Hezekiah along with Israel faced
severe times. Enemies will try to drive us away from God, but in their efforts,
if we remain faithful, they will actually drive us closer to Him. Though Israel
had wrongly held onto the Lord in a loose and careless manner, and Hezekiah had
somewhat trusted in Egypt, when faced with the blasphemies of the emissary of
the Assyrian king, he and all the people found refuge by going to God. Much of
what the enemy will try to do is to inject fear and promote intimidation, so
that weakened and discouraged, we might let go of our faith and trust in God.
Satan continues to use his old tricks against unsuspecting Christians, and one
of his main weapons is fear, in many facets - fear of the threats of
unbelievers, fear of being ridiculed, fear of the unknown, fear of the future
and fear of failure. The cure for all
unhealthy and devil-driven fear is a close, intimate and trusting relationship
with Jesus! Hezekiah was being weakened by the calumny and derision of the
enemy, but Isaiah, the prophet of God, strengthened him with reminders that God
is in control, even of those who have no regard for Him. There may be times of
sorrow, rebuke and persecution which we may have to face also. It is good for
us to be reminded not to allow anything the enemy throws at us, to terrorise
us. We must remember that Jesus is ultimately in control, and He will perform
His will and fulfil His purpose. Dark times may come, but the Lord will bring
light. We must not be cajoled into believing the lies that the enemy of our
souls pushes and promotes, but rather be fully persuaded of the truth and
encouragement that comes from the Lord God Almighty!
http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion
