Sunday Devotion: God is Not Our Enemy

Someone tweeted this thought provoking line:

"He is enough to break the chains of my disobedience."

It got me thinking. Yes, He is definitely enough! The Lord has been showing me this week just how perfect He really is. There is no fault in Him. If something is not right in our lives, we shouldn't blame God. He is our Deliverer, Provider and Saviour. Everything He does has a purpose and is perfect. He is love and cannot deny Himself (1 Timothy 2:14), therefore He acts within the boundaries of love.

I couldn't help but think, however, that this person might be using the quote as a crutch to not do anything about their disobedience. It is a very dangerous thing when we don't take responsibility for our disobedience and just expect God's grace to clean us, when we won't let go of our dirty laundry. Yes, God is surely enough...but He has given us free will and we can pray all day for Him to take away our sin yet never loosen our grip. It's like telling your mom to take your car keys because you shouldn't be driving and yet your knuckles are turning white as she's trying to pry them out of your clenched fists. God will never force obedience. He requires it.

My pastor's wife once said:

"Our enemies are not other people. They are the devil, the world and sin."

Many times in this life, we tend to lash out at other people or God as if they are our enemies. The deep problem is never resolved because the accusation was not correct. Yes, other people can say and do ridiculously dumb and hurtful things. However, it is their sinful nature and what they've allowed into their hearts. They absolutely need to be accountable for their actions and words. But we also need to be careful not the put labels on our fellow brethren. The enemy works to turn us against one another for he is the accuser of our brethren (Revelation 12:10.) It's their sin that is our enemy. They are actually victims in the hands of a disobedient, rebellious world. They have been deceived by the enemy. And they need us to love more and pray for a spiritual awakening.

One of my favorite shirts is from JCLU. It reads "Hate the sin. Love the sinner." The shirt is no longer available but you can see it here in an old post (pardon the bad writing.)
The saying really put things into perspective for me. We are commanded to love others, even those we think are enemies. The Lord sees past the flesh, this body, and sees the soul. He sees that it is really sin that governs people and they are in need of deliverance from a stronghold.

It reminds me of an often mistaken quote that's been floating around the internet. Many credit C.S. Lewis but actually the quote derives from a novel by William M. Miller Jr. This just confirms how we should always research something before believing it. That's another devotion entirely.
Miller's quote reads:

"You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body."

This coming week, I pray that we can break the chains around false mindsets, setting our minds free of untrue beliefs. To pray and forgive those who we claim are our enemies, even if we think it's God Himself. I pray for truth to be revealed. We cannot base our faith on how we feel; we must have a solid foundation. That can only come from the Lord Jesus Christ, His Word and taking time to seek Him through prayer.

I will leave you with some truths:

The Lord Jesus Christ, our God and Saviour, is enough.
His blood covers ALL sin, not just some.
His salvation is perfect and available to everyone
We must do all that we can to be in right standing with Him.
He will meet our needs and will never fail us.
He is not our enemy.

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."

2 Corinthians 12:9