Trouble it seems never took a break for any reason.”
–Jim Taylor (The Heat of the Land)
“Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble.”
“Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble.”
–Job 14:1 (NKJV)
——————————–
“Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it.”
–1 Samuel 31:4 (NKJV)
Friend, this old world is evil. Don’t kid yourself for a minute that the evil that is happening does not have a spiritual element to it. The devil is always working, and I believe has increased his efforts. There is something happening in the spiritual realm. Perhaps it is the tuning up for the trumpet to sound and the Lord Jesus to return. I hope you have etched the verse I have been using in our lessons regarding living in this evil world.
“We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.”
–1 John 5:19 (NKJV)
It’s all about deception. The great deceiver has been working through the ages and will not stop now. Look at these statistics: 40% of Christians say that Satan is not a living being, but a symbol of evil. Lord help us! Only a symbol, now I understand why I need more and more grace. Another 22% of Christians say that Jesus sinned when He was on earth. One more, and I’ll stop–58% of Christians say that the Holy Spirit is but a symbol of God’s power, not a living entity. What in the world is happening? Notice, these are Christians!
Many laugh when you mention the devil is after them. Hmm, there’s a reason for that laughter; perhaps the devil already has that person in his grips. Some sneer, some mock when you talk about the devil. One of the reasons that the Son of God, Jesus Christ came to earth was to destroy the works of the devil. “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8, NKJV)
Let me give you something from Ken Gire’s book, The North Face of God.
“Here is the truth of what we are up against or, more precisely, what is up against us. We have an enemy whose entire existence–every waking moment, every thought, every expenditure of energy–is bent on dethroning God and destroying everything that in some way reflects God’s character or represents His rule.”
Take a moment to read, and grasp the following:
–Satan is the god of this world — 2 Corinthians 4:4
–the whole world is under his control — 1 John 5:19
–mighty powers in this dark world and evil spirits in heavenly places help him maintain that control — Ephesians 6:12
–Satan exercises his control with predatory ruthlessness, stalking the earth looking for someone to devour — 1 Peter 5:8
–his pursuit of prey is relentless, stopping at nothing except at the boundaries the Lord has established — Job 1:6-12; 2:4-6
–he is a murderer and a liar — John 8:44
–he incites other to be like him — 1 John 3:7-10; 4:1-6
–he is called the commander of the powers of the unseen world — Ephesians 2:2
–he is the ancient serpent, the devil, Satan, and the accuser — Revelation 12:9-10 (The North Face of God)
Laugh, scoff, say he is but a symbol, and when you do that, he has you in his clutches. Deny the devil, and you deny the Word of God, and if you have studied much church history the attack has mostly been directed at the Word of God: the living Word, Jesus, or the Word spoken by Him (see John 1:1-4)
The enemy cannot control our hearts, but he can control what is around us. He especially wants to distort our view of God. He attacks through people we associate with, through places we go, through our career and education. He is relentless and he would love nothing better than for the believer to doubt the Word of God, and have a distorted view of God’s character.
“The enemy has never been more relentless, never more cunning, never more ruthless. A daunting decision stands between us and that enemy. We can sheathe our swords in retreat. We can lay down our swords in surrender. We can fall on our swords in despair. Or we can, with the brave who have gone before us, draw our swords and ride with full fury into the enemy’s ranks.”
–Ken Gire
——————————–
“Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it.”
–1 Samuel 31:4 (NKJV)
Friend, this old world is evil. Don’t kid yourself for a minute that the evil that is happening does not have a spiritual element to it. The devil is always working, and I believe has increased his efforts. There is something happening in the spiritual realm. Perhaps it is the tuning up for the trumpet to sound and the Lord Jesus to return. I hope you have etched the verse I have been using in our lessons regarding living in this evil world.
“We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.”
–1 John 5:19 (NKJV)
It’s all about deception. The great deceiver has been working through the ages and will not stop now. Look at these statistics: 40% of Christians say that Satan is not a living being, but a symbol of evil. Lord help us! Only a symbol, now I understand why I need more and more grace. Another 22% of Christians say that Jesus sinned when He was on earth. One more, and I’ll stop–58% of Christians say that the Holy Spirit is but a symbol of God’s power, not a living entity. What in the world is happening? Notice, these are Christians!
Many laugh when you mention the devil is after them. Hmm, there’s a reason for that laughter; perhaps the devil already has that person in his grips. Some sneer, some mock when you talk about the devil. One of the reasons that the Son of God, Jesus Christ came to earth was to destroy the works of the devil. “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8, NKJV)
Let me give you something from Ken Gire’s book, The North Face of God.
“Here is the truth of what we are up against or, more precisely, what is up against us. We have an enemy whose entire existence–every waking moment, every thought, every expenditure of energy–is bent on dethroning God and destroying everything that in some way reflects God’s character or represents His rule.”
Take a moment to read, and grasp the following:
–Satan is the god of this world — 2 Corinthians 4:4
–the whole world is under his control — 1 John 5:19
–mighty powers in this dark world and evil spirits in heavenly places help him maintain that control — Ephesians 6:12
–Satan exercises his control with predatory ruthlessness, stalking the earth looking for someone to devour — 1 Peter 5:8
–his pursuit of prey is relentless, stopping at nothing except at the boundaries the Lord has established — Job 1:6-12; 2:4-6
–he is a murderer and a liar — John 8:44
–he incites other to be like him — 1 John 3:7-10; 4:1-6
–he is called the commander of the powers of the unseen world — Ephesians 2:2
–he is the ancient serpent, the devil, Satan, and the accuser — Revelation 12:9-10 (The North Face of God)
Laugh, scoff, say he is but a symbol, and when you do that, he has you in his clutches. Deny the devil, and you deny the Word of God, and if you have studied much church history the attack has mostly been directed at the Word of God: the living Word, Jesus, or the Word spoken by Him (see John 1:1-4)
The enemy cannot control our hearts, but he can control what is around us. He especially wants to distort our view of God. He attacks through people we associate with, through places we go, through our career and education. He is relentless and he would love nothing better than for the believer to doubt the Word of God, and have a distorted view of God’s character.
“The enemy has never been more relentless, never more cunning, never more ruthless. A daunting decision stands between us and that enemy. We can sheathe our swords in retreat. We can lay down our swords in surrender. We can fall on our swords in despair. Or we can, with the brave who have gone before us, draw our swords and ride with full fury into the enemy’s ranks.”
–Ken Gire