Four

Our two greatest enemies are Death and the Devil. In Jesus' temptation in the wilderness He defeats the 3 strategic attempts of the enemy to try and distract him from God's plan. No matter how hard the devil tries, Jesus rejects his efforts.

^"Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him." - Matthew 4:8-11

As we project forward to the Passion of Christ we should also remember that the second of our enemies is defeated at the Resurrection. Taking a look into the empty tomb reveals the greatest gift we could ever dream of. It tells the story that death will not be the end for us, but rather the transition from this world to God's home. 

Allow the knowledge of this victory to bring you LIFE today.

"Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." - Hebrews 2:14-15

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Don't mess with the Lion

I was saddened to read the story of the American tourist who was mauled by a white lion in Gauteng this last weekend. It is never nice to read of such tragedies. However, having said this, I do want to point out that tourists should really know better - after all, we are talking about wild LIONS here. This is Africa - this is not the home of tame circus lions walking around without any teeth.

It should also serve as a reminder to all believers that our Faith journey is being lived out in the 'wild'. The world in which we live is not a Hollywood production - it is tough, hard and wild. And what is more, we understand that we have an enemy who is on the prowl - looking for unsuspecting people to devour.

Proverbs 28:15 - "Like a roaring lion or a bear prowling for food is a wicked ruler over a poor people."

1 Corinthians 7:5 - "Otherwise, because of your lack of self-control, you may succumb to the Adversary’s temptation."
 

Psalm 59:16 - "They roam about, looking for food, prowling all night if they don’t get their fill."

Let us be cautious, or else we may fall prey to the teeth of our enemy. Temptation is just around the corner, so let us remain close to our Saviour. He is our strength and shield.

Living in Grace
D3LM3