Jun
23
The Nearest Enemy
Filed Under Devotional
Many prayers of request from a Christian man are of the form of, “Lord, save me from this trial,” or, “Lord, defend me from this spiritual attack.” We ask God for help against the enemy and against what the world throws at us. The thing is that we have three opponents to worry about: Satan, the world, and our flesh.
It’s easy to see the danger coming at us or the external force disrupting us. It’s much harder to see the enemy in the mirror. David got it and knew he couldn’t defeat that enemy alone:
“Set guard over my mouth, O Lord;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil,
to take part in wicked deeds
with men who are evildoers;
let me not eat of their delicacies.
Let a righteous man strike me-it is kindness;
let him rebuke me-it is oil on my head.
My head will not refuse it.
[...]” Psalm 141:3-5
David prays that God would guard his lips, guard his heart, and send righteous men to keep him honest. I cannot find any reason that each of us shouldn’t be asking for the same thing every day.
The truth is that our flesh contributes to most of the problems we have. It’s prideful to think that we ever have that enemy under control. It is humility that drove David to ask for God’s help in that area.
You see, only God can save you from yourself.