MIkeMacIntosh: We can never let our guard down from the enemy

Today's Devotion

From Mike MacIntosh

And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord. Then he gathered to himself the people of Ammon and Amalek, went and defeated Israel, and took possession of the City of Palms.
Judges 3:12-13

We can never let our guard down from the enemy. God's kids--again--were doing evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord, and this happened after experiencing 40 years of rest from the enemy (3:11)! So for 40 years they've been at peace, but a nation "doing evil in the sight of the Lord" didn't just happen overnight. They allowed themselves to be slowly lulled to sleep by the enemy, culminating after 40 years of willful sinful behavior. Let this be a lesson to us, to our families and kids, and to our churches across the nation.  Charles Spurgeon said,

"God never allows His people to sin successfully. Their sin will either destroy them or it will move the chastisement and chastening of God upon their lives."

I was talking to somebody recently who told me that a friend of his in the Christian music scene had been arrested for being with a prostitute. Another guy was telling me that one of the leaders in their church was just in a fight and got in trouble for being drunk in a bar. You know, the Body of Christ gets messed up in many ways because we don't walk in God's Spirit. And if you're not walking by faith, you're not reading your Bible, or you're not studying, the tendency will be there for you to get into things you shouldn't. "They did evil in the sight of the Lord" will haunt you the rest of your life if you don't crucify those evil desires and thoughts. When you slowly forget--and don't keep in the forefront of your mind--the reasons why Jesus hung on the cross, you will not hesitate to cross any boundary, no matter the consequence. But when you remember that He hung on the cross for you, it's kind of difficult to commit those very sins that crucified Him.

But if you're a man or a woman prone to prayer, it's very difficult not to be a broken and humble person. The more you spend time in the throne room of God's presence, the more of His character that you make your own, the more you will realize that the fleshly lifestyle isn't the kind of life you want to live. Don't allow the enemy to take possession of your life. Surrender it fully to the LordJesus and start walking in His Spirit.