2002-01-01
Good Morning Dearest Fellow Believers,
Yesterday, I was led to begin discussing how Satan likes to attack the mind. Today, we need to examine some of the citations that will let us know what God thinks about this difficult issue. It was no accident that Solomon wrote his PR 3: 5-6 which tells us not to lean on human understanding but to place our trust in God. As I have said before, God is aware that His understanding and knowledge of things is far deeper and wider than mankind’s is. This awareness on His part is not borne out of egotism, but the statement of a truth we must accept. Remember IS 55: 8-9, “’My thoughts,’ says the Lord, ‘are not like yours, and My ways are different from yours. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are My ways and thoughts above yours.’” The truth is we weren’t created to know more than God. Instead, we are the “sheep of His flock” who are in constant and desperate need of His continuing guidance. This dependence on God is a beneficial relationship when we obey Him, which gives Him love that brings Him pleasure and gives us fulfillment of our every need. When we are faithful, it’s a win, win situation.
Having said this, let’s look at what God says through Peter in 2 PET 1: 19-20, a message which can be seen as “combat intelligence” regarding the truth of a prophecy. “So we are even more confident of the message proclaimed by the prophets. You will do well to pay attention to it, because it is like a lamp shining in a dark place until the Day dawns and the light of the Morning Star shines in your hearts.” If a false prophet delivers a lie, the darkness is not illuminated by the lamp referred to here. The use of the term “Morning Star” here refers directly to Jesus Christ, so the light discussed is the light of Christ. It’s the only kind of light that is a “lamp unto my feet, a light for my path” [PS 119: 105]. When lies abound, the darkness consumes us like that of a cave. The walls of evil impede our forward progress and move in on us. Remember Christ’s teaching that good fruit can’t be produced from a rotten tree? All prophecy comes from God through the Holy Spirit. It can’t be explained by man by himself. We are reminded of that in 1 COR 2: 14, “Whoever does not have the Spirit cannot receive the gifts that come from God’s Spirit. Such a person really does not understand them; they are foolishness to him, because their value can be judge only on a spiritual basis.”
We have already spent considerable time discussing 2 TIM 3: 16-16, which tells us that, “All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed.” I love the term “God-breathed” used here, because it makes me think of how God breathed life into the skeletons laying in the Valley of the Dry Bones, which represents Israel after the first dyaspora, in EZK 37: 10. The use of these words is no accident. God wants us to recognize Him, and Him alone, as the giver of life for everything that has it. God’s word is alive in Christ, as we learn from JN 1: 1-4. When we believe God’s word and obey His commands, we are given eternal life, the greatest gift of all. Where is Satan in all of this? He is defeated! Christ defeated him on the cross, and the believers alive at the time of REV 20: 10 will see the actual destruction of evil for themselves.
Christ reveals His attitude about the Law of Moses in MT 5: 17-18. “Do not think that I have come to do away with the Law of Moses and the teaching of the prophets. I have not come to do away with them, but to make their teachings come true. Remember that as long as heaven and earth last, not the least point nor the smallest detail of the Law will be done away with-not until the end of all things.” That may seem strange to partners with God in the Covenant of Grace, as we are, but there is a very good reason for it. It is the Ten Commandments which allow us to know what is in line with God’s will and what is not [RO 7:7]. Take them away, and one has removed what allowed us to recognize our need to come to faith and repent in the first place! Why would God not establish the Law for eternity? I’m only surmising here, but it would make sense that people who are with Him in heaven no longer need to be taught what is righteous and what is not. They will be perfected to the point of righteousness and will live eternally that way. We need the Ten Commandments until our sanctification is complete and we are ready to answer the call of the last trump to our meeting in the air with Christ [1 THESS 4: 13-16].
God has more to say on the subject of Satan’s attacks on our minds, which I will take up tomorrow. However, people who are faithful and willing to strive toward a greater understanding of God’s word, are given a special gift. They are allowed to grasp the big picture of God’s plan for those who love Him. Throughout the history of mankind, our Lord has always been faithful to His children. PS 9: 10, “All those who know your mercy, Lord, will count on You for help. For You have never yet forsaken those who trust in You.” Better, truer words were never said!
PRAYER: O Lord, there are many ways that Satan attacks our minds in modern-day society. We are sometimes wracked with depression and other forms of mental illness. We are constantly barraged with messages of the flesh from the media which can cause us to question the beauty and value of ourselves as God created us. False prophets desire to lure us into apostasy. People who are new in the faith or who have faith that is weak and needs strengthening are particularly vulnerable to these Satan-driven lies. We are brought to observe this situation, and because of our deep faith and desire to serve You, we ask You today to give us direction in how we can mount an effective defense in Christ’s name against it. We beseech You to make the gifts You have given each of us known to us and to enable us to use them in His name. Some of us can be in the medical field and can help those who suffer from mental illness. Some of us can have the courage to speak out tirelessly against the lies of Hollywood, the cosmetics industry, and other forces in our society who try to convince people that they are ugly and worthless if they don’t use their products and hold to their worldly values. Today, Lord, I saw a report showing that the newest way to be hip and in style is to wear clothing that shows the top of a thong (a very brief piece of underwear). This is an example of the erosion of godly living that Satan loves. In the name of Jesus Christ, give us the wisdom, courage, and power to come against Satan’s propelling our society to “push the envelope.” We listen intently for Your guidance and pledge to spend time daily with You in prayer and study of Your word. We approach You in humility to confess our sins and to offer You our adoration, worship, loyalty, diligence, honor, glory, trust, obedience, thanks, and eternal praise. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
PS 107: 43, “Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.” It is my hope that each of you will not find reasons to avoid learning about our history with God. That’s one of the blessings that comes from daily time in the Scriptures. From it we can see the big picture of God’s plan for us and allow God to reveal, as fully as we can understand, His magnificent nature. While we can’t be God, we can surely can use His example and that of the Son as a model for how we should be. God’s love for us is agape love [unconditional]. We are His children, which explains this. He shows us that it’s the kind of love that we should have for Him and all our fellow believers. Christ taught that very principle, because He thought is was so important. When we focus on God’s love for each of us as individuals and as congregations, we can recognize we are truly blessed. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn