March 10th
3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. 4 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. 5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. 6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD. Psalm 27:3-6 NIV
Our decision to walk in sexual purity will likely trigger a barrage of attacks from the enemy over the ensuing weeks and months. The devil will test our will to resist with temptation after temptation. Giving in to such temptations and heading back down the road of our former addiction will only prolong the time of testing. If we persevere through them successfully, the attacks will eventually diminish. When the devil realizes that we are standing our ground in faith, he will withdraw for awhile in order to seek a more opportune time to attack.
Our trust in God is one of our secret weapons against the enemy. David was no stranger to warfare and he learned the secret of God’s protection early on. It’s possible that David wrote this Psalm during a time that he was under siege. Even so, his trust was in God for protection, peace and victory over his many enemies. Ultimately, David defeated the majority of his enemies and became king over all Israel.
When we’re under attack, we can call on God for help just as David did. We have the added benefit that Jesus is making intercession for us with the Father at all times (Hebrews 7:24-26). We can recite scriptures such as the above passage to build up our faith and stir up our passion for God. As we submit to God’s care and resist the temptations, the devil is required to flee. James wrote, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
As God responds to our cries for help, we should remember to thank him and praise him along the way. Just as the one leper who returned to thank Jesus for healing him (Luke 17:11-19), we should always return to pay our respects to our Master.
Questions for further thought:
What was David’s primary goal in life? (4)
How does our singing and making music affect the Lord? (Psalm 69:30-31 ) How does it affect us? (Psalm 63:3-5 ) How does it affect our enemies? (Psalm 8:2 )
How does our trust in God relate to the shield of faith? (Ephesians 6:16)
Prayer:
“Father God, thank you that I can run to you for help in times of trouble. Thank you for protecting me from the enemy and giving me strength to stand in faith against the enemy. Please help me to cast down any temptations that come my way. I praise you and thank you for the victory that is mine over the enemy. You are God. There is none like you. There is no other God but you, and I praise you in Jesus’ name, Amen.”