Scripture: Psalm 149 v 4 - 9: "For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.
5 Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand;
7 To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;
8 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;
9 To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD."
We love to exalt Jesus our King in praise, worship, dance and songs. Our praises flow into and enhance the praises of those who have passed into Heaven and are alive forevermore!
The Lord delights in our open display of faith and testimony concerning His marvellous works. We sow seeds of truth into tiny cracks in the shell around unbelievers hearts and minds if our speech is seasoned with salt.
Delicate seasoning is better than pouring out the whole salt cellar! Just telling of a small victory and saying how Jesus blessed us can stir a previously unknown thirst brought on by our spiritual grain of salt. A thirst for truth, righteousness and salvation.
If we never sow our grains of salt those who may have responded may never get to hear, we may be their only opportunity before an untimely end.
I am reminded of a lady in a bank where I had applied for a home loan. I had a message to return her call. She was a complete stranger. After we had spoken awhile I felt a prompt by the Holy Spirit to talk about Jesus. I started by telling her I had faith in Jesus that my application would be successful.
She said that's good. I responded with do you also have faith in Him? She told me she was in a church meeting where there had been an altar call for salvation but she was too shy to go up by herself. I found myself saying, Don't worry Jesus has come to meet you. He is sitting in the chair across your desk!
She started to cry softly. She whispered, I am not worthy...then said to me, How did you know there was a chair in my office? Jesus became real to her. She knew He was there and found it very easy to repent and make a commitment to Him. We never spoke again but I got my home loan too!
So along with our praises let us remember we are soldiers in God's army and have a twoedged sword in our hands. Prayer and our Bibles. This means that we are all warriors who are needed in prayer battles to bind the plans of our enemy, Satan, and his demons. Their evil agenda for all mankind is to steal, kill and destroy.
1 Corinthians 9 v 26: "I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:"
Paul knew his enemy! And the enemy knew him! Acts 19 v 13 - 16: "Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.
15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded."
Make sure you are born again and filled with the Holy Spirit before you tackle the enemy. It is Jesus in you that terrifies the Devil and his demons. You on your own is like v 16 above.
The enemy hates us and tries to prevent us being saved. He sometimes succeeds but if not, he tries to destroy our faith. He wants us to lose confidence in God and backslide into the world where he can mock God with the fallen saints.
He likes to keep believers with one foot in the Kingdom of God and the other in the world. Parties, drinking, drugging, promiscuity and so on leads to greater sins and shame. So we need to pray against these works of the devil and use our sword of prayer to defeat him every day.
We need to pray for the church to stay on the strait and narrow way. Many churches have strayed into strange doctrines, believing things the enemy has dangled before them to advance the apostasy that is seen everywhere today. Many have left their churches and are wandering in No Mans Land, sheep without a shepherd.
Jesus cautioned us to be alert and watchful in these last days. Heed the watchmen on the walls whom He alerts to incoming trouble. Stand shoulder to shoulder with Him and rebuke and execute vengeance upon these demons. Bind them in hot chains....for some reason they flee from this in panic.
We are given instructions to punish them, the demons, and deny them what they crave. Send them into the footstool of Jesus where He keeps His foot on their necks. We can do this and win battles that seem impossible to the human mind. With Jesus, defeat of the enemy is already won, we just have to believe it.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we are Your children and we love You. You have seen our distress and sent answers to prayer that are so amazing. Thank You that we have a sword of prayer and Your Word to overcome every obstacle the enemy throws at us. Help us to know our enemy and defeat him according to Your instructions. In Jesus' name. Amen.