the Spirit of God.
And, the Scriptures, which are God’s words to us, teach us
how to live, and how to deal with the enemy attacks, and how to refute the
lies, and how to resist the devil so that he will flee from us. And, they teach
us how to walk by faith, and how to live holy lives, pleasing to God. So, they
help us to live what we say we believe and to walk the walk and to not just
talk it.
Psalm 119:94-95
“I am yours; save me,
for I have
sought your precepts.
The wicked lie in wait to destroy me,
but I consider
your testimonies.”
If we are indeed the Lord’s by genuine God-given faith in
Jesus Christ, which means that we have died with Christ to sin that we might
live to Christ and to his righteousness, then we can call on him to save us
from our troubles and to rescue us from those who would persecute us.
But since our Lord promised us that we will be persecuted
for righteousness’ sake, and that we will be hated as he was, then we have to
know that he is not always going to physically remove us from persecution, but
that he will save us through it, i.e. he will keep us from falling and from
giving in to the enemy of our souls.
He may protect us physically from persecution, but we have
to be prepared for the eventuality that he will not, but that he will give us
whatever we need to endure it and to not succumb to it, but to remain faithful
to our Lord and to his word through it, for the glory and praise of God, and as
a witness to others that we will not yield to anyone but God.
For, our enemy the devil (Satan) is out to devour us, to lay
traps for us, hoping that we might fall. For, he wants us to give up. He wants
us to shut up, too, and to stop turning people away from him by telling them
the truth. So, if we are out there teaching the truth of God’s word, then we
should be prepared that the enemy is going to kick back, and he will use other
humans to do his dirty work.
So, when Satan does attack us through other humans, and when
he falsely accuses us, or he attacks our character, or he tries to trip us up
in some way in hopes that we would yield to him, we must go to the Word of God.
We must go to the Lord in prayer and to the Word to get direction for how we
are to endure such affliction, and for how we are to respond to such suffering.
And, we must allow the Holy Spirit of God to teach us what
to do and how to respond and to give us the right heart attitude about the
whole thing, too, so that we do right, and so that we don’t do wrong. And, then
we must follow the teachings of Scripture and obey our Lord and follow his
leading. For, the Word of God will lead us in the right way.
Oh,
to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Lyrics
by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music
by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s
treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of
compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the
fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy
love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy
fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
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