Football season is winding down to the championship game we call the Super Bowl. It is at this time of the season that the best teams rise to the top, and the other teams sink to the depths. It seems that everyone loves to see points scored, so they have made rules that benefit the offensive players in order to ensure seeing more points scored. However, it still remains true that the teams with the best defenses are the teams that seem to win it all! Today I read some great verses that reminded me that believers have the best defense of all!
“Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. Through God we shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall tread down our enemies” (Psalm 60:11-12). I know this verse to be true. In my own life I have seen that when I am in charge of defending myself, it never goes well. When I do what is right, and rest in my God to defend me, it all seems to work out in the end. I am constantly challenged with surrendering to God, and allowing Him to fight for me, rather than trying to solve all my problems on my own. I find myself wanting to “take the bull by the horns” too often, rather than simply praying about God’s solution and getting ready to obey Him.
When the time comes for action today in the things that I will face, I want to make sure that I am allowing God to do the work. It is “Through God” that we will be victorious. Outside of God we will fail. It is that simple, and yet it seems that I continue to struggle to have my way and fight the battles on my own. Why is that? I believe the answer comes down to that battle between my pride and God’s will. This battle has been raging ever since Adam and Eve and it continues still today.
When I try to defend myself, I rarely win. The reason is that I have normally failed before I even start my defense. I want to live so completely controlled by the Holy Spirit of God today that my actions are within the will of God. That is the way to victory. If I am walking in the Spirit, being led by the Spirit, my actions will be able to be defended by God. If I am walking in the flesh, being led by my fleshly desires, then my actions will be in-defensible! The real challenge today is not for God to win the victory. The real battle is in my heart regarding how much, or how little of the control of my life I am willing to give over to God. He will always win … I will always lose. Today I want to stop “trying” so hard to win the battles of my life. I simply want to surrender, and watch my incredible God do His work both in my heart and in the world today!