“Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” – Psalm 50:15
Scripture reading: Psalm 40:1-17
The devil is tyrannical. His methods are many and tyranny is one of them. The sneaky snake is oppressive–he prowls; he seduces. He is an agent of terror. “…our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal.” The believer is to stand against the wiles of the devil. Our English word “wiles” is generally used to express deception through trickery and includes all the methods that would be part of that. It has to do with cunning or skill, applied to no good purpose.
Jesus has come to destroy the works of the devil (I John 3:8). Do you believe that? Oh, you must! By the power of the Holy Spirit, believers accept the testimony of the Apostle Paul as he recounted his conversion before King Agrippa. He testified of Christ’s message to him as he was being sent “to open their eyes (the Gentiles), in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts 18).
“We have to do with a subtle enemy, an enemy who uses wiles and stratagems. He has a thousand ways of beguiling unstable souls: hence he is called a serpent for subtlety, an old serpent, experienced in the art and trade of tempting” – Mathew Henry commentary on Ephesians 6:11.
Suggestions for prayer
In prayer testify “O God, most holy are your ways, what god is great like You? You are the God by wonders known, whose power the nations view. Your people You redeemed, O LORD, with your almighty arm; the sons of Jacob, Joseph’s seed, you saved them from all harm” (TPH 77:5).
Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.
