Bible in One Year: Friday, December 18, 2009 (Esth 8 - Esth 10) Memorise: "And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Lk 9:62) Read: Revelation 2:10-11 10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. 11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. Believers are commanded to fight the devil to a standstill because God is with us. Another reason we must fight him is because if we run from him, we are finished. Why? There is no protection for our back. If you run from the enemy and he hits you in the back, that is the end of that fellow (Eph 6:14-17). Any believer who runs from the enemy will be treated as a rebel by the Commander in- Chief. 1 Samuel 15:22-23 says it is better to obey God than to offer a sacrifice in disobedience. When God says 'stand' but you preferred rather to run, you may be classified with the rebellious. Are you still fleeing from the enemy? Stop and confront the forces, spirits and agents of darkness that have been fighting you. Challenge and attack them in the Name of Jesus Christ. Resist them by the blood of Jesus and destroy all their works and schemes against you and your family. And it shall be so. During the Nigerian civil war of the late 60s, I heard that one of the generals was leading his men to fight at a time the battle was very hot. Discouraged, some of them turned back and began to retreat. He gave orders to the soldiers with him to shoot and kill these retreating soldiers before they demoralized their colleagues. Those who started running back were destroyed by their own men! It is of common knowledge that quitters don't win, and winners don't quit. Stand firm on the words of Christ and resist the enemy's incursion into your life, family, business, ministry and nation. Stand on it until victory is secured (2 Kings 13:14- 19). Revelation 2:10 says, "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer; behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life". Retreating is an act of unbelief and fear. When you retreat or run from the enemies you are supposed to be chasing, you can weaken the faith of others - particularly that of younger Christians. Even when God has given us the blueprint of how to overcome the enemy, many of us still fail to adhere to it and end up defeated. You are more than a conqueror. In the battle of life, by His grace and as long as your faith stands strong in the Lord, you will overcome. Never turn your back to your enemies. Trust in the Lord, stand firm on His Word, and worship Him. Don't be a source of discouragement for others. ACTION POINT: Are you slacking in your consecration, love, devotion or service to God? You stand the risk of taking others with you. Stand today.