Monday Morning Devotions

Read Ps. 3: 5-6
All of us at one time or another have enemies. What? Am I being paranoid? I do not think so. There will always be people in our lives who seek to harm us through ruining our reputations, keeping us from reaching our potential, or making us think we are worthless. These enemies can exist in our workplaces, our homes and families, and yes, the Church. I know what it is like to have things said about me that are not true. However, being a Christian for twenty years has its advantages. One of which is as I have walked the walk before God and man, people see my heart. My brothers and sisters in Christ see my actions, hear my words, and have given no credance to those things said against me. A good walk is one line of defense against a wicked tongue. However, our main enemies are not flesh and blood. They are spiritual. The enemy of our souls and his demons are on a non-stop crusade to steal, kill, and distroy. Yes, there is spiritual warfare to be engaged in. There are positive actions we can take to prevent ourselves from being btaken captive by the enemy. But there is also the weapon of rest. We do not dare engage the enemy in our own strength. Like David, we must rely on God to achieve the victory for us. As David was so content to rest in God that he could sleep while fleeing his enemies, we are called not to worry but to let God take care of our enemies. To fight an enemy on his terms is to compromise one's testimony. To rest in God's protection truly gives us peace.
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Read Rev. 21:4
I have heard some Christians say that when we get to heaven, we will be so different that we will not have the same emotions that we have now. I humbly disagree. The promises of God give us hope. Our struggles cause us to long for eternity in the Father's presense. The Holy Spirit that lives in our hearts gives us a foretaste of the things to come. All these things from the hand of God cause us to react in our emotions. There will be a time when all these longings will reach a final consumation. Will this be before we are in the Father's presence in heaven. No. This time will come when we stand before Him. It is then that all the hopes of a redeemed heart are realized. We will have our same emotions, yet they will be cleansed from sin. In our cleansed state we will fully know the beauty of a world free of sin and death. We will worship the Lord with a redeemed mind and heart for eternity.