When a person has confessed his sins with godly sorrow, and they are all
under the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross, he is "born again"
and has become a new creature in Christ Jesus. (II Cor. 5:17). How
precious it is to know that "old things are passed away" and "all things
are become new!" His wrongs have been made right, as far as possible,
and according to his knowledge. Then he needs to walk in this kind of
way and life. It takes some watching and praying to keep the peace in
the soul that God has given. Only through the power of the Holy Spirit
can one continue in contact with God. After a person has fully
surrendered himself to the Lord and has the cleansing work of the Holy
Spirit in his soul, he is equipped to go forth and fight the devil who
goes around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. (1 Pet.
5:8). The devil is no respector of persons. He is more than a match for
the child of God but when the child of God seeks grace and help from
God, the devil has to flee. He now needs to know how to face the devil,
so he can be "more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus."
We read in James 4:6-8 that first, we need to know that God gives grace
or help to the humble. We need to humbly realize our need of God's help.
Then we are to submit ourselves to God, draw close to God and "he will
draw nigh to you." Every step we take toward God, He will take one
toward us. After we are in the will of God and have implored His help,
we can then, in the name of Jesus, "Resist the devil, and he will flee
from you." One brother said he talked to the devil just like he did to
his dog. He said, "Get out of here!" The devil had to pack his bags and
leave.
When a person is saved, one of the first things the devil tells him is
that he isn't saved. This is a famous trick of Satan and it's sad to
say, that he uses it over and over and it has worked on many souls. We
need not be "ignorant of his devices." It's a pretty sure fact that you
are saved or the devil would not bother about you. So don't let that
trouble you, but "resist the devil," or he will take your peace.
Prayer is another thing we must do to keep our peace. God knows what we
need before we ask Him, but His plan is for us to ask. Prayer is not
just always asking God for something, but it's a means of fellowship
with God. It's a communion between God and us that brings love, joy,
peace, comfort and all that we need. It's a heart to heart talk to God.
In prayer we tell our Lord and Saviour of our great love for Him. In
prayer we never cease to praise Him for dying on the cross and taking
our punishment for our sins. In prayer we, so to speak, just lift our
hearts and minds up into that heavenly realm and we touch heaven. A
thrill of heavenly love flows from God down into the very depths of our
inner being. Power, strength and grace is given, and with a deep inner
joy we go forth and face the world. Others might wonder how we can have
the courage to face the hard things, but it's because of grace gained
through prayer. Prayer should never be neglected or we will feel our
peace slipping away.
Prayer can be a groan, a sigh, a dropping of a tear, a smile, an inner
praise going up to God, laughter in the spirit, or an inward or audible
"praise the Lord!" Prayer is the sincere desire of the heart or an
attitude of the heart. Surely we can "pray without ceasing," as we keep
a heart full of love for our Lord and a feeling of utter dependence upon
Him. In living in this way, our peace will be abounding.
Another foe we must watch is self. Often it has been said that we must
die out to self, but it goes deeper than just saying it. Self longs to
live, but it must be crucified. We must remember that "ye are not your
own, for ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body,
and in your spirit, which are God's." I Cor. 6:19,20. If we belong to
God then we do not belong to ourselves. We must be aware of the fact
that self will make many concessions to live. Self sometimes will allow
its owner to do many sacrificial deeds if it can live. It will even bear
hard things, but it must go. Self must be crucified. We must die to good
deeds, and to bad deeds, successes, failures, exaltations, humiliation,
friends and foes. Oh, it must not be us but Jesus that will be lifted up
in our lives! The Apostle Paul said, "I am crucified with Christ:
nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life
which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who
loved me, and gave himself for me." Gal. 2:20. So it must not be self
that lives but Christ must live in us.
We need to watch our thoughts to keep our peace. We are told that God
"wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because
he trusteth in thee." Isa. 26:3. When our peace is disturbed we need to
check to see where our mind has been or what we were thinking about.
The mind is the battle ground. The devil has access to the mind as well
as God. We are tempted through the mind. The devil will present wrong
thoughts and then the Lord is right there to bring us good thoughts or
suggest the right thing to do. We need to separate our thoughts. We need
to cast out the wrong thoughts and only think on the good thoughts from
God. The devil is like a persistent salesman. He will talk and talk at
the door and if you are not careful he will get the door open and have
his foot in it. If you give him any encouragement he will be sitting in
your living room and have his wares all spread out before you. So we
must not let the devil get past the door of our mind. Just tell him
right off, "I am not interested."
We think of the children of Israel in Egypt, when God told them to put
the blood of the lamb on their doorposts one night, so their eldest son
would be spared when the death angel passed over. Ex. 12:12,13. The
blood on the door was the powerful warning to keep evil from the
Israelites on that night when the Egyptians were visited and death was
in every home. Just so, dear Grandson, the blood of Jesus on the door of
our heart and mind will keep the devil from coming into our mind,
sitting down and displaying all of his wares of evil. When tormenting
thoughts, thoughts of fear, thoughts of unjust deeds of others done to
you, thoughts of self-pity, anxiety, doubts, unforgiveness, mistrust of
God, or evil of all kinds appear to take up your thoughts, just resist
them and point to the blood on the door of your heart. Those thoughts
will have to flee. Sometimes a person can think upon an unjustice done
to him and it will grow bigger and bigger. The mistake is made by not
resisting it in the beginning and forgiving the injustice. God's ways
are right, if we will follow them.
When bold and daring thoughts move in and are persistent, trying to fill
every corner of our mind, we need to point to the blood. They have to
leave. Bring the mind under subjection to the blood and think of good
things. "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall
keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren,
whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever
things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are
lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, if
there be any praise, think on these things." Phil. 4:7,8.