THE WORLD’S BATTLEGROUND

We are in a battle with an “unseen enemy.” Covid-19 is referenced as the unseen enemy. But I submit to you that we are in an unseen battle everyday with the unseen forces of Satan’s armies. For mankind the real enemy is Satan. He wants to destroy you and your family in any way he can. He wants to destroy your peace of mind, tempt you to worry, and fear.

We feel like we are struggling right now with this enemy and all its side affects. But the Bible reminds us that this known thing (the virus)  is not what we are really struggling against. We are struggling against the powers of darkness. Against Satan who would do everything he can to destroy our hopes and dreams. Unseen but not uneffective. Powerful, yes, but not victorious. Jesus had the victory over sin and death at the cross.  With His resurrection Satan now can only taunt us and make our lives miserable with doubts, fears, and anxieties and “what ifs?”.

Whether you believe that the devil exists or not, nonetheless, he is real. Jesus made it clear when He walked on earth that our soul has an enemy. Satan is the thief  of our soul and He desires to keep people from belief in God so he can cast them into hell at the moment of their death.

As believers we need to be ever aware of his sneaky tactics. Be vigilant and on guard that he doesn’t deceive us into thinking he is not real or not interested in us.

Yes this illness is terrible that is a fact. It has taken many lives. More people  however have had the virus and recovered. Though it seems like the illness is in control it is not. God is in control. Always. While we have an unseen enemy we have an unseen deliverance. II Kings 6:15-17–“And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him(Elisha the prophet) ‘Alas my master! How shall we do?” The armies of the enemies of Israel had surrounded their city and it appeared that all would be lost.

Many of  us today are looking around at our suddenly changed and fearful world and asking, “What shall we do?” This looks like a certain defeat for our health and our jobs and for any hope of future good and  prosperity.

But now read Elisha the prophet of God’s answer to his dismayed servant who could only see with his natural eyes the certain calamity that was surrounding them. ” And Elisha prayed and said ,LORD, I pray thee, open his the eyes of the young man ; and  he saw, and behold the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” Read the next few verses to see how God delivered them in a most unusual way. God is good and always surrounding us with His protection.

For more comfort and encouragement read Psalm 91 and apply it to yourself. Where you read the words thou or thee. Replace them with your name. Because God is today talking to you specifically. He knows you. He sees you. He has a plan for you. He is  your protector and helper. We don’t need to fear only praise and thank Him for all the good He does do everyday in our lives. The Bible tells us that He inhabits our praise.

Do Take the precautions recommended by the CDC and don’t be foolish; but wait on God for deliverance. We will come to the end of this tribulation. The question is how will we come to the end of this? Stronger in our faith or ashamed at our lack of belief while we  turned to our own devices to survive. In the end all we can do is wait and hope and trust and keep up our faith.

It is time for us to strengthen our faith and share it with a lost and dying world. Perhaps this is their time to stop and contemplate their eternal destination and it is a perfect time to let them know what their  hope after this life can be. Send a Bible tract to a friend or coworker along with a message of encouragement. Give them a phone call and let them know that you and Jesus cares. Lift them up in prayer. Let them see the difference between those of us who are believers by acting without fear. So that they can see that God is real and He does care.

 

HOLD THE FORT

Today it seems like the powers of darkness are bearing down upon us. In America our Christian freedoms are being challenged and in other countries Christians are suffering severe persecution at the hands of the enemy.

There is an account in II Kings 6: 13-18 about Elisha and his servant. Elisha’s servant rose up early in the morning and to his horror he observed a host of warriors with horses and chariots surrounding the city. The servant cries out to Elisha,   “Alas my master! what shall we do?” All looked hopeless. But Elisha prayed that his servant’s eyes would be opened to see beyond the realm of the physical. What the young man saw must have truly amazed him. The mountain before him was full of horses and chariots of fire all around them. Next, those heavenly hosts don’t even have to do battle with the enemies forces; because Elisha prays and the  enemy armies are smitten with blindness so that they could not find their way to harm Elisha.

God protects Elisha. As believers our protection comes from the God of heaven.

As we watch the world’s stage before us  grow dark and rumble with the chariots of a coming war; Jesus promises He will return for His Church and Rapture her out. As the hands of a clock slowly move upon the hour our victory of Satan and his dark forces becomes more and more eminent.

The song I’d like to share with you today is “Hold the Fort.”

It was written by Phillip Paul Bliss who lived from 1838-1876. He grew up in a log cabin in Pennyslavania. He received no formal education but that of his mother who taught him the Scriptures. He loved music and when he heard a piano for the first time at the age of 10 he was inspired.

At 11 years of age he left home and worked at timber camps and sawmills. During this time he pursued his education whenever possible.

At age 18 he became the headmaster of a school in New York. During the summer months he worked on the farm. A year later he began to focus on music. He received some formal training and became an itinerant music teacher.

At the age of 31 he joined D.L. Moody in Chicago and became a missionary singer. Five years later he felt called to “win souls.”

Two years later he and his wife were traveling on a train that crashed into a ravine as the bridge collapsed. He survived the wreck but when the carriages caught fire he returned in an effort to free his wife. Neither of their bodies was ever found. Of the 160 passengers on the train 92 perished. Philip and his wife left behind two sons. One was four years old and the other just a year.

Phillip Bliss served for a short time in the Union army during the Civil War. He wrote the song “Hold the Fort” after hearing Major Daniel Webster Whittle narrate an experience in the American Civil war.

 

SO SORRY THE SONG DID NOT PRINT OUT FOR SOME REASON I WILL INCLUDE IT IN A POST TO FOLLOW—