Life Plan Devotion #95 [God's Armor--Helmet of Salvation, Part XIII]

We have looked at 3 of the top 5 most common fears used by Satan: the fear of want/lack, the fear of peril/danger, and the fear of sickness/disease. Today, let's look at the fourth most common fear used by Satan to try to discourage and defeat you, fear of death/dying.
There is a saying that "There are two sure things in life: death and taxes." Unless a believer is alive at the Rapture (when we are called away, to meet Jesus in the air), "What man can live and not see death, or save himself from the power of the grave?" (Psalm 89:48).
Romans 5:12 tells us, "Just as sin entered the world through one man [Adam], and death through sin, in this way death came to all men, because all sinned." Yes, we descendants of Adam share a sin nature and death (both spiritually and physically). It has been Satan's greatest work and achievement.
However, "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work" (I John 3:8)! "[Jesus] shared in [our] humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil--and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death" (Hebrews 2:14-15).
The enemy will have multiple opportunities to whisper "You're going to die," either as a result of sickness/disease or just in day-to-day living. As a believer, though, you have the Helmet of Salvation (Deliverance) and the Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) which give you protection from premature death, if you make use of them.
Death should not be a fearful thing, for a believer, nor should a believer be obsessed with watching or waiting for it, for, through Jesus' death on the cross, Hosea 13:14 was fulfilled, when God said, "I will ransom [my people] from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?"

Psalm 90:10 [NLT]
"The length of our days is 70 years--or 80, if we have the strength..."

What this has to do with weight loss: God has given each of us the ability to live for 70-80 years, yet, for those of us who are obese, we have significantly reduced that promised lifespan. However, just as we have negatively affected "the length of our days," we can make healthful eating and exercise changes, to positively affect how many years we will live. Either way, it's a decision each of us make. May your choices today be positive, healthy ones.

Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, I am so grateful to You and Your Son, Jesus, for giving me, as a believer, victory over the spiritual and physical consequences of sin--death. Help me to see what Your Word has to say about death, so that I won't give in to the fear of death, that the enemy will try to bring to me. I pray in Jesus' Name. Amen."

Go forth today, choosing victory in living over fear of death.

Life Plan Devotion #92 [God's Armor--Helmet of Salvation, Part X]

The fear of sickness and disease, the third most common fear used by Satan to try to discourage and defeat the believer, is prevalent in the Body of Christ today. The reason that Satan is so successful in using it, in putting sickness and disease in the bodies of believers, is because believers do not realize the power behind their Helmet of Salvation (Deliverance), part of the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:17). They do not know what the Word of God has to say about sickness and disease, especially about how to obtain healing, so they are unable to successfully wield the Sword of the Spirit, to fend off the attacks of Satan within their body.
The Helmet of Salvation (Deliverance) and the Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) give you protection and ultimate victory from sickness and disease, but you must know the promises of healing found in God's Word, qualify for them, and claim and speak them into your life. If you do that, "the length of [your] days [will be] 70 years--or 80, if [you] have the strength" (Psalm 90:10). If not, though, "[your] span [will be] but trouble and sorrow, for [the years] quickly pass" (Psalm 90:10).
Sin, sickness, disease, and death were ushered into God's perfect Garden when Adam and Eve listened to Satan's words of doubt, believed his deception, and gave in to his lies. The moment they did that, they qualified for the promise of God, when He said, "You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die" (Genesis 2:17). You see, that's how God works. He teaches us, warns us, and then, when we disobey, He allows the consequences. Praise God for redemption through the Blood of His Son, which gives us forgiveness of sins and healing of our body, if we will avail ourselves of it.
God says to Moses, and to believers today, for He does not change and neither does His Word, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His eyes, if you pay attention to His commands and keep all His decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD who heals you" (Genesis 15:26). When sickness results from not listening to God, not paying attention to His Word, not doing what is right and what is commanded in His Word, then God will allow you to experience the consequence, the sickness and disease. However, if you listen, pay attention, allow God's Word to change your heart and affect how you live your life, God's healing will be yours.
We live in a fallen world, so there will be plenty of opportunity for the enemy to win the battle of sickness and disease in your body, but while he may appear to win the battle, with God as your Jehovah-Rapha [the God Who Heals], you will win the war. That does not mean that we would live forever, but "though outwardly [our bodies] are wasting away [wearing out], yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day," so "we do not lose heart" (II Corinthians 4:16). God wants you to be like Moses, to live a long life, and when you have fulfilled the number of the days of your life, that you go to be with the Lord like Moses, whose "eyes were not weak nor his strength gone" (Deuteronomy 34:7). Moses walked to his own funeral, and so should you!
Do not give in to the notion that sickness and disease is just a part of life. Do not fear the one who will seek to bury you, for "Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world" (I John 4:4)! The Greater One is your Healer!

Proverbs 4:18-19 [NIV]
"The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble."

What this has to do with weight loss: When you are righteous, in right standing with God, you have light for your journey, even your weight-loss journey. That Light will help you see that which can cause you to stumble, even on your weight-loss journey. Allow the Light of God and His Word to reveal the path you must take, to health, healing, and wholeness in your body.

Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, much of the sickness I experience is due to my own poor decisions and choices, but I thank You that it doesn't have to be that way. If I listen to You and follow Your Word, I will live a healthy life, full of healing. Lord, Satan is used to winning many battles of sickness, but I desire to win the war of wellness. Help me to see my part in doing that, to partner with You, my Jehovah-Rapha, my Healer. I pray in Jesus' Name. Amen."

Go forth today, choosing obedience to God's Word over the deception and sickness of sin.