You prepare a feast for me before my enemies

Articles, Christian Living | Our Masters Voice | July 2, 2009 at 7:05 am

You prepare a feast for me

The word of God is the first and the foremost way through which God reveals Himself. Whenever I open my Bible to read, I believe that I am switching on to God’s cell phone. My ears get ready to listen to His voice, His directions, His teachings & instructions. God’s word of Instruction and Promise distinctly emerge and I decide to master it or possess it through obedience. I desire that you would do the same. This month God has given us all a wonderful promise from his Word

”You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever”. Psalm 23:5, 6

No one likes to be lonely. We all like to be around with people. We like to be loved by all & liked by all and therefore we try to be good and kind to others. We think that our good and kind acts would cause us to have friends and not enemies. But the truth is each and every one born in this sinful world has friends and enemies. Yes, you have many friends, but there is also an enemy among them. Well you don’t even know who that is, then how you can protect yourself from the snares set by that enemy!!

My dear brothers and sisters, we are God’s children. Can we have enemies? YES we do have an enemy. The ultimate enemy of God’s people is Satan or the Devil.

The Bible says in 1Peter 5:8 “..Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”. Your enemy the devil is around you, not somewhere far away. His only aim is to devour you, to destroy you. So how does your enemy the devil accomplish his plan of destruction?

Satan the enemy of God knows very well that he cannot touch you as long as you are the obedient child of God. So he picks the one who is closer to you, traps that person, possess that person and uses that person effectively against you. In short the friend of yours is a friend on the outside, but is your worst enemy on the inside.

How does the devil trap your friend and turn them into your enemy?

The devil uses many tools to trap people, I want to mention just a few.

1. Enemy raised through Money

Jesus said in Mathew6:24 that, “No one can serve two masters….You cannot serve both God and Money”. Look at that! Jesus says Money not Satan. The day you allow money to dictate your steps, you become a slave to money. Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil”.

Judas the disciple of Jesus was a man chosen to be the Apostle of God. Satan chose this Judas, the man who was in charge of the finances of Jesus Ministry, enticed him with the love of money, possessed him and turned him against Jesus itself. The love of money raised Judas against His master Jesus and made him the enemy of Jesus His Master. Even today the devil picks people in your family; at you work place fills them with the love of money and turns them violently against you. They are after your job or your money or your property or your possessions or even your life. They are filled with lies. They are the ones who spread rumors & lies about you to destroy and devour what God has blessed you with. When Jesus said that the one who dipped his hand into the bowl along with him would betray him, look how Judas reacts. Mathew 26:25 “Then Judas the one who would betray him said, ‘Surely not I, Rabbi?” That was a deliberate & calculated lie. Lies can never stand against the truth. The God of truth is with you. No one can stand against you when you hold on to Jesus and His words. Deuteronomy 28:7 says ” The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction, but flee from you in seven”.

2. Enemy raised through Jealousy

Acts 5:12-16 quotes how the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. Crowds brought their sick; those tormented by evil spirits gathered from far and near and all were healed. Healing & deliverance would naturally set ones heart in joy and jubilation.

Instead the high priest an all his associates were filled with jealousy. The spirit of jealousy drove them to misuse their power and authority. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. Yes my friend people in authority over you might be harassing you, abusing you or ill-treating you for the good and honest work you do. They are those whom the devil has filled with jealousy. They are functionally your enemies.

God used David a young shepherd boy to bring down Goliath and eventually victory to the Israelites. King Saul should have been the person who rejoiced the most. Instead as mentioned in the 1 Samuel 18:8 king Saul was infuriated by the words credited for David by his citizens. (V9) says “And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David”. The spirit of jealousy turned king Saul to be the worst enemy of David. He was bent on killing David.

Friends you might have been the person whom God has chosen to be a channel of blessing to others, may be to your relative or may be to materialize the company’s business deal. Whatever may be the case be sure that the devil has already instigated a person who has been blessed by you to keep a jealous eye on you. The person who had received a blessing through you or the person who had been raised by you has now become your enemy. They are those who have forgotten their humble beginning. Instead of being thankful, they are envious and spiteful. They might share the table with you but would be aiming to hurl the spear at you.

Don’t be upset my friend, David who faced such enemies says in Psalm 46: 9 “He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire”. Yes “no weapons forged against you will prevail” Isaiah 54:17.

3. Enemy raised through Pride

II Chronicles 26:15, 16 quotes that King Uzziah became powerful and his fame spread far and wide. It is at this point of his career pride possesses him and he becomes unfaithful to God. When prosperity of health, wealth & fame floods an individual it becomes the ideal ground for the disease called pride to infect and breed. Satan feeds this disease with ego and elevates the self above everything.

Everything might have been so good for you thus far. Now all of a sudden you hear your friends talking against you or working against you. How could that happen!!! Well the truth is Satan had adorned pride as a necklace around their neck. They want to stay above you & your works. They want to be recognized above you. They are not your friends any more, they are your enemies. In their pride their hearts have become callous and they have become arrogant & stiff necked. Psalm 31: 8 says “for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous”. They won’t have any respect for you or your well being. As mentioned by King David in Psalm 56:2 your slanderers pursue you all day long and attack you in their pride. Evil behavior, arrogance and perverse speech are the signs to identify the enemy who is clothed in the robes of friendship.

Fear not in Isaiah 13:11 God says, “I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless”.

Friends you might be surrounded by many enemies or may be just one enemy don’t worry about it. Don’t be afraid of them or their actions. Don’t retaliate to their action, word or deed. God’s word comes to you to guide you and bless you. In the presence of your very same enemies

a) God is preparing a table or a banquet, or a feast exclusively for you my friend. Cheer up, cast away your disappointment, your betrayals and get ready to feast, the King of kings is setting the table for you.

b) God is anointing you with the oil of joy. God does not see like man. He sees your heart, your truthfulness, your sincerity, your honesty and your faithfulness even in the smallest thing. Hebrew1:9 says “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God your God, has set you above your companions by anointing with the oil of joy”. Rejoice, God has set you above; He has ordered an increase -in your family, in your income, in all the labor of your hand.

c) God is blessing your cup to overflow. God the Creator of heaven and earth has spoken overflowing abundance and gifts into your life (Psalm 65:11), overflowing grain, new wine and oil in your threshing floors and vats (Joel2:24), overflowing joy, peace and hope through the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13). You are being made prosperous physically and spiritually as well.

Having received such an honor & commendation before your enemies, now rise up and walk as a royal with the goodness and love of God as your right and left aide. They will never part from you, they will follow you until you meet your Father in Heaven and dwell with Him forever.

What a delight! What a joy!

I greet you with the words of David from Psalm 68:3 “may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful”. Yes my dear friends rejoice for its time for you to swim deep into the anointing of God, to soar high in the power and love of God, to possess the provisions of house or a job or a business or a seed in the womb. It is time, the banquet is ready. Go and feast.

Be a channel of God’s blessing to others. When you are like a little child at heart, not polluted by sin, your cup will definitely overflow with abundance.

May God richly bless you with cup overflowing anointed life.

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