Fear is Satan's Calling Card

"Neither give place to the devil." - Ephesians 4:27

Without some foothold in us, Satan cannot operate. Hence, his first tempting of us will be aimed at securing some ground; the next will be an assault from the ground he has secured. One very large territory, perhaps the largest, that he operates from is fear.

'Fear is Satan's calling card,' a beloved counselor used to say to me. Whenever you accept his calling card, you will receive a visit from him. Fear him and he comes; fear not and he is held at a distance. No child of God need be fearful of Satan, even though he roar as a lion and his teeth are drawn. Within us is One who by demonstration is greater than he.

The Joyful Heart (Watchman Nee 主僕倪柝聲弟兄)

Read the Scriptures: Ephesians 4

Butter and Honey

"Butter and honey shall He eat, that He may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good." - Isaiah 7:15

Our Lord had butter and honey; therefore, He could choose the good and refuse the evil. It requires great power to be obedient! If God does not fill your heart first, you will not succeed, no matter how you try externally. We need to learn to draw near to God daily and receive from heaven both butter and honey (the grace and love of God), so that day by day we may live on earth choosing the good and refusing the evil.

I speak to you today in this manner because I have a deep sense within me that the return of the Lord is imminent and that the kingdom is at hand. Henceforth, temptations will be greater, dangers will be multiplied, and deceptions will be deepened. Oh do let us notice one thing: that no matter what is placed before us, we shall be able to choose with singleness of heart only because we have received the heavenly butter and honey.

The Lord My Portion (Watchman Nee 主僕倪柝聲弟兄)

Read the Scriptures: Isaiah 7

Abiding in Christ

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." - Psalm 91:1

The object of temptation is always to get us to do something. During the early months of the Japanese war in China we lost a great many tanks, and so were unable to deal with the Japanese armour, until the following scheme was devised. A single shot would be fired at a Japanese tank by one of our snipers in ambush. After a considerable lapse of time the first shot would be followed by a second; then, after a further silence, by another shot; until the tank driver, eager to locate the source of the annoyance, would pop his head out to look around. The next shot, carefully aimed, would put an end to him. As long as he remained under cover he was perfectly safe. The whole scheme was devised to bring him out into the open.

In the same way, Satan's temptations are designed to entice us to expose ourselves. He knows well that as soon as we step out of our Hiding Place, as soon as we move from the cover of Christ and act in self-dependence, he has scored a victory.

A Table In The Wilderness (Watchman Nee 主僕倪柝聲弟兄)

Read the Scriptures: Psalm 91

Broken by God

"Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." - Habakkuk 3:18

When the Galilean boy brought his bread to Jesus, what did Jesus do with it? He broke it. God will always break what is offered to Him. He breaks what He takes, then blesses and uses it to meet men's needs.

Is not this true to your experience and mine? You give yourself to the Lord, and at once everything goes so badly wrong that you are tempted to find fault with His ways. To persist in such an attitude is to be broken, yes indeed, but to what purpose? You have gone too far for the world to use you, but you have not gone far enough for God. This is the tragedy of many a Christian. Do we want Him to use us? Then day by day let us go on giving to Him, not finding fault with His methods, but accepting His handling of us with praise and expectation.

A Table In The Wilderness (by Watchman Nee 主僕倪柝聲弟兄)
Read the Scriptures: Habakkuk 3; Matthew 4:13-21