His Mercies Are New Every Day

Lamentations 3: 21 - 24, This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!" NKJV

The other day I was getting ready to leave the house, and just as I normally do, I asked the Lord to protect us while traveling. I had barely gotten that prayer request out of my mouth, and a thought went through my mind: "Don't you think the Lord gets tired of hearing you pray this every day?"

Do you have prayers that you repeat every day? If so, have you heard a thought go through your mind that sounded similar to the one I had? How did you respond to it? As Christians, we must be able to recognize the voice of the enemy. Remember, Satan and his imps operate through the avenue of condemnation; and as humans, we can fall prey his attacks. Even so, as Christians, we must train ourselves to notice when an accusing voice is speaking to us. We should not just accept what it says as fact.

Let's suppose that I failed to recognize the thought that I mentioned earlier as originating from Satan, and I chose to leave it unchallenged by the truth. When we have a thought that rises up against something that we know is scripturally correct, and we accept it through condemnation, it can greatly diminish or stop our faithfulness in that area altogether. Looking back at the times that you have experienced a similar situation, did the enemy's lies cause you to back off from what you were praying? 

Why would a demonic spirit care if I pray a simple prayer of protection every day? Do you suppose that it really is concerned about the Lord being bombarded by repeated prayers? Absolutely not! However, if Satan observes that something we are doing for God is effective, he will try to prevent us from continuing in that vein in the hope of gaining access into another area of our lives. 

The name of the Lord is a strong tower, and the righteous run to it and are safe. There is safety that comes into our life when we cover ourselves and others in prayer. If we should allow a thought from Satan to stop us, then it can give him the availability to bring us trouble. Therefore, we must be able to recognize and challenge thoughts that arise in our mind when we know we're doing the right thing before God.

Shortly after the thought of condemnation shot through my mind, the Holy Spirit gave me the verse that I used in today's devotion. He reminded me that God's compassions and mercies are new every day. The Lord loves to hear from us daily. He cares about what concerns us, and He instructs us in His Word to bring those concerns, worries, and fears to Him. Therefore, the next time you pray, and you hear a condemning voice don't let it go unchallenged, lest it rob you of a blessing. 

Pray Without Ceasing,

Pastor Asa Dockery