Zecharaiah 1:1-21
Revelation 12:1-17
Psalm 140:1-13
Proverbs 30:17
I love that today's NT reading is so anticipatory of Christmas. The first 5 verses are the story of Jesus's birth, and the back story of the battle that is to come. Because make no mistake, Satan is waging war, and he is desperate, because he knows he must lose but does not want to. This is why when he could not overcome God in heaven, when Michael and his angels fought back, he sought a different way to get to God - through those He loves. First, he went after Jesus's mother, but God took her away and even the earth protected her.
So Satan couldn't touch the Father, the mother or the Son . Who is left? "Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring - those who keep God's commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus."
If you are reading this, I am pretty sure that includes you. Yes, you - you, and me, and everyone trying to abide by the word of God - we are all in a war. We are what Satan has decided will be easy pickings, the soft targets. How do we gird ourselves for that war, a war where the enemy is so much more powerful than we are?
Thankfully we have an instruction manual and a model: our Lord Himself. To prepare Himself for the battle to come, He did three things. In the Gospels, we read about how He prayed, and He fasted. What we also know is that, as He prepared to be a Teacher, He armed Himself with Scripture.
Armies train together so they can fight together. While our Lord has already won the war, if we train with Him - with scripture, prayer and fasting - we can fight with Him, and we can avoid being Satan's easy pickings.
Father open our eyes to the battle You've won, yet is still being fought each day, in our world and in our hearts. Give us the desire to train ourselves so that we might fight with You and for You. *
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