A Community of Grace »

Our society moves at a fast pace, a fact aptly symbolized by the 70 miles-per-hour in which we speed down our nation’s interstates and highways. At such high speeds, safe driving practices are crucial, especially the need to keep a safe distance between cars. The three-second rule is a time-proven guideline. The rule suggests you first choose a fixed point in the road, such as a road sign or mile marker. Then, begin counting from the moment the car in front of you passes it. Reaching the fixed point in three or more seconds means you are probably following at a safe distance. Passing the point in one to two seconds indicates you are following too closely.

While the three second rule is a wise practice when driving a car, it should be a warning clause when seeking to follow Jesus. Circumstances and opportunities come to us at an alarming rate. For all of them, we need to cling to Jesus and His Word. Though Jesus tried to prepare them, the road to the cross came upon the disciples quickly. While praying in Gethsemane, Jesus warned his disciples:

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The sprit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).

Between Jesus’warning and the moment Peter, one of Jesus’ closest friends, denied even knowing Him, there’s a phrase we’d be wise to learn from:

“But Peter followed Him at a distance”(Matthew 26:58).

A lot can happen in three seconds. With a properly positioned, well-timed lie Satan can distract or even derail us in three seconds. Unlike following a car, there is no such thing as following Jesus too closely. Whether on clear roads or ones made slick by temptation, safe and successful passage in this life comes as we navigate every mile clinging to Jesus and the truth of His Word. It’s a time-proven practice.

May we heed God’s Word:

“For as the waistband clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole household of Israel to cling to Me,’declares the Lord, ‘that they might be for Me a people, for renown, for praise and for glory.”

Jeremiah 13:11

Weariness is a fact of human life. Physical exertion, lack of sleep and anxiety all contribute to fatigue. We live in bodies of flesh that wear out, break down and eventually succumb to the effects of aging. Leisure and vacation time give us moments to recharge our bodies and souls.

God is not like His created beings. The Creator of the ends of the earth is a Spirit being who can never grow weary in a physical sense. His supplies of wisdom, understanding and strength are inexhaustible. He never sleeps. Jesus, our Creator, lived amongst His created beings as the Son of Man clothed in human flesh. He understands in an experiential manner every form of human exhaustion: physical, emotional and spiritual. Those who choose to come to Him in continuous faith receive His mercy and grace to help them in their times of need. As we come to Him, we not only receive strength, but are transformed into the beauty of His holiness and fulfill His yearning for an ever-deepening love relationship with His children.

Yet as God’s children, we can cause God to be burdened with emotional weariness. How?

“But you have only burdened Me with your sins; you have wearied Me with your iniquities” (Isaiah 43: 24).

If we ignore the cleansing power of God’s Word and refuse to enthrone His Holy Spirit to reign over us, we will continue to walk in sin. In doing so, we fail to demonstrate our belief that Jesus died to heal us from our sinful ways.

What about you? Are you weary of ongoing sin patterns and wearying God with them as well? If so, take a permanent vacation from all wickedness. Jesus died to release you from sin’s power. Repent and confess your iniquities to God. He delights in any heart that is broken over sin. Believe that faith in Christ means that you have died permanently to sinful behaviors and have been raised with Him in newness of life. Let your behaviors mirror your identity as God’s chosen, holy and beloved child by turning your eyes of obedient faith to Jesus.

“…present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness.”

Romans 6:13

Imagine the scene that first-century day. Jesus had sent seventy-two men on a mission: to prepare the people in selected towns and villages for His visit. The men returned with exuberant joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your name” (Luke 10:17). Like a parent responding to a small child who accomplished a new feat, Jesus said, “I saw.” He continued, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” Seeing in the spiritual realm, Jesus saw more than these men did. They saw demons cast out. Jesus saw the works of Satan defeated.

Jesus told the men, “I have given you the authority to overcome…all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19). As children of God, we’ve been given that authority as well. Jesus knew we would be in a constant battle for our faith. Satan bombards us with lies, ones that can come with the seeming power of a ballistic missile. Yet we have the power and authority of Jesus to defeat every lie Satan launches our way. Armed with God’s truth, we are like an anti-ballistic missile system. We can detect, intercept and destroy all of Satan’s lies. How? Obedient faith ignites and launches the truth of God’s powerful Word against lies, successfully demolishing them.

When lies are destroyed, the works of Satan are defeated. His intended mission fails. How great is his defeat when a child of God, bound for many years by deception and unbelief, chooses —regardless of what they see or feel —to believe God.

Let this be your battle cry:

“Lord, grant me a change of mind leading to a knowledge of the truth that I may come to my senses and escape the trap Satan has set for me and the destruction he seeks to bring on me” (from 2 Timothy 2:25-26).

With such a prayer, we too will see the works of Satan defeated in our lives.