“Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion?” – Luke 14:28
The moment you declared yourself a citizen of the Kingdom of God, you become a marked man. You are classified as the Devil’s Enemy, a threat to the propagation of his own evil kingdom.
You become the target of petty attacks, harassments, ambuscades, tyranny and famine. Satan is like bin Laden or Abu Sabaya – a terrorist with one goal in mind: your annihilation. And being the prince of the secular world, he has access to the weapons that will make your life tough, indeed. And his tactics does not include a one-time, shock-and-awe attack. Satan’s war is a protracted war, designed to wear and tear at your resolve day in and day out.
But God has given you power over the enemy (Lk 10:19), and this arsenal is able to destroy fortresses (2 Cor 10:4). When you go out, you are shielded not only by the armor of God (Eph 6:11f) but also by the Blood of Jesus (Heb 10:19). If the warfare becomes intense, we have all God’s angels at our service (Heb 1:14). And if we need (Phil 4:19) or want (Ps 37:5), God has provided for us.
Living a life obedient to God’s will and design is a life fraught with tension, trials and testing. Have you counted the cost? Don’t forget to consider the awesome benefits as well. – Lizza V.
Reflection: The One that lives within you is greater than the Enemy that lives in the world where you temporarily are (1 Jn 4:4).
As I go out into the world today, Lord, I claim that in everything, I am more than a conqueror through Your strength which is made perfect in my weakness.
Unedited version of the reflection for the 05 September 2004 readings (Wis 9:13-18; Ps 90:3-6, 12-17; Plm 9-10, 12-17; Lk 14:25-33) of Kerygma, a widely-circulated Catholic devotional magazine.
