Cancel the Devil’s Legal Right & Restore Unity
photo by Unsplash
A message of mercy for the body of Christ….
On our country’s National Day of Prayer, I started by asking the Lord, “Does the enemy have a legal right to bring such a nasty virus against our nation, against the world?” Up to that point, I had figured Covid-19 was merely one of those “events” that Jesus mentioned regarding the last days. His response had me reexamining my thoughts and my social life!
Before I could even finish the question, God answered, “Complaining and arguing.” We have given our enemy a legal right. Don’t confuse this with judgment from above; God never brings harm to people — that’s not His nature — but He does walk us through enemy attacks and the pain we bring upon ourselves. (BTW- I’ve learned this week that this isn’t the enemy’s only area of legal right, but simply the one God gave me for the sake of prayer and intercession.)
For believers in Christ, this virus should not be a threat — no plague or pestilence can touch God’s holy ones (Psalm 91). We see this type of protection when we read how God spared the Israelites from the plague that hit their Egyptian oppressors. God’s instructions were super simple: brush the blood of the lamb on their doorposts and stay inside until morning. Death passed over them (Passover!). This faith-principle still applies today, and the blood of the Lamb still defeats Death.
True, Jesus Christ made the ultimate sacrifice on the cross and, when we repent, His blood covers all of our sins. But for us to maintain His victory over our sin and death requires our pro-active agreement. His love is unconditional (John 3:16-19), but once we receive Jesus as Lord, we have to willfully allow the Holy Spirit to continue renewing our minds (Romans 12:1-3).
God completed His end of the deal. The “If we” conditions are on us: “But IF we live in the light … the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we’re fooling ourselves (spiritual complacency!). But if we confess our sins to him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” 1 John 1:7-9, emphasis added.
Our adversary, the devil (the prosecuting attorney in every heavenly court case) knows the law forward and backward. He’s a legalist! If he catches us in un-repented sin, he has the legal right to torment us. Only the sin we sincerely repent from is forgiven and covered by the Blood of Jesus — this does NOT mean doing acts of penance, as some false religions propose. This is a supernatural, faith based relationship, meaning Jesus does the work and we agree by faith. (IF we have not made Jesus Lord of our lives, we don’t even have access to this royal benefit of God’s Kingdom.)
So, now back to the legal right that we, the church of America, have given to our adversary. We also call this an “open door” of the soul that only an act of repentance and receiving forgiveness can close. Along with an understanding that grumbling and arguing bound the Israelites to 40 years wandering in the wilderness, the verse that popped into my mind was Philippians 2:14-15.
“Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.“
Complaining/grumbling, gogguzó: murmur; muffled undertones; “Smoldering discontent” -BibleHub.com.
Arguing, dialogismos: plotting; internal thoughts and dialogue based on imaginative reasoning (NOT based on FACT), doubts. Reasoning that is self-based and therefore confused – especially as it contributes to reinforcing others in discussion to remain in their initial prejudice. To go back-and-forth when evaluating, in a way that typically leads to a confused conclusion. The term implies one confused mind interacting with other confused minds, each further reinforcing the original confusion. -BibleHub.com.
- Are we guilty of this? I’m taking inventory of my thought life.
- Have we ever posted a small complaint on Facebook, even on someone else’s post? Do we need to delete some posts?
- Have we ever publicly or privately argued harshly with another person about the government — that God installed?
- Have we ever murmured even to ourselves and then rehearsed those thoughts into smoldering discontent rather than turning them into a faith-filled prayers?
- If the above points resonate — DON’T DELAY! You know what you need to do to cancel the devil’s legal right. “And we must not embrace their ways by complaining—grumbling with discontent, as many of them (Israelites in the wilderness) did, and were killed by the destroyer!” 1 Corinthians 10:10 (TPT) < Read the footnotes!
And if you’d like to join me in praying…:
I declare the heart of the Father in Heaven: that we, His believers, would rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and be thankful in all situations!
I decree in Jesus’s name that no weapon formed against the heart and will of our Father in Heaven shall prevail — He will change our ways and heal our hearts and our land.
Thankfulness! Rejoicing! Unceasing prayer! The sooner God’s people practice these three things, the sooner the virus in the church will die. God, we cry out for mercy!
We’re all born walking, or rather, stumbling around in darkness. Jesus said, “I came as a light in to the world so that whoever believes in Me will not continue to walk in darkness” John 12:46.
Since we’re living in a “crooked and perverse world,” think how much better we’ll be able to see when we turn the light on through our startling gratitude and unconventional joy!
All glory and honor and praise to the Lord God!
Sowing Seeds of Bravery to Build Unity!
