A Mighty Fortress

 A Mighty Fortress - By Nathele Graham - https://www.raptureready.com/2024/09/22/a-mighty-fortress-by-nathele-graham-2/ There’s a battle raging, and it’s the epitome of Good vs. Evil. God is Good, and Satan is Evil. Of course, this battle isn’t one we can see with our eyes. It’s a spiritual battle that hasbeen raging since Satan rebelled against God. We can feel the battle, and there are times that it manifests in the natural world, but the battle is supernatural. This world and all of humanity is the battlefield. Sometimes it seems as if evil is winning. Especially in this day and age, when all manner of evil and wickedness have been legalized, and if a person speaks out against the insanity, thatperson is labeled a “hater.” How can we hold on? I really don’t know how people cope if they don’t know Jesus. He is the Rock of our salvation and our strength in times of trouble. We certainly have trouble today. “ I will love thee, O LORD, my strength, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and myhigh tower” (Psalm 18:1-2). Fear can cripple us and is a weapon of the enemy, but when we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ is with us, we have nothing to fear. He is our fortress. There have been troubled times throughout history, and Martin Luther lived during troubled times. He was born in 1483, became an Augustinian monk in 1505, and was ordained as a priest in 1507.The Roman Catholic Church had/has many false teachings, and Luther began to reject things like “indulgences.” He tried to reason and discuss the issues he had but to no avail. Pope Leo X demanded Luther renounce the ideas he set forth in the Ninety-five Theses.Luther refused and was excommunicated. What heresy could have caused him to be excommunicated and declared a criminal? He spoke about grace through faith in Jesus alone. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). He angered the pope by believing Scripture above the pope’s decrees. He believed that the Bible was the only divine revelation from God. He also considered all true Christians to be priests. “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). Luther read Scripture and believed it. Brothers and sisters, this is a very important point to understand. No matter what your preacher preaches, if it disagrees with Scripture, he is wrong.Sadly, Luther was also antisemitic, so use discernment if you study his life and teachings. Martin Luther trusted the Lord through all of his hard times and wrote hymns that encourage and strengthen our faith. As Christians, we need to look to God as our mighty fortress in theseevil times in which we live. We must stand strong on God’s truth rather than fall for Satan’s lies. A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD Words by Martin Luther A mighty fortress is our God, A bulwark never failing; Our helper he, amid the flood Of mortal ills prevailing For still our ancient foe Does seek to work us woe; His craft and power are great, And armed with cruel hate, On earth is not his equal. Satan has always tried to put fear and confusion into the minds and hearts of those who look to the Lord for strength. We see it so much in the Psalms of David. He faced many battles, evenbefore he became king. At a young age, he fought a bear and a lion, which prepared him to fight the giant Goliath. King Saul tried many times to kill him. After David became king, he fought many foes, including his own son. David always turned to the Lordfor strength. “For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me” (Psalm 31:3). God never failed David, nor will the Lord fail us in our times of battle. Spiritual battles are hard because the enemy is unseen and attacks our minds to draw us from our God. Remember, Godis our rock and fortress, not our enemy. Many Christians aren’t armed for a spiritual battle. Pastors seem to ignore our mortal enemy and choose to preach “feel good” sermons. There is a vicious spiritual battle raging, and looking at the news headlines, Christiansare failing God in the battle and siding with Satan. Pastors need to stop tickling ears and start arming the soldiers for battle. Turn to Scripture for God’s truth, and then don’t be ashamed to stand upon His truth. “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). Seeker-friendly preachers won’t tell you that it’s God who can destroy body and soul in Hell. All they preach is “God is love.” He is love. Like sugar is sweet and water is wet, God is love.It’s His nature to love. He doesn’t send us to Hell, but by rejecting Jesus Christ for salvation, we send ourselves to Hell. Still, God has “rules,” and if we reject the only way of Salvation, then we have made our choice. When we accept the sacrifice thatJesus made on the Cross, the Holy Spirit is sealed within us, and salvation is secure. “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which isthe earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14). If your profession of faith was earnest, then the Holy Spirit is sealed inside you, and your salvation is secure. Did we in our own strength confide Our striving would be losing, Were not the right Man on our side, The Man of God’s own choosing. You ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is he; Lord Sabaoth his name, From age to age the same; And he must win the battle. Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. Christianity is not a religion; it is faith. Faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, thetruth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). It’s not by our own strength that we can accomplish anything for God. It is only through Jesus. He fulfilled the Law and the Prophets. We are no longer under the Law of Moses, but that doesn’tmean the Law is null and void. We still have the moral law of God. In Christ we have rest and no longer have to do works to try to save ourselves. “And he said unto them, ‘The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath. Therefore the Son of man is the Lord also of the sabbath” (Mark 2:27-28). And though this world, with devils filled, Should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God has willed His truth to triumph through us. The prince of darkness grim, We tremble not for him; His rage we can endure, For lo! His doom is sure; One little word shall fell him. Do you doubt there are demons in this world? Scripture tells us they are real. Jesus cast out many demons from people. Paul also cast them out. I have no doubt that all of the Apostles andthose who followed their teachings also cast them out. These evil spirits are in the world today. Too often, their handiwork is named as a medical condition. Drugs weaken our minds, so these demons can possess people. Satan had a field day in the 1960s. Many people smoked pot or used some other mind-altering drug. LSD was very popular. Since that time, the moral decay around the world has been incredible.We cannot battle Satan or his minions on our own. We get attacked by Satan in many ways. He may confuse your mind, like he confused Eve, and cause you to doubt God’s truth. Another way demons can take control of you is through Yoga, which is designed to open “chakras” and release the kundalini spirit in you. A person is encouraged to clear their mind. This opens you to any passing spirit that might want to take possession of you. We are to meditate on our Lord, filling our hearts and minds with His Holy Spiritand His love. “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation,to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all” (1 Timothy 4:12-15). The more you think about God and all that He has done, the harder it is for Satan to confuse and control you. Satan will never stop trying to destroy God’s people, but the battle was won onthe Cross. Believe in Him and resist the wiles of the devil. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Not by your strength, but by God’s power. That Word above all earthly powers No thanks to them abideth; The Spirit and the gifts are ours Through him who with us sideth. Let goods and kindred go, This mortal life also; The body they may kill; God’s truth abideth still His kingdom is forever! God’s word is above all, and He never changes. Satan is attacking so many things that God sees as precious. Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained by Him, but today it’s being perverted.Children are special to Him, but many people see it as a woman’s right to murder the baby in the womb. Children are taught evolution instead of truth, and you can read in the first chapter of Romans to see what depravity that leads to, and it’s “legalized” today. When we understand that we are sinners on the road to eternal damnation, that’s when we realize we need Jesus. “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and thatwhich is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee Ye must be born again” (John 3:5-7). God’s truth never changes. In order to enter into His eternal kingdom, you must be born again. That takes faith. Faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When you realizeyou’re a sinner, you must repent of your sins. If you’re a person who gossips or lies, repent and change your mind about these sins. If you’re a man who has sexual encounters with other men, repent and turn from that sin. Same goes for women. If you have anysexual encounters outside of a one man/one woman marriage, repent and ask God to forgive your sin. God’s grace and forgiveness are a blessing, but if you continue sinning, then you haven’t earnestly given your life to Christ. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). The choice to repent and live for Christ may cause family to disown you. Jesus didn’t come to make life easy. In fact, faith in Him may cause much friction in your family. “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, andthe daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household” (Matthew 10:34-36). Don’t pick a fight with your family and friends, but don’t deny your Lord. The spiritual battle is real, but we have a mighty fortress that will never fail; Jesus Christ is our fortress. God provides the spiritual weapons for the spiritual battle we are fighting.Study them in Ephesians chapter 6. “Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the evil” (Ephesians 6:10-11). Use these weapons to fight against the wickedness; don’t fight for Satan. The evil in this world is all caused by Satan; he is pure evil. You cannot win a battle with him by yourself. Godis your fortress. Stand firm upon His word without wavering. He is your fortress in times of battle. “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to theglory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11). His kingdom is forever. God bless you all, Nathele Graham twotug@embarqmail.com Recommended prophecy sites: www.raptureready.com www.prophecyupdate.com www.raptureforums.com All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed. If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).