Day 24... Fight Against the Enemy within the Gates!

Today we come to a surprising phrase in the Lord’s prayer- “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” But, aren't we already forgiven? Then why do we have to ask God to forgive us? Answer: God, as our Judge, has forgiven our sin debt because it was paid for by His Son, the Innocent One. Thus, we are eternally right in his sight and will be forever together. But as our Father, God is calling us to forgive others as he has fully forgiven us. We are to be like God, “forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” Eph.4:32. Today we will begin with this first phrase “Forgive us our sins.” Tomorrow we will deal with those who have sinned against us and stronghold sins.

Because of salvation in Christ, we are forgiven and new creations in Christ, but we still have an “enemy within the gates” that wages war against our soul. We must constantly guard our new hearts from the enemies of sin and Satan. Men, we are in a battle. Passivity is our downfall. 

Thus as soldier’s, we are given this manly command, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” Prov.4:23. If an enemy could capture or pollute a town’s well, the people were doomed. Thus, our hearts must be guarded at all costs from enemy attack. The corrupt nature wants to ruin us. So it is- kill or be killed. “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator" Col.3:5-10.

But what do we do when our guard has slipped and such enemies have breached the gates of our Mansoul? We must drive them out! But how? “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds” 2 Cor.10:4. The first weapon to use to drive out sin is surprisingly simple- it’s confession. As we come to this part in the Lord’s prayer, with God’s help we can do a quick scan of the land of our heart. Has bitterness crept in? Name (confess) the enemy. Is it resentment, pride, lust, greed, bad language or unforgiveness to others? We should confess these as soon as we are aware of them, even in the middle of our day. When we confess such sins, God gives us a wonderful promise to claim-“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” 1 John 1:9. The waters of cleansing are waiting for us (John 13:6-11). When I confess what sins I am aware of, He then even cleanses me from what I’m not aware of- all unrighteousness. TYF! (Thank You Father!)

Thus, we don’t need to go on a witch hunt of introspection to find sins to confess. To fix our eyes on searching out sin is a dark and despairing pursuit. We are called to fix our eyes on Jesus who brings forgiveness, joy and peace. Instead, at this point in the Lord’s prayer, simply invite God to search you-

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” Ps.139:23-24.

G.a- As we have seen, there are plenty of passages that speak to us about this vital subject of sin, confession and forgiveness. (To save you time, I wrote them out, rather than asking you to look them all up.) Pick out one verse or phrase out of the many that were quoted above and share your good thoughts regarding such.

G.b- Copy down 1 John 1:9 on your MP3 card. Then do the “Did it.”

G.c- With how many individuals or groups did you share the riches on your MP3 card, since you posted yesterday?

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The above picture of warriors fighting reminds us that we are in a terrible battle. But the weapons we must use to defeat satanic forces that hold men in apathy are supernatural. They include the sword of the Spirit and the spear of the Spirit- the word of God and prayer. So we need to be prayer warriors. We're deceived by the enemy already if we think we can win otherwise. Keep praying Attack prayers. Pray that we would be MANLY men who would forcefully advance God's kingdom against the forces of darkness.

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