Tuesday – February 9, 2016
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is once again time for the Tuesday God’s Word. Tuesday is the day I remind all of us to pray for the many governments of these United States. Today I am featuring South Dakota, the 40th State admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889 during the presidency of our 23rd President, Benjamin Harrison. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) These United States of America were established in Covenant with Almighty God not just in the Mayflower Compact or the Federal Declaration of Independence and other documents but in each state as well. See how the people of South Dakota have expressed that in the South Dakota Constitution.
South Dakota Constitution
Preamble
We, the people of South Dakota, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberties, in order to form a more perfect and independent government, establish justice, insure tranquility,
provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and preserve to ourselves and to our posterity the blessings of liberty, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the state of South Dakota
Once again I encourage each person to be sure they are registered to vote and they make plans right now to either vote early or go to the polls to vote on election day, first in the primaries and then in the general election in November. Early voting starts in Texas on the 16th of February with the Primary on the 1st of March. Maine is a Caucus state with the Republicans caucusing on the 5th of March and the Democrats on the 6th. Let each of us do our part to return this nation to God. Whether we vote/caucus is a choice each of us will make, there will be a war in our minds to keep us from the polls and keep us from the candidates that will lead us in the paths of righteousness.
Malachi 3:7 (KJV)
7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?
Now let’s return to our study of Spiritual Warfare.
1 Peter 5:5-10 (KJV)
5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
We have discussed that those who are younger need to show deference to those who are older both in the natural and the spiritual realm. We are to show deference one to another and that includes husbands to wives, and wives to husbands. Humility (unassuming nature) is to be a part of our expressed nature (what people can see). A failure to do this puts God Himself in opposition to us whereas compliance releases the work of Grace (Holy Spirit) in our lives. We are to humble ourselves under the “mighty hand of God” which is the Holy Spirit meaning that we are to be led of the Spirit. Being led of the Spirit puts us in a place of promotion leading to being a son of the Almighty God. Verse seven of our text tells us to cast (throw) our cares (concerns, troubles, problems, fears) onto the Lord. We are not to be our own god attempting to be self-sufficient but we are to cast the cares of our natural lives on Him so that we are not distracted from the Kingdom of God mission He has given us. Those cares are not His mission but a part of this Spiritual Warfare to distract us from our God given mission. Just as we studied yesterday in our obedience will come the supernatural answer. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us to be on guard at all times because we have an adversary and he is constantly looking for who he can devour. The devouring of the devil includes the stealing, killing, and destroying spoken of by Jesus in John 10:10. This stealing, killing, and destroying is made possible in our lives by disobedience to the Word of God. Our disobedience starts when we choose to allow a perversion of our thoughts.
2 Timothy 2:25-26 (KJV)
25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
Notice in verse twenty-five the phrase “those that oppose themselves” this has to do with this choosing to believe something contrary to the Word of God. That same verse goes on to say that we need mercy and God to grant us repentance when we acknowledge the Truth. In this way we recover ourselves from the devils entrapment. But notice when we oppose ourselves (think, say, and do things contrary to the Word of God) we can be devoured by the devil at his will. You see how dangerous it is to stray even one word from the Truth. We get into trouble by our own will (thoughts, words, and actions), and we get out by our own will (thoughts, words, and actions).
By Pastor David R. Wood
