The Daily Fountain Daily Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 30 September 2019 – Contending For The Faith

Click HERE to Read Previous MESSAGES

TOPIC: Contending For The Faith

READ: Jude 1:8-10 King James Version (KJV)

8 Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries.

9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.

THE MESSAGE:

The text today describes St. Michael contending for the body of Moses from the Devil. Moses offended God through disobedience and the Devil felt he had a right over his body. Michael did not insult the Devil but used the name of God to rebuke him and to wrestle the body of Moses from him. This is an example of contending which is the main theme of the book.

The word contend does not call up peaceful images but denotes several things: to be aggressive, forceful, to strive, fight, resist, not giving in, maintaining a stand without looking back, standing firm, being unmovable, being steadfast, not giving a loophole, etc. 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 explains to us that contending is not a physical war of gun, knife and special military weapons but spiritual; not of flesh and blood.

To contend, we must put on the whole armour of God in Ephesians 6:10-18 and the garments of priesthood as in Exodus 28:1-36. In this present world, there are many things to contend with – it doesn’t matter attitude, same-sex marriage, homosexuality, tattooing, nakedness, immodest dressing, heresies, ungodliness, sodomy, sexual immorality in high and low places, corruption, etc. All these exist both in the Church and secular society and they all war against our faith. That is why we are charged to contend earnestly for the faith. Are you contending?

PRAYER: Lord, give us the grace to contend for the Faith in the face of all the rottenness.