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by Sandy Shaw
In Galatians Chapter 3, we are reading of how to avoid some of the greatest dangers which can confront believers in the Church of Jesus Christ - legalism - carnality - and witchcraft.
Men like to make rules and regulations - even believing that if you keep these, these could make you right in the eyes of God - righteous in the sight of God.
How did you begin asks Paul - was it by keeping the law - the laws of the Old Covenant - or was it when you came to believe in Jesus Christ? Was that how you were filled with the Holy Spirit - by doing and striving and keeping and sacrificing? No - it was when we came and preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ - and you came to believe.
Who has bewitched you - deceived you - misled you - put the evil eye upon you - so that you wish to revert to what you were never able to keep in the first place?
He speaks from Scripture - verse 6 - Consider Abraham. This whole passage is about being right with God - and being righteous in the eyes of God.
Turn with me to Genesis 15 - it is quite similar to what happened when God sent Jesus Christ into the world. God was doing something new. God was doing something He had never done before, and the living God has been doing many new things over these past years.
The risen Lord Jesus Christ is always challenging people, and using the most surprising people.
Abraham had just been through a very difficult period. It had been a trying and testing time, but he had made a vow that he would look only to God, and here we see him keeping that vow.
The Word of the Lord came to Abraham in a vision. God had something new to say to His man. God had something further to say to the man He had chosen.
God does not say everything to us immediately - on day one. God reveals His truth in phases - in the seasons which He decides.
When God speaks - when Jesus speaks - there can be a struggle.
Abraham had been in a battle, and now he was home again - physically weary - a bit worn out - what we might even call ‘depressed’. He is unable to sleep. This can be our experience too following spiritual battles - spiritual warfare - and in the middle of the night things can appear worse. It would appear that Abraham is wide awake in the middle of the night. What is causing this strain and stress and tension and restlessness?
After this - after what? Abraham had had some spiritual success, and yet something was upsetting him - troubling him - what was it?
He had just defeated some kings. Were these rulers going to return? Was he wondering about those clan chiefs whom he had overcome and conquered?
These thoughts can flood our minds in the middle of the night. Will so-and-so return and seek revenge - get their own back - launch an attack against me?
You win - you overcome one set of problems - you have faced one situation - and then, you wonder, what next? We know Jesus Christ has been with us, but then we wonder and perhaps even doubt - "When the next problem arises, will Jesus be there to help?"
Abraham was now in his 80's, and he was childless, and God had said - "I will multiply you". We read that in Chapter 12 verse 2.
Whatever was going on in his mind - we read that God breaks through - "Do not be afraid - I am your shield - your very great reward". This is the first time we read the phrase - "Do not be afraid" - and these words appear some 366 throughout the Scriptures.
Abraham - do not be afraid - I am your shield - I will be present with you - you will have MY PRESENCE. I am between you and every enemy you have got - if they attack you, it will be ME they will hit first.
There are times when we need to know that. We are shielded by Jesus Christ - and when people launch an attack against us - they come up against Jesus.
"Do not be afraid, Abraham. God calls him by name. I am your very great reward."
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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