Echoes From the Campfire

I just know that this world is full of evil. There are men who prey on the weak and the helpless and don’t care who they hurt.”
                         –D.C. Adkisson  (Outlaws of Boulder Canyon)

       β€œHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”

                         –Revelation 2:7 (NKJV)  
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How to Live in a Pagan, Apostate, and Foolish World

Key Verse:  “We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the power and control of the evil one.”  –1 John 5:19 (NLT)

I have been pondering lately the days of Noah.  “As it was in the days of Noah so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man” (Luke 17:26, NKJV).  It must have been pretty terrible in those days for the Lord to destroy all the inhabitants of the earth with a flood except the family of Noah.  Peter informs us that eventually the Lord’s patience finally had enough and He brought the flood upon the earth (1 Peter 3:20).  How far are we from that point?  “The world is opposed to God in its outlook, in its mind, in its mentality, in its own wisdom–worldly wisdom” (Lloyd-Jones).  
       One of the things we have to be aware of and guard against is the carnal mind.  “The carnal mind is enmity against God:  for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Romans 8:7)  Another version states that this mind is “hostile to God.”  Just what is the “carnal mind”?  It is a mind that fights God; it thinks that God (if there is one) is an enemy.  The carnal mind is a selfish mind, a mind that puts self above God and all else.  It is a mind that thinks it is self-reliant.  It does not need God.  My, just look at all of the self-help books and tools that are available.  With all of these, who needs God?  It is a highly ambitious mind that seeks to prove to the world that everything is under control.  It is the mind that reflects the words of the song, “I did it my way.”  It is a mind that seeks to indulge the flesh and its lusts.  It is a mind that would rather enjoy life in comfort and ease rather than work for a living.  These are all symptoms of a carnal mind–a mind that is an enemy of God.
       It is vital in these last days to see the real meaning of the World.  To understand the agenda that the world has–one of power and control.  The world is out to dominate everyone in one way or another.  One day, soon I believe, that there will be a one-world system of finance, a one-world method of identification, a one-world means of knowing what a person is doing and where he is going.  If you don’t think so, just look at what is happening throughout the world in regard to the virus vaccine.  
       The Christian is no longer under the dominion of Satan; they are out of his kingdom, this kingdom of the world.  However, that does not mean they are finished with fighting Satan, in fact, it means that the fight will intensify.  More and more pressure will be placed upon the Christian.  This pressure will take many different forms depending on the location and the individual.  It may be suffering, it may be an fight for survival.  It might also come in subtly.  Watch out for what I call the three “Cs”:  compromise, complacency, and curiosity.  These are deadly.
       Years ago, I was counseling a parent of a wayward child.  The parent had tried many things to control the child’s behavior.  I told her that she might have to turn him over to the Lord.  She looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, “I’m afraid of what the Lord might do.”  Sounds crazy–to have the wrong kind of fear of the Lord.  Our purpose as we go through life is to trust Him.  “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way…” (J.H. Sammis)  One of the dangers that is facing many is to live in fear.  Fear of the virus, fear of being exposed, fear of going outside.  This is not the life we are to lead.  This is not a life of victory or of overcoming the world.  This is being controlled by the world and the evil one.  We need to put all–get that, all–our trust in the Lord.  

                      “So we may boldly say:  ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear.  What can man do to me?’”
                                   –Hebrews 13:6 (NKJV)

I like the way that Phillips renders this verse, “I will not fear…”