The Inch He's After

By Pastor Justin Cooper

A few years back I ignored a small ring of water under the kitchen sink. Just a spot. Barely enough to notice. I told myself I would deal with it later. By the time I finally pulled everything out from that cabinet, the whole shelf had rotted through. One drop at a time had done what no flood ever could.

That is exactly how the enemy comes after you and me. He is patient. He is quiet. And he never asks for the whole thing up front.

When Goliath came out to the valley, notice where he stood. Not on the Philistine hill. Not on Israel's hill. He walked down into the middle and dared everyone to come meet him halfway. That was not laziness. That was strategy.

"The devil does not tempt you with murder. He just wants you to hate somebody."

He does not come asking you to walk away from God. He just wants you to drift toward the middle. A little compromise here. A little corner cut there. One sip. One look. One service missed. He works in inches because he knows an inch is all he needs.

He works in inches.

He works in whispers.

He waits for you in the middle of the valley.

The Bible does not leave you guessing about who you are dealing with. Peter tells us plainly in First Peter chapter 5 verse 8 to stay awake, because your enemy is not a cartoon. He is a lion, and he is hungry.

Here is what I want you to hear this morning. You and I were never strong enough to win that fight on our own. And the enemy is counting on you trying anyway — because the moment you fight him in your own strength, you have already stepped down into his valley.

So here is your Monday morning move. Find the one inch you have been giving away — the small compromise you keep excusing — and name it out loud today. Do not negotiate with it. Do not meet it halfway. Bring it to the Lord before it rots the whole shelf. The victory does not start when you get strong. It starts when you stop pretending you have to be.