Tues.’s Devo - Our Real Enemy

Read Deut. 18:1-20:20, Luke 9:28-50, Ps. 73:1-28, Pr. 12:10 God made sure the priests were provided for so He set up laws about what part of the meat to be sacrificed would go to them. God also heard their request for Him not to speak to them again in the fire like He did on Mr. Horeb so God promised to raise up prophets that would hear from God and speak what they heard to the people. He warned them against following false prophets who got their messages from Satan through occultist means. God expanded the number of cities of refuge because he didn’t want any innocent people to die. God cares about justice. When they were up against nations that were more equipped and more powerful than they, the priests were to tell the people not to be afraid. For God was going with them and He was the one who was going to fight the battle, not them. There were three situations that should keep a person from fighting in the battles: if they had built a new house and not dedicated it, if they had planted a new vineyard and hadn’t been able to eat anything from it., and if he had betrothed a wife and had not been able to take her legally. Dedicating a new vineyard or a new house, or marrying a new wife have to do with salvation. It would not be a good idea to risk a man’s physical life if he didn’t have eternal salvation. First, get them saved, then send them off to war and maybe off to die. I think we should make salvation be the litmus test of whether we let anyone enlist in the armed services. Wouldn’t that change things? When they fought these heathen nations, they were not to let one of them escape. God wanted them obliterated from the earth so that their sin would not pollute Israel. In Luke, Jesus is getting closer to his death. He reminds his disciples more often that he is about to die. When they can’t deliver the boy from the demon, Jesus is upset because they are not able to do these things while He is with them, so how are they going to do them when He leaves? When they report someone else casting out demons, Jesus tells them no t worry because those that are for them are not their enemies. We could stand to learn this lesson. Just because someone is not from our church or our ‘religion’ doesn’t disqualify their gifts or position in the body. Lord, help us to love the whole body and work together to fight against our real enemy, the devil.