Time with Jesus - Thursday, 08 November 2012
Hi all,
John Starnes has been singing with Jimmy Swaggart for
many years. He has an excellent voice with a considerable range on the octave
scale. One of our favourites is called, “The God Who Cannot Fail”. The words
are true. God cannot fail unless He chooses to do so. Then, it’s not failure
but a deliberate choosing not to win! Today’s meditation looks at our
undefeatable God!
Blessings,
Jim & Phyllida Strickland
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus – Thursday, 08 November 2012
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
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©
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These
devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright
protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it
is for non-commercial Christian purposes
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©
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INTRODUCTION
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DAILY
LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES
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GOD
WILL NEVER FAIL
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At school, I loved playing cricket. Those were the days when Johnny
Waite was the Springbok wicket-keeper. I tried to keep wicket back then but
was not successful. Others were far more talented than I, so a place in the
second team was about the best I could manage. But it was fun. As a batsman,
I was indifferent. On the odd occasion I managed to score a few runs, but my
average was somewhere between 1 and 10! One year the school team was sent to
Pietermaritzburg for a contest between all the South African Marist Brothers
Schools. I went as a substitute, if required. So I spent most of the time
watching the games.
The following year I had the misfortune of playing for the School
against a touring Marist Brothers School. On that occasion the visitors had a
fast bowler, the likes of which we had never seen. He was lightning fast and
extremely accurate. He took wicket after wicket in spite of our best endeavours.
Our team was all out for 15 runs. Would you believe that on that occasion I
was top scorer? I went in to bat against this whirlwind. I sort of stuck my
bat out in the general direction of where I thought the ball was. Somehow or
other, the ball nicked off the top of my bat, flew over the top of the
fingers of the slip fielders and went for four runs. I was bowled out next
ball. So much for my cricketing career. In this fast bowler, the team was
faced with an impossible situation.
I would have loved to have the Lord on our side. I’m not sure what
would have happened to our opponents. My guess is that we would have won.
Provided He intervened. There is a poignant story in this regard dating back
to Amajuba in the Anglo/Boer war. It concerns a devout young Boer looking
down over the battlefield. The fighting had not yet started. He prayed
saying, “Lord, looking at the enemy, I know that
there are genuine Christians among them. I also know there are many unbelievers.
They all look the same to me Lord. I can’t pray for us to win or lose. But
there is one thing I can ask. Lord, please stay out of the fight.”
Today, Christians all over the world are in a difficult position. We
are confronted by the greatest army of unbelievers that this world has ever
seen. Mainly it is an army of spiritual Philistines. We are vastly outnumbered
and the Goliaths confronting us are pitiless and cruel. In many ways, we have
become intimidated by our enemy. Without the Lord we will lose and be taken
into a 21st century Babylonian captivity. The “odds” against us
make our case hopeless. All we have on our side is God! But He is more than
enough. Furthermore, as in the days of Gideon, the Lord delights in taking on
an army vastly superior to anything we have. One with God is a majority! So
let us take hands and face up to the fastest bowler ever known. With Jesus,
we are unbeatable.
Jim
& Phyllida Strickland
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27 The men of Israel were also brought together. They were given
supplies. They marched out to fight against their enemies. Israel's army
camped across from Aram's army. The men of Israel
looked like two small flocks of goats that had become separated from the
others. But the men of Aram covered the countryside.
1 Kings 20:27 NIrV
28 The man of God came up to the king of Israel again. He told him,
"The LORD says, 'The men of Aram think I am
a god of the hills. They do not think I am a god of the valleys. So I will
hand their huge army over to you. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'"
29 For seven days the two armies
camped across from each other. On the seventh day the battle began. The men
of Israel wounded or killed 100,000 Aramean soldiers on foot. That happened
in a single day.
1 Kings 20:28-29 NIrV
4 My dear children, you come from God and
belong to God. You have already won a big victory over those false teachers,
for the Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world.
1 John 4:4 MSG
10 Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't
be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will
hold you up with My victorious right hand.
Isaiah 41:10 NLT
19 They will fight against you, but they
shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to
deliver you."
Jeremiah 1:19 ESV
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Don’t rebel against the Lord. It’s utterly
futile.
He cannot be defeated. If you resort to guile,
You’ll find He knows about it. He knew it long
before,
You ever thought of doing it! Perhaps if you
implore,
And ask Him for forgiveness, perchance He will
decide,
To come to your assistance and with you to abide.
The Lord our God is awesome, invincible and
strong.
An Undefeated Hero; a Righter of all wrong.
It really doesn’t matter whose side He wants to
pick.
The others will be slaughtered, post-haste and
double quick.
Think of Israel’s history. You’ll see just what I
mean.
Regardless of the army, if He would intervene,
The outcome was a victory regardless of the odds!
Even with a multitude of all their foreign gods.
We can see this clearly in the Aramean war. (1 Kings 27-29)
The Israelites, outnumbered by some 10,000 score. (200,000)
When the dust was settled, 100, 000 men,
Lay slaughtered by the Israelites! The Lord was
with them then!
This occurred consistently back in those distant
days.
Israel’s obedience influenced God’s ways.
Doing what He told them made everything go well.
When they disobeyed Him, was always their death
knell.
Later, unassisted, The Angel of the Lord,
Slaughtered the Assyrians with His great and
mighty sword.
One hundred eight five thousand perished in one
night (Is 37:36)
No wonder what was left of them were quickly put
to flight.
Now that was all “Old Testament”. The one we have
is New!
We’re told it is a better one; and so the Lord
will do,
At least as much for Christians as in the days of
yore.
But frankly, with a God like Him, if we will but
adore,
And follow in obedience, while keeping clear of
sin.
There isn’t an alternative and we can only win!
The Lord our God is with us. The foe will not
prevail.
Do not be discouraged. He’s not about to fail!
His Spirit is within us; and He is very strong. (1 John 4:4)
Stronger than the greatest, this world can bring
along.
He said He’ll deliver! His conquering right hand, (Jer. 1:19)
Will deal with every enemy, in each and every
land.
Jim Strickland
Written
8th November 2012
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