Calling on His name

Joel 2:32 says "Whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."

This is a promise from God that can be acted on, even today, that will produce results in our lives.

When we find our selves in trouble, God's Word says we should call on His name and we will be saved. We will be rescued. When Satan assails us with temptation, we are to call on the Lord and He will rescue us from the mouth of the roaring lion, the old dragon, whose purpose it is to destroy us and our relationship with our Creator.

Many of us have lived so long under the oppressive hand of Satan that we do not realize what it feels like to be free. We have been given our freedom by the blood of Jesus Christ who purchased us on the cross. We are meant to live free, abundant lives. Our place is not in the lair of Satan but under the protective care of our Maker. We were meant to be free. Truly and completely free.

When we lay claim to the promise of Joel 2:32, God will rescue us from Satan. He will purge him out of our lives. Satan, of course, will continue to assail us, but once we are free of him, he has to attack from the outside, not from within our hearts. We are given the armor of God to protect ourselves from the fiery darts of the evil one.

That protection begins with protecting our thoughts. The helmet of salvation is God's means of protecting us from the accuser of the brethren. Satan will send thought at us, at an alarming rate sometimes, to denounce us. He knows that if he makes us feel defeated and worthless, that we will not live in the power of God's Spirit that has been freely given to us. This is exactly what he attempted to do to Jesus after His 40 days in the desert following His baptism. Remember, he is a liar and the father of lies. He is a master deceiver. He makes heirs of God feel that they live in abstract spiritual poverty. It is a delusion that comes upon us unless we protect our minds with the helmet of salvation.

And we must also be aggressive in our faith. We have the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. We take God's word into ourselves by: 1) reading, studying, and meditating on it, and then 2) by making practical application on a daily basis. Both are neccesary and to have one without the other is to distort God's purpose in our lives. God's Word directs my thoughts and my actions. When a thought comes my way that differs from the teachings and promises of God's Word, I answer that thought with God's Word.

For example: A thought from Satan may say, "You are no good. You are kidding yourself if you think God loves you." But then I answer with the sword of the Spirit, God's Word: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

God will protect me from Satan, but I must take responsibility for myself. I must set my mind on things above, not leaving it empty allowing the thoughts Satan throws my way to take root. I must take every thought captive. God gives me the strength to resist Satan and the power of His Holy Spirit to live a godly life, but I must want it and pursue it by training myself by consistent use.

Jesus is my hope. He is the Rock of Ages and the anchor of my soul. In Him I am the very righteousness of God, but apart from Him I am dead in my sins and transgressions. I am as lost as the people outside the Ark in Noah's day. Therefore, I will counter every negative thought thrown at me by Satan with the positive promises of God's Word. When trouble comes and I feel lost, I must remember "All things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose."

And again, "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength."

I will remember David's example of praising God continually: "I will bless the LORD at all times, His praise shall be continually on my lips."

Three things I need to remember:

1. Satan is still very much alive and a constant threat to believers today.

2. God has given us a means of protection against the forces of evil.

3. I am responsible for maintaining the discipline taught in God's Word in my life.

These thought were prompted, in part, by Derek Prince, in his book, They shall Expel Demons.