Pray… O Lord my God, help me to trust in You alone and in You alone seek asylum. Save me from Satan’s plots, for it is for evil’s sake he pursues me. Deliver me, lest he deceive me by his craftiness and deliver me to a place where there are none to help me. Lord, if I have done something to justify his attacks—if there is injustice in my hands, I have returned evil for good, or persecuted the innocent without cause convict me and lead me to repentance. I pray, don’t allow evil to win the day! O my God, redeem me and don’t let the Devil bring me back into captivity to my former lusts, or lay my glory in the dust of sin. Let me consider my thoughts and my ways, humble myself, and so deliver my soul from the hunter’s hand.
Rise up for justice and mercy in the midst of the congregation, O my King! Arouse Yourself to meet the onslaught of the adversary! Be moved by just indignation on my behalf and bring judgment to bear! As Lord over us all, descend from on high to defend me, for You alone stand as judge over my soul. Bring vindication through Your righteousness imparted and integrity granted to me through the power of Your Spirit. Bring the evil plans of the wicked one to an end and forever establish the righteous. You are the just One who tries the hearts and minds of men. Let my shield bear Your crest, for You are the Lord my God, slow to anger and abundant in mercy, who saves the upright in heart. You are also righteous and rightly angered by injustice. Surely if a man does not repent—if I do not repent of my transgressions, You will sharpen Your sword! Your bow of conviction shall bend and be made ready, for in Your arsenal there are powerful weapons and arrows of fire! Behold, O Lord, the evil one persists in wickedness, plans mischief, and promotes falsehood. He has dug a pit for me. Yes, he has hollowed it out. Cast him into this abyss he created for me! Cause his mischief to return upon his own head, and his deceptions to be the food upon his own plate. All the while let me give thanks to You, O Lord, according to Your righteousness. Through all let me praise the name of my Lord Most High!
Consider… God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness. There is a chasm fixed between the those who shall incur eternal wrath and the sons of righteousness who shall be vindicated. It was salvation’s call from the beginning, and will forever define the difference between life and death: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” We must be obedient to the first word of the words that announced the Son of Man who changed everything forever if any of those that came after are to make a difference. A repentant heart can turn the tables on sin, for as quickly as the repentant stumble they can be revived again through God’s amazing grace. As tenaciously as Satan pursues us to ruin all grace does for us, so also repentance ruins his plans. Repentance is where “humble yourself and take up your cross daily” begins, and if a man does not remain repentant the doors to that all-important kingdom of heaven on earth can close.
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