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God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)

Jesus: power to break life controlling problems

Bible Reading: FEB23: Deuteronomy 7-9

Having reminded his people of the events of the
past, Moses now warns them of the perils of the future.
For centuries Israel was a slave nation, and then for
forty years she had wandered in the wilderness. Now they
are settled down in their own land and they needed to be
aware of the dangers that would come to them. Moses
warns of several of the dangers that are to come in
chapters 7-10: In chapter 7:1-16 the people are warned
not to compromise with the enemy. Any time the people of
God compromise, their testimony is either greatly harmed
or destroyed completely. Many Christians today have
mingled with the world and have ruined their testimony.
There are also churches today that have taken a weak and
feeble stand against worldliness and sin, thus
destroying their power with God. God’s plan for the
church and the individual Christian is to reach the
world, without mingling in its sin. One must never
partake of the sins of the world in order to be a friend
to the world.

The second peril that faced the children of
Israel was the fear of the enemy (chapter 7:17-26). Fear
usually leads to compromise. Many times Christians give
in to protect themselves. Moses warns the people not to
be afraid of the enemy, because God will be with them
and given them the victory. That same promise is ours
today. No matter what may befall us, God will not leave
us or forsake us. If you are born-again, you are a child
of God and He will never forsake His own. You can face
the most terrible perils knowing that you are going to
win the victory, because God and you are a majority.
Failures in the Christian’s life come only when you
disobey God or fail to believe His promises to you. We
must trust and obey.

In chapter 8 the peril is prosperity and self-
satisfaction. Moses warns his people about the perils of
prosperity. They would forget the forty years of God’s
care, when they had food to eat and clothes to wear.
They would even forget God’s chastening hand when they
had sinned. It is this sin that is so devastating to our
world today. When hard times come we depend on God for
our daily needs, but when we have food in our stomachs,
money in our pockets, warm houses cars, lands, and other
worldly possessions, we turn away from God and become
self-sufficient, many times forgetting God. Verse 18
reminds us that, “It is he that giveth thee power to get
wealth.” This statement is one we all need to remember
daily!