“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” 1 Timothy 4:1
What is the great deterrent to being deceived, led into temptation, and opposed by the powers of darkness when seeking to do the will of God? It is the fulness of Christ, or rather, the fulness of the Spirit of Christ. It is as He dwells in the heart by faith, and all of His resources are brought to bear on the need of the hour, that there is hope for the believer to escape temptation, and the wiles of the devil. The sheep who would follow the Shepherd is not match for the wolf who seeks to kill and destroy. Neither is the sheep capable in any manner to oppose the charge of the lion, who seeks to devour it. It is ONLY by the authority and power of the Great Shepherd, that the sheep is preserved, kept, and delivered. And so it is with the powers of darkness in the last days, for they shall seek to deceive, seduce, and destroy all that pertains to faith, and the faithful follower of Christ. But again, the answer to these circumstances is the same as when Satan tempted Christ in the wilderness. The answer IS Christ, and the agressive faith of the believer according to His word. It may not be the will of God to preserve His servant from death at a certain time and way. But it is the will of God, and His purpose, to meet the need of the believer so that he can finish his course well to the glory of God, fulfilling the will and purpose of God. How then is the believer to be prepared on a daily basis to face the enemy, and to overcome all that would resist him in these last days?
When Moses prayed in Psalm 90, “Satisfy us early with Thy mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days,” (v.14) what was he seeking from God? Moses understood the urgency and necessity of present blessing, the intervention of God in his life. He needed it in the morning, “early,” and throughout the day. He also needed the fulness of God’s blessing, so that he prayed to be “satisfied.” If he was to live a victorious life in the face of all that he would be responsible for in responding to his calling, he would need the “much more” of God’s grace and mercy, and this revealed by the fullest measure of the Spirit of God. His response to such a moving of the Spirit early, and through the day, would be, rejoicing in God, and being glad “all our days.” Moses’ petition was not just a cursory appeal for blessing, but for all the blessing necessary by the working and intervention of God, so that the joy of the Lord would be his strength, a strength that would not only be sufficient to overcome the enemy, but one by which he would abound, and know the victory of Christ. So, specifically, how should we pray? What are those heavenly elements in Christ, from heaven, that need to be prayed for, and received by faith, to be an overcomer today?
The first thing is prayer for the application of the blood of Christ upon the believer. As real as the blood of the lamb that was put upon the doorposts and lintels of the houses long ago in Egypt, so real is the blood of Christ to be applied by faith to every aspect of the believer’s heart, soul, and body. There is power in that blood, a power to justify the believer, cleanse entirely his heart and soul, and present him accepted before the Father. That blood not only secures for the believer an eternal standing of peace with God, but a constant, certain remedy for present sin to be forgiven, and cleansed.
Secondly, the believer is to trust the Holy Spirit to anoint him completely, freshly filling his heart.
Dear Father, Fill us fully today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.