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But we refused to listen to them for a single moment. We wanted to preserve the truth of the Good News for you. —Galatians 2:5
Paul was determined never to yield to anything opposed to the truth of the Gospel. He wrote to the Ephesians, “Do not give the devil a foothold” (Ephesians 4:27 NIV). The duty of the Christian parent, pastor, or leader is to “be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Similarly, the Lord warned Isaiah about the need for alertness, saying, “Put a watchman on the city wall to shout out what he sees. Tell him to sound the alert when he sees chariots drawn by horses and warriors mounted on donkeys and camels” (Isaiah 21:6-7). Satan seeks to weasel his way into our churches and families through our slack oversight, our tolerance of his encroachment, and our yielding to his advances. Even when the great apostle Peter was being swayed by the hypocrisy of the Judaizers, Paul stood boldly against him, saying, “I had to oppose him publicly, speaking strongly against what he was doing, for it was very wrong” (Galatians 2:11). The enemy hates your liberty in Christ and does his best to put you back under the “yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1 KJV). Don’t give in to anything that is not in the truth of the Gospel. Stand your ground against the devil, and “he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
Suggested Reading:
Isaiah 19:1-21:17
Galatians 2:1-16
Psalm 59:1-17
Proverbs 23:13-14