Vital signs- Sunday, August 2nd, 2020

Community: God’s Answer to Defeat

Who’s watching out for you?

You need people who will defend you, stand up for you and protect you, help you stay on track, and warn you. We all need this, because we all have blind spots.

Philippians 2:4 says, “Look out for one another’s interest, not just your own” (TEV). If you want a counter-culture verse, that’s it! In America, the general idea is it’s all about “me” — my needs, my interests, my wants, and my ambitions.

But the Bible says we should care about each other. We’re family! As brothers and sisters in God’s family, we should defend each other and help each other stay on track.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, we’ve all been more vigilant in watching out for each other. But did you know that you have an enemy far more destructive than terrorists? Oh, yes! You have a personal enemy, and he hates your guts. His name is Satan. He wants to mess up your life. He wants to ruin your relationships. He wants to defeat you.

Why would he do that? Because he can’t hurt God. When you can’t hurt somebody, what do you do? You go after their children. Satan can’t hurt God, so he tries to hurt God’s children.

When Satan attacks you, he doesn’t come in a little red costume with a pitchfork and say, “Boo!” How does Satan mess up your life? Through habits you can’t break, through hurts that you won’t let go of, through problems and circumstances, through relationships that break your heart.

Most Christians are defeated, because we try to fight Satan on our own. That’s stupid! You’re never going to win against the devil on your own. You need other people who will watch out for you and help you.

Community is God’s answer to defeat. You need to find the people who will stand with you in tough times and say, “We’re not going to let you get discouraged. We’re not going to let you get depressed. We’re not going to let you worry. We’re going to stay here with you."

“A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple braided cord is not easily broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12 NLT, second edition).