TVCC Students,
We hope you all are doing well as the end of the school year is approaching. Last night Sonny taught through Deuteronomy 3 and it was such a great message to get us ready for summer. Here is a recap:
Deuteronomy 3:
~3:1-2: The first thing that is mentioned in this section is how Og, King of Bashan, came out to meet the Israelites in battle after they had just defeated Sihon king of Heshbon. It's important that we notice two things here.
a) Og, king of Bashan, was a giant. This was no little enemy to the Israelites. According to verse 11, Og's bed was around 13 feet long, from which we can assume that Og himself was at least 10 feet tall. In the battles that Israel waged to gain their promised land, victory was only possible with the help of the Lord. Again we see that Israel needed the Lord's help or victory would not be possible. In the same way, the enemies that we now fight spiritually are ones that must be submitted fully to the Lord. We cannot rely on ourselves. 1 Corinthians 10:13 is a great example of this. When we are tempted beyond what we think we can bear, He provides a way out. The Lord was the Victor for Israel and the Lord is the Victor for us. Life is learning to trust Him and obey!
Q: What struggles have you faced lately that seemed just too big for you to overcome on your own? Remember that when we are weak, He is strong. We encourage you to memorize 2 Corinthians 12:9 this week and commit all of your struggles and temptations to Him for He is your Victory!
b) Og and his men "went out" to meet Israel. We can see with Israel that there are times where the Lord calls them to be on the offensive and take land that He is calling them to take, and sometimes they are on the defensive end where they are struggling against an enemy that has chosen to come against them. The same is true for us in our walk with the Lord. There are times when the Lord reveals things that we need to overtake or destroy in an offensive sort of manner and then there are times where we are just walking with Him and a temptation or trial almost literally attacks us and we must be ready to fight against this sort of darkness. Walking with Jesus is not just a casual walk in the park. As long as we are alive on this earth, we are in a spiritual battle against Satan and all the forces of spiritual darkness.
Just as the Lord told Israel not to fear but to trust in Him, the Lord calls us in 1 Peter 5 to humbly submit to the Lord and be on the alert as our adversary is seeking someone to devour. We are called to be ready for "defense" so to speak. We cannot just put our faith on cruise control and hope everything turns out ok. We will be spiritually destroyed if we do this! It is also apparent in 1 Peter that this life will contain suffering and after we have gone through this life of suffering, we will be exalted by the Lord as our faithful trust and obedience in Him yields eternal rewards.
Q: What does it look like for you to be "on the alert" in your daily life? What are some ways that we can resist satan in order that he would flee after he has placed temptations before us? Do you feel like you have been "on the alert" lately or has your walk with the Lord been more passive?
~3:8: Israel had come a long way from the way they had acted in fear in Deuteronomy 1:28 and 2:36. What had changed? The enemies had not gotten smaller... Israel had not grown in size. The change was in their faith!!! This new generation had a faith that led them to follow, trust, and obey the Lord. Genuine faith leads to lives of obedience and thus lives where the Lord leads us in victory! We must remember though- that He fights for us! He has overcome the world (John 16:33)! Our victory is always in Him!
Q: What are some practical ways that we can strengthen our faith?
~3:18-22: We see in this last section that all of Israel participated in the battle. Even after some of them had gained their promised land they continued to fight alongside one another. Victory in the Lord is not an individual thing now just as it was not an individual thing for Israel. We are now called the "body of Christ" and we must fight against darkness together! We need one another! In both Hebrews 10 and Ephesians 5 we see that we are called to fight alongside each other and encourage each other in the faith just as Israel continued to fight alongside one another.
Q: In what ways are you fighting alongside your fellow believers? Are there any changes that you feel the Lord calling you to in order to play a more proactive role in the body of Christ overcoming darkness?
Dear students,
We are so thankful for each of you and pray that you will continue to encourage one another in the faith. Remember that you cannot do this alone. We fight against darkness as a body through the power of the Spirit. We are praying for you this week. We encourage you to also read through John 17 and see the Lord's desire for you- that you would be one as He and the Father are one!
With hope,
~Sonny and Casi
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