Weekend, August 10, 2024
The Father’s Table
You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. (Psalm 23:5 NLT)
There is a real spiritual battle that rages for Christians. And many are shocked to find that the Christian life is not a playground but a battleground.
David wrote in Psalm 23, “You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies” (verse 5). As a result of feasting at God’s table, we are satisfied. No longer do we want the junk food of this world. Instead, we are hungry for the truth of God.
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35 NLT).
We find satisfaction in the Lord’s presence, sitting at His table. Proverbs 15:15 says, “For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast” (NLT). We don’t long for the world’s cheap imitations anymore.
As a result, the devil wants to pull us away from that table. He wants to pull us away from the things of God.
Our three primary enemies are the world, the flesh, and the devil. The world with its enticements is the external enemy. The flesh with its vulnerabilities and appetites is the internal enemy. And the devil working with the world and the flesh is the infernal enemy. Together they are a powerful combination.
When the Bible speaks of the “world,” it is referring to the world system that is largely hostile toward God. Ephesians 2:2 points out, “You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God” (NLT).
The best antidote against this unholy trinity of the world, the flesh, and the devil is an intimate relationship with the Shepherd as we eat at His table. And because we are satisfied and have what we need there, we don’t long for something else.
That is why the Bible warns Christians against being conformed to this world. The New Testament in Modern English puts it this way: “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould [sic], but let God re-mould [sic] your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity” (Romans 12:2).
When we make a commitment to Jesus Christ, changes take place in our lives. Nonbelievers look at us and say, “What happened to you? You’re not the way you used to be. Why don’t you party with us anymore? Why are you always going to church? What has happened in your life?”
It’s called conversion. God changes us. And as we’re feasting at His table having fellowship with Him, we no longer want the table scraps of the world. We don’t become immune to temptation, but we’re no longer drawn to the world like we used to be. That’s because we see the world and its cheap imitations for what they are.
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Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Drazen Zigic
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