Day 111
Deuteronomy 7:2
“And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:”
In the Old Testament times, the enemies of the Israelites were people who served idol gods. When they arrived at the promised land, the people of God were assigned to destroy the heathen there, who would seek to turn them away from the true God. They were not permitted to make deals with them, or show mercy to them.
Today, under the New Covenant, we are not fighting flesh and blood, but our attitude against our spiritual enemies should be the same. We have been given the privilege of occupying a spiritual promised land. To do so, we must annihilate the enemies that would hinder us from entering in and taking full possession of what Jesus paid for us to have. God said He has provided us with health, peace, prosperity and victory over sin. Jesus came that we might have abundant life. He was bruised for our transgressions and sicknesses, and he paid the price for our peace.
As we possess our promised land, let us not make deals with the enemy or show mercy towards him. May we press on, accepting nothing short of what has been guaranteed us. At times, it may have been tempting for the Israelites to make deals with their enemies, rather than to fight. However, God warned them that it would hurt them to do other than what they were told.
An examination of the church's attitude toward sickness will serve as an example of how our attitude towards our enemies will make a difference in the quality of our lives. When we look at the record of the New Testament church in its early stages, we see an intolerance for sickness. The apostle James told the church to call upon the elders if there were any sick among them. Over the years, sickness began to be tolerated among believers. It was no longer treated as an enemy. In some cases, it was even proclaimed to be a gift from God. (What an insult!) Now, we suffer with widespread doubt and unbelief in the church. Many are ill and unable to give what God has designed for them to contribute. Elders in James' day were told to pray the prayer of faith that would cause a healing to come to the sick. Today, elders pray the prayer of doubt that helps many sick get worse, or even die. Satan has kept health and life from many people, because they have made deals with him or shown mercy on their spiritual enemies.
Let God arise and His enemies be scattered! He will arise and perform on our behalf, when we arise and determine not to tolerate the enemy any longer.
I will examine my attitude toward the enemies I encounter in my life, as well as in the lives of others. I declare stepped up warfare against the enemies in my promised land. I have no mercy for my spiritual enemies, and I am not interested in making any deals with them.