Since the beginning of time, mankind has fought, bled, and died. Wars
and catastrophes (both natural and man-made) have resulted in a small
segment of our population being called into action. Warriors, medical
professionals, police officers, firefighters: veterans of conflicts and
circumstances they wouldn't wish on anyone else have answered that call
throughout history.
But then the guns fall silent. The state of
emergency passes. The deployments come to an end. The stress, the life
or death decisions are no longer required. The situation has seemingly
settled. The world seems to go on with life, but sometimes the past
doesn't stay in the past.
Another giant raises its ugly head. In
some ways, the coming battle is even worse than those faced in defense
of one's country, saving lives, or keeping a community safe. This giant
is coming for blood.
Does that sound familiar? A situation like
that reminds me of a man in the Bible. You may even know someone that
shares his name. It's pretty common in modern times, David.
THE WARRIOR
David was a warrior. A general. A king. A leader of men. The Bible
tells us he was just a "youth" when he ran towards battle for the first
time and killed a brutal enemy soldier moments later. David was
exceedingly skilled in single combat, even against vastly stronger foes.
His combat days only increased, and thousands of enemy combatants fell
at his hand or leadership. More impressive still, his men respected him
so intensely that they often took on grave risk in a multitude of
dangerous special operations engagements simply because HE was their
leader.
His prowess and battle-hardened feats of bravery and
courage are recorded, along with other details about his life in the
most popular single book ever written: the Bible.
Though he was
not the instigator or the perpetrator, David was a participant and
combat soldier, a leader in some of the most gruesome conflicts in
recorded history. He lived through, witnessed, and took part in many
battle scenes that he could not easily forget.
Outside of war,
David had another life. He was a husband, a father, a musician, a
shepherd. In short, David was a man. As a man, he wrestled with the
things he had done and the many sights he had seen. He even writes in
Psalm 32:3, "When I kept my silence, my bones waxed old through my
roaring all the day long." Internalizing the things that bothered him
made his mind and body hurt. He continues in Psalm 38:4, "For mine
iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too
heavy for me" and Psalm 38:6, "I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I
go mourning all the day long."
David goes on crying out to God to
forgive him and to take this burden from him. Psalm 39:7 "And now,
Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in thee."
Hope is a term that is
frequently misused in today's vernacular, being substituted incorrectly
for concepts like "wish" or "desire." The word "hope" implies there is
an expectation of a positive outcome. David says, "my hope is in thee,"
after confessing to God. He is asking God to deliver him from the
burden and anguish.
What does this mean? David expects that God
WILL deliver him! And God DOES! David remembers his deliverance and
thanks God: Psalm 40:1-3 "I waited patiently for the Lord; and he
inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an
horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and
established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even
praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the
LORD."
With God's help, you can defeat this giant of hopelessness.
Don't let the enemy fool you into carrying this burden. Who is the
enemy?
THE ENEMY
This enemy is Satan: he is the father of lies.
Revelation 12:9 "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent,
called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was
cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."
John 8:44 "…He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the
truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he
speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."
Satan
is on a mission to STEAL, KILL, and DESTROY. John 10:10, "The thief
cometh not, but for to steal, kill, and to destroy...." He will stop at
nothing to accomplish his evil goals.
Satan wants you to believe that the pain ends with death, but it doesn't.
Luke 16:23-24 "And in Hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and
seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and
said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may
dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am
tormented in this flame." It brings me no joy to tell you that any
suffering you may experience in this world is nothing compared to an
eternity spent without the One who can give you the victory over your
hopeless state. Let me introduce you to:
THE VICTOR
The
truth is that everyone deserves to spend an eternity in Hell.
Regardless of the good works you have done, no matter your service to
your country, community, or family, we are all bound for Hell. Not one
of us can buy our way out. But, I have some good news.
YOU don't
have to go to Hell. Notice what the Bible says: 1 John 1:8-9 "If we say
that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The next verse reiterates
that there is hope! Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the
gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Jesus
Christ, the Victor, the Son of God, subjected Himself to brutal
crucifixion, became sin, and bore the wrath of God, SO THAT YOU DON'T
HAVE TO. Even more wondrous, He proved His power and rose from the dead
so that you can have a bridge to Heaven.
John 3:16-18 "For God so
loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God
sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world
through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned:
but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not
believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
My friend,
have you accepted the free gift of eternal salvation and victory over
hopelessness that Jesus Christ offers? You can do so today. God tells us
in Romans 10:9, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from
the dead, thou shalt be saved."
Right now, where you are, you could
pray a simple prayer. The words won't save you. You must believe in
your heart. Pray to God now. Confess you are a sinner and repent of your
sins. Tell Him that you have no other way to Heaven. Ask Him to come
into your life and save you.
If you did that, we want to rejoice
with you! You now have a new life in Christ! You are now part of the
family of God and we want to welcome you! On the back of this tract,
there is some contact information. Would you reach out to us so that we
can help welcome you into this new life?
There is one more item
that I would like you to consider. You probably know others that
struggle in the same way you have. God has given us a duty. Through
Christ, we have a grand opportunity to help others in this fight. He is
calling on you to STAND.
Ephesians 6:13 "Wherefore take unto you
the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil
day, and having done all, TO STAND."
No matter what, KEEP STANDING against the enemy. Share with others how they too can defeat their giants.
