II Kings 19:9-10 9 Now the king heard concerning Tirakah king of Cush, “Behold, he has set out to fight you.” So he sent messengers again to Hezekiah saying, 10 “Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah; ‘Do not let your God on whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.
There is no let-up when the enemy is out to destroy someone. There is no mercy or rest in the devil. He will tell you that God has abandoned you, that you cannot trust God, and that your only hope is to allow the enemy to have his way in your life. He will try to wear you down.
In truth, we (you and I) choose what voices we listen to and we choose how we respond to those voices. It’s so important to have the three 101’s of spirituality working well in our lives – first, to be in the bible each day, seeking the truth and hiding it in our hearts, second, to stay open to the Holy Spirit who brings conviction if we are straying, and comfort, encouragement and peace in the middle of the trials we all go through. Third, and vital is to stay connected to a healthy community, in other words, church. Not just to attend church, although that is a good thing to do, but to be the church, to go, to listen, to engage and to be part of what God is doing on the planet within the community called church.
The enemy is full of bluster, lies, confusion, and deceit. God will bring peace, hope, and strength.
Who are you listening to today, and what do your choices look like for your future?
Principle of Change 48 – we get to choose what voices we listen to each day
Strength – Arranger – let’s move things around so that our relationship with God is at the centre of all we do.