Evening 12/04/2021
“O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled. Return, O Lord, deliver me! Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake! For in death there is no remembrance of You; In the grave who will give You thanks? I am weary with my groaning; All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears. My eye wastes away because of grief; It grows old because of all my enemies. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity; For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord has heard my supplication; The Lord will receive my prayer. Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled; Let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly.”
Psalms 6:1-2, 4-10 NKJV
Enemy
The devil is crafty critter! He attacks the mind of people, and does so insidiously, causing the one under duress to strike out at other people. He works his dirty deeds invisibly, causing us to react to people we see, rather than the forces and powers we cannot. He especially focuses on those who have called upon the Name of the Lord, manipulating minds and hearts to believe lies.
When I looked through Psalms six, I could hear the frustration of the writer. He was under attack, and he wondered where God was, if He really cared. There is no darker place than feeling under duress, and not sensing the presence of God.
The devil seeks to magnify those feelings of abandonment and defeat us by causing us to doubt the love and faithfulness of God. We wonder why the Lord has allowed evil people to trod upon us, to bring conflict. Most often we do not see our own part in it.
He wants nothing more than to cause us to take action, devoid of prayer, against we have perceived are in opposition to us. In doing so we become offenders ourselves, casting shame on Jesus to whom we belong.
Throughout my Christian walk, I have been embroiled in an ongoing battle for my mind, as the evil one has brought opposition to stop me from completing my work for the Lord. My weakness, is that I am one who overthinks things. I will dwell upon issues until I am so riled up, that I begin to grumble. All too often, when clarity comes, I find that I completely wrong.
When I pray for myself, it is that I remember that I have an enemy to is lurking, waiting for me to slip up, and stumble.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
I Peter 5:8 NKJV
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
James 4:7 NKJV
It requires constant vigilance to be constantly aware of the devil. His efforts are constant, day in and day out. I am learning when I am most vulnerable. Often, I awaken inmate early morning hours with thought s of dread, as thoughts of unpleasant situations in my life come to the surface. I am learning to look upon this moments as a call to prayer. Then I go back to sleep.
I find that silence is my greatest weapon against the wiles of the devil. We can most easily harm others through our words, as each of us has a tongue of fire in our mouths. God has gifted me with intuition, which I use to edify the saints. It can also be used as a sharp and potent weapon, cutting deep into the heart.
I read the word of God, and I am reminded that He is always with me as I face my enemies, real and imagined. God stands before me, turning all of my adversaries away. I know that God will hear my prayers, as I have been given access to the throne room of grace by Jesus who died on the cross, was buried and rose again, granting me access.
Through Jesus I also have been provided armor to protect my heart and mind from the evil one’s assaults.
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—”
Ephesians 6:13-18 NKJV
Pray that Lord gird you about, my brothers and sisters. The devil is on the prowl and desires nothing more than to consume your testimony.
Let us rejoice together at the end of another day. Sleep well, my people. Tomorrow is Sunday!
Musings from an idle mind 
You are brilliant and discerning my friend. Very thankful to hear of how you handle thoughts in the late night and early morning hours. Prayer works so powerfully, and can sometimes be enough, even if sleep cannot be found.
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