Psalm 1-6

O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, "God will not deliver him."

But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill.

I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.

Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, I my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.

From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.

This was David's prayer to God when he fled from his son, Absalom. But this psalm reminded me of the spiritual warfare that we face on a daily basis.

"God will not deliver him." I face this lie from the devil all the time, and so many times I fall prey to it. I often feel so hopeless in my ability to ever grow in the Lord. Repeating many of the same mistakes over and over in life, making promises to God and breaking them, etc.

But God has delivered us in Christ Jesus. It is easier said then done, but all we need to do whenever we feel discouraged by the devil's lies is to cry out to the Lord. This is something I do not often do. When I feel discouraged, I tend to dwell in that mood. I'll first try to figure out why on my own. Then I usually do other things to take my mind off it.

Let's be reminded that the spiritual warfare is real. When we feel discouraged, we NEED to realize that we are under attack. And the first thing we need to do is to cry out to the Lord. And when we do that, God will answer us.

Praise God that he has delivered us!