A Man of Prayer
25/05/08 17:44
Who will
be the last man standing; it will be the man of
prayer. The proverbial ‘last man’
standing was always the victor. In the old west and
during the days of the gunslingers, the man that
remained standing won the battle. Gun duels always
amazed me when I thought about the
‘rules’ of the battle, especially those
that started the opponents back to back. If you
aren’t aware of it, let me explain just a
little of what I know. The duelers were back to back
and agreed upon a certain number of paces. Each man
would walk that number of paces, turn around and then
fire at the other. Whoever was the last man standing
was the victor and the other one was dead! This
seemed like the craziest way to settle an argument or
defend an honor; don’t you think? There were
just too many variables for me. What if you walked
slower than your opponent? What if the other guy
forgot a number as he was pacing, or he just
couldn’t count up to twenty. I wouldn’t
want to duel anyone who wasn’t honest! (Think
about that statement for a minute.) No, gun slinging
is just too risky in my book; I’m sure glad
that they have done away with that practice!
Whether you want to admit it or not –you are in a duel every day –with the devil. He will challenge your Christianity, your faith, love, devotion or anything else that he knows makes you strong in the Lord. He is out to steal any strength you may have in order to be that ‘last man’ standing. He is a thief and a liar and he comes to steal, kill and destroy. Don’t attempt to negotiate with him. You can forget about any thread of mercy. He will never fight fair! The devil will challenge you to a duel and have one or a thousand imps shoot you while you’re still counting out your paces! I have news for every man and woman that has lived or will live –you cannot beat the devil on your own strength. You’re not good enough. You’re not fast enough and you’re certainly not smart enough. No, there is only one way to beat ‘Old Slew-foot’ and it “ain’t” with no gun! Human history has proven that the devil is the fastest gun in the West. Many men have died who have foolishly tried to duel with him; their blood still cries out from the ground. But there was one Man who beat him. There is one Man who is still standing! There is one Man who has won the battle; and His name is Jesus. Jesus was smart enough to know that He couldn’t fight the devil alone. He was wise enough not to duel with him on the devil’s terms. And He was certainly cunning enough to have the devil duel His Father! That’s right, Jesus brought the fight to God the Father and the Father took care of business! How did He do this? Through the power of prayer. He entrusted Himself to God’s care and God beat the devil. The Bible says that the weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of this world –but they are divine. They destroy strongholds, cast down imaginations and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. When a man prays to get victory over the devil, he doesn’t fight alone –he brings God into his corner.
The man who prays will beat the devil time and again and he will walk in victory with the hope of eternal life that will leave him as the last man standing. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, and against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes…” you will be the last man standing!
Whether you want to admit it or not –you are in a duel every day –with the devil. He will challenge your Christianity, your faith, love, devotion or anything else that he knows makes you strong in the Lord. He is out to steal any strength you may have in order to be that ‘last man’ standing. He is a thief and a liar and he comes to steal, kill and destroy. Don’t attempt to negotiate with him. You can forget about any thread of mercy. He will never fight fair! The devil will challenge you to a duel and have one or a thousand imps shoot you while you’re still counting out your paces! I have news for every man and woman that has lived or will live –you cannot beat the devil on your own strength. You’re not good enough. You’re not fast enough and you’re certainly not smart enough. No, there is only one way to beat ‘Old Slew-foot’ and it “ain’t” with no gun! Human history has proven that the devil is the fastest gun in the West. Many men have died who have foolishly tried to duel with him; their blood still cries out from the ground. But there was one Man who beat him. There is one Man who is still standing! There is one Man who has won the battle; and His name is Jesus. Jesus was smart enough to know that He couldn’t fight the devil alone. He was wise enough not to duel with him on the devil’s terms. And He was certainly cunning enough to have the devil duel His Father! That’s right, Jesus brought the fight to God the Father and the Father took care of business! How did He do this? Through the power of prayer. He entrusted Himself to God’s care and God beat the devil. The Bible says that the weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of this world –but they are divine. They destroy strongholds, cast down imaginations and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. When a man prays to get victory over the devil, he doesn’t fight alone –he brings God into his corner.
The man who prays will beat the devil time and again and he will walk in victory with the hope of eternal life that will leave him as the last man standing. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, and against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes…” you will be the last man standing!
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