It’s here everybody. Monday, Monday! Will yours be MaGic or MaNic? I choose G over N. It occurred to me last week that we have an enemy on the prowl and it has laser vision, sensitive radar and unparalleled sonar. This enemy is on a mission to destroy anything we have that’s good and brings us joy. Take a few seconds right now and think of those things in your life that mean the most to you. If ties were severed, you would feel a demoralizing loss. A friendship, your family, a fulfilling hobby, a job that fills an important part of your life; these are like magnets to the enemy of your soul and they are where you are most vulnerable to defeat.
When sports teams get on the field to play, they’ve done their homework. They’ve been watching their opponents play this same game on another field with a different team. Why? So they learn where they are weak; where they are most likely to fail. God warns us in 1Peter 5:8 “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” We aren’t playing a sport against an opposing team. We are on a playing field though and our enemy the devil is looking for ways to steal our joy and bring us to defeat.
Last week a friend was heartbroken when a family member suddenly turned on her with unashamed fury and deliberately hurt her with unkind words. My friend is diligent in Bible study and is a witness for the Lord. Her real enemy wasn’t her beloved family member. Her real enemy was that roaring lion in 1 Peter. When she told me the story my first thought was that Satan had discovered one of her weakest links – her family. If there is one way to rob a person of their joy, sever a relationship. The Message translation explains it well in Ephesians 6:13-14 “Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words.”
We are up against far more than we can handle on our own. I like the way that translation lets us know that God knows all about what we are going to experience today and tomorrow. One of my favorite verses that I recall often is Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” And Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” We don’t know what waits for us today. We know that life is uncertain but we also know that nothing touches us without first passing through the filters of an omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent God.
In Joshua are implored to be strong and courageous but we are also told to realize where our power comes from. Paul was an amazing, powerful Christian man, but even he had vulnerabilities that could have defeated him. He gave it all to God. 2Corinthians 12:9-10 “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Life is a contact sport, my friends. It’s Monday. Do you have your armor on? Is this the g day or the n day. Ma(g,n)ic Monday. Let’s remember where our strength comes from. 2Thessalonians 3:3 “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.”
God is on your side: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_35gB76xV_Y
Because of Grace we Press On