Wednesday, June 17 2020 Devotional
"Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, 'The Lord will surely deliver us. This city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.' Do not listen to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria: 'Make your peace with me and come out to me'..." Isaiah 36:15-16 The Ambassador sent by the King of Assyria was engaging in psychological warfare. He knew that the people of Judah would hold out and fight until they dropped. Jerusalem was a strongly fortified city and it would take a long siege to defeat it. To avoid a long, terrible battle with heavy losses on both sides and the survivors finally being starved into submission, he had to shatter their hopes of holding out against the Assyrian army. He pointed out to them the futility of hoping for help from the Egyptians or anyone else, and then he went to work undermining their confidence in their King, Hezekiah and their faith in Hezekiah’s God. Hezekiah was a good, godly king, who humbly knew that his army was no match for the might of Assyria. But he trusted in the Lord and taught the people of Judah to do the same. He reminded them that they were God’s own chosen people and that the Lord would not abandon them, even though their own sin had brought them to this place. So the ambassador set about to undermine the people’s confidence in the Lord and in His Word. Our enemy, the devil, uses the same tactic today. We are constantly being told by the World that we are “on the wrong side of History,” that the fall of Christianity is inevitable, we are living in post-Christian America, the other side is winning and there is nothing we can do about it. Last Monday’s Supreme Court decision, legally redefining the word “sex” to mean “gender identity” is a fine example of satanic psychological warfare. It’s devastating to see the very pillars of civilization being destroyed by the same authorities in whom we have trusted to be the voice of reason and justice. The demons of Hell were dancing in glee, and so were their human minions on earth after that decision was read. But our confidence can never be placed in man, in the stability of human government, or in the rule of human law. We stand on God’s Word: His Law and His promises. We know that even when all the other things in which we trust for stability and protection crumble and fall - which they eventually will - and open persecution comes, God’s Word lives and abides forever. “Be faithful unto death,” the Lord said, “and I will give you the crown of life.” Dear Christian, are you ready? Now is a good time to count the cost, before the real battle begins. We are under siege and the only thing we can be sure of is that God keeps His promises. Will you surrender now to avoid the long battle ahead? Or will you choose to “put on your armor and stand in the evil day?” Lord Jesus, You warned us long ago of what was coming, and encouraged us to count the cost of discipleship. Be with us now as we stand on Your Promises. Be our strength, our shelter, and our guide. Help us to be faithful in the little things so that no matter what comes we are ready to stand with You In the power of Your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Pastor Dan Giles