The On-Going Spiritual Battle
Scripture – 2 Thessalonians 2:5-8: 5Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 6And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.
Reflection: One of the things that’s easy to overlook is the spiritual battle that’s being waged right now. We are all caught in the midst of it. I don’t always take time to see it.
Satan is actively working in the world. He has a lot of freedom to work on us. By the grace of God, the Spirit is holding him back from taking total control. If it wasn’t for Him I would have no chance. I would be swept away by Satan’s power – helpless to do anything at all.
But in Christ we have our strength – our rock. For Jesus Christ will be (already is?) victorious.
So I’ll keep my eyes open as this battle is waged. Satan’s primary plan if to get us away from God. The further away I let myself drift, the weaker I become. So I’ll be careful about becoming distracted. The fancy things in life might catch my eye and tempt me to get off track. More often it’s the concerns and pressures of life that lead me to feel stressed. The more stressed I feel, the more I’m inclined to rely on my own power……and the weaker I become.
I refuse to give into that. I’ll rely on God to provide what I need, to handle what needs to be handled, and to accomplish what needs to be done. I’ll let His peace rule in my heart. And as I do what I can do, I won’t worry about what doesn’t get done.
An Invitation: A small group will be meeting this coming Sunday morning from 9:45 – 10:30am to share what we’ve learned and seen in this week’s readings. We meet in the Pastor’s office at Bethel Baptist Church, 13330 Trenton Road in Southgate. Everyone’s welcome to join us.
Reflection: One of the things that’s easy to overlook is the spiritual battle that’s being waged right now. We are all caught in the midst of it. I don’t always take time to see it.
Satan is actively working in the world. He has a lot of freedom to work on us. By the grace of God, the Spirit is holding him back from taking total control. If it wasn’t for Him I would have no chance. I would be swept away by Satan’s power – helpless to do anything at all.
But in Christ we have our strength – our rock. For Jesus Christ will be (already is?) victorious.
So I’ll keep my eyes open as this battle is waged. Satan’s primary plan if to get us away from God. The further away I let myself drift, the weaker I become. So I’ll be careful about becoming distracted. The fancy things in life might catch my eye and tempt me to get off track. More often it’s the concerns and pressures of life that lead me to feel stressed. The more stressed I feel, the more I’m inclined to rely on my own power……and the weaker I become.
I refuse to give into that. I’ll rely on God to provide what I need, to handle what needs to be handled, and to accomplish what needs to be done. I’ll let His peace rule in my heart. And as I do what I can do, I won’t worry about what doesn’t get done.
An Invitation: A small group will be meeting this coming Sunday morning from 9:45 – 10:30am to share what we’ve learned and seen in this week’s readings. We meet in the Pastor’s office at Bethel Baptist Church, 13330 Trenton Road in Southgate. Everyone’s welcome to join us.
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