Dwelling confidently under the shadow of the Most High

Faith is not only used to solve crises. Faith is not just about getting out of trouble and correcting deficiencies! Faith serves, above all, to live life proactively, to sustain a constructive and powerful spiritual journey. It serves to prevent and prevent crises, to keep the enemy in checkmate, at bay, subject to the good purposes of God. Faith allows our life to prosper and be blessed.

There are believers who live in a state of perpetual spiritual warfare. They are always at war with the devil. While it is true that we must be sober and vigilant, as Scripture advises us, it is also true that it is possible to exaggerate the agony of that fight against evil, and fight unnecessary battles, which God never called us to fight.

I hope you understand, dear brother or sister, the difference between always living on the defensive, continually begging God to get you out of the predicament the devil or your own mistakes and weaknesses have gotten you into — and a stable, trusting, protected life. Through solid walls of wisdom and spiritual insight, nurtured and enlightened by the word of God, proceeding safely toward ever higher levels of maturity and joy in the Lord.

It reminds me of the words of the psalmist in Psalm 125: "Those who trust in Jehovah are like Mount Zion, which does not move, but abides forever." Or, the beautiful words of Moses' blessing to the tribe of Benjamin in Deuteronomy 33:12: “The beloved of Jehovah will dwell safely near him; it will always cover him, and it will dwell between his shoulders ”. The normal posture of the healthy and mature believer is one of peace and security, of trust in the protection and cover of Almighty God.

Now, when the Enemy rises up against us and wants to take from us what God has given us, the son or daughter of God must know how to defend themselves effectively, and how to preserve their inheritance. We must be like King David, who when he was a shepherd of sheep, always knew how to defend them from the lion or the bear. In his first conversation with Saul he informs the king: “Your servant was a shepherd of his father's sheep; and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the herd, I would go out after him, and beat him, and free him from his mouth; and if he rose up against me, I would take hold of his jaw, and wound and kill him ”. When the devil rises up against us, wanting to harm those that God has given us, we must be prepared to snatch it from him, and attack him effectively!

That is, the Christian life is not to be lived on the defensive, continually resolving one crisis after another. The believer has been called to dwell confidently in God's blessing and prosperity. Christ has said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly." He did not say, "I have come to survive," but, "to have life in abundance." And faith is the channel, the instrument, the conduit through which God can realize and execute the good purposes that He has for our lives.