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PAGE TITLE: CBN Daily Devotional
ARTICLE
TITLE:
Tug of war
DATE: N.A
AUTHOR: Brad Henry
AUTHOR
INFORMATION: Brad
Henry was 13 when he witnessed his dad die of a heart attack. It would be over
25 years before Brad came back to church. After 25 years Brad could see that he
had left God, but God had never left that little boy. Now the Lord gives Brad
the gift to write. “I know it has to be God writing them because I am ADD and
Dyslexic”. Brad lives with his wife Julie and two sons, Bryce and Chase, in
Huntersville, NC. You can read more of Brad’s Devotions at The Ultimate Decision.
 |
| Brad Henry |
Most
of us have played the game Tug
of War. The purpose is to get an equal number of people and
strength on opposite sides of a rope. To make things interesting some people
put a pit of mud in the middle. Those who lose the battle fall into the miry
pit.
We
are in a tug of war every day. The war is with our heart. We have Satan and his
demons on one end of the rope and the Lord and His angels on the other. So you
may think, “Oh that is easy; Jesus will win every time.”
Each
day there is a tug of war in the spiritual realms for our soul. Ephesians
6:10-12 says:
“Finally,
be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so
you can take your stand against the devils schemes. For our struggle is not
against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil
in the heavenly realms.”
You
feel this tug of war in your spirit. Sometimes you choose to side with the Lord
and sometimes you take sides with Satan and his demons. I don’t have to tell
you when you take Satan’s side; you already know.
“The
heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Jeremiah
17:9
You
see, it is our choice what side of the rope we are on each day. Also, each day
we can waver back and forth to what side of the rope best fits OUR desire. The
rope represents our life and that there are forces we cannot see struggling for
our mind. Everything we do is a condition of our heart. Since we are all
sinners (Romans
3:23) and our hearts are deceitful, it is easy for us to be on Satan’s side
of the Tug of War
game. It is tough to be on the Lord's side. But the Lord’s side is the only
side we will have victory.
Today,
Satan and his demons desire for your heart to be self-centered. You may
gravitate to do what you feel you deserve, no matter what the cost to others.
You may take shortcuts and not be entirely truthful. We are all a selfish group
of men and women who need a heart transplant EVERYDAY. But in order for anyone
to get a heart transplant they need to go to the hospital. Most of us wait too
long to get the help we need and Satan wins another battle. No matter how deep
you are in the pit, no matter how far you have fallen, it is never too late to
get on the Lord’s side of the rope. But that is just the beginning. A lot of
Christians fail to realize that when they get on the Lord’s wining side they
still need to fight. They still need to pull their weight on the rope. Today
when you fight, fight for purity and righteousness. Fight for the desire to be
on the winning team and don’t let yourself be lulled into the losing team.
All
of us have a choice to all the decisions we make today. Today has enough
decisions of its own; don’t get bogged down with the future. The future is in
God's hands. Right now as you are reading this you are already in the war for
the day. Do you know whose side you are on? Please don’t be on the side pulling
against Jesus and other believers. It is easy to do when we are leading a
sinful life and don’t care. Plead your case to Jesus. He always hears you and
wants to restore you to His side. Remember, in one breath Jesus can obliterate
the other side if he so chooses.
Choose
carefully who you will serve.
Have
a joyful day no matter what the circumstances.
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