Life Plan Devotion #95 [God's Armor--Helmet of Salvation, Part XIII, Fear of Death/Dying]

Hi, Everyone.
I trust you had a good weekend and are determined to have a great week. It's Monday--time to move! Let me know how you are today.

Life Plan Devotion #95 [God's Armor--Helmet of Salvation, Part XIII, Fear of Death/Dying]

     We have looked at 3 of the top 5 most common fears used by Satan: the fear of want/lack, the fear of peril/danger, and the fear of sickness/disease. Today, let's look at the fourth most common fear used by Satan to try to discourage and defeat you, fear of death/dying.
     There is a saying that "There are two sure things in life: death and taxes." Unless a believer is alive at the Rapture (when we are called away, to meet Jesus in the air), "What man can live and not see death, or save himself from the power of the grave?" (Psalm 89:48).
     Romans 5:12 tells us, "Just as sin entered the world through one man [Adam], and death through sin, in this way death came to all men, because all sinned." Yes, we descendants of Adam share a sin nature and death (both spiritually and physically). It has been Satan's greatest work and achievement.
     However, "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work" (I John 3:8)! "[Jesus] shared in [our] humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil--and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death" (Hebrews 2:14-15).
     The enemy will have multiple opportunities to whisper "You're going to die," either as a result of sickness/disease or just in day-to-day living. As a believer, though, you have the Helmet of Salvation (Deliverance) and the Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) which give you protection from premature death, if you make use of them.
     Death should not be a fearful thing, for a believer, nor should a believer be obsessed with watching or waiting for it, for, through Jesus' death on the cross, Hosea 13:14 was fulfilled, when God said, "I will ransom [my people] from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?"

Psalm 90:10
"The length of our days is 70 years--or 80, if we have the strength..."

What this has to do with weight loss: God has given each of us the ability to live for 70-80 years, yet, for those of us who are obese, we have significantly reduced that promised lifespan. However, just as we have negatively affected "the length of our days," we can make healthful eating and exercise changes, to positively affect how many years we will live. Either way, it's a decision each of us make. May your choices today be positive, healthy ones.

Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, I am so grateful to You and Your Son, Jesus, for giving me, as a believer, victory over the spiritual and physical consequences of sin--death. Help me to see what Your Word has to say about death, so that I won't give in to the fear of death, that the enemy will try to bring to me. I pray in Jesus' Name. Amen."

Go forth today, choosing victory in living over fear of death.

Blessings,
Mary