Author: timritanickel@gmail.com

The heavens (created universe) and the Torah (Word of God) praises and reveals God for human life. God’s general revelation in nature convicts me clearly through “inaudible noise” that there is a God, but it does not tell me who He is or how I can know Him; God’s specific revelation in the Bible convicts me clearly through “invisible sight” who He is and how I can know Him. The Word discovers my Enemy (Sin) and my Savior (Jesus).

The Spirit of God through His perfect Law uncovers previously unknown faults and He repents me of deliberate sins. I see that I have an enemy that robs me of life and destroys my soul every day. The Spirit through His Word freely gives me repentance and faith in the Gospel of Jesus to enjoy forgiveness and be fully restored to the joy of life that the Enemy has devoured.

Through the Gospel in the revealed Word my Overcomer both removes the deserved penalties of sin and also gives the power to actually stop the continuation of besetting and habitual sins. The Enemy does not have dominion and I am innocent of the great transgression, Unbelief. That is overcoming.

I love the Lord, both for who he is and for what he did for me.

Who He is: my strength, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my refuge, my shield, my salvation, my stronghold. He is “mine.” Though I don’t control Him, He belongs to me: I get to use His strength when he gives it to me.

What He did: he saved me from enemies, he delivered me from my strong enemies (too strong for me), he brought me into a large place, he rescued me, he enlightened my darkness, he made my way perfect, he made me secure on the heights like the feet of a deer, he gave me superhuman strength, his gentleness made me great, he gave me strength to overtake and consume and thrust through my enemies until they fell, he gave me my enemies that I might destroy them that hate me.

I hate sin, death and the devil, and they hate me. Our mutual hatred is vicious and the struggle is fierce, but they are too strong for me alone. But thanks be to Jesus who gives me victory after awesome victory.

At times everyone feels like misunderstandings have besmirched one’s reputation with false accusations and he is innocent of the perceived charges. Like the importunate widow before the unjust judge in Jesus’ parable he seeks justice and vindication. Jesus makes it clear: God will answer speedily. In Psalm 17 we learn that we can trust His lovingkindness to be just and put things right; for always in Christ, the only Innocent One, God justly forgives and makes it right.

The Prowling Lion may disguise himself as a friend, or even one’s self, who exposes both true and false guilt and shame. The Lord protects me, as the apple of His eye, from this deadly spiritual enemy and delivers my soul. (Note: it is always important to distinguish the real enemy from the human instruments, self or others, that he uses.).

Finally for me the Lord answers: I will see His face (be in His Presence) in righteousness, and when I awake (from sleep, from death, or from the crisis) I will be satisfied with His likeness, that is, I am restored to a right relationship with God.

In the face of the last enemy, Death, my Overcomer gives me trust in the True God, who is my highest good, nay, my only good. The first issue to be dealt with is syncretism, which adds trust in something else besides God alone. Unbelief is the enemy that wants to “cover all the bases,” instead of just hitting a home run.

When trust is firmly placed in Christ alone we discover that we have everything we need; we don’t possess everything, but by the grace of God through the faith given to us we possess the Possessor of all things. In place of sorrows we have: a solid destiny, a pleasant place, a beautiful inheritance, wise counsel and direction, the presence of God for protection and blessing, inner joy, rest in hope, fullness of joy today and pleasures forever.

Finally and climactically, I will not be abandoned in death because of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, which resurrection I share. I rise up in confidence against the danger of death; Jesus rose up in confidence from the stronghold of death. Amen, it is so.

Who can dwell where God dwells? Who can enter worship on His Holy Hill? Who can come in to the place where the Lord’s Presence is on the earth? Who can go to heaven on earth? Who will overcome the enemy by living in the presence of God? The answer: a believer in Jesus may “go to heaven” at any time, at any place, in any situation.

Only the holy, righteous, perfect person may be with God, the one who loves his neighbor as himself, the one who does do and does not do the ten descriptions of character and behavior listed in Psalm 15. These requirements are general and specific enough to convict every human being of sin, the enemy that keeps him away from enjoying life in the presence of the living God.

The only person who has lived this way is the only one who can get us in. Only Jesus enters and we go in with Him. We enter God’s presence, we “go to heaven,” by repentance and faith in the Gospel. Once in, we shall never be moved (scared, upset, anxious, guilty, or sad). Sin is defeated. That’s a promise.

 

The fool says, “There is no God.” This practical atheism lurks inside every believer. The fool in man is not just stupid, though he does at times ignore the highest wisdom; he just does not always think or behave as if God really matters, that He is not of any importance in his affairs, that He is not closely involved in every aspect of life.

I must see the fool inside myself; it does me no good to point him out in the world. I need to confront and confess the heinous sin of Unbelief in my own self centered nature; for it is a destructive enemy to life and wellbeing. (Remember the First Commandment.) Outside of God there is great terror, but God is with the generation of the righteous, and I am declared righteous because of Jesus Christ.

“0 that salvation for God’s people would come out of Zion.” Shout for joy, because it has: the Savior has come. Zion means the presence of God on the earth, which today is the called and gathered people of God. Whenever I get in trouble or face a problem because I didn’t remember God is here I “go to heaven,” turn to Him in repentance and faith.

How long: will God seem distant, will I be in sorrow, will the enemy be exalted over me? The enemies of the soul, sin, death and devil are prevailing; I am feeling the results of enemy attacks: sorrow, pain, worry, anxiety, grief, guilt, depression, disease, and general unease of Spirit. These symptoms are not sins but evidence of an underlying problem: sin death and devil are assailing and prevailing.

When is the cavalry coming to the rescue? Sooner rather than later, when I turn to Calvary. I ask Jesus to lighten my eyes, I trust in his mercy, I thank God for his salvation, I sing to the Lord because He has dealt bountifully with me. Jesus intervenes; the kingdom has come; the enemy is routed and the symptoms disappear. I repent and believe the Gospel again today.

Pure words from God have great power to overcome the lies that come to us from the enemies of the soul through the world and our flesh. Pride is one of the enemies that lies people believe; pride deceives them into believing they can control things and people with their tongue. They speak lies with a double heart (they know one thing but say another) for personal gain, to show strength and to cover weakness; they also talk a lot in order to control and get their way. The one minded person and honest man (the godly and faithful) is hard to find.

Lies destroy, always. But the Lord promises to guard us and place us in safety using pure words. A single word of truth and and pure love from Him overcomes a slew of lies. God’s words have been purified, tested in a furnace seven times. God’s Word has been faithful and true in the past every time and the Word will save us again this time. Listen to Him.

In the three previous Psalms our Lord uses His Name, His Presence and His Breath to overcome the enemies of sin, death and the devil. In Psalm 11 He uses Fire to destroy the enemies within and without; fire signifies the Holy Spirit combining the red hot fire of the Word of God and the white hot furnace of life experience to burn up or to burn away. The Spirit tests both the righteous and the evil as in a refinery purifying gold and silver to burn away the enemy within, sin and death; the same fire burns up the enemy without, death and devil, as in fire and brimstone. God loves righteousness and hates evil, so he gave us His Son to make everyone righteous. Whatever rejects God’ Love is burned in the fire.

When crisis arises we do not flee away like a bird because the enemy still prepares his bow and arrow and he will find us; instead we trust in God by running into his presence, his holy temple and his throne in heaven. God’s Word and our experiences teach us to turn to the Cross and let Jesus overcome.

In Psalm 8 the majestic Name stills the Enemy; in Psalm 9 His Presence turns back the Enemy; in Psalm 10 it is the judging Puff of God that overcomes. The mere breath of the Holy Spirit is powerful enough to blow the enemy away with a present judgment (not unlike Luther’s fart at the devil).

The named enemies are Pride and Greed and Unbelief. Pride and greed are constantly lurking in the human heart to diminish life in one’s own soul and the souls of others.

But the bigger problem underlying these enemies of the soul is Unbelief, in the form of practical atheism, which afflicts every believer from time to time. Theoretical Atheism is fairly rare and not usually a real threat. But practical atheism believes the lie that God isn’t there, that he’s hiding, that he doesn’t notice, that this once there will be no consequences. Without a present God there may be no inner moral compass to direct thought, choice and behavior on a path that leads to positive consequences. The Breath of the Spirit is that compass that judges away pride, greed, and other sinful enemies with a puff.