ENEMIES OF CHRISTIAN PILGRIMS
HYMN 9: HOLD THE FORT.
1. Ho, my comrades, see the signal, waving in the sky!
Reinforcements now appearing, victory is nigh.
o Refrain:
“Hold the fort, for I am coming,” Jesus signals still;
Wave the answer back to Heaven, “By Thy grace we will.”
2. See the mighty host advancing, Satan leading on;
Mighty ones around us falling, courage almost gone!
3. See the glorious banner waving! Hear the trumpet blow!
In our Leader’s Name we triumph over every foe.
4. Fierce and long the battle rages, but our help is near;
Onward comes our great Commander, cheer, my comrades, cheer!
MEMORISE:
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Hebrews 12:1
READ: 1 John 3:4-10
4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
MESSAGE
God warns His children to be aware of the several roadblocks on their journey to the promised land. Chief among these is the devil. He puts obstacles in our path so we can reject the ways of the Lord (1 Peter 5:7-9). He uses sin as a weapon of destruction knowing fully well that no unclean thing shall enter into the Kingdom of God (Revelation 21:27).
Seeing these obvious threats to the success of our pilgrimage, God always provides an escape route for us (1 Corinthians 10:13).
In today’s Bible reading, John describes sin as a transgression of the law. It is definitely not a Christian virtue. As a matter of fact, sinner belong to the devil because he has been sinning from the beginning (1 John 3:8).
The whole duty of Satan is to lure people into disobedience against God, thus truncating their journey to eternal life. He told Adam and Eve that eating the forbidden fruit would not affect their relationship with God. Eventually, they were sent from the blissful garden of Eden (Genesis 3). Today, he has introduced the concept of ‘non-essentials’ to the Christian faith. For instance, the devil convinces people that a sip of alcohol once in a while does not matter, and that premarital sex is not bad as long as the couple would eventually marry each other, without regard for Hebrews 13:4! What about lies? Many ‘Christians’ now lie with impunity and it is termed ‘white’ lies. These are very little foxes that destroy the vine of faith. This is a timely warning for Christian pilgrim to guard against seemingly insignificant habits that can exclude one from the hope of eternal life.
ACTION POINT:
Examine your life for socially acceptable behaviors that are not Christ-like. They could deny you of eternal life ultimately. Do away with them all immediately.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 131, 138-139, 143-145.
