2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
I am led today to begin discussing the adversary’s objectives in his attacks on us. This may seem like an awfully negative subject, but it’s really important. We are given discernment from the Scriptures as part of equipping us for victory over the enemy in Christ’s name. Once again we must be reminded of who we fight against. EPH 6: 12, “For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age.” While they battle us relentlessly, we have been fitted for victory as long as we wage these battles with the discernment the Lord gives us in the Scriptures and the direction He give us through prayer. When we were justified, that is, deemed acceptable to God because of our faith in Him, He imputed His righteousness to our account. This happened to us just as it did to Abraham in GN 15: 6 solely due to the content of our hearts. Any deeds we performed had nothing to do with it. Good deeds are a natural outgrowth of this justification, but they are not the reason for our salvation. Remember: FAITH + NOTHING =SALVATION.
Now, let’s look at the enemy’s objectives. 1) He wants to destroy our unity with God, the Body of Christ (the church), and our families. 2) He wants to entice us to sin, so he can gain strongholds in our lives. 3) He wants to lead us into false teaching. In dealing with 1), I am reminded of the lessons taught in the Parable of the Sower [MT 13: 1-9; 18-23]. You’ll remember one seed fell into the thorn bushes and was squeezed out of producing a healthy shoot by the thorns tangling it. One seed fell on rocky ground and couldn’t seat deep enough in the soil to be able to receive enough nutrients to thrive. Once it sprouted, the sun’s rays burned it up. Another seed fell on hard pan where birds came and ate it. The last seed fell on fertile, arable soil where it was nourished well and could send its roots down as far as needed to produce a healthy shoot. Christ’s explanation of what each meant contains valuable lessons for us. MT 13: 19-23, “Those who hear the message about the Kingdom but do not understand it are like the seeds that fell along the path. The evil one comes and snatches them away what was sown in them. The seeds that fell on rocky ground stand for those who receive the message gladly as soon as they hear it. But it does not sink deep into them, and they do not last long. So when trouble or persecution comes because of the message, they give up at once. The seeds that fell among thorn bushes stand for those who hear the message; but the worries about this life and the love for riches choke the message, and they do not bear fruit. And the seeds sown in the good soil stand for those who hear the message and understand it; they bear fruit, some as much as one hundred, others sixty, and others thirty.” It is likely that “fruit” as used here is the manifestation of Christian character rather than souls won to Christ. When the word, “fruit,” is used in the NT, it generally refers to the fruits of the Spirit as discussed in GA 5: 22-23.
Another picture that illustrates how the enemy’s first objective works is the picture of a branch on a tree, which thrives as long as it is connected to the tree. However, if it becomes diseased or is cut from the tree, it withers and dies. This picture is used in RO 11: 16-24, the metaphor of the cultivated olive tree to which wild olive tree branches are “in-grafted” –the salvation of the Gentiles. Read the words of JN 15: 5 and see what I mean. “I am the vine, and you are the branches. Whoever remains in Me; and I in him, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without Me.” If we look at how these metaphors in the Scriptures apply to our modern day lives, I can share some experience with how the adversary worked in my own life. I’ve moved around a great deal and have lived in many places over the years all over this country and Canada. Under the circumstances, I’ve belonged to a number of congregations. The one truth which comes out of this experience is that churches which put the word of God at the center of what they do and which have Christ in leadership thrive. Those which do not wither and fail. Peter and I once belonged to a large congregation in GA, which was fraught with political intrigue and wrangling. Pastor after pastor left, and the congregation was upset terribly by this. Eventually, this congregation split upending people’s spiritual and social lives. They threw away talented and dedicated servants of God. It’s membership was left spiritually starved. At the root of the problem was putting human agendas before God’s. As the John citation above teaches, we simply can’t grow spiritually on our own. We need God’s direction and a constant link with Him through daily time in the Scriptures and prayer. We really must put Christ in leadership both in our personal lives and in our congregations.
When we examine our families and their needs, God can’t be excluded from the picture. There is a lot of truth in the old adage that faith begins at home. My heart cries out for those little children who are raised in child care centers and later become latch key kids, because their parents seek all the material comforts they can purchase. These are the parents who are angry with teachers, because teachers, who have as many as 180 students every day, aren’t imparting social and moral values to their children. Most of the population of our country are unchurched. That is a sad condition, which cries out for us to answer Christ’s words in the Great Commandment of MT 28: 19-20, “Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them My disciples; baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of an age.” We must use wisdom, love, and compassion. We must strip away our natural reserve and follow Paul’s example of RO 1: 16 in which he states, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel; it is God’s power to save all who believe, first the Jews and also the Gentiles.” Paul’s attitude in RO 1: 1 is a good model for what ours should be. “From Paul, a bondservant of Christ, set apart for the Gospel.” We have the power not to let Satan destroy the unity of the church or our families. The enemy wants to entice us to erect human barriers between ourselves, using the old “divide and conquer” technique for getting his way. Obeying God’s teaching from the Scriptures counteracts this approach and any other that he might try to carry out his objectives. That is why the word of God, the truth, matters so much to us. It is the road map to eternal life. What could be more important than that?
PRAYER: O Lord, when we first came into Your fold, we were like the sheep described in IS 53: 6. “All of us where sheep going astray; each one going its own way. But the Lord made the punishment fall on Him, the punishment all of us deserved.” We had no idea what righteousness really meant, and You knew that You, through Christ and the writers of the Scriptures, would have to teach us. Our gratitude for Your willingness to endure our imperfections, intermittent stubbornness, and struggle to understand and put into practice what you teach us knows no bounds. Instead of giving up on us, You enfold us in Your grace. We live in a cruel world, a world in which Satan has gained many strongholds. Yet, You supply us with protection when we obey You and You provide us with discernment through study and prayer. Repeatedly, You answer the prayer David uttered in PS 31: 3-5, “You are my Refuge and my Defense; guide me and lead me as You have promised. Keep me safe from the snare that has been set for me; shelter me from danger. I place myself in Your care. You will save me, Lord; You are a faithful God.” Dearest Abba, You know that Satan is continually trying to divide our families and our congregations with his lies, misplaced agendas, enticements to materialism, and desire to bring misery. He is hateful, crafty, selfish, and malicious. Sometimes as Christ taught, he and his followers use their wiles to appear as faithful people, and then they do spiritual harm. We must be alert to that, understand the power to fight this off to victory in Christ’s name, and have the courage of faith not to be afraid of this adversary. We learn about Your love from the words of PS 34: 15-18, “The Lord watches over the righteous and listens to their cries; but He opposes those who do evil, so that when they die, they are soon forgotten. The righteous call to the Lord, and He listens; He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is near to those who are discouraged; He saves those who have lost all hope.” We remember how depressed a worn out Elijah was in 1 K 19 when he fell asleep under the broom tree. You were there for him, and You are there for us when we need You. Our responsibility is to turn to You and seek You out often, so we can be truly effective in these battles and know You better. That blesses our lives. We come before Your throne to humbly confess our sins and to offer You our adoration, worship, loyalty, diligence, glory, honor, trust, obedience, praise, and thanksgiving. In Christ’s name, amen.
In today’s message, we looked at Satan’s first objective. I am led to deal with his second objective tomorrow. A shepherd knows his flock and knows they are very dependent on him. That is the kind of Shepherd that Christ is. JN 10: 14-15, “I am the Good Shepherd. As the Father knows Me and I know the Father, in the same way I know My sheep and they know Me. And I am willing to die for them.” Anyone willing to die for others in this context has amazing love for them. We are truly blessed every day of our believing lives by that. Over the years as I have spent so much time in the Scriptures, I have come to feel God’s presence and love constantly in my life. I surely don’t deserve this, but our Father is a most graceful Deity Who is willing to give it to each of us every day of our lives. We need only seek Him out and ask for what we need in the name of Jesus Christ. Now, Dear Ones, that’s love! Peter and I also send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn