Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Psalm 32:1

A commentator on national radio stated that if he were the prince of darkness, he would take over the country with a campaign of whispers. To the youth he would whisper that the Bible is a myth, that what is bad is good, and what is good is outdated. He'd educate authors on how to make lurid literature exciting so anything else would appear boring. He would encourage the entertainment industry to produce more sexually explicit moves and television programs. With flattery and promises of power, he would get the courts to vote against God and in favor of pornography. "If I were Satan," he said, "I'd just keep on doing what he's doing, and the entire world would go to hell."

Into this world Christ came to release us from the influence of Satan. He is the Lamb who was slain to overcome the demon who wielded the power of death. On the cross of Calvary Christ gained our forgiveness. Is it any wonder that the psalmist speaks about the blessed happiness of the person who knows God's forgiveness?

To counteract the whisper campaign of Satan, we need what Saint Paul calls "the full armor of God," including: "the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one" (Ephesians 6:13, 16).

PRAYER: Lord, by the power of Your Word help us overcome and resist Satan; through Christ Jesus, our Savior. Amen.

(Devotions from "The Abundant Life" copyright 1998, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time e-mailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)

Today's Bible Readings: 1 Samuel 30-31    Luke 24:1-35

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