God wants to teach us how to defend ourselves against sin. Satan, the ultimate bully, attacks us at our weakest points and wants to defeat us so that we will not be effective for God.
God will never fail you or forsake you!. Daily devotion by Billy Graham
THE ULTIMATE PROTECTION
For he has said, “I will never fail you nor forsake you.” Hence we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.” Hebrews 13:5-6 RSV
Some years ago when our son Ned entered a new school, he met some boys from the city who thought they were pretty tough. Ned had never had to confront boys from the streets who had much experience in defending themselves and who witnessed fights as a regular occurrence. The boys from the city soon began picking on him.
Another boy, who had befriended Ned, saw that in order for our son to survive, he would have to learn to defend himself; so he taught Ned a few basics of karate and some of the other martial arts.
After much practice, Ned demonstrated his new skills on one of the boys who had been harassing him, and the bullies stopped picking on him.
God wants to teach us how to defend ourselves against sin. Satan, the ultimate bully, attacks us at our weakest points and wants to defeat us so that we will not be effective for God.
In the Bible God offers us some spiritual “training,” which builds us up inside in much the same way as physical exercise and discipline can build us up on the outside.
But, like exercise or training in martial arts, we must be consistent in our reading of Scripture and diligent in its application to the situations and circumstances around us. God has not promised to shield us from trouble, but He has promised to protect us in the midst of trouble.
Nothing can touch us apart from God’s will. If something does touch us, we can be sure that it is for the purpose of building us up into a stronger and more effective witness so that God can use us to do battle with the evil bully of history, the devil.
Remember, God will never fail you or forsake you!
Our Father and our God, thank You for Your extraordinary love and concern that accompany me daily. Teach me that You are in control of everything that happens in my life.
I’m comforted to know You’re always there. Help me apply the truth of Scripture, the fellowship of prayer, and commitment to You in my life daily. Through Jesus, amen.