day no. 16,418: the Lord thwarts the designs of the devil

"Whereas the Lord was there." — Ezekiel 35:10

"Edom's princes saw the whole country left desolate, and counted upon its easy conquest; but there was one great difficulty in their way--quite unknown to them--'The Lord was there;' and in his presence lay the special security of the chosen land. Whatever may be the machinations and devices of the enemies of God's people, there is still the same effectual barrier to thwart their design. The saints are God's heritage, and he is in the midst of them, and will protect his own. What comfort this assurance yields us in our troubles and spiritual conflicts! We are constantly opposed, and yet perpetually preserved! How often Satan shoots his arrows against our faith, but our faith defies the power of hell's fiery darts; they are not only turned aside, but they are quenched upon its shield, for 'the Lord is there.'" — Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Morning and Evening

The enemy cannot overtake territory occupied by the Lord. It is invincible. Victory cannot be obtained when your mark is your Maker. He cannot be overwhelmed or caught off guard. He cannot be outgunned or over matched. Wherever He occupies a place, its presence is assured to be preserved.

The machinations and devices of the devil are quenched by His Spirit. They are not merely diverted or ricocheted away. A bouncing bullet can cause collateral damage, but God so absorbs the blows of Beelzebub as to render them inert. They are powerless.

The Lord thwarts the designs of the devil. They cannot succeed. They cannot outsmart or out maneuver Him. The devil cannot corrupt anything beyond God's ability to restore or create anything beyond His ability to eradicate.

The saints are God's heritage and He will defend them.

Fear not, for where He is we are safe.

Psalm 124

If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, 

now may Israel say;

If it had not been the LORD who was on our side,

when men rose up against us:

Then they had swallowed us up quick,

when their wrath was kindled against us:

Then the waters had overwhelmed us,

the stream had gone over our soul:

Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.

Blessed be the LORD,

who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.

Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers:

the snare is broken, and we are escaped.

Our help is in the name of the LORD,

who made heaven and earth.