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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for December 1, 2009
“How to Live a More Peaceful Life”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
“All this training and I never got to kill anybody.”
That’s what a friend of mine said one time when he was home on leave.
I didn’t know what to say. It kind of shocked me.
I think he really wanted to go to battle, to kill some enemies. He had all the training. He was all revved up to go, but it never happened. He didn’t see any action.
Well, to me, that was the point. We want soldiers completely prepared for action, and the very fact that they are so prepared helps ensure that they will not see any action.
In a fallen world there will always be bullies. I saw it often on the playground growing up. If you want to see a microcosm of the world at large, just watch kids on the playground.
And what do bullies do? They prey on the weak. Just think back through your own experience. I don’t remember the strongest boys being bullied. It was always the weaker boys. The bullies avoided the stronger boys, for obvious reasons.
Do you remember the ads for Charles Atlas back in the day? It was a body building system targeted towards 98-pound weaklings. And one of the stated purposes of the program was to keep you from being picked on by bullies.
Yes, you could live a more peaceful life simply by being stronger. It’s true for boys on the playground, and it’s true for nations.
And I think it’s true spiritually as well. We will live more peaceful lives as we grow in spiritual strength.
Ephesians 6 says, “…be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.”
We are not to be weak, we are to be strong . . . in the Lord.
Verse 11 says, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”
Verse 12 says our battle is against “…the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
Yes, there is a devil. There are spiritual forces of evil, and they have evil plans.
I see the devil and his forces as the ultimate bullies. First Peter 5:8 says the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Then verse nine says, “Resist him, standing firm in the faith…”
A lion on the prowl is a lot like a bully. Who is their prime target? The weak. Why would a hungry lion bother with the strongest antelope in the herd? The weakest will be just as tasty with a lot less effort.
Lions will avoid adult rhinos. Why? Because they are too big and strong. They are just too much trouble.
Well it makes sense to me that maybe it works the same way in the spiritual realm. If the devil is looking for someone to bully, wouldn’t he just go for the easy target, the spiritually weak?
To me, that’s a real good reason to obey Ephesians 6:10, “…be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.”
Here’s a story from Second Chronicles 17. It says that King Jehoshaphat sought God and followed His commands. Then verse 10 says, “The fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, so that they did not make war with Jehoshaphat.”
See, Jehoshaphat made himself strong in the Lord, and he built up his armies. The surrounding nations took notice, a fear settled on them, and they decided not to make war with Judah.
This is called peace through strength. A strong boy has more peace on the playground. A strong rhino has more peace in the savanna. A strong nation has more peace in the world.
And I believe a strong Christian has more peace in his life.
Now I have no special sight into the spiritual realm. I don’t see a demon behind every rock and a devil on every hilltop. But the Bible makes it clear that we have such spiritual foes, and that we must strengthen ourselves in the Lord to stand against them.
So would you like more peace in your life? Can you fathom the possibility that the devil is a bully and you are his 98-pound weakling?
Then it’s time for some spiritual body-building. Instead of turning to Charles Atlas, we turn to the Lord God Almighty.
We heed the counsel of Ephesians 6:10, to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
It’s called peace through strength, and I believe it holds true in the spirit just as it holds true in the world.
We can live more peaceful lives as we grow in spiritual strength.
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
Someone is going to say, “But Doug, you need to tell people that being strong in the Lord doesn’t guarantee a peaceful life.” That is true, it’s not a guarantee, but it’s a general principle. Being a strong nation doesn’t mean you’ll never be attacked. Being a strong boy doesn’t mean you’ll never get hit on the playground. Being an adult rhino doesn’t mean the lions will never ever try to take a bite out of you. But the principle is still true, you are more likely to live in peace if you are strong than if you are weak.
© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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