SUPERNATURAL ENEMIES

The headlines today are filled with the acts of evil men that seem to relish being in the spotlight for their actions.  Personally, I think these men have basically sold their souls to the devil as instruments of his forces of evil.  The prophet Paul boldly declared in his letter to the believers at Ephesus that our war is against the supernatural forces of evil.

Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

Most of the world has rejected the authority of God and/or even the very existence of God, and do not recognize that our war against the supernatural is part of our reality.  Sadly, I don’t think this truth is even recognized by a great majority of the professing “church” today. 

What these evil men don’t realize as they follow the “god of this world…”

2 Corinthians 4:4 “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

…by perpetrating such atrocious acts against fellow human beings, they are actually serving a god who will delight when the one true God condemns them to the lake of fire for eternity.  Though Satan is ever at war against those who yield their lives to the one true God, he is just as much an enemy of those that align themselves with his forces of evil in rebellion against the one true God—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of my salvation by grace through faith in Jesus the Messiah, His Son.

Jesus very clearly declared the truth about Satan as He taught in the temple.

John 8:44–45 “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.”

I think it is significant to note that Satan is identified as a murderer; he delights in the destruction of life—be it believer or nonbeliever.  It is also significant that he is identified as a liar who cannot abide the truth.  When I hear the reports of the horrendous deeds of those that follow the devil (though declaring to do so in the name of their “god”), I understand that they are acting in accordance with their father’s will. 

There will never be peace on earth as long as Satan is the recognized “god of this world.”  In fact, the only effective defense against his attack is the armor of God as detailed by Paul.

Ephesians 6:11–17 “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil….Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God….”

This armor is only available to those who have chosen to yield to the one true God as Lord and Savior by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  In Jesus we can stand strong against the enemy and render ineffective every attack he makes against us. 

Ephesians 2:4–7 “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”

My future is secure in Jesus—Is yours?

SPIRITUAL INSIGHT FROM STEPHEN LAWHEAD’S: THE DRAGON KING TRILOGY

I began reading this trilogy to determine whether or not I wanted to get it for my granddaughter.  It has proven to be an interesting read with many spiritual applications similar to those found in the stories of Narnia by C. S. Lewis.  I thought the following section particularly thought provoking. 

“Yes, perhaps we are mistaken. It is possible we have misread the signs. But whether you are the one or not does not matter very much.”

Quentin cocked his head sharply; he had not expected the hermit to say that. “No,” Durwin continued. “What does matter is whether you are willing to follow the Most High, even in your unbelief.”

“I— I do not know what you mean.”

“Certainly you do. All your life you have served the gods in one way or another. Of the old gods you soon learned only to demand those things which they were capable of providing— an insignificant sign or two, a small favor vaguely asked. Then you met Whist Orren, the Most High God, the One True God of All. You have served him faithfully these many years and have learned much about his ways. But now is the first time you have ever really had to trust in him, to place yourself totally in his will, and you are afraid.”

Quentin started to object, but Durwin held up his hands. “Yes, afraid. You must now put your faith to the test. And such a test! With lost mines and flaming swords and prophecies fulfilled.”

“Why should I fear that?”

“The reason is not so hard to guess. It is the same with every man. You fear testing your faith, because it means testing the Most High. Deep in your heart you fear he will fail. If he fails, you are utterly alone in this life and beyond; there is nothing you can believe in anymore.”

Quentin shook his head. “No, Durwin. That is not my fear.”

“Tell me, then.”

Quentin drew a deep breath, glanced at the hermit and then quickly away again. “I am afraid of being the priest king. I cannot say why, but the mere mention of swords and mines fills me with dread. Look at my arm! How can I wield the Shining One with an arm as dead as firewood?” “

It is the same thing in the end, is it not? You fear to accept something the Most High has chosen for you.”

“How is that the same thing?”

“Most assuredly it is. To accept the crown of priest king would mean placing your trust totally in the Most High. It means that you must trust him to know what is best for you, to know you better than you know yourself. It would mean trusting him beyond all trust, even when the way is unclear— especially when the way is unclear.

“When you trust like that, you necessarily test the god’s ability to keep you. You are— we all are— unwilling to make such demands of our gods. If we trust but little, we will be disappointed but little, eh?”

“If I do not believe, but follow anyway, does that not mock the Most High and defeat his will?”

“On the contrary, my friend. To follow without seeing the end— in unbelief, as you say— is really the highest form of trust.”

“It is but blind trust,” objected Quentin. The words of the hermit made sense to him, but he still felt as if he must fight acceptance.

“Not blind trust. Not at all. Those who trust the powerless gods of earth and sky— they trust blindly.

“Quentin, look at me,” the hermit commanded gently. “You cannot serve the Most High without trusting him totally, for there always comes a time when he will put you to the test. He will have all of you or nothing at all. There can be no middle ground. It is a demand that he makes of his followers.”

Lawhead, Stephen R. (2014-07-08). The Dragon King Collection: In the Hall of the Dragon King, The Warlords of Nin, and The Sword and the Flame (The Dragon King Trilogy) (Kindle Locations 10512-10530). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

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THE LORD OUR SHIELD

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Proverbs 30:5 “Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him.”

There are some wonderful truths in this small declaration from scripture for the person that places their trust in God.  What does it mean for God’s word to be “pure?”  Webster defines pure as “Free from that which harms…weakens, or pollutes; genuine; real; perfect.”  In other words, it is entirely free of defect or deceit; it is truth you can depend upon. 

Another truth is that God is our “shield,” our defense, shelter and protection.  My daughter and I were talking one morning, and she noted how the shield is the piece of armor that protects the part of the body most vulnerable to attack.  In other words, we have nothing to fear from Satan or anything else in this world when we trust the Lord as our Savior.  Does that mean nothing “bad” will never happen to us?  No.  It does mean, however, that God is sovereign and in control and watching out for our well-being.  We most naturally process that truth in light of the physical now; but, in truth, I believe it is in light of our spiritual forever.  The worst that can ever happen to the child of God is that he/she gets to go home to live in the presence of the Savior.

JERUSALEM WILL BECOME A PRAISE THROUGHOUT THE EARTH

My daughter recently enjoyed a three-month study period in Israel and came back with some wonderful pictures.  I was reminded once again of the words of the prophet Isaiah as I enjoyed perusing her pictures and came across a video clip of her reading from Isaiah 62 while sitting on the Mt. of Olives.  These words have often been a part of my prayers for many years.

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I believe these prayers will be answered, and the day is coming when the LORD will make Jerusalem a “praise in the earth.”  The Lord Jesus declared Himself the fulfillment of the first part of the words of Isaiah recorded in the previous chapter when He read in the synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4).  Just as surely as He fulfilled the first part…

Luke 4:16–19 “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

He will fulfill the last part.

Isaiah 61:1-3 “…and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

As the calls for the destruction of Israel get louder and the nations continue to accuse Israel as the aggressor instead of the victim and try to get them to continue to divide their land for peace, I believe that the time for that fulfillment draws near. 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

REJOICING IN SALVATION AND LOOKING FORWARD TO HEAVEN

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