Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good.
The devil is never loyal to his own. Those who are captivated by the enemy will come to nought. The spirit of evil is to steal, to kill and to destroy. Evil destroys and eats its own. Evil will ultimately implode upon itself… Therefore be not overcome evil, but overcome evil with good. God has called his men to stand in the gap against the evil of this world. We have been called to stand amidst the darkness of the world in the righteousness of Christ. Men in whom the spirit of the Lord resides are God’s fingers in the dike, holding back the evil of this world.
God is loyal to his men in the spiritual battle. He will never leave us or forsake us. According to EM Bounds, humility is the essence and the vitality of prayer. Pride and vanity cannot pray. Our selfish sin nature has an aversion to prayer. Our flesh will remind us that we are unworthy to enter into the presence of God. The sin in our heart reminds us of our unworthiness. However, the Word says, come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give thee rest. Our rest is not in the righteousness of the flesh but in the spirit of God in Christ in us. In him we live and move and have our being. We must remember who we are in Christ and whose we are in Christ In order to find rest and peace in him. When we align our hearts with his heart and acknowledge our righteousness in Christ, the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
We are bombarded by incessant incoming bombs… fiery darts launched by the adversary in the spiritual warfare. These laser guided bombs target our weaknesses in the flesh. The paradox is not to fight back in my own power but in the power of the holy spirit. Therefore we must take up the shield of faith that we may be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the powers and dominions of spiritual wickedness in high places.
Humility is a rare quality… the world loves humility because it’s rare and refreshing. Pride goeth before the fall. Vanity cannot pray. Humble thy heart therefore under the mighty hand of God. He hath showed thee O Man, what is good. And what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. Humility is the first response to the holy spirit. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ… who humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even unto the death of the cross.
According to Psalm 31 David prayed, “my times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.”
Proverbs says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life.” The “Keep is the innermost chamber of the medieval castle. This is where the treasure of the kingdom was kept. When the castle was under attack, all the king’s horses and all the king’s men, kept the King and Queen protected inside the “keep.” Likewise, the heart is the innermost chamber of the soul… it is God’s dwelling place, his Holy of Holies. To guard our hearts we must guard the gates of our minds… We must guard our eye-gate, our ear-gate, our taste-gate, and our feeeling-gate. Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
Moderation according to the word, is self control. Humility is power under control. A wise man once said that a million wild horses cannot drag me away. For power to be effective, it must be harnessed, guided, and controlled. Harnessing the power of God only comes with humility. I must give up the right to myself… Jesus said in Matthew 16:25, For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. The requirement for salvation is to turn from myself and my own pride and unto Christ. Therefore, set your affections on things above, not on things of the earth… Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth shall grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.
In the trials of our life, our prayer should be, Lord what are you teaching me through this trial? O Lord, mold me and make me after thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still. In the white-hot crucible of life, with the onslaught of fiery darts in the heat of the battle and the transforming pressure of this life, my prayer is, “Lord, mold me and make me after thy will… while I am malleable, that I may not be conformed to this world’s mold, but that I may be transformed by the renewing of my mind… that I may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Pride prevents us from acknowledging that we need help. Pride says, “I can make it on my own.” Humility says, in myself I can do nothing. Prayer is the response of a humble heart. Prayer is aligning my heart with Gods heart. Humility says, delight thyself also in the Lord and he shall give the desires of thine heart. Only then can God work within you to will and to do of his good pleasure… when our delight is his delight and when our good pleasure is his good pleasure.
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.
May God richly bless you!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael