Victory is closer than we think

“Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, [and] Israel had walked in my ways! I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.” (Ps 81:13-14 AV)

If we only understood how near our victory lies!  There was a time in Israel’s young history in which they had the opportunity to conquer all their enemies.  It would have reshaped the entire history of mankind.  It dates way back to the time when they had the opportunity to enter the promised land the first time!  They had just left Egypt.  Egypt, their greatest of all enemies, lay in ruins.  God had brought this formidable enemy to its knees by ten devastating plagues and an unsuccessful swimming lesson in the Red sea.  The LORD directed Moses to the southern entrance of the land of Canaan where the LORD has commanded them to enter and take the land.  After ten of twelve spies returned with a report the venture would mean suicide, they balked at God’s word and wandered in the wilderness while an entire generation who had seen the greatest display of God’s hand in the nation’s history died off.  This one failure of faith and obedience would start a trajectory of disobedience and rejection.

If we only knew how close our salvation truly is.  The psalmist teaches us that God would soon subdue our enemies.  Not when He gets around to it.  But soon. The condition is faith and obedience.  What struct me this morning was the word ‘soon’.  All the LORD is asking for is a little faith.  Discipline can only come by the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.  Discipline to overcome our enemies is something we do not have within ourselves to accomplish.  The LORD enables us to do this. The devil, world, and flesh are all more powerful than whatever will power we can muster.  It takes a supernatural force to overcome it.  There is one thing we can control.  It is completely within our power to control it. That is, surrender and faith.  Yielding to the will of the Father and the power of the Spirit is the one thing we can do.  If we do that, then the Father promises His intervention is not far, but soon!