“The Most High is sovereign over the kingdom of men” (Daniel 4:17).
It is a great comfort to know that God is sovereign. It gives strength
in the midst of the conflict. It’s an unequal conflict - God’s Kingdom
will prevail over the kingdom of Satan.
We must not, however, doubt that Satan will provide determined
opposition - “false prophets ... false teachers ... will bring the way
of truth into disrepute” (2 Peter 2:1-2).
However fierce the conflict may be, we have this assurance: “The Lord
knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous
for the Day of judgment” (2 Peter 2:9).
In the heat of the battle, we must never forget what we are fighting
for and who we are fighting for - ‘To be the best that I can be for
truth and righteousness and Thee.” In this battle, the Lord Himself
fights with us and for us. He enables us to maintain His standard. He
keeps us from dropping down to the level of the world’s standards. “The
righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such
concern” (Proverbs 29:7).
There is to be prayer from “every one who lives in the land” (Joel 1:14). It is to be personal prayer - “O Lord, I cry to You for help!” (Joel 1:19). These two belong together - prayer for the nation and personal prayer. This is expressed so well in the words: “O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee. Send a revival. Start the work in me.” We hear the words, “Return to the Lord, your God” (Joel 2:13). They are followed by some wonderful words about the character of God - “He is merciful and compassionate, patient and always ready to forgive and to change His plans about disaster” (Joel 2:13). How do we know that God is like this? We look at what He has done for us - “Be glad and rejoice. The Lord has done great things!” (Joel 2:21). Looking at all that the Lord has done for us, we trust His promise: “Whoever calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved” (Joel 2:32). This salvation is more than forgiveness for past sins. It’s more than the future glory of being in God’s ev...
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