“Away from me, Satan! For it is written, ‘Thou shall worship the Lord thy God, and him only shall you serve.”
This was Christ’s answer to Satan’s third and final attempt to throw him off course and derail his ministry.
One can only speak so boldly to the adversary after passing the test. If we are still wavering in our convictions and speak half-heartedly to the enemy, he can easily ignore us, and there is not a thing we can do about it.
So, where does such boldness and single mindedness come from? How does one muster up the courage to stand toe to toe with hell and walk away victorious?
It is only by keeping our spiritual eyes firmly fixed on Christ and our spiritual ears tuned to his voice that we are equipped in the battle to send darkness fleeing. Satan is not scared of us, but he is terrified of Jesus. Jesus called Satan’s bluff, was obedient unto death, and disarmed the enemy, taking away the power of death. As it is written, “He destroyed death, and brought life and immortality to life through the gospel”, also, “Through death he defeated him who had the power of death”, and finally, “I (Jesus) control death and hell.”
Where did David get the strength to face down Goliath? Where did Samson get the strength to defeat the Phillistines? Where does anyone obtain the courage to face overwhelming odds?
Our fear of God must drive out all lesser fears. Like Christ, we must “delight ourselves in the fear of the Lord”. As it is written, “To this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite in spirit and who trembles at my word.” Also, “The eyes of the Lord roam to and fro on the earth to find them whose hearts are perfect toward him, to show himself powerful on their behalf.”
Those who pursue God on his terms will regret not a single day, hour, minute, or second of their lives and will have the privilege of calling God their friend and the joy of having God call them his friends!
~Brad Heilhecker
Restored People Community 