Your enemy’s tactics are lies continually

Man was created in the image of God. Because your identity is so closely linked to God’s identity, when you can’t see yourself clearly for who you are in Jesus Christ, you cannot see God clearly for Who He really is. Also, when you cannot see God clearly for Who He is, you cannot see yourself clearly for who you are in Jesus Christ.

Because satan opposes you and your growth as a Christian, his desire is to disarm you and separate you from Jesus Christ by enticing you into sin. He is definitely your adversary.

Adversary = a person or force that opposes or attacks; enemy; foe

Jesus Christ knows about the danger around you. He alone is your Protector. Your protection comes from remembering Him, trusting Him, focusing on Him. When you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are made free from the penalty and power of sin in spite of your circumstances.

Jesus Christ knows your circumstances and He invites you to come to Him-

Song of Solomon 4:

⁸ Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions’ dens, from the mountains of the leopards.

Lebanon (whiteness), Amana (covenant), Shenir-(bear the lamp) Mt. Hermon is highest

mountain reminding you of the highest goal –pleasing Jesus

Jesus Christ’s cleansing of you

Ephesians 5:

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

²⁶ That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

²⁷ That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish

Imagine! Because of Jesus Christ’s work for you and in you, you will be without spot or wrinkle when you cross the finish line into His presence!

Jesus Christ’s covenant with you-

Hebrews 8:

⁶ But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

⁷ For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.

⁸ For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

⁹ Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

¹⁰ For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

¹¹ And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

¹² For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

¹³ In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

Hebrews 12:

²² But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,

²³ To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

²⁴ And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

Hebrews 13:

²⁰ Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

²¹ Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Jesus Christ’s invitation to you –

Song of Solomon 4:

⁸ Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions’ dens, from the mountains of the leopards.

Notice the invitation is to His betrothed.

Jesus Christ told us that He is physically going away but promised He will return for us.

John 14:

¹ Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

² In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Notice the invitation requires a response to come with Him.

When you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you gain fellowship with Him. The invitation is to focus on your relationship with Him and actively fellowship with Him.  You have a choice.

Amana is the mountain from which the Abana River flows. You remember Naaman referred to that river when Elisha told him to go and wash in the Jordan River.  2 Kings 5:

¹¹ But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.

¹² Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.

The ever flowing steams from the mountain cause one to think of consistency like a covenant.

Remember the New Covenant?. Hebrews 8:

⁶ But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

⁷ For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.

⁸ For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

⁹ Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

¹⁰ For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

¹¹ And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

¹² For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

¹³ In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

Shenir was the Amorite name for Mount Herman, meaning “pointed”. This reminds us to focus.

Mt. Hermon is highest mountain reminding us of the highest goal –pleasing Jesus Christ, our Beloved Bridegroom.

Notice the invitation is to come from two predators and what they indicate about your enemy

First let’s look at the lion.

The lion’s roar can be heard for 5 miles. This reminds you the enemy can scare you with

hurtful things from the past and frighten you about your future.

The average male lion weighs 500 lb. This reminds you the enemy is bigger than you.

The lion can run 50 miles per hour. This reminds you he can attack fast, without warning.

The lion is social. This reminds you the enemy may use others in his attack and may frighten

you about what others think of you.

The lion symbolizes your enemy’s ability to remind you of the past and to frighten you for the

future and about what others think of you.

Second, let’s look at the leopard

The leopard is built for hunting. This reminds you the enemy looks for circumstantial

opportunities.

The leopard can run up to 35 miles per hour. This reminds you he can attack fast, without

warning.

The leopard is an excellent climber, swimmer and can leap and jump long distances. This

reminds you natural obstacles are no problem for him.

The leopard often leaves prey up in the tree for days and returns only when hungry! This

reminds you he can hurt you over and over. Please know I find no reference in the Bible

that your enemy can read your thoughts. But certainly, he has all of history to observe

human behavior and your personal history to learn about you.

The leopard is the most accomplished stalker of the big cats.  This reminds you he has the

ability to attack at his opportune time.

The leopard is a good agile climber and can descend from a tree headfirst. This reminds you of

his agility and his attack with teeth to bite.

The leopard symbolizes your enemy’s ability to spring at you speedily, to stalk you for

times of vulnerability, and to torment and wound you over and over.

But Jesus invites you to come with Him, to focus on Him and to trust in Him. He cares and

loves you unconditionally! He has power over your enemy!

Jesus I Come – William Sleeper, 1887

1. Out of my bondage, sorrow and night, Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
   Into Thy freedom, gladness, and light, Jesus, I come to Thee;
   Out of my sickness, into Thy health, Out of my want and into Thy wealth,
   Out of my sin and into Thyself, Jesus, I come to Thee.

1. Out of my shameful failure and loss, Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
   Into the glorious gain of Thy cross, Jesus, I come to Thee;
   Out of earth’s sorrows, into Thy balm, Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm,
   Out of distress to jubilant psalm, Jesus, I come to Thee.

1. Out of unrest and arrogant pride, Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
   Into Thy blessed will to abide, Jesus, I come to Thee;
   Out of myself to dwell in Thy love, Out of despair, into raptures above,
   Upward for aye on wings like a dove, Jesus, I come to Thee.

1. Out of the fear and dread of the tomb, Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
   Into the joy and light of Thy home, Jesus, I come to Thee;
   Out of the depths of ruin untold, Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,
   Ever Thy glorious face to behold, Jesus, I come to Thee.

Questions for Reflection

1) Is there a specific lie about your identity that your enemy continues to use against you?

2) What scripture verse do you have ready to refute that lie?

3) Does remembering a specific event in your life bring pain to you? Why? Tell it to Jesus. He

cares.

4) Is there some action you took in the past for which your are remorseful but your enemy

continues to bring it up?

In Jesus Christ you are new-2 Corinthians 5:

¹⁷ Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

¹⁸ And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

¹⁹ To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

²⁰ Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

²¹ For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Jesus Christ cleanses you-

1 John 1:

⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Jude:

²⁴ Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

²⁵ To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

Jesus Christ gives victory-1 Corinthians 15:

⁵¹ Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

⁵² In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

⁵⁴ So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

⁵⁵ O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

2 Corinthians 2:

¹⁴ Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

¹⁵ For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:

¹⁶ To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?

Hebrews 12:

¹ 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,

² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God

Dearly Beloved,

Run with your eyes on Jesus alone!

Run in faith that Jesus loves you, has uniquely designed and created only one you, has a good

plan for your life, runs with you and will accomplish His purposes for you and through you!

Run in His strength alone!

Run with your eyes on the prize!

Run with the desire to finish strong!

Run with the desire to finish with your lamp burning!

Run with the expectation of being in His physical presence when you cross your finish line!

Run to His glory alone!

Run and keep on running!

Coach Patti