The Battle预览

Communion

By Amy Cook

Imagine two armies, armed and ready to fight, preparing for battle. One army fights for good, the other for evil. The tension builds as each side anticipates the first strike. Because his firepower is limited, the evil commander must rely heavily on the level of fear and intimidation he can inflict. Just as he’s about to order the attack, the righteous commander walks out to the middle of the field between the two armies. He sets out a table full of delicious food and drinks and invites his officers to come recline beside the table and enjoy the meal. Seeing the good commander and his men resting and enjoying a meal with his enemies present completely unnerves the evil commander. His key weapon, intimidation, is useless because the righteous soldiers are confident and fearless. To make things worse, the items on the table symbolize the evil commander’s most humiliating defeat.

The covenant meal that God prepares for you in front of your enemies has a powerful effect upon your enemy and upon you. The covenant between God and His people is a solemn oath. You give Him your allegiance, and He gives you what He’s promised. When David asked King Saul for permission to face the giant Goliath, he pointed out that the Philistine didn’t have a covenant with the living God (Genesis 17:2–11). David realized that his own covenant relationship with God guaranteed him victory even though the odds appeared to be against him. David’s confidence wasn’t in his stone and sling. It was in the promise God had made that His people would possess the land of their enemies (Genesis 15).

The death and resurrection of Jesus took away the devil’s right to touch you. Your spirit is safely hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 2:10–15; 3:1–4). Whenever you take communion, you are proclaiming the Lord’s death until His return (1 Corinthians 11:24–26). To proclaim is to claim something beforehand, and this means that when you partake in communion, you put forth a claim on all the things Christ’s death purchased for you. When facing the enemy, let your confidence rest in your covenant with God. Because of this covenant, you can deny the enemy access to your soul and body as long as you stay away from his idols (Colossians 3:5–10; 1 John 5:4, 18–21).

Satan is overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of your testimony (Revelation 12:11). Your testimony is the report or witness that you give about the things God has done for you. By testifying about God’s power, goodness and love, you overcome the enemy. David testified: “The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37a, KJV). When you testify about how the Lord is faithful, you position yourself for your next victory. David also said, “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him” (Psalm 34:8, KJV). When you partake in the covenant meal the Lord has prepared, you catch a glimpse of His goodness and overcome the enemy.

Memory Verse

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. Revelation 12:11